M5 Running costs
Discussion
They're pretty bulletproof but when things do go wrong it can get pricey. Therefore, you're always better off with a warranty. The BMW warranty is the best but getting very pricy these days (£1000+), still I would go for it.
As long as you don't drive it like a hooligan all the time, then the tyres, clutch etc. will wear very well. Of course, the main cost will be fuel (you'll never see more than 20mpg) but then who buys an M5 for economy?!
As long as you don't drive it like a hooligan all the time, then the tyres, clutch etc. will wear very well. Of course, the main cost will be fuel (you'll never see more than 20mpg) but then who buys an M5 for economy?!
sb-1 said:
Waht would the running costs be like guys?
Intergalactic.
Certainly the most expensive by far of all the 5 series, and
they aren't cheap cars.
I checked the handbook for my 5 series and it's full of exceptions
for the M5.
Different bits, more frequent maintenance required.
It's more expensive than a 540 with a bigger engine.
Ring your local BMW dealer for some prices for the Oil
service / Service 1 / Service 2.
Change out of £1,000 for Service 2 ? I suspect not.
Ashok said:
The BMW warranty is the best but getting very pricy these days (£1000+), still I would go for it.
Try closer to £2k!
With 15k miles between services, it's not as bad as you think, but if an engine goes you'll be looking at mega bucks.
Get a good independant to do the servicing (or do it yourself) and you'll save the pennies. Just remember to keep an eye on the oil levels.
dcb said:
sb-1 said:
Waht would the running costs be like guys?
Intergalactic.
Certainly the most expensive by far of all the 5 series, and
they aren't cheap cars.
I checked the handbook for my 5 series and it's full of exceptions
for the M5.
Different bits, more frequent maintenance required.
It's more expensive than a 540 with a bigger engine.
Ring your local BMW dealer for some prices for the Oil
service / Service 1 / Service 2.
Change out of £1,000 for Service 2 ? I suspect not.
Intergalactic? They do 12.000 miles between services, and fuel-"economy" is around 20 mpg. Tyres are expensive but not much more than on any other big-wheeled car (count on about £800 for a set, lasting 15-25000 miles depending on how much motorway you do). All in all, probably one of the cheapest ways of getting and running a 400 bhp car!
They really aren't that expensive to run, for the performance you get. Yes fuel is the biggest issue, I've had my car 20 months now (2001 M5 in silver) and it's returned 19.6mpg on average, and on a gentle motorway run that can be 26mpg.
Service intervals are variable deending on mileage/type of driving etc, and you can easily see 16-17K miles between services. As the others have said, an independent will be able to do this for you much cheaper than a main dealer, and lets face it, the warranty costs are now prohibitively expensive for anything with more than 60,000 miles on it, and come with so many new exceptions and get out clauses for BMW, plus a £250 excess each time that it's probably not worth it. I finally let mine lapse this year, and will just get periodic inspections done by a specialist between services to keep it safe.
Overall, they are outstanding cars. There is very little on the road that will stay with it on a cruise. While they don't have the agility of a 911 or TVR, for overall driving they are outstanding, cover huge distances in absolute comfort and can carry 5 people at intergalactic velocities.
I honestly do not know what I will have next to replace it.
Service intervals are variable deending on mileage/type of driving etc, and you can easily see 16-17K miles between services. As the others have said, an independent will be able to do this for you much cheaper than a main dealer, and lets face it, the warranty costs are now prohibitively expensive for anything with more than 60,000 miles on it, and come with so many new exceptions and get out clauses for BMW, plus a £250 excess each time that it's probably not worth it. I finally let mine lapse this year, and will just get periodic inspections done by a specialist between services to keep it safe.
Overall, they are outstanding cars. There is very little on the road that will stay with it on a cruise. While they don't have the agility of a 911 or TVR, for overall driving they are outstanding, cover huge distances in absolute comfort and can carry 5 people at intergalactic velocities.
I honestly do not know what I will have next to replace it.
rassi said:
Intergalactic?
The original poster asked my opinion and I supplied it.
Can you name a more expensive to run BMW ?
rassi said:
They do 12.000 miles between services, and fuel-"economy" is
around 20 mpg. Tyres are expensive but not much more than on any
other big-wheeled car (count on about £800 for a set, lasting
15-25000 miles depending on how much motorway you do).
There are a lot cheaper cars further down the 5 series
range.
50 % of the costs and 80 % of the performance.
Crucially, the same top speed as the M5 in some models.
rassi said:
All in all, probably one of the cheapest ways of getting and
running a 400 bhp car!
Now that I can agree with.
And the number of 400 bhp cars is ?
