Where would you draw the line if purchasing an M5. Over 100,000? I've been told that if the person you are purchasing from has all the service records and any other repair records, then they would pull the trigger and buy it. My only problem is that ANY car with high miles is eventually going to have its problems. With an M car, cost are going to be a little bit more expensive. I wouldn't want to buy an M5 and have the clutch go 3,000 miles after I buy it. I understand that the clutch, or anything for the fact, can go at 50,000 miles but it obviously has a great chance with higher miles. So how many miles would be to many? Thanks
Kevin
__________________ Kevin
Last edited by KWorker17; 24th September 2007 at 02:57.
I bought my 2000 M5 with 155k and my friend bought his with 2002 m5 with 30k.we owned cars for 8 months both so far he had more isues with his then i do with my m5!!!
Yeah, its really funny how it works out sometimes. I guess you can never really know when a car is going to have problems. Its just a luck of the draw type of thing.
NO LUCK OF THE DRAW...just be willing to give or take on some portions if the price is decent, PPI is always good, and form what I have possibly realized:
buying a low mile car just to bring out every once in a while is ok. buying a low mileage car to daily drive can be a hazard as the car is not used to being driven (in my opinion!!) if it sat for a while, there are potential problems lurking about when you start putting constant wear on it.
with a higher milage car, you get the freedom of driving as much as you want without feeling guilty of taking the car's virginity in miles or wear. not only that, but most likely, if you buy a higher mileage car, most of the crucial expensive maintanance and problem stock parts have been replaced. here's where you have to be careful: don't buy one that was rodded to SH!T (or that looks like it has been abused) because thats the last thing you wanna do is replace large mechanical components. especially on one of these cars. do your research, make sure this car is right for you mentally, physically, financially, etc... and use common sense.
It always surprises me how hung up people get about mileage (not particularly directed at the OP). Regular, long, high speed journeys with the car being driven properly yet sympathetically wears a car out far far less 'per mile' than the occasional, short journeys that some of the garage queens get. The major difficulty with buying a car, whether it's got 10k miles or 100k is knowing how it has been treated during its life and a 100k car has had more time being driven well or poorly than a 10k car. An idiot could really wreck an M5 in 100k miles, but then again, so could they in 10k. The over riding factor when looking at any car should be the overall condition it is in.
I bought mine at four years old (the car, not me) with 50,000 miles or so on it. It was the first M5 I drove, but I know enough about cars to know it appeared a good one. You never know 100%, but this seemed well treated. Little things like the original run in procedure sticker still on the windscreen, a complete tool kit and comprehensive maintainance paperwork helped - it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good 'un but does suggest the last owner took care of the car. The car had no PPI (other than what I can do myself including a good long test drive), not CPO, bought from a small specialist car dealership with just a 3 month warranty. I did manage to see the service records at the original supplying dealer - no major work done at all.
My car gets USED. I swear some of you would cry if you see how mucky it gets and where it gets taken. It goes through rain, sleet and even occasional snow, across fields, building sites, down dirt tracks, gets eaten in (even fish and chips), slept in, farted in. I often have to clean the windscreen and lights on their own, 'cos I can't see where I'm going. Then about every two weeks it gets the mother of all cleans and with the exception of a few stone chips on the front bumper and some road rash on the wheels it looks simply wonderful.
Now at just over 122,000 miles the total number of breakdowns or things that have gone wrong beyond the completely normal maintainance items is....... zero, nada. No, wait my rear sunblind motor has blown, for which the dealer wants about £250 to replace it. I maintain it properly regardless of cost - plenty of tyres, services and a set of brakes & suspension bushes etc - but nothing out of the ordinary. I'm still on the original clutch, which surprises me. I'm sure it will need something significant replacing sometime - cars do - but I'm certainly having the enjoyment out of it that I paid all the money for in the first place. IMHO, the M5 is the ultimate driving machine, not the ultmate garage machine.
I wouldn't recommend running an M5 on a tight budget; mine has represented fantastic value for money, but compared to a completely normal car it still costs a lot to run. So, assuming you could afford an '03 with 30k miles but you see a brilliant example on an '02 with 80k that is just the car you want and a lot cheaper. If you bought the '02 and put the difference in price to the '03 in a bank, you have saved some money for if it does need a few maintainance items. The clutch could end up going 3,000 miles after you bought a car whether it had got 30k or 130k on it. All just my opinion based on only nine years, but a quarter of a million miles of driving around. Good luck with your search.
