E39 540i to E28 M5 :)

[guyvert1]

Hello all,

I thought this the best place to post my needs

I've got a '97 540i (6sp), its a superb car in everyway, proper 'Q' car, fast, quiet, reliable etc etc.

But having just turned 35 I'm hankering for the 'old days' where you had to 'work' a car, and you felt its speed...

I've got a soft spot for B'mers, and have always wanted an alpina/hartge but can't live with LHD

I seriously thought about the current M5, but to be honest, it'll just be more of the same, albiet faster etc...

I've always liked the old M5, ie E28, and now I feel is the perfect chance to get one.

So I'm open to offers from anyone who fancies doing a Part-Ex on mine !!!!

I've got it up for sale here : www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/...p?i=19920&s=133

I'd accept a little less for a good deal, obv, there is going to be some kind of cash diff. as I don't think there are many E28 M5's worth over £10k these days!!..

My preferences are: Dark colour, leather, electrics, < 80k and MUST be reliable!..

If this takes anyones fancy, either reply to this post or contact me via email/phone..

Thanks

John

[sohlman]

I think you may be suprised on the price of genuine e28 M5's. There were only 186 or there abouts made making it the rarest M car. To get a good one you could well pay 10+.

You should also consider the M635 which is basically the same in a coupe body.

I would suggest you look at the for sale section in the www.bmwcarclubgb.co.uk web site where you will find the best cars.

[detomaso]

What an excellent choice but, as sohlman says, you will pay princeley for a good one. Munich Legends always have one or two but they do tend to overprice their cars, though you can guarantee that they will be in first class condition.
Specs were always very good, seat options being cloth, leather or 'buffalo' leather, leather was a no-cost option but you will be surprised how many people didn't opt for it.
The timing chain needs replacing regularly so make sure it's been done, and replace the rear axle bushes as they are always get forgotten and can be shown by a clonk or ding as you pull away.
Recently bodywork has become a problem, or more specifically, the floorplan. Make sure you have a good poke around, especially around the jacking points and footwells. There are no pattern parts available for the floorplan (though sills are readily available) and getting bits fabricated can be expensive (as I've just found out!).
Black always look good, especially with the shadow/satin-line trim option which removes all the chrome from the bumpers, trim and window surround giving the car a stealthy look, though worth searching out for is Malachite Green, which is a kind of BRG colour, but as only 2 were sold in the country, and one of those being the BMWccgb chairmans car, you may be searching for a while!
Although only 187 were officially imported into the country, you can be picky as there are always a few for sale with prices ranging from £3000 to £10000+.
Bottom line is though, once you've bought one, you know you've just payed for an exclusive, motorsport built, motorsport engined super saloon, that looks as inconspicous as the next car, but goes and handles like no other saloon from its era. In short, I want one.

[guyvert1]

Thanks for the extra info...

I've been dabling with the idea for over a yr!.. Its so hard to pull myself away from the luxo-barge, it does it all sooo easy, but with so little soul!!...

The E28 M5 has always caught my eye and I know it can be hard to find a good one, esp selling mine in the process, hence poss part ex to someone with the reverse mindset to me

I've seen a few at around £7-8k but to be honest I want one with less that 80k in it, so I can at least assure myself of a few yrs driving without denting the value of it too much!...

Does anybody have any info on servicing costs?... Are most now done by specialists, or does it still hit value if not main dealer like my lump!...

Thanks

John

[detomaso]

I wouldn't worry about getting it done by a main dealer, they still charge the earth and I would worry about thier expertise considering the age of the car and the age of the workforce.
Just stick to a known specialist, where abouts do you live?
I pay £225 for an inspection 2 at my local BMW specialist (Leighton Hall Auto Services), which I think is pretty reasonable, so you would be looking at under £300 I would have thought for an M5.
Bills are going to come when things need replacing as some bits you can only get a BMW dealer, but lots of stuff, as I'm sure you're aware can be purchased quite cheaply from eurocarparts or GSF.

[guyvert1]

£255 for Inspection II, crikey thats a bargain, I just paid £197 for 'liquid' on my 540!, mind you I think 'down south' is ludicrous for Per hr rates, ie £72!!!!... Mind you the LIND seem to be a monopoly down colchester/ipswich!.. The quoted me recently for a radiator @ £498 fitted!!!, so when down to a local OEM rad store, and picked up an identical one (nissen) for £150, £40 for garage to fit ...

What sort of MPG do you get, I can get 20's around town, and nearly 30's motorway in mine, I don't expect the M5 to be so frugal, but fairly close unless you nail it..

Ok, so looks like I'll be happy with servicing... Just need to find one now

[detomaso]

When I got my car serviced a couple of months ago I left with a list of things to do which was a side of A4 long! It's not uncommon for cars this age to need a bit of work doing and most of the things were minor like interior bulbs or headlamp wash/wip not working.
I think you will get pretty similar mpg to what you're getting now, maybe a bit better.
P.M.W. at Chelmsford (01245 496739) have a good reputation and are used to dealing with the older cars.
Hallmark BMW Specialists at Maldon (01621 840978) are also excellent, ex-BMW guys who got so pi$$ed of with the way BMW went about their stuff they started up thier own garage, I only hear good stuff about them and come highly recommended.

[guyvert1]

I'll def. check those guys out, thanks alot for the info....

I personally h8 bm dealers with a passion, as they are so up their own arses these days, most prob. drive battered escorts parked up road

I've tracked a couple of m5's down, but silver is not my colour, I've done that for 4yrs in current motor, plus black/blue looks better on e28 ..

Pity there's no takers here

[ginger toss]

All makes interesting reading as I am looking at an e28 M5 at the moment.
Are there any problems with the management systems?
Does anyone know of a specialist in Glasgow that they would recomend, as I spoke with a couple of main dealers here that want £600+ for an inspection 2.

Cheers

[dcb]

guyvert1 said:

£255 for Inspection II, crikey thats a bargain, I just paid £197 for 'liquid' on my 540!, mind you I think 'down south' is ludicrous for Per hr rates, ie £72!!!!...

Stroll on !

I just paid £480 for my Inspection 2.

No other work needed doing.

Local dealer charges 90 quid an hour plus VAT.

Good job it only goes in every 16,000 miles.

Mind you, they charge silly rates for oil, by the pint. Next time, I'm buying Halfords most expensive, still cheaper than theirs, and can't be worse, and they can use that.

[apache]

detomaso said:

I wouldn't worry about getting it done by a main dealer, they still charge the earth and I would worry about thier expertise considering the age of the car and the age of the workforce. Just stick to a known specialist, where abouts do you live? I pay £225 for an inspection 2 at my local BMW specialist (Leighton Hall Auto Services), which I think is pretty reasonable, so you would be looking at under £300 I would have thought for an M5. Bills are going to come when things need replacing as some bits you can only get a BMW dealer, but lots of stuff, as I'm sure you're aware can be purchased quite cheaply from eurocarparts or GSF.

can you give me their number old chap? I use a specialist in Royston but it's useful to know of others.