To buy an E39 or an E60...That is the question...
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E60 M5 is much faster. It is also much more electronically advanced, and arguably more comfortable. You can still find one with warranty intact, and most are in pristine condition due to it's young age.
E39 M5 (imo) looks much better. The E60's are too bulbous for my taste, with sharp angles and rounded corners that curve in and end prematurely. The E39 has more of a big-car presence, wide and square where it's supposed to be. It is also more raw in its power delivery and will be more engaging (or tedious) to drive due to it's transmission. Gems are much harder to find now, and without warranty you will be paying out of pocket for the previous owner's indifference.
Both have their advantages, test drive both, that's the only true way to feel if the car is right for you.
E39 M5 (imo) looks much better. The E60's are too bulbous for my taste, with sharp angles and rounded corners that curve in and end prematurely. The E39 has more of a big-car presence, wide and square where it's supposed to be. It is also more raw in its power delivery and will be more engaging (or tedious) to drive due to it's transmission. Gems are much harder to find now, and without warranty you will be paying out of pocket for the previous owner's indifference.
Both have their advantages, test drive both, that's the only true way to feel if the car is right for you.
Have you decided on if you'll try an SMG or 6 speed e60?
Definitely drive many examples of both, as this will answer your question better than anyone here can in writing. If you want a 6 speed manual car, I would likely choose the E39 as it was designed around a manual transmission, as with the E60 it was basically just put in on short notice and suffers some issues as a result (overheating when driven hard, and not optimal gearing for the high-revving motor).
If you care about low end torque, the E39 will be a better fit, but if you enjoy revving your engine up to get its power (the E60 really doesn't have much to offer below 4k rpm but after that it is INSANE) then the E60 may be a better match.
Keep in mind if you buy an E60, an extended warranty is a must. Its debatable on the E39...some members here have deemed it unnecessary while others have had it save them from expensive repairs.
Good luck with your search!
afc1
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If you care about low end torque, the E39 will be a better fit, but if you enjoy revving your engine up to get its power (the E60 really doesn't have much to offer below 4k rpm but after that it is INSANE) then the E60 may be a better match.
Keep in mind if you buy an E60, an extended warranty is a must. Its debatable on the E39...some members here have deemed it unnecessary while others have had it save them from expensive repairs.
Good luck with your search!
afc1
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Personally i like the styling of the E60, but i also like the styling of the E39. I Guess theres not too many around like me as most seem to like one or the other. I love the top end power of the E60, but it lacks low end which is annoying, BUT the gear ratios perfectly compliment the powerband of the car. For me this is a bad thing as it encourages high speed runs. The E39 on the other hand has great low end, top end is pretty good too, and is 6spd manual. I enjoy taking off in 2nd gear or not having to downshift to go up hills/pass on the highway. IMO i like the E39 styling more than the E60.
For me it was an easy decision, also the fact it was more in my price range helped a lot too. Im happy with my purchase, the only thing id change if i had to would be to buy a MY01+.
Both great cars, cant go wrong with either. Although, if i were in your situation, id buy an E39 M5 and save up for F10 M5. Keep the E39 and F10. Should be interesting.
For me it was an easy decision, also the fact it was more in my price range helped a lot too. Im happy with my purchase, the only thing id change if i had to would be to buy a MY01+.
Both great cars, cant go wrong with either. Although, if i were in your situation, id buy an E39 M5 and save up for F10 M5. Keep the E39 and F10. Should be interesting.
I too love both styles. There's of course the appeal of the E60 because it's currently the latest, greatest M5 and I'm a power junkie...and I love high specific output, high revving engines :haha2:
Good idea on getting the E39 and waiting on the F10. Only thing is, I'm an investor and that means buy low...won't be able to do that for a while with the F10...ouich
Good stuff. I'd love to hear more experiences.
You *could* get three E39's for the price of one E60........
I think an imola red one, an interlagos blue one, and a sterling grey one would make a NICE stable! :cheers:
Just dreamin' :wroom: but seriously, trying them both and seeing them both in person will help you make up your mind. IMHO the E39 is a lot more of the "classic BMW look" while the E60 is "all Bangled up." :blabla: I do love the looks of the F10, but you could very likely get FOUR E39's for what I'm guessing the price of the F10 will be. Let's see, one more... alpine white? titanium? decisions, decisions...:biggrinbounce:
Cheers and good luck!
-crds
Here is the E39 I'm seriously interested in:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kiettran12153/ForSalePictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCMy-vsKR_eOfgQE
It's a board member's car. Checking it out this weekend.
