farmerwrx

time to move the type r on i will have had her 9 years next march and it will still be a wrench to see her go but i fancy a 5 series bmw either a 535 m sport e60 or an m5 e60 any one done this change plz discuss what the experience is like will have about 20 to 25 k to spend. Not worried about fuel i only do about 2 to 3 thousand miles a year

dukeoffenland

i love big beemers, the big engined ones are not making much at the minute too,

watched a 4 year old 750 go through bedford auction for pittance, (well in comparison to new price)

dukeoffenland

my dad has a merc thats very quick , thats a e class with all the amg gear, very comfy and just cruises

farmerwrx

i would really like an m5 but i'm worried if anything goes wrong with it

billyrogers

considered an audi? could get an S5, RS4 or RS6?

thats what i would be looking at anyway.

dukeoffenland

rs4 is a lovely bit of kit, i cant justify the expense at the minute, im 27 and two of my close mates have them

how about a vxr8?

Matteeboy

Do you mean 535d or 535i M Sport? Don't forget that M Sport is just some bodykit, a few tweaks to the interior and different wheels. It does naff all to performance.

A 535d will be a fraction of the cost of an M5, have double to triple the range but clearly be a lot slower. The M5 is a serious motor that is cheap to buy but needs a big annual running cost budget. If mileage is low and range doesn't worry you, get one.

dukeoffenland

the 530d is a quick and nice car too!

farmerwrx

535d m sport

farmerwrx

i want a automatic

chrisdicko

iTrader: (21)

M3

bighead

iTrader: (1)

i had the E60 M5 , great comfort with power to spare and a screaming V10 , downside is 11.5 mpg around town !!!, and if something do go wrong ...just make sure to have afew £Ks spare for repairs , as most thing need coding to the ecu in order for them to work properly.
having said that I'll Buy another in a Flash ( I have a E90 M3 now and the V8 just do not compare with the V10 ).

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

I do like the BMW diesels but.. 2k miles in a year? You might as well have something special? Great though they are, they're not a car to sit in the garage and go for a weekend blast in. They are more an every day commuter.

I'd seriously consider the M5 or RS Audi if you're doing such little mileage.

farmerwrx

the idea was if i had a diesel i would get it chipped by dms

http://www.dmsautomotive.com/reviews...sel=1&gselid=4

Matteeboy

It'll be quick for sure and the power will be very easily accessible (DMS do some of the best remaps you can buy) BUT if you want big smiles, an M5 will be a fair bit better.

I'm saying this as a very happy 335d owner with just over 300bhp/435lbs-ft (remap from DMS should get you 350bhp/510lbs-ft); the car is great, no idea what to replace it with, does almost everything but given the choice (I need good range, the missus needs easily accessible oomph, the kids need their ears not to bleed, clients need us not to look too flash, etc) I'd probably get an M5.

An M car that is allowed to wear it's M badges with pride. Unlike an overpriced Halfords bodykitted BMW called an M Sport... Mind you the 5 series does look better with M Sport kit. The 3 just looks a bit tacky.

farmerwrx

what's the score with the m5 gearbox is it really that bad as some of the reviews i have been reading say

Matteeboy

A mate has one and says that while its not great compared to the more modern semi auto boxes, the engine more than makes up for it.

Put aside a few k for repairs, but one, grin for a couple of years, look back when you're old and be glad you ran one.

bighead

iTrader: (1)

if you compare the E60 M5 semi box to the DCT on the newer car its like night and day , but as matteeboy has mention you can live with it , the DCT on my M3 is the best yet from Bmw, seamless shifts all through the gears, manuel when you want its auto when you don't and launch control as well

farmerwrx

what's the tank range on the m5 ? driving sensibly

500

550i is worth a look!

Trippie

iTrader: (1)

Had an e39 M5 and was an awesome car but a very very high
maintenance car, cost £50k new and had bills and recipts
for the same amount
need very deep pockets to keep these in good working order plus 11-18 MPG not good.

bighead

iTrader: (1)

E60 M5 around 200ish miles......not good I know but its is one of the best V10 on the planet !

hodgy0_2

Can,t be many v10's outside of formula 1

What other cars have them, do Audi make a v10

It is always nice to drive a car with a "special" engine in

Brun

Is audi's V10 not borrowed from the Gallardo?

Brun

........ a quick search would suggest that is not the case

bighead

iTrader: (1)

Audi do a V10 but theirs did not win the prize of "engine of the year"

Dingdongler

Farmer, I ran a E60 M5 for about three years.

Though the SMG gearbox is nowhere near as good as modern DCT type boxes it's not that bad. At speed/high revs it works really well, especially full throttle red line type changes.

The time I found it annoying was when you wanted to do a quick 3 point turn in the middle of the road, it could be quite slow in engaging gears.

Fully auto mode is also useless, it needs to be used in manual mode all the time.

Saying all that most of the time it works really well, changing gear with the most ferocious gear setting at 8000rpm is one of the most brutal yet satisfying motoring experiences you can have

Change up gear only when the red portion of the readout starts to flash, no need to take your eyes of the road. You do need this prompt though as you won't feel any let up of power as you start to get to the redline to let you know its time to change gear.

It feels as powerful, straining on the leash, wanting to literally take off at the very top of the rev limit, there is NO let up once it gets going.




It really is a very special engine, the likes of which mere mortals like us will probably never get the chance to drive again. I think we'll only see these kinds of engines now in high end Ferrari's, Lambos etc.

We won't see them in AMGs, M cars, hot Audis or most Porsches.

Good luck with your search.

Dingdongler

A couple more to wet your appetite mate!