NACRO

I'm finding the Porsche a bit impractical in day to day life so am thinking of keeping it as a garage queen and getting an E39 M5 for the day to day stuff. Fuel consumption isn't an issue as I get it free.
I've never driven one and would be interested in the opinions of those that have owned them. Is it as relaxed a drive as a 530i? Is the oil consumption so bad you have to spend your life constantly checking it? Are the brakes upto stopping such a heavy car?
Other stuff I'd be interested to know is does the through loading system come as standard on the M5? How easy is it to integrate an IPOD into the factory stereo (no FM transmitters) and are there any drawbacks I haven't considered?

I did a search but sadly that facility is rather limited for those of us that haven't paid money to the regime and all I've managed to find is stuff about tyre wear and the way the cars drive. I'm satisfied I'll like the handling and I imagine 400bhp will mean it's nippy enough even in a heavy old bus like the M5.

Tommy_Lee

I have owned one for two years and they are great cars no doubt about it.

To answer the points you mention the oil consumption can vary from car to car and generally they are not known for drinking it at all,there were some early 99 cars that drank it but they usually had this rectified under warranty with new engines.

The brakes are fine for everyday use but thats it,AP 6 pot for proper driving.

The Vanos units rarely fail at all especially from mid 2000 to 03 models-it all gets blown out of proportion on forums ect.

Through loading isnt standard and not that many have it and im sure an ipod can be adapted pretty easily.

It is very fast indeed but it never actually feels it purely because its so refined and luxurious.I have beaten a new RS4 in mine and wasted a skyline with ease.
Having said all this though i actually prefer the 3 series because its smaller and lighter,the M5 only comes alive when its taken by the scruff and slid in and out of corners.if you drive at 6/10 i really dont see the point and would go for a new shape 330i which will be cheaper to run and more reliable,speaking from experience.

NACRO

Thanks for the info- a new shape 330i is about 10-12 grand over budget. I can buy a one owner early 2001 car with 60K miles on it and some BMW warranty for 14.5 grand in Germany. If that isn't value I don't know what is.
Thinking long and hard about it now.
My other option is to go for a real banger like an old Corrado or even Scirocco. I'd always be worried about reliability though and an M5 does seem very tempting.

Edcase

Get on to MTorque.co.uk - Passion for M Cars - Powered by UBB.threads™

I simply do not know what to replace mine with. It's just brilliant.

Running costs...expect to average 19-20mpg, my insurance (31, full ncd, no points, parked on-street in London SE21) is just over £1000.

Oil is not too bad on some and terrible on others. Mine had a new engine at 90k due to excessive (1l per 150 miles!) consumption but now I get 1k-2k depending on driving style.

If you have BMW® warranty you are fine but if not, you need to be prepared for bills ranging from £500 to £15k (new engine). If you cannot imagine swallowing a couple of grand bill for unexpected work the M5 is not for you! Being a Porsche owner I imagine that is not an issue.

My ipod is integrated seamlessly and controlled via the stock oem sat nav via one of these: Intravention - Home

Weak points.....

Anything above 70k look out for:

weeping rear diff seal
worn front bushes / track control arms
snapped rear anti roll bar links
front door seals
MAF sensors (£500 from BMW®)
VANOS units (difficult to diagnose without specialist equipment...listen for tapping from the engine.)

Try to get a 2001 or later facelift car with Xenon angel eyes etc.

Even with 100k the car should be tight as a nut, except the gearshift which is clunky and agricultural at best (especially first to second when cold)

That may look like a scary list, but generally they are rock solid cars. Given the weight and power, it's amazing how well they hold together.

As for the driving experience, I came from an RS6, and it was like an epiphany. I looked at a B7 RS4 recently, as well as an E60 M5, and neither come close for me. I just don't know what is going to replace it!

It needs only a select few mods to make it perfect:

AP brakes (I went through 2 sets of oems in succession, then a piston stuck and I called it a day with the standard brakes!!!)
Rogue short-shift
H&S rear section exhaust
uprated rear arb links (the oems snap regularly)

A couple of vids:

YouTube - E39 M5 with H&S Exhaust at Bedford Autodrome
YouTube - BMW E39 M5 In Car at Bedford Autodrome (this was with standard brakes, which basically failed not long after this)

I also outdragged a Carrera 2 on the way home from this trackday, so you won't 'miss' the Porsche performance. (unless you have a turbo or GTx )

Edcase

PS...through-load was an option. Most come with fixed rear seats but SOME do have split-fold.

