E39 M5 info (paging LZ...)

[msm]

I'm getting a wee bit bored with the 330i and contemplating some replacement options. Made no serious decisions yet, but considering an E39 M5, if I can get my lazy butt to drive a manual again. I had 2 E39's before (525i and 530d) and loved them. Don't want a 540i as it does not feel that "special" and I might get bored of it too ....

Anyway, got some questions for the gurus:

1) Besides the lights, nav update and steering wheel (?) is there any mechanical difference between the facelift version (i.e the one with angels) and the earlier models.

2) I don't mind tinkering a bit with basic DIY to fix minor issues, but how good/bad are they on maintenance costs, if I stick to guys like Tunetech, Gizmo, etc for servicing and repairs. Bear in mind it will be replacing my 330i so I'm accustomed to doing some "BMW preventative" maintenance too ...

3) What are the major cost items. I would assume tyres (rear ones especially) is going to be something I need to budget for, if I enjoy driving it. Anything else to be aware of as a major cost item? Assume most suspension bits need to be replaced on a older car, how much would that run into (obviously not gonna go to a stealership, but would still want quality replacement items).

4) How sensible would it be as a daily driver? My 330i auto is currently averaging about 12l/100KM in mixed driving.

5) Is there generally a premium in terms of insurance on the M5 compared to cars of similar value. Is it still classified as high risk performance car.

6) Given that the average mileage seems to be around 150K KM on them for sub R150k cars, I'd probably run it to around 200K KM. Assume it is maintained properly, is mileage an issue on these cars.

That's a lot of questions - can't think of anymore now. For now it's just a quest to get info .... but I guess that's how these things start :mmm:

So give me your valuable opinions please.

 

[zaleonardz]

Obvious thing is maintance/wear items

I have done about 6,500 since i bought mine,

A disc (not a set) a disc is 2.5k, pads another 1k, mafs go... tires are not that expensive, 7k for a set, which is plenty money, but not too expensive. a decent clutch job will cost you 7k

Then there is the rod bearing recall and and and....

Oh, factor in the 14l/100 fuel and she is not cheap to run either.

I have had a lot of little nigglies recently, boot latch breaking, some electrical crap, I think my viscus fan is having a moment and will need to be replaced, so its not trouble free motoring.

Now... if you look past all of that, OMFG does this thing make me giggle like a little school gurl on prom niight, really is a spectacular car, and I love it to bits.

I have actually noticed something as well, due to the gearing, is actually not that dangerous to drive normally. a 540 with a long 5 or 6th gear tends to kinda run away with you, next time you see it and your doing 160 which is lock up material.

The amount of torque on the M5 in 6th gear, your doing the speed limit with your foot just touching the pedal, which is very conveniant... however drop that peddle in 6th gear and the gods of thunder attack the exhaust and you have left everything around you standing still, then we donteven come close to the 4th gear on the highway, or 2nd gear in traffic.

Im gonna say this, ownership is not cheap, cars are 8 to 12 years old so there are nigglies and possibly serious issues, if your going to DIY most things...your golden... .and its probably the MOST fun you can buy for a very little amount of cash.....

so
1. Were a few fundemental changes to the electronics, dont know what exactly.

2 Covered above

3. Covered above

4. 14l/100. I think thats brilliant for a 4.9 litre V8 and I am very happy with it, some people say Im stupid, so who knows... oh btw the 65 litre tank sucks.

5. Donno, I did not have one, I think I am paying around 500 to 600 for it

6. Mine is on 206 at the moment, but previous owner (not werries) lets a LOT of the wear parts, werries did I lot, I did the rest, and still busy. I just purchased the balance of replacement fluids for her, need to do rear control arms, bla bla bla....

I dropped on the car,

7k on front brakes
8ish on tyres
4k on a clutch
bout 1k on oil
1k on additional fluids

thats been about it i think..

 

[rick540]

E39 540 feel not that special mmmpf come drive mine

Once you've thrown 18's on, added a kit, and tweaked somewhat it's not an M5 but it gets character. Ok....stock they a little plain

 

[msm]

Thanks Leonard for the comments. 14l/100km is pretty decent for a V8. My 330i is also 8 years old, so I'm used to little things breaking. However, at least I know the motor is not gonna go "poof" one day (unless I'm stupid with it). The auto gearbox is another story :mmm: So yeah, I'm thinking the M5 might be in a similar boat ito age. Just wanted to get a feel for some real life numbers, as most of the US forums are very polarized on running costs - one thing stood out though: Maintain them properly and they are reliable.

@rick540: Yes, the 540i is pretty decent, but it's still no ///M car. I'm already in a similar boat with the 330i. Yes, I can throw money at it (and I have already), but it's still a long shot from being an M3. Hence, I don't want do the same on the E39. I love that shape and if I'm gonna get one again, I'm gonna go all out for the M5 - either that or look at another model outside of the E39.

