I finally took delivery of my new beast last Friday....finally! 2002 32k miles, titanium silver w/ black extended leather and alum trim. M audio and fold-down seats and Sirius. Got it for about $40k from craigslist.com.
I don't think my body could take any more waiting, as I just couldn't sleep. I'm not kidding, I was getting about 4 or 5 hours a night for about 10 days. Anyway, I'm finally catching up. She was trailered in Friday morning from San Jose. Took a bloody week to get here!!
Buying the car 1,500 miles away, sight unseen scared the dickens out of me. But the seller seemed geniune and Louv (senior member on the board) went and checked her out for me. All in all a very nice buying experience.
To give you the slightest hint of how humbled I am about this car, I'm coming from a '99 323. That's right - a very nice inline 6 producing 170 hp. It will be some time before I'm comfortable driving this car at WOT. I can't get over how nice this car is, though. I now really understand everyone's enthusiasm about M5's. I'd only driven one once about a year ago for about 1/2 an hour.
Some small observations and maybe disagreements with those on this board so far; my 323 had a ss kit, which I thought made a nice imporovement. I don't see myself installing one in the M5. I think I'm pretty happy with the exceptionally smooth shifting. But that leather knob has got to go. I like the one Audemars put on his car.
Also, and this may wear off in time, I LOVE the sound with the stock exhaust. That V8 makes just the most beautiful sound. I've also been reading how many of you were not happy with the M Audio stereo. The one in my 3 wasn't great, but so far I love this one. Maybe I'm full of it, as I listen to NPR alot. Who needs to listen to the stupid stereo anyway with that V8.
And the ride! Don't even get me started on how nice the ride is. My father has an E46 M3 and my back hurts after driving that thing for over 10 minutes. Great for the track, but murder around town. The M5 is the perfect balance of a little stiffer ride for every day driving. What's the freakin' deal with the mileage on this thing??? Will somebody explain this to me? Good Lord, I used to get 23 mpg and 34 on the highway with my 3. The computer states I'm only getting 13 mpg so far! I guess I'll just get used to it, but doesn't an Escalade get better mileage?
The power - OMG, do you guys ever get used to this? You just step on throttle at about 75% and you're in the next county before you know it. I've just got the stupidest grin on my face. BTW, is there ANYONE here who does't drive with the SPORT button depressed all the time? I've tried to drive the car with it disengaged and well, it's just no darn fun.
Can you believe I bought this car for the same price as a 330 w/ sport package or a fully loaded 325? I don't go a day without seeing at least 2 or 3 of those around here, but there are only about 3 or 4 M5's in town. It is so much fun to drive a car that almost no one else has (at least in Nebraska). I've said it before and I'm saying it again; there is something wrong with being 35 years old and having your dream car. Seriously, where does one go from here? They'll probably bury me with this thing.
Only reason I got this car is because of the knowledge and experience of those on this board. Thank you all for sharing your experiences, as well.
Kevin
Took delivery on Friday - initial impressions (kinda long)
(It's my daily driver)
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