UK M5 owners - questions. - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

Knave · 23rd December 2007, 01:21

I'm very possibly moving to the London area within the next 6-12 months. The idea of loading the car up on the ferry for continental Europe and exploring sounds very appealing to me - especially getting my car to the Autobahn, Nordschleife, etc...

I just did a web quote for insurance though and the quote said about $700/month or around $8000/yr...That's more than my current payment on the car!

Is that what I can really expect to pay? If so then I am sad to say but a gorgeous black/black MY2000 may be on the market soon.

What are the realistic costs of owning and running an M5 in UK?

Thanks for any input.

Kyle

Diny · 23rd December 2007, 01:24

It you worry about insurance......wait until you see gas prices!

Knave · 23rd December 2007, 02:02

Yeah, but they measure things in km and liters. Everyone knows that a km is shorter than a mile and a liter is less than a gallon. Therefore I will be travelling shorter distances and it will take less fuel in the tank....right?

I'm telling the boss that I'll compromise on housing but they better bloody well comp me to keep the Beast!

eljockvis · 23rd December 2007, 11:07

get ready for a shock!

1 litre of super unleaded here is £1.08 !!! ,with a 70 litre tank in the m5
that will cost over $150 usd to fill up, i do my own servicing now because bmw charge £100 per hour! 5w 40 is aprox £12 a litre,mich pilot sport tyres 275 35 18 are £220 each. insurance for me is £650 per year with no convictions or previous claims.

welcome to the uk!

farquy · 23rd December 2007, 12:17

Hi Knave,

Just to answer some of your questions...

What eljockvis said about the prices is very true, and only looks to increase as time goes on....

I personally drive from UK to Germany (where the in laws live) to get my car serviced, there are 3 big BMW garages in a 5 mile radius, 1 with an M technician. The price difference actually pays for the trip and IMO the work carried out and the service you get is much better.

As for the measurements U.K. does distance in miles...the rest of EU does the in Kilometres so you should be okay there. 1 gallon UK = 1.2009 gallon US so 1 US gallon = 3.785 litres. so for a rough price 1.08 * 3.785 * 2 = $8.18 per us gal. (damn that tax man

)

As for insurance, which is compulsory, it can vary completely, it goes on age, time held licence, any convictions (speeding etc) type of car, years no claims, location and predicted annual mileage.

Try getting a quote.. I have found admiral.co.uk to be the best for me personally but there are 100's of company's out there.

HTH

As for the autobahn...... I would hurry, at the moment the German chancellor, Angela Merkal (excuse spelling) is putting a stop to the 'greenie's out there' wanting to put an 80mph limit on the autobahn network, but when she goes it looks like the only unrestricted roads in the world will go with her! As this months EVO mag says, the traffic for the nordschleife will stretch to Calais...

skyloon · 23rd December 2007, 15:26

The further out of London the cheaper the insurance. Try confused.com or u switch or the companies on bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Knave · 23rd December 2007, 17:20

Thanks for all the inputs. I think I went too conservative on the insurance form I filled out for the quote - I was looking for worst case and I think I got it!

As long as the insurance is managable, I plan to make maximum use of public transportation for daily commuting. This means the long haul trips that will cost me $150 to fill the tank will typically include 4 passengers which would offset the cost of alternative modes of transportation.

...and you should all get this: I would get to experience Europe in my Beast - that's worth something as well.

I'm also fairly handy and can handle most basic service needs.

One more question - any idea what the market is like for a 2k M5 (~60k miles, excellent condition with complete service history...LHD of course) in UK?

It would set my mind at ease knowing I had the option to sell once I got it over there...not that I intend to ever do so!

Thanks again - I'm really excited about the move and would love to get together with any of you interested when I arrive.

Cheers!

K

topper · 23rd December 2007, 17:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knave

One more question - any idea what the market is like for a 2k M5 (~60k miles, excellent condition with complete service history...LHD of course) in UK?

It would set my mind at ease knowing I had the option to sell once I got it over there...not that I intend to ever do so!

In the UK, the market for used gas-guzzlers is poor. Taxation on fuel and general high costs of motoring mean that cars with large engines depreciate like stones. You could check ebay or pistonheads to get an idea. Just my opinion of course.

farquy · 23rd December 2007, 20:06

One more question - any idea what the market is like for a 2k M5 (~60k miles, excellent condition with complete service history...LHD of course) in UK?

your probably better off selling it in main Europe, France Germany etc being a LHD as UK is RHD... or not selling it at all!!

topper · 23rd December 2007, 20:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by farquy

One more question - any idea what the market is like for a 2k M5 (~60k miles, excellent condition with complete service history...LHD of course) in UK?

your probably better off selling it in main Europe, France Germany etc being a LHD as UK is RHD... or not selling it at all!!

I drive an LHD beast in the UK, I'm not fussed about these things really, plus it makes continental journeys easier, not that I have done one for years.

But if you want to get rid of yours here, I'd look at it. Is the BHP the same as a Euro model?