Should I Sell My M5......Hear Me Out... - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

cohenfive · 7th November 2003, 17:47

this is something i've been kicking around the past few days and i respect the collective views out here so thought i'd 'ping' the experts...

first, i love the car and don't have to sell it. my circumstances have changed in terms of driving it however, leading to my considering selling it. historically i've driven to work every day, parked in a nice comfy company garage and been a happy camper. i like driving to/from work and it racks up the miles. i am a believer in cars being used, not sitting in a garage or train station parking lot.

i lost my parking last week and am now taking public transit to work. i may drive in occaisonally if i'm doing something after work, but in general the car will sit at the train station most days.

what i'm thinking is that it will be a shame to own the car and have it become primarily a station car with weekend, mostly local, driving. if my car is still worth north of $50k (01 in great shape with 33k highway miles) i could sell it and get an infiniti g35 coupe or something else fun and take out a decent amount of money which would otherwise just depreciate away if the m5 sat around..

so what do you guys/gals think, am i crazy for thinking of selling it?

chunpng · 7th November 2003, 18:13

Richard,

I agree with you that I have secured, covered, underground parking is a HUGE plus for owning and driving my M5. If I have to leave it at the train station daily I'd worry sick about it.

Since I sold my Miata it's now my daily driver. With frequent trips to Sacramento and Redding, my miles and driving enjoyment are piling on fast.

In you case, I don't know that it warrants a drastic measure as to sell your beloved M5. I think you will miss it dearly and regret the sale. If you have a new G35 instead of your M5, it'd still be a shame to leave it exposed at the train station.

My suggesting is to pick up a cheap beater to drive to the train station. Then you can save a few miles on the M5, and better yet, have total peace of mind leaving the beater out in the open all day.

CP

MAVERICK · 7th November 2003, 18:36

Quote:

Originally posted by cohenfive
first, i love the car and don't have to sell it.

am i crazy for thinking of selling it?

cohenfive,

If you love it, and you don't have to sell it, don't sell it. Yes, you are crazy especially when it has served you so well and is still a blast to drive. It's not like it is giving you any mechanical/electrical problems so why sell the reigning sport sedan champion and a timeless ///M classic? DON'T leave it at the station -- that's cruel. DO unleash it after work and on weekends just to remind yourself why you bought this car in the first place.

schnelleM5 · 7th November 2003, 18:42

Quote:

Originally posted by cohenfive
i love the car and don't have to sell it.

That is your answer, right there!

If you do not have to sell her, and love driving her, why factor in depreciation at all? You do not NEED to buy a g35 to drive to the train station, but if you are looking for a change, that is a different story. There is absolutely nothing wrong with DRIVING your M5 only on the weekends, but it seems from your description that you only drive around town on the weekends, so, again, you could get something completely utilitarian for that purpose, and the g35 option makes little sense unless that is what you want to drive.

My only suggestion is to appraise your love affair with the M5 with honesty, and keep her if the fire still burns intensely, take her out to do some aggressive driving on the weekends, as you just did with Ben and his rs6. If not, then perhaps it is time to move on to greener pastures.

Just my .02

Terk · 7th November 2003, 19:23

No no no keep the beast.

I totally understand your point and you definitely don't want to park your baby at the station, that is asking for trouble. I agree with CP, a beater for the station and then you can still protect and enjoy your beast on weekends if that works for you.

I am personally very fortunate as my beast is garaged at home and I have a 3 car heated garage on the back of my office building so my baby is always spoiled.

As SchnelleM5 pointed out "i love the car and don't have to sell it"
is really your answer.

Good luck with your decision.

Regards,

Terk.

MEnthusiast · 7th November 2003, 20:11

you know why you asked here right? becuase you know what 99% of us would say:
DONT DO IT!!!

The others are right- you dont have to, and you love it, so dont do it.

I agree- get a station car. let it get dirty and just bring it to the car wash- leave your car energy for the beloved M5.

