basket case m5

[zulu]

hey guys ..have found '90 m5. engine and gearbox are out thecar but not stripped. eng has slight miss and odd noise in the head according to the owner. car needs respray ,tyres plus eng repair. any ideas on the eng problems ...have heard they are prone to bent valves if oil changes are too long apart...?? And what should i pay fr the car. owner wants 25k .

 

[zaleonardz]

You can get a nice 540 for a lot less then the 25k, remember that any M will attrack a price premium in spares.

 

[clutchplate]

damnit, 25K ? buy it allready. that M5 engine has way more power than the 540.. and if u're prepared to build the engine and turbo it, 800-1000hp can come from it quite reliably

 

[zulu]

You can get a nice 540 for a lot less then the 25k, remember that any M will attrack a price premium in spares.

spares pricing is definately a concern especially as i don't know whats actually wrong with the head. as to your comment of a 540 for less than 25k my only requirements are white with black int.....if you know of any plse let me know.

 

[clutchplate]

I don't understand. an E34 M5 is even more rare than an E36 M3... and you wouldn't buy it for 25K ? .. lol, I'm very confused.

 

[zaleonardz]

gumtree dude

 

[zulu]

I don't understand. an E34 M5 is even more rare than an E36 M3... and you wouldn't buy it for 25K ? .. lol, I'm very confused.

have burnt my fingers a few times in my life ...buying cars like this ....only to find i end up spending more than if i went out and bought a clean example. has anybody done a overhaul of one of these heads ....trying to get an idea of costs

 

[zaleonardz]

Well that was kinda my point.

Clutchy, not everyone can grind new valves with their teeth like you do

 

[Raybimmer]

Zulu Hi there . Does present owner have quote for repairs to engine ? If he wants to sell so cheap then his problem becomes yours !! I dont think you will pick up engine parts at your local Midas or so . My advice , tread lightly your wallet is at threat here .
Cheers

 

[clutchplate]

LOL LZ .... that made me laugh so hard..

ok ok .. just sad to see an M5 going like that :/

 

[zaleonardz]

Buy it clutchy... you KNOW you want too

 

[zulu]

Zulu Hi there . Does present owner have quote for repairs to engine ? If he wants to sell so cheap then his problem becomes yours !! I dont think you will pick up engine parts at your local Midas or so . My advice , tread lightly your wallet is at threat here .
Cheers

yea the provebial "bottomless pit" to throw my dosh into....owner does'nt have any quotes. what are the issues with the 540 motors as to the wear problem on those nickelsel bores ...can one go on year model ie: after a certain year it wasn't an issue or are they all potentially a problem.

 

[zaleonardz]

Well, BMW did offer an in warentee swapout of the block. but my research on the issue is, if it has now broken already, its not going too..

Getting back to the M5, it all depends on your personal ability and tools. Can you remove the heads yourself and reinstall, just that is like 5k worth of labour. Plenty of parts available on ebay at reasonable prices.

The funny noise could be something daft like lifters, which will not cost you a testicle, or it could be a crank that is so badly worn, you have piston slap and thats a new block, pistons, and everything else which is like a 30k rebuild.

Its the luck of the draw, my 540 i bought cheap with gearbox problems which turned out to be the alternator and cost me R400 to fix,

If the car is going to stand, you can do it yourself, and you have money to invest in the car in the long run, smartly, the M5 is probably a good deal, but not hearing that motor fire means its a game of russian roulette.

 

[zulu]

Well, BMW did offer an in warentee swapout of the block. but my research on the issue is, if it has now broken already, its not going too..

Getting back to the M5, it all depends on your personal ability and tools. Can you remove the heads yourself and reinstall, just that is like 5k worth of labour. Plenty of parts available on ebay at reasonable prices.

The funny noise could be something daft like lifters, which will not cost you a testicle, or it could be a crank that is so badly worn, you have piston slap and thats a new block, pistons, and everything else which is like a 30k rebuild.

Its the luck of the draw, my 540 i bought cheap with gearbox problems which turned out to be the alternator and cost me R400 to fix,

If the car is going to stand, you can do it yourself, and you have money to invest in the car in the long run, smartly, the M5 is probably a good deal, but not hearing that motor fire means its a game of russian roulette.

think i'm going to offer to put eng back in car so that i can hear the noise with my own ears! then i'll make a decision.

 

[MrDeVil_909]

Getting back to the M5, it all depends on your personal ability and tools. Can you remove the heads yourself and reinstall, just that is like 5k worth of labour. Plenty of parts available on ebay at reasonable prices.

The funny noise could be something daft like lifters, which will not cost you a testicle, or it could be a crank that is so badly worn, you have piston slap and thats a new block, pistons, and everything else which is like a 30k rebuild.

Its the luck of the draw, my 540 i bought cheap with gearbox problems which turned out to be the alternator and cost me R400 to fix,

If the car is going to stand, you can do it yourself, and you have money to invest in the car in the long run, smartly, the M5 is probably a good deal, but not hearing that motor fire means its a game of russian roulette.

+1 zaleonardz is a wise man.

Get the owner to get the car checked out. If he want to sell it he needs to make an effort.

If I had 25k I would consider it as long as it isn't a full engine rebuild. The E34 M5 is a fantastic car and worth a little effort. And be prepared to import parts rather than buy from the dealers.

 

[zulu]

he claims that the bottom-end is sound...but that could also be a con. he is thinking of my offer to re-install the motor so that i can make an informed decision.

 

[veridico]

R25k for M5, with R30k rebuild on the engine, R55k for an M5 with a basically new engine still doesnt sound too bad to my ears.

 

[zaleonardz]

but the issue is, it might not stay at 30k.

Go and read this thread.

http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=2334

Ok its for a 7 series, but the parts for the M will get the same price tag if not more then that 7..

 

[zulu]

m5 on hold owner getting shifty......so...what should i pay for '96 540'a' ,very clean car, 17" bm mags ,fsh at the dealer from new... can you believe that! slight rust at base of rear w/screen and small dent above tail-light car is white in color....would 25k be far i don't know what they are fetching ...as advertised price and what things sell for different ...don't know anybody who has purchased one recently .

 

[zaleonardz]

25k does not sound to bad for a really clean one with nice mage.

They go from 13k upward with gearbox problems, a fair price for a average condition is about 17 to 20k

So 25k for a 96 that is clean... is not a bad deal at all... 22 sounds better... but ya.

And dont worry about the rust, its a common E34 problem, mine rusted in exactly the same spot.