In any case this might need to wait until end of the year. For now I'm researching options and cars.

 

[biofreak]

I'm getting a wee bit bored with the 330i and contemplating some replacement options. Made no serious decisions yet, but considering an E39 M5, if I can get my lazy butt to drive a manual again. I had 2 E39's before (525i and 530d) and loved them. Don't want a 540i as it does not feel that "special" and I might get bored of it too ....

Anyway, got some questions for the gurus:

1) Besides the lights, nav update and steering wheel (?) is there any mechanical difference between the facelift version (i.e the one with angels) and the earlier models.

2) I don't mind tinkering a bit with basic DIY to fix minor issues, but how good/bad are they on maintenance costs, if I stick to guys like Tunetech, Gizmo, etc for servicing and repairs. Bear in mind it will be replacing my 330i so I'm accustomed to doing some "BMW preventative" maintenance too ...

3) What are the major cost items. I would assume tyres (rear ones especially) is going to be something I need to budget for, if I enjoy driving it. Anything else to be aware of as a major cost item? Assume most suspension bits need to be replaced on a older car, how much would that run into (obviously not gonna go to a stealership, but would still want quality replacement items).

4) How sensible would it be as a daily driver? My 330i auto is currently averaging about 12l/100KM in mixed driving.

5) Is there generally a premium in terms of insurance on the M5 compared to cars of similar value. Is it still classified as high risk performance car.

6) Given that the average mileage seems to be around 150K KM on them for sub R150k cars, I'd probably run it to around 200K KM. Assume it is maintained properly, is mileage an issue on these cars.

That's a lot of questions - can't think of anymore now. For now it's just a quest to get info .... but I guess that's how these things start :mmm:

So give me your valuable opinions please.

1. You mentioned all the cosmetic ones. Only mechanical difference is a slight rework on the piston ring design so they tend to use less oil.
2. Parts are slightly more expensive but not too bad if you decide to import. New Alternator - R1500, Clutch kit - R3500.
3. Tyres, services, guibo tends to go. Check out m5board.com
4. ZL is conservative I tend to give mine stick every tank of fuel. Avg around 400-450KM's per tank. 15-20l/100
5. M5, cbr600rr and household is on R1200 atm. Think the M5 is about 600-800 iirc.
6. Get one with suspension redone and preferably with the new engine (Mine has both /wink wink )

Awesome cars and a hell of a lot of value for money with the last years depreciation.

IMHO worthwhile mods on these cars are Exhaust, short shifter and the IATS kit. The rest are much of a muchness.

 

[zaleonardz]

Biofreak, interesting that you should bring up the consumption issue. THis has me puzzled for a while.

My combined coming back from KZN was 12. something. I agree there I was driving miss daisy most of the way, occasional busts, but driving pretty sedate.

However, my latest trip counters gives me 13.7. Keeping in mind that I mostly if not ONLY do highway traffic, and I time my life to miss the traffic. During that I do give her carrots daily.

Im not revving the nuts off her just yet as I am worried about rod bearings and still need to do the replacement, so I generally dont go above 6,000rpm (when I can help it, this thing revs like a mofo).

But in 6th gear, I can drive the thing like an auto on the highway, there is just so much of everything that 120 to 180 in 6th gear without sport button engaged is like almost instant.

Whats your oil consumptino like, I checked this morning, I have lost about 2cm on the dipstick since and including my recent trip back from KZN. So call it almost 2,000km since.

I have done to date about 8,000 may 9,000 by now since I got the car.....

As for the mods, I agree, biofreaks mod list is very conservative, and more then likely worth while.

 

[Beast_Power]

Just make sure you get a well maintained one. When I was looking for mine I saw a few horrific ones and the owners seem to be very complacent.

Oh and make sure they used castrol TWS oil and only TWS in the car, the oil is expensive anything between R175 to R200 a Litre, but I believe better safe than sorry, to fix this motor will be much more costly than saving a few rand on oil.

But just the feeling I get from driving the M5 is indescribable, just a warning, if you get a E39 M5, anything else you drive will always pale in comparison.

 

[biofreak]

I think I might have a stuffed O2 sensor on mine but it's not showing up as an error yet :/ The only reason I can think of mine being so heavy on fuel of late
Maybe it's because I take my car to redline at least once a day And I do love the sound of my exhaust
I am also not really worried about my motor as it's only 50 odd k's old now So I have a little more peace of mind for now If I keep it for another year or two I'll also do the inspection...

I generally use 1l of oil every 25k km's. Have heard of engines taking 2.5l and others using 500ml...

 

[zaleonardz]

Beast, I am sucsessfully using Liqui Moly GT1 Race spec 10w-60. Its much cheaper 750ish for 10 litres.

