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I Want to buy a BMW M5 E60 should I?

18K views 31 replies 18 participants last post by  uc 
#1 ·
Hi everyone and all M5board ppl, I’m new here. I always loved the M5 since I was young (14), of course I couldn't afford one. I currently own a 17’ Nissan Maxima 300hp. I know nothing like the M5. Im looking online and i see a lot of BMW M5 from 2006-2010 prices go for around 12k-30k most have over 70k miles. I have read in the forums that try to avoid the 2006 model since it had a lot of problems. Im currently looking at a 2008 model for $24k and 50k miles, I want to buy it so bad, but wanted to ask experience owners what should I spect, in terms of maintenance, owning the car, I already have an insurance quote its not that bad. But worse come to worse what should I be worried about if anything. Thankx!!! Any personal experiences from year of ownership perspective.
 
#2 · (Edited)
You have a lot to read then. To name a few big ticket items...

Engine: rod bearings, vanos solenoids, throttle and idle actuators.
SMG: pump motor, gear position harness, clutch itself (not so prone to failures but if the trans is pulled for smg work prepare to replace it while in there).
Brakes/steering: ABS/DSC pump motor brushes, steering wheel position sensor

That is on top of the usual suspects: oil, smg oil, smg hydraulic oil, diff oil, brakes, tires, leaking steering rack, etc. Because of different reasons expect to pay 2-3 times more for wear items than a regular car.

Most insurance plans will not cover anything unless stuff fails. If rod bearings fail then they will likely not cover a new engine as it costs more than the car itself. Used engine or....

To sum it up: READ. Don't buy one until you know what you're getting into. With that said, I LOVE my car.
 
#5 ·
rod bearing clearance is the same on all years.
Rod bearing material was changed, I think 06 and 07 was copper, then they went to a stronger material but clearance was the same and now you had no visual when doing an oil change. You used to be able to see the copper flakes indicating there was crank to rod touching for who knows how much time. This will tell you that it's time to do the rod bearings.
With the newer rod bearings being a harder material than the crank, if they did touch then the crank would be giving off material which pretty much means it's way too late, you need a new crank.

All other issues vanos related are mostly due to the copper bits getting into the solenoid valves.
The vanos high pressure hose is the only thing that might go even if the rod bearings were never an issue. Most people replace this hose regardless while they have the engine apart to do the rod bearings.

If you see a e60 M5 for 15 grand, you can bet your *** it's got rod bearing, vanos solenoid, or high pressure line, (or smg) issues.

Most cars that have had these issues taken care of are going to have a price tag in the 25-30k area, and possibly be owned by diy mechanics.
 
#8 ·
Im getting it ? nothing below 20k. Is there away to check things i should be looking for when buying in terms of test drive what should i look for please. Im do it. **** it. I was looking at the parts and ect i guess for the car the price is just normal.
 
#14 ·
Heres the best way I can sum it up:

Regardless which year you buy or if all preventative maintenance were done or low mileage--sooner or later you will need some work on the car and even if your able to do the work urself, the parts u need are harder and harder to come by and if u do locate 1, it wont be cheap.

So consider the total cost of the car as a down payment, what's to come will cost much more than the car itself.

And if u plan on mod'ing the car, dig deep in ur pocket!

If you can afford all that then its 1 heck of a car--I love mine and have had for over 10 years.
 
#15 ·
Can I add my advice. I have an 56 reg bought it on 80k miles. Best car I’ve owned had it 3 years now. 3 months ago engine light came on which was the biggest headache I’ve had. Vanos solenoids. Vanos gears and conrod bearings plus an engine replacement all in all 20k to fix plus nearly 3 months off the road as bmw couldn’t diagnose the problem without replacing each part individually and by trial and error. Still my car lives another day. Read my thread ‘E60 M5 engine problems’.

However I’m sure other people’s M5 will go through life less problematic depending on the mileage as I no as soon as they hit 70k miles or more you need deep pockets unless the problems have already been fixed

Regards
 
#18 ·
I got an 08 6-speed with a long and complete list of repairs and maintenance addressed by the previous owner at a local BMW dealership - throttle and idle actuators, thermostat, alternator, etc. Only thing missing are the rod bearings for which I will be addressing soon. It even came with over a year left in warranty. I have enjoyed the benefits of all this - was never holding back whenever I drive it and it never missed a beat. Always had lots of fun with it while keeping up with the simple maintenance such as early fluid changes, etc. But it really helps when you know how to wrench. Just recently I replaced front suspension arms and saved almost $700. Just make sure you know the history of the M5 you are getting and you already know the rest - you better know what you are getting into.
 
