I am buying a '95 and I need some input to finalize my decision today. The car has almost 90K on it and it is in CA but I am little bit skeptical about the new emission requirement.
Also this will be my first M5 and no idea what I need to look for aside from what I could visually see. I already set it up for inspection but anything specific that you might know about the car may help me a lot.
I purchased a euro 95 M5 about 9 months ago. There are a number of things that I wish I had accomplished a more compete review of before the purchase.
1st. I've run into all kinds of problems with the instrument cluster on my car which was tampered with when it was imported. In order to get the euro cars to read in miles per hour they need a "coding plug." My words of wisdom are to make sure everything is working properly with the instrument cluster including the area where you get the service interval info. My speedo was off, my miles still read in kilometers, my oil temp guage was not working and I was getting a number of error readings service interval display.
2nd. Make sure that you know the condition of the EDC III system. Repair can easily run $3,000 to $4,000 if the dampers are leaking and need to be replaced.
3rd. My engine seems to be very solid but there are a number of threads on this site concerning engine issues. I've seen numbers into the five figures for an engine rebuild.
The upside is that it's the closest thing to a 911 that I have ever driven with 4 doors.
Mine had the top end rebuilt before it came in...receipts show 15k plus in repairs.
The brakes and the front suspension was done at a cost of 5k.
From talking to people it is almost a given that the Suspension needed work as well as some seals.
So take it to a GOOD dealer to have leak down and compression tests done. Or at least a mechanic that is very goos and can read any service codes in the computer.
I have had flaky electronic issues as well. I have a flaky cluster as well but it is not an issue for me. I also have an issue where the seat controls on the drivers side operate backwards.
The M5 is a great car. It is not the best out there or will you be able to beat most things out there. What is the coolest is the exclusivity. It blows peoples minds that it is ACTUALLY a 3.8 M5.
In France I posted a 163 mph, your e39 M5 does 155 unless it is chipped in which case its not stock, mine is completely stock. I had no trouble following an e39 M5 through the mountains around Florence and completely without electronic help.
You mention numerous Mercedes. Which ones? You make it sound like there are ten or twenty around. And remember we are not just talking straight line performance.
A stock American car averaging 110 mph through the mountains around Florence? Which ones?
And I did say better not faster. And part of being better is bang for bucks so a Mercedes costing 8 times what I paid for mine might or might not be faster but certainly loses out in the bang for bucks stakes.
ralph (vadas1)
Last edited by vadas1; 3rd September 2003 at 17:17.
I have owned the e39 and it far outstrips the e34. The e34 is more "race-ish" but it is not up to the HP and torque of the e39. Case in point I did a dyno with a buddy of mine: his e39 and my e34. I posted 275 rwp and he was at 333 rwp. Same day, same dyno.
Another case. We went blasting thru the Colorado mountains. He consistantly pulled away. Driver difference you say. We switch cars. Same result.
And where the heck are you going to go 160+ consistantly and not get arrested?
You can't beat HP, Torque and larger displacement unless you have a high tech formula 1 race engine.
Once again, the e34 was great (still is) in its time. But obviously time and technology advance. You will figure this one out when you run up against an e39 with a driver that uses its power. Most e39 drivers do not fully execute its power..........
I took a serious look at an E39 M5 while mine was parked next to it.
Yes while the E39 is a quicker car, the attention to detail and overall driving experience is better (in my opinion) on the E34.
What people forget is that the E34 BMW is still the most expensive car ever made in terms of the R&D prior to production and were lucky enough to be driving the few cars breathed on by M !
If you ever want to know how well a car is put together, just look at the engine bay. Look at how cables are routed, what clips are used to hold pipes on and the general layout. Looking in the E34 M5 bay you can tell the entire block was lovingly engineered with the clear signs it was all hand built such as the engine hoist loop, right down to the polished bolts.
Look in the E39 bay and its saturated in plastic clips (makes life easy for the robots) and even the M badge wasn't on straight the car I saw!
I am not saying the performance of the E39 is inferior, it's just the E34 was much more ahead for its time and owing to the £55-£60K (depending on options-remeber alot of money for the early 90's + they were directly competing for cash that would otherwise go on a 911 Porsche).
This is why they now becoming so sort after!
Regards
M5 Powered
__________________
1995 M5 Limited Edition (02/50)Rosso Red
Pilot Sport 2 Rubber
Valentine One With Conceal
Twin Head LRC100 IR Jammer System
Origin Blue B2 GPS
Last edited by M5 powered; 3rd September 2003 at 17:54.
Linear Mode