Dare I suggest a 540 sport? (must be the sport for the big bumpers)- Certainly no M5 in terms of performance, but looks similar, cheaper to purchase run,insure and service etc. I keep checking the oil level, but its barley moved between services.
For the amount of money your'e spending on oil and warranty alone, you could wack a supercharger on a 540 i reckon.
Drove back from Exeter on the w/e, Motorway to swindon (3rd lane speeds..), then A roads back to Milton Keynes - 26.6 MPG
For the amount of money your'e spending on oil and warranty alone, you could wack a supercharger on a 540 i reckon.
Drove back from Exeter on the w/e, Motorway to swindon (3rd lane speeds..), then A roads back to Milton Keynes - 26.6 MPG
Edited by eliot on Tuesday 4th July 07:34
M5's need not be expensive. Most parts are bespoke to the M5, but are available from other sources these days. So disks and pads are not a big issue and tyres are not as bad as they once used to be - now that other cars ride on 35 / 40 profile tyres...!!!
Ok, they can be expensive but without any extras a interval 1 service should be less than £400 and a interval 2 should be less than £700. But add on a little extra work and it can easily build to a yearly bill of £1000+. But there are plenty of indies these days so that *might* be an option. But I guess the big decision is to buy with a warranty or not. Get one without and run it with a good specialist and its not a problem, get a warranty and its main dealer all the way - which will take careful management to keep costs reasonable.
But - there are some known weak points. Having just spanked around £800 to get my aircon working correctly, you need to be aware that 5's can be expensive anyway. So make sure everything works, that its got decent tyres and a good clean bill of health. Anything that looks odd or is not working then its not worth the hassle (unless its really cheap). There are plenty out there with 100k+ without any issues, so the engine is pretty solid. I have done plenty of research on the subject as the plan is still on for the 535i to be replaced at the end of the year.....
To answer apache's question - no the suspension is not a big issue any more. They dont run electronic dampers (or at least the nurburgring version from the E34) and hence its not £1000 to sort this. But they do eat bushes since its a heavy car, bit the parts are cheap and labour is pretty reasonable away from a main dealer. Its a simple job and even a semi-skilled home mechanic can do it.... I seem to remember a PH'er doing his.... and I know plenty of other 5's who have had theirs done at home...
But as mentioned, its petrol and insurance that is the expensive part. If you can afford this then the maintenance is reasonable. Even a top-end rebuild at an indie is around £1000 these days.... an M3 is even cheaper...
Ok, they can be expensive but without any extras a interval 1 service should be less than £400 and a interval 2 should be less than £700. But add on a little extra work and it can easily build to a yearly bill of £1000+. But there are plenty of indies these days so that *might* be an option. But I guess the big decision is to buy with a warranty or not. Get one without and run it with a good specialist and its not a problem, get a warranty and its main dealer all the way - which will take careful management to keep costs reasonable.
But - there are some known weak points. Having just spanked around £800 to get my aircon working correctly, you need to be aware that 5's can be expensive anyway. So make sure everything works, that its got decent tyres and a good clean bill of health. Anything that looks odd or is not working then its not worth the hassle (unless its really cheap). There are plenty out there with 100k+ without any issues, so the engine is pretty solid. I have done plenty of research on the subject as the plan is still on for the 535i to be replaced at the end of the year.....
To answer apache's question - no the suspension is not a big issue any more. They dont run electronic dampers (or at least the nurburgring version from the E34) and hence its not £1000 to sort this. But they do eat bushes since its a heavy car, bit the parts are cheap and labour is pretty reasonable away from a main dealer. Its a simple job and even a semi-skilled home mechanic can do it.... I seem to remember a PH'er doing his.... and I know plenty of other 5's who have had theirs done at home...
But as mentioned, its petrol and insurance that is the expensive part. If you can afford this then the maintenance is reasonable. Even a top-end rebuild at an indie is around £1000 these days.... an M3 is even cheaper...
eliot said:
Dare I suggest a 540 sport?
Easily.
For the even cheaper amongst us, the 530 is a tidy chariot.
None of those V8 fuel bills, lesser insurance, same top speed ...
As Parkers Guide has it, the 530 is about as far as you need to go.
For the record, I dug out some running costs from Top Gear
magazine.
Fiat 500 about 20p a mile.
BMW 520 about 52p a mile.
BMW 530 about 63p a mile.
BMW 540 about 84p a mile.
BMW M5 about 107p a mile.
Porsche 911 range from 92p a mile to 102p a mile.
Their numbers, not mine. Makes me think.
Yeah, but those figures include depreciation as well as fuel costs.... so hardly a fair guide to the running costs! I mean, at £14k-£22k for a good M5 is pretty much a steal - this was a £55k+ car when new so its already shed more than 50% of its value and hence will steady out over the next few years. 40% of £50k is a lot of money - 40% of say £18k isnt as much....