Many opinions on the subject,

As for the well maintained one. Yep I cannot agree, wear parts are expensive, so if its not maintainted, you can at least do the list that I did out of principle.

 

[Beast_Power]

On the subject of fuel consumption, On long trips I get between 11.7 to 12, that is at speeds averaging around 140 to 160, on daily mixed highway and city driving it goes up to about 13.5, this includes spirited driving as well. As for oil consumption I am very lucky as my car does not use oil (or hardly noticeable) between services.

 

[Fordkoppie]

I'm getting a wee bit bored with the 330i and contemplating some replacement options. Made no serious decisions yet, but considering an E39 M5, if I can get my lazy butt to drive a manual again. I had 2 E39's before (525i and 530d) and loved them. Don't want a 540i as it does not feel that "special" and I might get bored of it too ....

Anyway, got some questions for the gurus:

1) Besides the lights, nav update and steering wheel (?) is there any mechanical difference between the facelift version (i.e the one with angels) and the earlier models.

2) I don't mind tinkering a bit with basic DIY to fix minor issues, but how good/bad are they on maintenance costs, if I stick to guys like Tunetech, Gizmo, etc for servicing and repairs. Bear in mind it will be replacing my 330i so I'm accustomed to doing some "BMW preventative" maintenance too ...

3) What are the major cost items. I would assume tyres (rear ones especially) is going to be something I need to budget for, if I enjoy driving it. Anything else to be aware of as a major cost item? Assume most suspension bits need to be replaced on a older car, how much would that run into (obviously not gonna go to a stealership, but would still want quality replacement items).

4) How sensible would it be as a daily driver? My 330i auto is currently averaging about 12l/100KM in mixed driving.

5) Is there generally a premium in terms of insurance on the M5 compared to cars of similar value. Is it still classified as high risk performance car.

6) Given that the average mileage seems to be around 150K KM on them for sub R150k cars, I'd probably run it to around 200K KM. Assume it is maintained properly, is mileage an issue on these cars.

That's a lot of questions - can't think of anymore now. For now it's just a quest to get info .... but I guess that's how these things start :mmm:

So give me your valuable opinions please.

Another huge issue, especially on the earlier models is the vanos. They sound like diesels
To replace both bank's at the agents will likely cost what you paid for the car.
When i had mine, i could not average any better than 16l/100. Loodvoet!

 

[wagnerer]

I'm getting a wee bit bored with the 330i and contemplating some replacement options. Made no serious decisions yet, but considering an E39 M5, if I can get my lazy butt to drive a manual again. I had 2 E39's before (525i and 530d) and loved them. Don't want a 540i as it does not feel that "special" and I might get bored of it too ....

Anyway, got some questions for the gurus:

1) Besides the lights, nav update and steering wheel (?) is there any mechanical difference between the facelift version (i.e the one with angels) and the earlier models.

2) I don't mind tinkering a bit with basic DIY to fix minor issues, but how good/bad are they on maintenance costs, if I stick to guys like Tunetech, Gizmo, etc for servicing and repairs. Bear in mind it will be replacing my 330i so I'm accustomed to doing some "BMW preventative" maintenance too ...

3) What are the major cost items. I would assume tyres (rear ones especially) is going to be something I need to budget for, if I enjoy driving it. Anything else to be aware of as a major cost item? Assume most suspension bits need to be replaced on a older car, how much would that run into (obviously not gonna go to a stealership, but would still want quality replacement items).

4) How sensible would it be as a daily driver? My 330i auto is currently averaging about 12l/100KM in mixed driving.

5) Is there generally a premium in terms of insurance on the M5 compared to cars of similar value. Is it still classified as high risk performance car.

6) Given that the average mileage seems to be around 150K KM on them for sub R150k cars, I'd probably run it to around 200K KM. Assume it is maintained properly, is mileage an issue on these cars.

That's a lot of questions - can't think of anymore now. For now it's just a quest to get info .... but I guess that's how these things start :mmm:

So give me your valuable opinions please.

I got mine on 136K km and she does not use any oil or water (2001, silverstone). Awesome car! Had some issues. Auxilary fan stopped and had to be replaced. Diff seal was leaking got that repaired. Fitted two new Falken tyres for 5k not so expensive. Car was decat and chipped. Powerflow exhaust system. Sounds great! If you like power and performance this is the car to have. I get 15.5 avergare per 100km even with my heavy foot . I travel to town everyday and in traffic, which is not bad if you look at the Nissan Pathfinders and fortuners averaging at 17 / 18 per 100km with just no performance.
The M5 is as strong solid car and I will never sell mine. I don't take my car to the agents as I don't like their work (mass serviceing). They intent to slip up time and again. I take my car to an independant BMW specialist in the northan suburbs, I can trust them, I know them and they are relatively cheap.
Overall excellent car and a must have! :grin: