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How many E39 M5 owners went E60 M5 and then back down?

2K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  coldaccord 
#1 ·
How many E39 M5 owners upgraded to an E60 M5 then sold it and returned back to an E39 M5?


Did you have issues?

Did the aethetics/technology bother you on the E60 M5?
 
#2 ·
How many sold their E39 M5s and bought an E60 M5... then sold it for another E39 M5?

So how many here sold their E39 M5s and bought an E60 M5 then sold that and got right back into another E39 M5?

I've been reading all the horror stories of owning an E60 M5 and the cost associated with failing SMG pumps, expensive shock absorbers ($1K each), poor gas mileage, VANOS issues, rod bearing failures, etc, it would be catastrophic to own one without an extended warranty.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I test drove a 6 speed E60. Honestly I didn't NOT like it, but it's just a different car. For everyday driving the power delivery of the S62 is more practical in the real world. The E60 felt sluggish until you get it over 100mph or over say 4Krpm. Requires a different driving technique to extract it's virtues. Is an absolute blast over 4krpm, it's more like driving the Honda's I grew up with where the power band is over 4krpm, requires constant gear shifting to make it fun.

I'm planning on buying an 08+ e60 when the prices get a bit lower, I'll like it, but I'm going to still keep one of my E39's as a daily.

Buying an M5 fuel economy shouldn't be a consideration. I get 16mpg in my S62 powered car, I'm going to be bothered if I only get 13mpg in an S85 powered car, not really. A couple of mpg isn't going to make that much difference.

The rod bearing issues would be my only concern.
 
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#9 · (Edited)
A few of us are long term e39 m5 and e60 m5 owners, and a handful of us own three or more generations of m5s. Personally, I think I own the three best generations.

I test drove a 6 speed E60. Honestly I didn't NOT like it, but it's just a different car. For everyday driving the power delivery of the S62 is more practical in the real world. The E60 felt sluggish until you get it over 100mph or over say 4Krpm. Requires a different driving technique to extract it's virtues. Is an absolute blast over 4krpm, it's more like driving the Honda's I grew up with where the power band is over 4krpm, requires constant gear shifting to make it fun.

I'm planning on buying an 08+ e60 when the prices get a bit lower, I'll like it, but I'm going to still keep one of my E39's as a daily.

Buying an M5 fuel economy shouldn't be a consideration. I get 16mpg in my S62 powered car, I'm going to be bothered if I only get 13mpg in an S85 powered car, not really. A couple of mpg isn't going to make that much difference.

The rod bearing issues would be my only concern.
Find a 6MT with a SSK and a 3.91 or 4.10 diff to test drive. The first mod I did with my e60 m5, was throw out the Dinan e60 shifter, for the same z3 1.9L shifter I have in my other m5s. I would bet that 90% of the 6MTs that you find to test drive still have the lazy stock/Dinan shifter and stock diff. Changes the character of the car.

I never got rid of my e39 m5 and use it as my townie car. I'm also pre-facelift and debadged outside, but have an updated interior. I love sneaking up on other cars with "my old 5-series". I smoked a Harley the other day, when he was revving next to my wife's ear, at a traffic light. I work from home, but my e60 has been my mobile office for the last 75,000/80,000 miles -- zero problems and never a warranty claim. Heck, I've been riding bareback, without a warranty for the last 50,000 miles.

Rod bearings on the s85 should not scare you. Rod bearings can be an issue in the s62 as well. Not addressing the issue is the real concern. Replacing the rod bearings cost less than a bling bling set of boat anchor 20" wheels with tires. I think too many e60 m5 owners want all the "show", but do not want to pay for the "go", when it comes to opening up their wallets for normal maintenance or DIY.
 
#10 ·
That defeats the entire purpose of buying an e30 M3. The S14 and the body panels are what make it worth 30k vs a regular sub $5k e30. Take one or the other out and it's value is degraded.

If you want to put an s54 in an e30, just pop it in a regular old e30. There have got to be kits to make your e30 look like an m3 anyway.

A friend of mine took the s14 out of his e30 M3, transplanted a euro s50, never finished, pulled the S50, and is now putting an s62 in it. That will be fun, but again, no one is paying $30k+ for an e30 m3 chasis without the S14 and it being somewhat original.

That said, S54's are a blast. I just put euro headers and cats on mine and got a tune. Up to 295HP at the wheels with an 8200RPM redline in a z3 m coupe.
 
#11 ·
I recently moved to the E39 M5 from five years with an E60, but an '08 535 6-spd, not an M5. But when I was looking to buy my M5 I was initially torn on the E60 and the E39 - but they are just so very different. The biggest letdown for me, moving from the E60 is just aesthetics and age-related tech. It's so not important, but comfort access is brilliant, and anyone who says the seats in the E60 and E39 are even in the same league is wrong - period. The sound system in the E60 is light-years beyond that in the E39. The E60 is in every way a more comfortable, more advanced, and more spacious and powerful car (I had to add the spacious part - my wife loved the cavernous trunk in the E60!)

That all said, I didn't get another E60 (despite driving several M5's). The E39 is simply more engaging, more subtle and elegant (totally a personal opinion), and every day of the week more fun to drive (legally). It's technically smaller, and to me *feels* substantially smaller and no level of comfort or tech wizardry can fill the gap left by the feeling of engagement. When you stop driving the E60 like a hooligan, its just another big sedan. But the E39 M5, even just commuting around, feels so much more special.

It doesn't help that decent 6-spd E60's are as rare as unicorns around here. . .I will admit that it could have made a difference for me. I'd rather be the puppet-master than the director.
 
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