Also checking out this one this weekend:
BMW : 5-Series - eBay (item 220734316818 end time Feb-10-11 09:11:53 PST)
http://picasaweb.google.com/kiettran12153/ForSalePictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCMy-vsKR_eOfgQE
It's a board member's car. Checking it out this weekend.
Also checking out this one this weekend:
BMW : 5-Series - eBay (item 220734316818 end time Feb-10-11 09:11:53 PST)
All excellent responses from the previous posters. Take their advice seriously.
The E60 M5 is a particular type of tool. It's build around the SMG and it's mainly a highway car. Great cruiser and great to show off to passengers. The SMG on full shift firmness will absolutely AMAZE you at how quick the car gets to 150 mph. The full-throttle upshifts are downright violent. My fiance has an E46 M3 SMG and even with full shift firmness/quickness it's nothing compared to the E60. That V10 is a monster and it sounds fantastic in the high revs with the right exhaust. Overall, the E60 M5 is quicker in a straight line and has more modern features and goodies on the inside. The active side-bolsters in the seats is a neat little feature, for example.
That said, the E60 is absolutely ugly. It's not even kind of ugly. It's pug fugly. And it's heavy. The E39 is no light-weight either but the E60 is too portly to be fun to drive. Also, the honest version, the 6-speed, doesn't work well with the V10 as the V10 was designed around the SMG. The E60 isn't a driver's car. It's great for cruising but I doubt it'll make you smile time after time like the E39 M5 will.
The E39 is a better looking car, it has a better looking interior (IMHO), and its a much more engaging car to drive. That is partly due to the wonderful 6-spd transmission, and partly due to the lighter weight and very torquey motor. The V8 in the E39 is a torque-monster but it still loves to rev, it's a fantastically flexible engine.
The downside to the E39? They're getting on in years so finding a non-abused version is getting tougher. And maintenance is expensive as the cars age. That said, if you aren't getting a warranty on the E60 either, then this is a wash because the E60 may have lower mileage, but it's much more expensive to repair because it's more sophisticated and has more things to break.
Drive both. Hard. Also try to drive them on the highway and in moderately twisty areas as well. The differences between the two cars will be very apparent. What's great, though, is that you can't go wrong with either one and the bloodline between the two cars does come through in the driving experience.
Good luck!
The E60 M5 is a particular type of tool. It's build around the SMG and it's mainly a highway car. Great cruiser and great to show off to passengers. The SMG on full shift firmness will absolutely AMAZE you at how quick the car gets to 150 mph. The full-throttle upshifts are downright violent. My fiance has an E46 M3 SMG and even with full shift firmness/quickness it's nothing compared to the E60. That V10 is a monster and it sounds fantastic in the high revs with the right exhaust. Overall, the E60 M5 is quicker in a straight line and has more modern features and goodies on the inside. The active side-bolsters in the seats is a neat little feature, for example.
That said, the E60 is absolutely ugly. It's not even kind of ugly. It's pug fugly. And it's heavy. The E39 is no light-weight either but the E60 is too portly to be fun to drive. Also, the honest version, the 6-speed, doesn't work well with the V10 as the V10 was designed around the SMG. The E60 isn't a driver's car. It's great for cruising but I doubt it'll make you smile time after time like the E39 M5 will.
The E39 is a better looking car, it has a better looking interior (IMHO), and its a much more engaging car to drive. That is partly due to the wonderful 6-spd transmission, and partly due to the lighter weight and very torquey motor. The V8 in the E39 is a torque-monster but it still loves to rev, it's a fantastically flexible engine.
The downside to the E39? They're getting on in years so finding a non-abused version is getting tougher. And maintenance is expensive as the cars age. That said, if you aren't getting a warranty on the E60 either, then this is a wash because the E60 may have lower mileage, but it's much more expensive to repair because it's more sophisticated and has more things to break.
Drive both. Hard. Also try to drive them on the highway and in moderately twisty areas as well. The differences between the two cars will be very apparent. What's great, though, is that you can't go wrong with either one and the bloodline between the two cars does come through in the driving experience.
Good luck!
Oh wow, small world! It sucks that my Beast is sleeping for the winter...I'm driving a winter beater until April-ish otherwise I'd take you for a spin.
Are you visiting dealers or private sellers or both?
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It is possible to own and pay for an e39 out of your own pocket without a warranty. I would not even dream about an e60 without warranty. That said the e60 undoubtedly moves the game on from the e39, they look great and sound even better, and they are stupidly quick!
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