E39 M5s were great cars but they are developing slews of problems as they get miles on them. Be very careful. You're all over the map. Navigator, used M5, 97 550 and a new z06? --Dan
Get the newest/best example you can find, preferable a Certified Pre Owned. There is only one Beast, it is and will always be a legend. Does this mean no Z06?
I don't think I would consider them "slews of problems", actually, quite reliable when you take the usual precautions, i.e., get it checked out, always stick to reccomended services etc. I have 90k on mine, still on the origional clutch and I abuse it just about daily. In that time it's seen a new outside air tempurature sensor (everybody breaks it eventually, its 50 bucks and in a spot prone to curbing), tires, oil changes, pad's/rotors, an alignment and a small scratch on the roof from dropping a snowboard on it, thats it.....I doesn't suffer from all of the problems the bangalized bimmers have. There are issues with the Vanos system that pop up sometimes, it doesn't affect as many cars as once thought but can run 3-4k at the dealership (obviously independants knock about 30% off that). Some people report high clutch wear, I assume they just don't know how to shift, half the time I don't even use it and just rev match. Oh, and tire wear, nothing much to say about this one, but it will need a new set of PS2's about every 15k, though I have heard of those driving more sanely getting upwards of 30k out of them(traction control off is lots of fun=) One thing I'm amazed by is the interior, it looks showroom new, nobody is ever able to guess mine is an 2000, the leather is amazing and everything is solid. I swapped out the small screen for the larger one and a DVD nav system, cost me 1500 dollars and got me the latest map/software/dvd etc (european market is about 2k cheaper than ours, get them online). And its reputation for fun is well deserved, its no ferrari, but try finding another four door thats as much fun to drive I plan on hitting 300k with mine. Head over to the M5board, there are a great deal of members over 100k miles on theirs.
Reliability is a relative measure. Reliable compared to ferraris sure. There's no question that the car is awesome. Electronic gremlins, even from the '01 models and later are present. Clutch wear seems to be high (i had one fail in 3 days. bmw acknowledged that the initial design was very underrated), vanos problems can be tricky to accurately diagnose and there doesn't exist a real solution, simply band-aids, etc. Sure, you don't have to cope with i-Drive but I would definetly say buy a late car with a big warranty on it. --Dan
Try to get the car from a BMW CCA member. Members are usually very anal about the maintenece of their cars. Get an aftermarket clutch kit that consists of OEM parts (850 CSI clutch) from UUC and never look back.
Well I need a tow vehicle & the Gator is very comfy, new Z06 is awesome, the M5 has been calling me a long time now & the new M5 is just gross. No 550 for a while, I could deal w a Barchetta, some day
Will, Ask around here: http://m5board.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=3 Very nice, knowledgeable and helpful members. Dan used to own one and posts there too.
I have used my 2000 e39 M5 as my daily driver since it was new and have had no real problems other than regular maint. items such as brakes, oil services, ect... Altough I did just have to replace the cam cover gaskets and a rubber shock mount on the drive shaft at 105,000 miles, but those items are normal wear and tear items that lasted 105,000 miles. ..including several track events per year. They are great cars and I plan to continue to drive mine until I get the Infiniti GT-R I have ordered in Spring of 2007 or so.
William, saw this on 6speed...a bit pricey but nice low miles and a good color. http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40515
