New or secondhand M5?
Discussion
I'm a big fan of the existing M5 and not such a fan (to put it mildly) of the new 5 series. There are some new or nearly new M5s still knocking around, in the high £40ks - is it worth buying one at this price (bearing in mind the new price was £50k plus)?
The possible alternative that I'm considering (as a "family" car) is the X5 4.4i Sport (which I know won't deliver like the M5, but I just can't face buying the new 5 series).
The possible alternative that I'm considering (as a "family" car) is the X5 4.4i Sport (which I know won't deliver like the M5, but I just can't face buying the new 5 series).
If you can get a hold of an E39 £30-5k M5 with an extendable warrenty, you would be on to a winner, car has lost most of the money it's going to lose.
Test driven a couple of X5s 4.4 and 3.0, great handling and steering for a 4 by 4 much better than the ML or Jeep, the ride on the sports wheels is really stiff though, rear seats are small, room in the back isn't as big as rivals, boot is small (500cuft) jeep and ML were 1000 cuft.
However the 540i E39 is much faster, much cheaper, better steering, brakes, handling, better economy, better seats in the back. The M5 is different class again, great cars.
I bought an ML430 at the beginning of the year for long trips, it was £10k cheaper than the equivalent X5, had a better ride and more room in the back. But I sold it within the month because on a windy road passenger comfort was terrible due to the roll unless you went granny slow, braking was terrible and it nearly killed us during an emergancy lane change that a normal car would have had no problem with. Although the X5 is better handling it's still a 4 by 4. I traded the ML for an older S430, better comfort, performance, handling, economy as a road car everything was better, except the boot size !
Go on get an M5 0-100mph 11.5 seconds
Test driven a couple of X5s 4.4 and 3.0, great handling and steering for a 4 by 4 much better than the ML or Jeep, the ride on the sports wheels is really stiff though, rear seats are small, room in the back isn't as big as rivals, boot is small (500cuft) jeep and ML were 1000 cuft.
However the 540i E39 is much faster, much cheaper, better steering, brakes, handling, better economy, better seats in the back. The M5 is different class again, great cars.
I bought an ML430 at the beginning of the year for long trips, it was £10k cheaper than the equivalent X5, had a better ride and more room in the back. But I sold it within the month because on a windy road passenger comfort was terrible due to the roll unless you went granny slow, braking was terrible and it nearly killed us during an emergancy lane change that a normal car would have had no problem with. Although the X5 is better handling it's still a 4 by 4. I traded the ML for an older S430, better comfort, performance, handling, economy as a road car everything was better, except the boot size !
Go on get an M5 0-100mph 11.5 seconds
gibo993 said:
Why have an M5 when they are going to make an M6 ?
(unless of course you want 4 doors)
Because you can be like me, right now: which is to say, dribbling with...antici - Pation!
I look forward to losing my licence with the sort of oily, slicked backed arrogance a meagre Porsche piloteer could only fantasize about!
Heinkel, Tommy, Heinkel.
gibo993 said:
Why have an M5 when they are going to make an M6 ?
(unless of course you want 4 doors)
I'm interested in the M5 because:
(1) it's the 4 doors I'm after
(2) the surprising amount of power it has for a 4 door motor. I recently test drove the E39 M5 and even though I was comparing it with my Cerbera (which wasn't fair given that it weighs half as much and only has 2 doors), it was really, really impressive. I can honestly say that I was not as impressed with the new C4S that I tested the following week. If I only wanted 2 doors, I'd hang on to the Cerbera.
The new M5 looks good from the front, but the rear end looks messed up - perhaps the 5 series will grow on people, but I remember some optimists saying the same about the 7 series when it was launched and that still looks like a real dog.
That's why I'm contemplating buying a new X5 or E39 M5: I just can't decide whether it's worth forking out £40k plus on a second hand motor when the same or a little more would get me a new X5.
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