NACRO

Mine's a remapped Turbo but I imagine I'll learn to live with the 'slow' M5 day to day.
Thanks for the info seems like I'll be in the sweet spot of M5 ownership with a 60k mile, facelift M5 with a bit of warranty left on it to sort out any problems.

Edcase

I would say yes, absolutely. I would also go so far as to say that particular sweet spot offers about the best value for money of any used car buy at the moment!

JTaylor

PMSL at you getting stroppy with the Golf kid: "STFU"......

Edcase

I hate 'web kidz'

madisonmonkey

iTrader: (4)

Still enjoying it then Ed
I realise these vids aren't that recent but please tell me you've changed the baggy tax disc holder.....

Sbradley

I've had mine (Dec '99) for 2 years as well, and I love it. Reliability hasn't (touch wood) been a problem at all, though I did have an oil consumption problem which was resolved under warranty. Performance is excellent - enough to get me nicked at 157mph in France this year. 4 up, with luggage. Uphill.

Fuel consumption is OK - better than the Impreza anyway - and other consumables seem to last well too. It's comfortable, handles far better than something that size has any right to and it's discreet enough that the chavs leave it alone.

I've replaced the suspension bushes with Powerflex ones, updated the satnav and that's it as far as mods go. Oh, apart from a towbar(!) which is removable and very tidy.

I've got the split/fold rear seat and am about to fit Intravee which gives iPod integration with the satnav/standard stereo. I'm also going to fit the later headlights and rears as they look so much better and freshen the car up nicely.

Best car I've ever had by miles. Oh, and mine's just gone over 193,000 miles.

SB

PS Ed's list is about right. Apart from the gearshift, which I don't find too bad...

Mikee

Monkey- you should have done the exhaust mod... sounds freaking awesome!!!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Nacro, can we see a photo of you 911, love them.

NACRO

I don't share photos of me or my cars here because of the 'Robin' factor

There are plenty of it on 911 forums though.......

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Do you mean UB or people "Robin" them ?

NACRO

edit for various reasons-

best to let you work it out

Dream Weaver

stoneface

iTrader: (6)

Edcase

Looking at an E60 M5 touring at the weekend so mine may be available shortly...

RRH

mmm could be interesting how much are you looking for Ed?

JTaylor

As a Porsche enthusiast, I'd be very interested to know more about your re-mapped Turbo. Whilst I'm not entirely sure what you're paranoid about, given that you are, perhaps you could PM me a link to the site on which your car appears.

Edcase

Hold that thought, it just sold in the time it took me to get home tonight!!!

56k for 1000 miler in Interlagos blue! Not surprising it sold so quickly really.

RRH

Is it really that much better than your M5, that much better than a 535d m sport, with lsd, and keep the M5 too (for the same money)!

Sorry to pish on your chips pal

NACRO

JTaylor you have a PM.

Edcase

I drove the 535d touring before xmas. It's a great car but....the noise, the slushbox, the low rpm limit

I think I need to start tracking my Ducati and forget sports cars til I can get a place with a garage. I just couldn't leave a 55k M5 on the road, even in Dulwich.

Other option is to go two or three ways in on a track car and store it somewhere nearer some good tracks...hint hint

Edcase

BTW did you book for the oulton drift day in the end? I'm all confirmed.

RRH

No, but I'll probs come down to say hello

Edcase

Cool, I will likely be staying over friday night with the missus if you fancy dinner somewhere?

Dream Weaver

Ooh, when's the Oulton drift day, sounds like fun

Ed, at the last trackday I did (Oulton funnily enough), there were a couple of lads that raced in last seasons XR series and they had shared a trackday car between them - it was a Britcar Clio which cost over £50k to build, sequential box etc and they paid £13k for it.

It was one of the fastest things there that day.

Edcase

Yeah that's exactly the kind of thing I'm thinking.

Drift day is 2nd feb, check out https://www.scoobynet.com/track-days...y-feb-2nd.html

you know you want to!