__________________ 2001 M5, Lemans Blue / Silverstone Standard except for a few bits & stereo: 6.5" Focal components, 10" Directed sub, IceLink, JL Audio & Directed amps (hidden). Predator ICE, Stealth bulbs, V1, Roadpilot
1990 Mazda MX-5 (brilliant) 1998 Nissan Primera GT (modded)
When I bought my car I budgeted an extra 5k as a 'just in case' fund.
I must admit I have spent all of it in my 2 years of ownership but the reason is because I want to keep the car, just can't find anything like it.
I have replaced the clutch, all engine sensors, MAF's, all O2 sensors, rear sway brackets, final stage unit, the belts on the front of the engine.... basically anything I thought would eventually need replacing. I will soon replace the suspension and all bushings and I am also going to have the rocker cover gaskets replaced.
On top of that there is the routine maintenance and the oil changes in between.
They are not a cheap car to run but I feel that the driving pleasure FAR outweighs the cost of ownership.
If I was looking again for an M5 if I saw receipts that all those items have recently been replaced then odds are the car will be in good condition, well cared for, dare i say loved and I would feel reasonable safe in purchasing, regardless of the mileage or year.
Best of luck with your search!!
Richie.
I forgot to say, like Dave_gt I spend every day in my car and it also gets very dirty at times, for 2 years now I have had a smile on my face EVERY SINGLE TIME I get out of the car, no matter how short the journey, I have never owned a car that I look back at every time I get out of it - the E39 ///M5 is simply fantastic!!
Last edited by richie_rvf; 24th September 2007 at 12:56.
I got mine with 160000km on it, it had some problems like needed new tyres all round and the dsp, abs and dbc were not working. Took it to bmw and they fixed the problems and did an oil service for 300 euro's. Tyres where not cheap because they are so big 800 for the rear 600 for the front, but if you leave the dsp on and you buy good quailty tyres then they should last for about 40000km.
However my problems started when the service indicator light came on.
When I got the car bmw said I would need new disc and pads all round so I asked them to change them as well as do an inspection 2. Not cheap they did change a lot of stuff, spark plug, all filters, belts, brakes, wheel hubs, oil, etc etc. but it cost 2700 euros. But because you are fixing new stuff to old stuff I did have some problems after the service. The new tention of the belts fried my air con compressor 1000 euros. Car would not start the next day, new battery (last owner fitted a tiny one) 170 euros. I had a problem with the car lurging under full throttle, software fix 160 euros, and lastly abs control unit packed in, 950 euros.
So like the others have said put some money aside for repairs. I bought the car very cheap and knew at some point I might have to spend a lot of money on it, however I was not expecting all these problems after the big service with bmw.
i couldnt agree more. its all about the car, and the owner. although mileage is a great indicator of its use, its not a great indicator of how it was treated/maintained etc.
It is a risk!!! I can tell you from Experience.. but as the other memebers have said it also depends on the driver.
My car I got at 133k. In a year now I have done 33K. My car had a full service all arround but here is what I had to change:
1- All rubber mounts (gear, shaft, Diff seals)
2- two clutches
3- DSC & ABS Comp
4- O2 sensors
5- Stearing and fan belts
5- Front Fan
6- Engine Seals
7- Stearing Rod
8- Ball Joints
9- Front Shocks
10- MAF sensors and Sparks
Ok all the above is doable. this is where the shi*t has hit the fan
11- Diff...(it decided to go with old age)
12- Gear BOX...that was my killer....
Owning an older and M5 is a very painful when it breaks down..I have put my car on recovery like 6 times this year. The problem is when you have a meeting and then you are stuck...it just sucks
After the gear incedent I hated the M5...but
what I can say...its a love hate relationship...I love the M5 and nothing makes me feel good in the morning than hearing the ror off my V8 engine...I can't drive anything else...I drive my car everywhere.. I drive it hard and is the one the faster M5's in UAE (simple Mods) but to tell u the truth I am giving the m5 a chance to calm down till FEB if problems still arrise I am gonna have to part with my love...
My advise is take an M5 Expert with you to check the car.
Good Luck
__________________ We Ride Together We Die Together.
BAD BOYS 4 LIFE
Good luck with your search.
and I would feel reasonable safe in purchasing, regardless of the mileage or year.
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