Current state of M5 affairs...

[Anzir]

After seeing more and more threads with people upset over their cars, I just thought I would chime in really quickly.. I think what we are seeing is the eventual evolution of the E39 M5 ownership with expectations that come with new car purchases placed on used M5s that might have questionable service records or just bad parts.

Most people in the year 2000 who bought these cars were either
1) pure enthusiasts
2) people wanting to flip the car for a tidy profit ($120,000 is a figure I remember from Silicon Valley)
3) dot com neuveau riche who wanted to buy a toy

People complained about:
1) Diesel-sounding engines (how many people had their VANOS looked at.. even replaced)
2) Peeling aluminum trim (how can an $80,000 car have faulty interior trim?!?!? now people wonder why the sportive trim only comes with a leather shift knob)
3) Can anyone explain the difference between Extended Leather and Full Leather?
4) Why can't we program the car to automatically start with Sport: On DSC: Off?!?

As more miles piled on, more lease trades allowed more people to join the party to notice that the car had the following problems:
1) Missing pixels on the dash (on a $50,000 car?!?)
2) Faulty camshaft position sensors
3) Intermittent problems with the fuel sending unit
4) Why can't I upgrade to angel eyes for less than $1K?

5 years later, the cars pass 50,000 miles and up come:
1) Carbon buildup issue
2) VANOS failure? on a $35,000 car?!?!? more like dealer diagnosis failure..
3) MAFS come and go (for $115 thanks to DavidS)

Obviously there are people who have problems. But what usually happens on any messageboard, not just this one, is that the owners who have problems post to get help to resolve issues. Most people notice problems. Most people don't post to say... "hey, my name is .... and I'm an M5-oholic." "I just passed 66,000 miles and she goes like she did 6 years ago." "Had a C5 Vette tailing me on the highway and it couldn't keep up every time I dropped her to 4th and mashed the gas with DSC off."

For people who are buying into the car now.. congratulations.. you just bought yourself an amazing 4-door sportscar at a ridiculous price. Please get an extended warranty. When you push the envelope of performance you're bound to have to rely on expensive parts that have to be replaced.

By the way, my name is Anzir and I am an M5-oholic. Today, I just passed 66,000 miles and she goes just like she did 6 years ago (knock on wood). Last weekend, I had a C5 Vette (red) tailing me on the highway and it couldn't keep up every time I dropped her to 4th and mashed the gas with DSC off.

I hope she continues to go for a long time because I'm not trading her in for anything.

P.S. I have replaced 2 CPSs, an O2 sensor, 2 MAFS, and paid out of pocket for Inspection II which was not cheap, but I'd do it all over again. As long as I had my Tubi

[ard]

Thanks for the perspective...

Great points- I can't add a word

Adam

[DavidS]

Very well put, Anzir!

I think many people don´t mind the upkeep of the car, but do mind the
ignorance and arrogance found at many dealerships, in other words people are quite please with the car, but not with the service organization.

To me it is rediculous that people should have to rely on a messageboard community for diagnostic information their SA should know (but doesn´t).

Cheers,

David

[ELEVENS]

Amen Brother Anzir. What you said sure rings true, especially about warranty. When you have to dig deep into your own wallet for repairs, it sours the relationship quickly.

Recently, something very disturbing was mentioned here. These cars were referred to as "time bombs". Ouch that hurts. If you're driving a time bomb, you better have the bomb squad standing by (warranty).

By the way, my M5 has been blissful to say the least.

[HDClown]

It should also be noted that some of the complaints people have about common failure items... aluminum trim, dead pixels in the IKE, door panel seals leaking water into the car, and a slew of other issues ALSO plague the rest of E39 series, a car that has been around much longer then the E39 M5.

Since the M5 uses MUCH of the same parts (especially in these common failure issues), why is one going to expect these problems to not occur just because the car cost $75-80k new? Anyone buying the car and doing their research should have come to expect this in the long run, knowing that there is all this parts sharing going on.

Sure, one would have hoped BMW fixed many of these problems in the 3+ years the E39's existed prior to the M5, but people should have also realized that if they never fixed them in the other models in the series, they weren't going to do it in the more expensive M5.

DavidS makes a good point about dealerships, but you will find that at ANY dealership, and you will read on all the major forums that people have the same issues with their respective makes of cars and dealerships.

And lastly, pretty much every car is a ticking timebomb. It's just a matter of when the clock runs out. If your buying a european car, ANY european car, you cannot go into it expecting reliability, especially on higher performance models. People with that mindset should be buying japanese.

[HDClown]

double post

[E55AMG2]

Originally Posted by HDClown

It should also be noted that some of the complaints people have about common failure items... aluminum trim, dead pixels in the IKE, door panel seals leaking water into the car, and a slew of other issues ALSO plague the rest of E39 series, a car that has been around much longer then the E39 M5.

Since the M5 uses MUCH of the same parts (especially in these common failure issues), why is one going to expect these problems to not occur just because the car cost $75-80k new? Anyone buying the car and doing their research should have come to expect this in the long run, knowing that there is all this parts sharing going on.

Sure, one would have hoped BMW fixed many of these problems in the 3+ years the E39's existed prior to the M5, but people should have also realized that if they never fixed them in the other models in the series, they weren't going to do it in the more expensive M5.

DavidS makes a good point about dealerships, but you will find that at ANY dealership, and you will read on all the major forums that people have the same issues with their respective makes of cars and dealerships.

And lastly, pretty much every car is a ticking timebomb. It's just a matter of when the clock runs out. If your buying a european car, ANY european car, you cannot go into it expecting it to be an appliance, especially on higher performance models. People with that mindset should be buying japanese.

Fixed, but otherwise spot on

[TiSiBeast]

Indeed - well said Anzir. Every time I drive my car I am in HEAVEN. Drove my buddies brand new G35 last night. Nice car, quiet well put together. I wouldn't trade my M5 for it for anything. I think the market on the E39 M5 is about bottomed out and we are going to see a rise in price within the next few years. To the faithful, keep the faith!

[DavidsM5]

Originally Posted by TiSiBeast

Indeed - well said Anzir. Every time I drive my car I am in HEAVEN. Drove my buddies brand new G35 last night. Nice car, quiet well put together. I wouldn't trade my M5 for it for anything. I think the market on the E39 M5 is about bottomed out and we are going to see a rise in price within the next few years. To the faithful, keep the faith!

True I still get a smile everytime I drive my beast and it makes it all worthwhile.
On the other hand unfortunately M5 prices are and will still continue to drop, hopefully at a slower rate.

Look at the E34 M5 prices!

[dmccrary90025]

Great summary. Its always the bad news that travels fast. Just watch the evening news, you'd think the world was ready to fall apart too. Same point. Got to put it all in perspective.

27K on the clock ('03) and drive her like she's stolen, and she loves it!

[brianhardcore]

Anzir,

Really nice post. I could not agree more. I have a 2000 M5 and love it quirks and all. I hope you see another 66000 miles.

brian