#19 ·
OP how old are you now? You sound like you've waiting your whole life to afford an M5 and now that they are in the affordable price range you want to bite. But what everyone is telling you here is that the purchase price is only part of the complete picture. As soon as you get the car, unless you have a FULL BLOWN detailed service history, you will likely dump a few grand more immediately into the car. That's just normal maintenance and does not include any of these big ticket items and that's assuming you can work on the car yourself. Do you have any tools? Have you ever worked on a car before? This is a supercar with an F1 derived V10 engine.

Don't think you can get in for $25K and it's a done deal. They chew tires and the rears are about 400-500 a pop for a pair. Just be prepared to pay additional costs as they come up and use this board as a tool for doing work on the car as it's a fantastic reference. Good Luck!
 
#21 ·
Hope the new owner comes over to the Board and not produce a “click bait” YouTube video.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#22 ·
I agree with the last comment I bought mine 3 years ago think I payed 22k for it 80k miles FSH and a 15 month warranty. Didn’t realise the costs of maintenance. Had a major service done and it lasted 2 years without any major money being spent. Then 4 tyres 1k and clutch and fly wheel, think that was 3k or more or less forget the exact. Then as you probably all now as I’ve posted several threads the biggie. The rod bearings haha decide to go! I have to laugh really otherwise I’d cry
 
#23 ·
I'm going to leave my threads here for any future prospect owners:

https://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e...ook-like-after-60-000-miles-hard-driving.html

https://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e...ook-like-after-60-000-miles-hard-driving.html

These cars are only as good as the previous owner commitment (financial) to the health of this platform.

Think about this parallel with your own health. What would happen if you didn’t go to the dentist in 5 years, or 10 years? Your mouth would be all jacked up, if you only brushed and flossed. Some of these cars have never been to the dentist for a deep cleaning, outside of the laughable free scheduled maintenance, which probably ended three to five years ago.
 
#25 ·
In the holiday spirit...

If one doesn't get the rod bearings done, but was smart enough to read this forum, what happens while one drives their M5 is the Ghost of Rod Bearing Future looms. Behind every rev, every shift, the Ghost of Rod Bearing Future haunts and taunts the driver's mind waiting to strike.


No matter how pristine the example purchased, maybe a convent of nuns were the previous owners, none of that matters. The Ghost of Rod Bearing Future lives in every S85 until the bearings are done.


Merry Christmas!
 
#28 · (Edited)
I was in a similar situation when I bought mine 3yrs ago. I was looking for a E46 M3 Manual and then stumbled upon a '08 E60 M5 6spd with 100k miles on it. At the time I didn't even know a 6spd existed (originally from Aus, now in the US) and jumped on it not even thinking of the cost consequences. Previous owner had done a good job keeping up with maintenance and had a lot of records which eased the nerves a little but it hadn't had its rod bearings done. I'd literally owned it for 40mins, driven it for 25 of them and then it went into limp mode!

Thank god for this forum and the resources available here, I was able to diagnose it as an Idle Actuator and set about tearing into it myself DIY. 8hrs and a few cuts and f**ks later she was good to go again!

Its now up to 125,000 miles and still going strong. Any little issues I've been able to fix on my own through the stories and details others have shared on this forum. I've been through phases where I get worried and think I should sell it before it lets me down but at the end of the day there is nothing out there new or used which compares to it. It'll get a birthday soon and have rod bearings and a few other things done so I can enjoy it for many more miles to come.

Would I do it again.. yup, that v10 singing at 8000+ is contagious. Just do your homework and buy the right car, be prepared to be pro-active in keeping up with general maintenance and have enough in the piggybank just in case something happens.
 
#29 ·
Totally agree I love the car if I had my time again I would of replaced the rod bearings as soon as I got mine. Just for peace of mind really, It’s done now any way. I no they also have problems with the actuators not sure if mine have been replaced by any of the previous owners, can’t see it. Any way I will address this problem when it happens! Diff is the next to fix its whining a lot now and I was gona change the diff oil to see if that helped but I was advised by my Indy to leave it as it could make it worse!
 
#30 ·
dont buy unless you got money and time . :( since 2016 i have dropped about $20000 in parts only as i do all work my self . bought car for 23k. stressfull to drive as you never know whats next..just picked up a Subaru and now thats a car with no issues and just as fun :)
 
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