Buying guide .....mmm ????? in PPC mag - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

stevie sam · 1st July 2007, 22:14

Just picked up the Practical Performance Magazine..the one with Marks (Dronfield) car featured in the 'Buying Guide ' page 117 and have just got around to reading the article.Now, before I start I hope Mark doesn't think I'm attacking the mag his car has been featured in 'cos I'm not,but I felt as I was reading that the article contained a lot of opinionated rubbish , some of it sarcastic to say the least.I Quote...fart on it and it disintigrates..BMW cloth interior.........Weird looking 17 inch wheels that look like 14 inch with white wall tyres from a distance ( Turbines hes talking about)...it goes on to say if the clutch is heavy it needs replacing..this maybe so but when mine went it didn't feel heavy and went in a very short space of time like I was told at exactly 50,000 miles which is the life span.Also, the very last 5 words of the article says'check the air con too', a rather shallow piece of info' for something that could cost the buyer an arm and a leg to put right.It goes on to say an engine rebuild will cost up to £10,000 which is bullshit imho.I know plenty of you on here have had rebuilds that have cost way less than half this amount with extra work included too and have been carried out by Phil Crouch whos recognised as one of the best M power mechanics in the country.It mentions 0-60 time for the 3.8 of 5.4 secs..this is more like 5.9secs, it says 3.5L M5 once which I think they mean 3.6L..!!!!...also it says 900 tourings were made which is wrong only 891 left the factory.It boasts our M5's will out brake 911's....I doubt that too...and one more thing.....it says front edc shocks will cost £845.00 each !!!! and rears are £635.00 that I have never heard of with all my time on this forum ...!!!!!!!!!!!! all in all I thought a very average attempt at a Buying Guide..Not enough facts and way too opinionated imo. Check out BMW Car mag's Buying guides..they are lengthy,full of the right facts and not opinions and are spot on 100% of the time.Marks car does look fantastic though in the pics just wished the mag had used the engine pics on a smaller photo and made more space for the shots of the interior and other angles of marks beautiful paintwork.......rant over...£4 wasted...

davidoli · 1st July 2007, 22:18

Great review Stevie......I won't be buying a copy !

stevie sam · 1st July 2007, 22:29

I wish I hadnt.except for Marks pics innit

BenS · 2nd July 2007, 00:06

I am afraid that price for front EDC damper is correct! (List price) I have just been quoted that by local dealer.

dronfieldm · 2nd July 2007, 00:29

Autocar tested a 3.8 6 speed M5 at 0 to 60 in 5.4 sec at the end of 1994. See attached pic........and as BenS says, the front shockers are £750 + VAT now.

Rant away mate......... Do you not think the turbine alloys look like a smaller alloy with a whitewall tyre from a distance Stevie ?

Yes - the 3.5 should read 3.6, and whilst I'm not an expert, I've never had an M5 with bad BMW cloth, but a 1982 316 a stepdad once had was mint, other than the cloth on the drivers seat breaking apart, suppose it all depends on our individual experiences.

The PPC Buyers Guides I've seen are all laid out picture wise and written in a very similar style, containing "off the cuff" comments which obviously reflect the writers subjective views. This is a style they feel suits the tone of the mag I'd imagine.

Suppose it's difficult writing a piece if you don't have major experiences of a specific car, and speak to a number of different sources to gather information.

No offence taken - it's not my article, only my car.....I said I'd be happy to check anything before it was printed, but then I suppose they'd not want to risk any potential features being released beforehand.

Mark

Phlem5 · 2nd July 2007, 00:42

Stevie, I read it as well, and sure, if you have owned one and are familiar with the info on this site it is possible to make the comments per your post. If you think of it from the point of view of a less well informed petrol head, it is a fair summary and accurate-ish! i.e. 891 aint too far off 900?. I was left with the impression that they thought the e34 M5 was an excellent car. Overstating the costs to rebuild or replace the engine gives more of an impression of race derrived pukka engineering, imo.
Having said all that - different frame of mind, I could well have drawn the same conclusion.
Unfortunately BenS is right, front edc dampers are (circa!) £719 each plus VAT.
Last time I priced an engine they were circa £8500 + VAT - I was under the impression that Salyia off here had bought the last remaining units, may be bs, who knows.
Cheers.

Steve Mac · 2nd July 2007, 00:43

Hi Mark

where`s that article from?

dronfieldm · 2nd July 2007, 00:49

Here mate,

http://bmwe34m5.com/node/203

It's the Autocar Brawn Cocktail one......

Probably linked on a few sites, and also on MMM-Fives I'd imagine.....

MJD

farrell · 2nd July 2007, 01:12

Well..
Despite the minor detail errors that often exist in the more recent articles,
the main thing for me is this.
Mark , Stevie Sam & Richard ( Legacy 260) have recently appeared in respectable magazine articles.
M5 Board members cars on show to the world.
Congratulations are in order.

Well done.

Farrell

gurman · 2nd July 2007, 02:54

No way does it take 6.4 seconds to do 0-60 in a 3.6!