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Help Me with an M5 Purchase

1K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  markus037 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

I made an intro previously asking questions about the M5 and whether or not I should go for the M5 or an E9x M3. Well I've now made the decision to go E39 M5 and have cash in-hand ready to go!

There is only one minor problem. I am currently stuck in the middle of the desert in Saudi Arabia just a few km south of Iraq for an unconventional natural gas fracturing operation. I have very limited internet (sometimes it takes an hour just to load one page!) and I won't be back in the states until a few days before Christmas. I'd really love to surprise my father with an M5 on Christmas day, but the internet situation is making it difficult to plan this. So I'd just like to ask you guys here to let me know here if you happen to see what I'm looking for.

I know it probably isn't normal to ask for this kind of thing here, but this is (I think) a bit of a unique situation. I hope it isn't too much to ask! I'm looking forward to joining the community here and would be very thankful for anyone kind enough to point me in the right direction. I've been attempting to search on ebay, craigslist, autotrader, the forum here and at bimmerforums, but it is painfully slow and sometimes just doesn't work out here. I'll be sure to come back and post pictures of whatever beast I end up with :)

If anyone can help, here are my preferences:

Facelift

LeMans blue over caramel... no two-tone please!

Will consider anthracite with any interior color, even two-tone, if it comes down to it

I live in FL and would love to come pick it up myself when I get home, but can also have it shipped for the right car in the right situation

Budget is up to 20k
 
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#2 ·
Have you put up WTB ads on the 3 main BMW forums? You can also do that on Craigs. I'd also create some alerts for ebay driving to your email accoutn over there.

That way you'll get details via email first, before try to access the site over a slow connection. It's what I did back in the dial up days. Good luck
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the reply. I do have WTB adds here and on bimmerforums. Not sure what the other site is? Good point about alerts from ebay, I'll see if I can do that! Email is definitely a lot easier for me to get than anything else.
 
#4 ·
This seems like a bad idea. Every facelifted Beast ever built is now 9-12 years old and all M5's are very demanding of regular maintenance. The car's history is so so important, its crucial to drive at least a handful of cars for sale before making a purchase and it sounds like its unlikely you will be doing so. Unless you have driven enough e39 M5's to know a solid car the first time you drive it, there's a good chance you'll be unhappy with your purchase down the road.

Especially since you're looking for a specific color combination, your choices will be even more limited so its even more likely the pool of potential cars you have to choose from will be even smaller. Take your time with this, I understand about the magic of Christmas blah blah blah but buy your dad a sweater instead and maybe surprise him with the M5 after the New Year.

Either way, good luck.
 
#5 ·
^very good point.

Why not give him a model e39 M5 with note that you'll shop together? I don't 100% agree that you need full records, but it is a lot nicer to have them in hand.

Driving multiple cars will help you tell a happy car from an unhappy one, whether it has great pics or not. don't rush the shopping, it took me 2-3 months even being flexible on colour. On your budget, you can get a nice one, but maybe not a really nice one.

My car was a no records car, accident history, with deferrred maintaince issues. But I knew that going in. After straightening those out, it has been pretty good (for 10 year old BMW). YMMV. :D
 
#6 · (Edited)
Also a good point Mfreakin5. I may not have driven a whole lot of M5s, (or any for that matter) but I have driven my share of BMWs and I know what they should and shouldn't feel like when driving (aside from the inherent power differences each has). If you are referring to engine health, then you're probably very right. I am likely to be underwhelmed (CTS-V with 550 hp was "meh" for me) by power since I drive much more powerful cars regularly, but I also know what torque and power should feel like in a 3600-4000 lb car as I tend to love super sedans. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am quite mechanically inclined and my butt dyno is pretty darn accurate (two of my friends own dynos) so I'm hoping for the best!

For sure it sucks to buy a car sight unseen, but it isn't exactly easy to find these things these days! Even in south FL where you'd think they are a dime a dozen, there are hardly any for sale, yet you see plenty on the road. Seems like people are just holding on to them. Either way, this is always going to be a difficult purchase for me because I always have limited time in the US. I think the best thing I can do is find one which has a really nice, honest, and detailed writeup (like some of the ads here) and hope for the best.

Snowcruiser, my budget isn't necessarily strict... I just think it makes sense to keep it under 20k. I could also be happy with a 12k car and bringing it back up to snuff. I've dealt with bringing a $900, 353,000 mile E34 back up to (and beyond) good driving condition, so "I aint scurred a nuthin! ... except catastrophic engine failure :p
 
#7 ·
There's more to it than just how the engine should feel. These cars have very notable differences in suspension/steering health, among other things. But if you aren't afraid, more power to you and it's not like plenty of us haven't bought from a distance.
 
#9 ·
OP this isnt the car id buy sight unseen. I have looked at 2 M5s that were in "excellent" condition a few weeks back and both were disappointing to say the least. I would never buy a car like this without inspecting it first hand since a picture can make any car look good. The cars I looked at needed some sort of body work, tires, interior repairs or suspension components. I dont consider a car like that well taken care of.

Also some parts for these cars are very specific such as the engine, suspension, brakes etc. so its not like you can find second hand parts easily. even a used engine goes for a few grand.


if I were you I would just wait til you come back and then search. also since you are looking for a specific color combo it will be even harder to find "the one" and le mans blue seems to demand a premium over a carbon black or titanium silver one. id pick overall condition over color combo any day but thats just me. good luck in your search, im still looking for my beast and I know the one is out there but I dont feel like buying a neglected one.
 
#13 ·
PPI is the only way to go for a distance purchase and even something I'd consider a requirement for a local purchase, unless you know these cars extremely well and have access to a lift before buying.

I found what I consider to be an excellent example of what I was looking for (higher mileage). My PPI disclosed the following that was not known/disclosed by the seller:

- Guibo cracked
- Thrust arms shot
- Lots of clearcoat peel on one wheel
- 4 ~3" scratches on the passenger side, two of which were slightly touched up (to be fair, they are hard to notice despite it being carbon black)
- Dings in two pieces of shadow trim
- Scratches in the windshield
- Small evidence of paintwork on the driver's side door - nothing major, but not disclosed
- A small crack coming out of the rear bumper tow hook cover
- A deep gouge in the front bumper which was sprayed over (I'm replacing both front and rear bumpers now btw to clean this car up)
- Weeping from power steering lines and lower oil pan
- Cracked/breaking engine firewall plastics
- Cracking lower windshield plastics

And, to be clear, the PPI mechanic (an m3 racing shop that knows these cars well) said that this was one the best looking, best driving, and best sounding m5s he had ever had the pleasure of getting up close and personal with.

Ultimately, I wasn't looking for a show queen and I've addressed alot of that stuff. But bear in mind that those are the types of things you find out about at PPI unless you have an outstanding seller.
 
#14 ·
It helps to by from an owner rather than a dealer since you can get much better insight into how the car was treated. It goes without saying, but find a seller who you feel absolutely comfortable with - someone that is responsive, honest and open about the car. I was able to find such a seller (a real gentleman and BMW CCA member) that held the car for me without deposit while we sorted everything out including logistics as the car was 1200 miles away.
 
#15 ·
this too. im starting to lean towards more private sellers since you get a feel for who owned the car. most dealers just want to make as much coin as possible without having to dump money into the car. also you usually get a better deal when buying privately.
 
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