Plus the M5 is actually pretty uncommon - so values have steadied out quite a lot. Now that the whole warranty thing is dying down the values have stabilised. Wont be long before the rough ones drop below £10k though.... a good one will always find an enthusiast buyer who will pay good money. Good late E34 M5's are still £6k - £9k so they hold their value well...
And anyway, who needs an M5? Me thats who - we could all make do with a 520i but a cracking V8 is the way forward....
Plus the M5 is actually pretty uncommon - so values have steadied out quite a lot. Now that the whole warranty thing is dying down the values have stabilised. Wont be long before the rough ones drop below £10k though.... a good one will always find an enthusiast buyer who will pay good money. Good late E34 M5's are still £6k - £9k so they hold their value well...
And anyway, who needs an M5? Me thats who - we could all make do with a 520i but a cracking V8 is the way forward....
dcb said:
eliot said:
Dare I suggest a 540 sport?
Easily.
For the even cheaper amongst us, the 530 is a tidy chariot.
None of those V8 fuel bills, lesser insurance, same top speed ...
The point is not what is by all means the most "sensible car", or which one that has an "adequate" performance (which in any case is a very subjective question), but whether or not you want an M BMW. If you do, then nothing else will simply do, and while the (electronically limited) top-speed is similar, the driving experience is not.
I ran a 530D for a year, and while it was perfectly "adequate", it also bored me to tears and left me as a driver wanting the involvement and passion that I have about my M5. It is of course an individual choice, but I will pay for the privilege of driving the M5, rather than "making do" - you only live once.
Edited by rassi on Tuesday 4th July 16:35
dcb said:
As Parkers Guide has it, the 530 is about as far as you need to go.
I was waiting for someone to trot that old line out yet again - I personally disagree with the "530" is enough statement - In fact the 540 is "only just enough" for me. If all you do is smoke up and down the motorway all day long, then maybe true - but as a petrolhead, I wanted my day to day transport to have a bit of go in it for overtaking and blating around in.
I dared to suggest a 540 was a lesser (but at least V8 powered) alternative to an M5, I think suggesting a 530 is straining it somewhat.
Same old story, many people believe the M5 to very expensive to run and maintain. But as Ashok pointed out a good Independant will charge a hell of a lot less and probably do a better job.
I use a good Indy who charges £130 for a full oil service (TWS), £180 for an Insp 1 and £380 for an Insp 2.
Tyres, I use Dunlop SP9000 and a full set cost £630 and the last set ran for 34k miles.
Using the service interval lights I'm normally running 16-17k between services.
Fuel I average 22mpg but a motorway run will return 25mpg easily at a good cruising speed of 90ish.
My Indy charged £510 for a full set of pads and discs all round using OEM parts.
When compared to other manufacturers who have closer service intervals those sort of figures start to compare very favourably.
Finally Insurance, I pay £680 fully comp for business use, but the car is garaged overnight when I'm at home. Also you don't have to have a tracker fitted to get insurance.
If things go wrong then granted, an M5 can be very expensive, however I've not had the mis-fortune to experience some unexpected horrendous problem. Buy with your head and keep your eyes wide open and don't buy with your heart especially if you've just taken one out on a test drive.
I use a good Indy who charges £130 for a full oil service (TWS), £180 for an Insp 1 and £380 for an Insp 2.
Tyres, I use Dunlop SP9000 and a full set cost £630 and the last set ran for 34k miles.
Using the service interval lights I'm normally running 16-17k between services.
Fuel I average 22mpg but a motorway run will return 25mpg easily at a good cruising speed of 90ish.
My Indy charged £510 for a full set of pads and discs all round using OEM parts.
When compared to other manufacturers who have closer service intervals those sort of figures start to compare very favourably.
Finally Insurance, I pay £680 fully comp for business use, but the car is garaged overnight when I'm at home. Also you don't have to have a tracker fitted to get insurance.
If things go wrong then granted, an M5 can be very expensive, however I've not had the mis-fortune to experience some unexpected horrendous problem. Buy with your head and keep your eyes wide open and don't buy with your heart especially if you've just taken one out on a test drive.
mondeoman said:
dcb said:
eliot said:
Dare I suggest a 540 sport?
Easily.
For the even cheaper amongst us, the 530 is a tidy chariot.
and a Honda civic is even cheaper.
Pointless statement I'm afraid.
To M, or not to M, that is the question and for me there is only one answer, M all the way.
Quite!
When i read comments like "top speed is the same" i wonder whether my wife is posting on the forum with a new alias
- Since when does top speed have ANY relevance to driving experience FFS? An M is all about acceleration and handling..........unless your playing top trumps.Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff