Re: Getting spooked about E39 M5....advice please.
As it has been said, you are looking at rare problems that get noticed on this board. Not all M5 owners post here, but I am sure ones with huge problems start off here to get advice. Dont be spooked, my E39 '28 took years of abuse from me with no hickups. I would expect the M5 to be better. Just go for a CPO warranty or an aftermarket one (which I would tell you to do with any performance car) and you will be fine.
Gustav- I have to disagree with you on the clutch issue. I dont think the stock clutch is up to drag racing duty. But driven like a prudent driver it should be fine for many miles. Just dont ask MIB how long he got on his.
Good luck finding a good car Mitch, trust us, it will be worth it.
Re: Getting spooked about E39 M5....advice please.
Before you get spooked about "problems", remember that these boards probably contain every problem ever associated with an M5! Either someone has had a problem, heard of a problem, made up a problem, etc. The board is a great place to share these. In my expierience, my 2000 M5 with 40k miles has been bulletproof.
One way I look for real widespread problems on boards is to search on "class action". When LOTS of people all have the same problem, someone will always start spouting about a lawsuit and you can usually pinpoint the problem easily using that criteria. Amazing isn't it?
About the closest thing on this board that everyone seems to post about over the years is a weak clutch. While some have had to replace theirs in 2k miles, others have lasted for over 50k+. I got a little concerned too about all this board chatter on clutches so I just had BMW do a wear test at 40k. They pulled the slave cylinder and measured the linings. The report came back with "minimal to no wear present". What this tells me is that we have enthusiast owners driving an enhusiast car and some of us drive them more enthusiasticly than others!
In a very simplistic view of a used M5, the first question I would ask is how many sets of tires has it had. If the answer starts out with "it eats them", I would keep looking.
Re: Getting spooked about E39 M5....advice please.
As others have stated above, the failures you have read about have only happened in a small fraction of the M5 population. The car is made for long distance high speed cruising. It eats up miles like nothing and never dissapoints when you floor it even at high speeds in 6th. The one area were the M5 may break is on the track. It is a lot of car to be handling such high pressures that only a track can produce. That being said, most members have had no problems with the car on the track. The car is a very solid car and I would not hesitate to buy one for your specified requirements.
Regarding the CTS-V spec, it is another possible option. I think the engine and drivetrain are basically bulletproof with all the C5s running around with knowledge about them. That being said, it will be a first year model this year at a limited number. The CTS is not as large as the M5 and cannot compete with the M5 in terms of build quality, interior appointments, etc. I have also had much worse experience at the Cadillac dealer then the BMW dealer. They were awful to deal with and had no knowledgable techs that could actually identify a problem when my father (ASE Master Mechanic and frequent GM school attendent) told them specifically what it was. We ended up fixing it ourselves.
Re: Getting spooked about E39 M5....advice please.
dont forget also that many of the reports of breakages on this site are from people who have altered their car from standard. The stresses involved with larger wheels, harder suspension, more torque etc from non standard parts are all likely to defer from BMW's normal bulletproof reliability. Just IMHO u understand
Re: Getting spooked about E39 M5....advice please.
Quote:
Originally Posted by M5 Meeyatch
Here is what I will be doing with the car, and I need honest answers (please) on if the M5 will be right for the job.
1.) Long distance, high speed commutes (500 miles at probably 100 mph sustained speeds most of the way)
2.) Drivers Education / Track events
Stop and think about what you're saying. In spite of discussions about problems and part failures, let me remind you of one important fact: This is an M5 we're talking about - of course it'll hold up to 100mph speeds & DE track events!! These cars eat up the road so effortlessly that it goes without saying most of the time. Were there a forum topic for every happy drive in an M5 you'd search for hours looking for the occasional problem discussion. No worries mate. Have a and keep up the LeMans Blue hunt!
Re: Getting spooked about E39 M5....advice please.
I drive my M5 at higher speeds most every day. The car seems to run better if I can give it some highway time at 120-140MPH - also, I seem to run better if I can drive at those speeds too. This car was made for the open road.
I've had the M5 at the track on several occasions and I didn't particularly enjoy it at those venues as much as anticipated. I've done some modifications to help it become a better track car but let's face it, it weights 4000 pounds. If I was going to spend more time on the track I'd want to make many more changes and then I'd also have to be prepared to fix the things that would break or wear out due to extreme use. Track time is hard time and if you're going to be at the track a lot then the very least you can expect to go through are brakes, tires and (stock) rear sway bar brakets.
That said, my M5 has been great under these conditions. I plan on driving my E39 M5 for a couple more years and anticipate 100,000 safe and trouble free miles at speeds often well in excess of 100MPH.
Derek
PS - My clutch has 40,000+ miles on it and it feels great.
Re: Getting spooked about E39 M5....advice please.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BmwNut
As it has been said, you are looking at rare problems that get noticed on this board. Not all M5 owners post here, but I am sure ones with huge problems start off here to get advice. Dont be spooked, my E39 '28 took years of abuse from me with no hickups. I would expect the M5 to be better. Just go for a CPO warranty or an aftermarket one (which I would tell you to do with any performance car) and you will be fine.
Gustav- I have to disagree with you on the clutch issue. I dont think the stock clutch is up to drag racing duty. But driven like a prudent driver it should be fine for many miles. Just dont ask MIB how long he got on his.
Good luck finding a good car Mitch, trust us, it will be worth it.
I agree with 'nut. Not too many people start threads about how their M5 has never given them one day of trouble, so sampling threads here is likely to produce a skewed view of the M5 world. I think Need4Speed's suggestion to carry a spare is a really good one, though.
Have a 
and keep up the LeMans Blue hunt!
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