Here are my thoughts:

is it possible your commuting situation will change in the future? even if thats 2 years in the future? then where would you be?

would you consider any other vehicle as a M5 replacement? I ask since M5s are no longer being made. So if you sold the M5, it would be impossible to get a new replacement. Youd be looking at used cars and who knows what their owners did. if you like the E55 AMG or RS6 or perhaps want to get an E60 M5, then thats one thing. But if you sell the E39 M5- getting another one will be difficult.

Did I mention that I let my 00 M5 go and I regretted it for the 10 months it was gone. I regretted it so much I grabbed an 03 M5 and I am so glad I did. I truly believe the E39 M5 is the best sedan BMW has ever made.

One thing you could do is wait. Wait and see how things go. maybe in 6 months or a year youll see that you really do use the M5 or you dont at all and then your mindset might be different. But for now, I would not sell it if I were in your spot.

PS- a Mini Cooper makes a nice station car!

cohenfive · 7th November 2003, 20:53

thanks for all the thoughts, gang, and yes i did know who i was asking....

i'm not going to rush out and do anything rash, the reason i've been thinking of this irrational act is that the car just won't be driven much...how much can i enjoy it when it sits in the garage four or five days a week....in my mind it's one thing to own an m5 if i'm driving 15-17k miles per year even with a heavy business travel schedule, quite another when i only put on 4-5k miles per year.

we're in the market for a vehicle for my daughter (used mazda tribute/ford escape) which would open up our old minivan for my station car.....that's probably where we'll end up but part of me does feel that it's a waste to have the m5 in my garage most of the time...

have a good weekend all..

chunpng · 7th November 2003, 21:21

Quote:

Originally posted by cohenfive

we're in the market for a vehicle for my daughter (used mazda tribute/ford escape) which would open up our old minivan for my station car.....that's probably where we'll end up but part of me does feel that it's a waste to have the m5 in my garage most of the time...

have a good weekend all..

Richard,

Have you thought about the Subaru WRX Sports Wagon? That's an incredible car, AWD (rain and snow safety), lots of cargo room (think ski trips), front and side air-bags (safe for teenage drivers), rally-bred durability. Very stealthy, yet a great performance car and fun to drive. If I can own only one car and nothing else, that would be my choice. I test drove one for kicks, and almost bought one on the spot. Lucky my wife and daughter were there to remind me that we have five cars as is, and a RUF coming as well. That stopped the madness.

Believe me, for 2 years, my M5 was only my weekend/road trip car, and I still put 13k miles on it annually. Being in the garage during the week is not an automatic garage queen.

Enjoy the E39. It's the last of the best.

CP

CEC · 7th November 2003, 21:28

Don't do it.

Keep the M5 for weekends, trips, nights out and stuff like that. You will use it and appreciate it that much more.

Buy a piece of crap car to commute to the train.

Your '01 M5 has already depreciated a bunch and if it is in good condition with low miles the rate of depreciation should slow down a lot. This is especially true since the M5 is destined to become a classic.

MEnthusiast · 7th November 2003, 21:33

your ownership experience will change. now the M5 will become a bit of a garage queen- you wont want to take it out in the rain- since its so nice and clean. and thats OK.

I used to have the same attitude about the car, but now that we have a few, I find I take what the circumstances call for. Instead of putting ~30k/ year on any one car I am putting a few thousand miles on a few cars. My Z8 is 3+ years old now, in year 1, I put 10k on the car, last year I put maybe 4k on it. Now it has almost 19k on it. My ability to drive it for extended periods has changed a little. But just knowing its there is a great feeling.

I know, its a very fortunate position to be in and I am thankful. But getting back to the M5 thing- it might not be the greatest thing knowing the M5 is in the garage and not being used right now, but you always have the option. If its sold, you dont. Worst case scenario is every now and then you get to see it in the garage, youll smile- who knows, maybe you treat yourself and drive to work and find a parking garage or spot youre comfortable with.