Order 03 M5 or wait and order 04 E60? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

Trialguy · 27th August 2002, 06:42

Driving a '01 330 Cabriolet now ("Gerta"), and my two kids are getting too big for back seat, sooooooo
I ordered an '02 M5 and it came in WRONG COLOR, WRONG OPTIONS. I punted, and David Carr (new Texans QB) bought it...
Dilemma: do I order the last of the great Mohicans ('03 M5) or WAIT for the '04 V-10 (or even bi-turbo 6 @ 450 hp)?? The BiTurbo is supposedly going to be MUCH lighter and FAR less expensive than the current M5 E39...
Comments welcomed!

MAVERICK · 27th August 2002, 07:00

Trialguy,

First, the E60 bi-turbo will NOT be 450 bhp. It will be 380 bhp. It most likely will not outperform the E39 M5. It will come close, though.

Second, the E60 M5 will most probably only reach U.S. shores as '005 model and it will definitely have a minor bug or two in it just like the first U.S. E39 M5's did with oil consumption.

Third, since you appreciate the E39's styling, you should wait for one month. The E60 will be unveiled and we shall see how it looks. It will definitely be a little bloated, a bit bigger, and not have all the classic qualities of a 5-series. If you like the E60's looks, order it. If you prefer a classic look, order the last of the E39's. Personally, if I wanted to upgrade from a 3-series to an M5 and had the money to do so, I wouldn't wait. Life is too short. 3 years is a long time. Who knows what could happen? My sincere advice: Find a salesman who can take down an order correctly and carpe diem!

alpinadvl · 27th August 2002, 07:16

Quote:

Originally posted by MAVERICK
.........you should wait for one month. The E60 will be unveiled and we shall see how it looks. It will definitely be a little bloated, a bit bigger, and not have all the classic qualities of a 5-series. My sincere advice: Find a salesman who can take down an order correctly and carpe diem!

Hello my friend!, did I miss something? which autoshow is the E60 supposed to be unveiled? is this the paris auto show ??

(still holding out on the E39)...I am in the same boat as Trialguy.

Adam · 27th August 2002, 12:06

The problem is, you are going to lose a lot of money on the e39 m5 regardless of how the e60 looks, people want the newer car. And you beast will take a nasty hit.
Its a tough decision...I'd wait for the E60...V10
all the best
adam

pride355 · 27th August 2002, 15:05

At least get 10-15 % discount if you order a 03 E39 M5. If you really like the old car, it is a good time to buy it as the prices of the E39s decrease as the dealers want to get rid of them.

doug · 27th August 2002, 16:14

Quote:

Originally posted by pride355
At least get 10-15 % discount if you order a 03 E39 M5. If you really like the old car, it is a good time to buy it as the prices of the E39s decrease as the dealers want to get rid of them.

What dealer is going to give a 10-15% discount on an '03 M5?

MEnthusiast · 27th August 2002, 16:41

ok a few things.
Mav has it right

the M cars are typically 2 years from when the actual model gets introduced in the USA so doing some math: E60 5er first appear in the USA in probably late Spring 03, so then that would mean spring 05 M5 launch, but M cars launch sometimes slips so now youre into the summer/fall months and the first few batches of M cars are usually limited quantities with some "dealer market pricing" (markups). so realistically youre talking late 05 and early 06 for the next gen M5. The date now is 2002.

I have a similar "dilemma". In my dilemma, I am #1 for the M6 but I dont think I like the styling of this nor the E60. I think the E39 has the potential to be remembered as the last great M car in terms of styling, balance, etc. And when BMW makes a styling mistake, it will be a 8 year one. My plan is to hedge and the cost of the hedge is a E39 M5 lease. delivery to be in late december.

We will see the E60 at the Paris show. But until you see them driving on the road, you really cant tell. I will continue to enjoy the E39 as the years go on and if the new styling, cars, grow on me, then Ill turn the E39 in at its lease end in dec 05. Just in time for the E60 M5 or E63 M6. If the M6 is still a little off, Ill extend the lease. If the cars are "bastardizations by Bangle" then Ill buy out the E39 lease. Yes I get stuck paying the money factor on the lease, but if the residual on the E39 drops like a brick, Im covered. I also get the option of just getting rid of the car with no hastles or buying it out. The only real risk is that the residual drops like a brick (eg- the market loves the new cars) but I dont like the new cars and I want to sell. From what Im seeing of the latest styling, and the fact that E38 7 series values in Europe have supposedly spiked as much as 30% due to the E65....

so thats what Im doing. not saying you should, but its worthy of consideration. good luck and let us know how you resolve your dilemma. btw- the M5 is a great family car if your kids dont have a ton of stuff. our baby's stroller overwhelmed the trunk in our previous E39. it is replaced by the new 7- so I have the right to criticize it all I want. It drives great and has a massive trunk (good for stuff, not good for looks), but its no M car. I missed it so much I am coming back for another!

pride355 · 27th August 2002, 21:17

Doug,
In Turkey, BMW dealers give 15% discount on 5 series if you order the car during the year 2002.
Also my friend had bought a special order M3 in 1998 at 125K DM (in Turkey cars are more expensive because of high taxes) when the list price was 160K DM.
While the production continues during the last year of a car series people don't want to buy because of the on coming new model so dealers make big discounts to sell the cars whether it is an M car or not..
It is same for Mercedes-Benz, too. There were very big discounts on the old CLK and E class in the beginning of the year before the new models arrived.
Also in April there was a bluewater M5 MY2002 with creme leather and brown wood with every option including Sat/Nav and the price was 15% less than the list price.
So this is how it works here!!

Kevmmm · 27th August 2002, 22:26

Hello and welcome Trialguy,
No wrong answers here, but if what you originally desired was an E39 M5, then follow your heart, you will not be disapointed with "only" 400hp. There will always be "faster" cars in the future, the question you can ask yourself is "do I wish to experience the M5 now or later"?
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
Cheers,
Kevmmm

doug · 28th August 2002, 00:25

pride355,

I think there's been a few board members that have been able to get slight discounts here in the US, but not nearly 10-15%. I believe MSRP is the general rule of thumb here, plus whatever dealer freebies you can negotiate (less a possible $1000 CCA discount). A discount of 10-15% on a new car here would also significantly hurt resale values-- so I guess the absense of it is kind of a good thing.