Somebody Talk Me Out of This Please!

"AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC" (addictedtom3s)
04/30/2016 at 01:42 • Filed to: None

Guise? HALP!!! Someone stop me from buying this e39 M5.

I was reading Doug’s article about the one car to do everything and immediately thought M3. Then I saw the one comment with an e90 M3 and an e39 M5 and my body got th itch to look at M-cars on Craigslist again. I found this M5. 1 owner with a clean title. High mileage though.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DISCUSSION (23)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 01:45

You should buy an E39 M5

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/30/2016 at 01:51

Well then maybe you should buy another Celica! HAH!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 01:52

I just told you what you wanted to hear. Don’t you like you? Don’t you deserve the things you want? WELL???

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/30/2016 at 02:07

*CRIES* This is too hard!

nlzmo400r > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 02:28

Buy it, they’re fantastic. Miss mine daily. That being said, 4dr E90 M3 is more fun.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > nlzmo400r
04/30/2016 at 02:35

I heard they are. I drove an e39 528i and that was sublime! How was the maintenance for your e39 M5?

Chewbakkah > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 02:52

How much do you have saved for repairs? Thats got to be the decider.

jordang1028 > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 03:13

If you really want an E39 M5, I am all for it. However, you will save yourself a massive amount of cash and headaches by saving up for one with lower miles and in better condition. When looking at a used luxury/performance car such as this, ask these questions. If the owner was not willing to fork out the money to fix the driveline vibration, seat cable, and shift knob, then what else did they skimp on? Did full synthetic brand name oil changes cost too much? Were OEM or quality parts used when repairs were required? And to be perfectly honest, I’m very critical of any Craigslist seller who has a car like that, but uses ALL CAPS and has questionable grammar.

M54B30 > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 03:28

I usually recommend a 540i M Sport. Same usable performance, less/cheaper maintenance.

KatzManDu > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 05:13

I miss mine, terribly. And by 2003 the nagging issues with light-weight piston rings allowing lots of oil blow-by and stuff were all taken care of.

It is super high miles, even for an E39, so be careful. Make sure you worry about things like valve cover gaskets, timing chain tensioner and VANOS, which can be costly if you don’t DIY. And DIY can be a PITA with those.

Being an E39 it will have other E39 issues, like door seals that leak, a parking brake that needs to have its tension fixed, and unless the suspension has been done, it will need a suspension that includes suspension mounts. The rear-view mirror that is auto-dimming is filled with liquid, and that liquid can leak!

Let us know what you do. Maintenance records are a must, especially because of VANO$.

Old Red Wagon > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 07:26

E39 M5 is one of my favorite BMW’s. I want to buy one but already have two cars, don’t need a third.

Ready for an adventure! > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 07:32

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/public-service…

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 09:32

Here’s why you shouldn’t buy this M5.

Because if you get to it before I do, Imma cut you. *knocks you over, runs toward the seller*

E90M3 > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 11:09

Echoing what someone else said, are you serious about an M car, and if so have you considered the e90 m3? When I was looking for an M car I figured the E39 M5 would be perfect, v8, only came in 6 speed, RWD; however, this was 2013 and the newest one would have been 10 years old, so things can start to get expensive, and I didn’t want to dump 20k into a 10 year old car with 100k miles on it when I could afford another newer M car. So instead I got an E90 M3, pretty much the same as the E39 but much newer, and unfortunately this is the real world and things like that do matter, would i love an E39? Hell yes, I just think the E90 is easier to live with.

v8Mike > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
04/30/2016 at 12:13

That is a LOT of miles. No mention in the ad of vanos or cooling system service history. I would ask about those before jumping on this one. I think there are better options out there for around the same money.

But - you should buy an e39. You can save a few bucks on maintenance and pick up a 540i msport and still have a hell of a car but I can attest that if you get a 540 you will always long for the m5.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > KatzManDu
04/30/2016 at 18:01

Agreed. The mirrors I’ve heard about from spending a lot of time lurking on M3forum since the e46 M3s have the same issue.

I probably won’t be purchasing this e39 M5 to be honest. The mileage is too high for me. I’d rather spend a little more and get a better sorted example. This posting did get me started looking at the M5s again though. God they’re irresistible.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > E90M3
04/30/2016 at 18:05

Yes, I am 100% serious about an M-car. I’ve wanted one since I was a little kid first starting to like cars. Now I am actively saving for a car so of course the M-car bug has bitten me again and it has bitten hard.

I have looked into the e90 M3 but I feel it’s a lot chunkier than the e46 M3. The e46 M3 has been my dream car since forever and that’s kind of where I’m heading. But like you said, in 2016, the newest one I could get would still be 10-years old. Not sure I can justify that if it’ll be a daily driver.

Being responsible is so very hard as a car person ):

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
04/30/2016 at 18:06

Come at me, bro!

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > v8Mike
04/30/2016 at 18:09

Yeah, I originally was looking at the e39 540i a few years ago but quickly realized it will never be an e39 M5 no matter what mods are done. I drove a friend’s 528i and my view on cars was ruined. I want an M-car so bad now. If the 528i was that good, I can’t imagine how mind blowing an M5 would be.

Frank Grimes > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
05/01/2016 at 21:26

you dont deserve it you are a terrible person.

E90M3 > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
05/02/2016 at 21:57

I completely understand. In 2003 my uncle had a 2002 M3 and I got a ride in it, after that I was hooked. I’ve loved BMWs ever since then. So naturally it was what I was going to spend my hard earned money on one day.

The day finally came when I had the money to get one, which meant picking the correct M car. M budget was $50k, so at that price in 2014 I could have pretty much any used M car on the market. Now I never thought that’d be my budget, when I graduated college I figured I’d have maybe half of that to spend on a car, so the plan was to find a super clean 2003 M5. That’s when you start realizing that they’re going to be 10 years old, have almost 100k miles on them, and you’re going to have to live with them. I did have another car, but it was a 1997 Ford Explorer Sport, and I didn’t really want to have to drive that around all the time while my M car got worked on. I thought about an e46 M3, but almost the same issue as the e39 M5, getting up there in age, lots of miles, plus finding a coupe with a stick seemed pretty damn hard. Figured, since I had the money, I should get an e90, not spend 25k on a 10 year old M5 and then 10k fixing all the problems; being an engineer I had to make the more logical decision. That’s what sucks about being a car person, the logical decision isn’t always the most fun one. (for the record, I have a very soft spot for the e34 M5 and would waste a bunch of money on that)

Like you said the e90 is more chunky than the e46, but lets not forget the e39 m5 is about 4,000 lbs, which is more than 400 lbs more than the e90. It really doesn’t feel like a massive car at all, does it feel tiny like my 128i? Not really, but it’s not a F250 by any means either.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > E90M3
05/03/2016 at 00:20

Woah, I did not know the e39 M5 weighed more than the e90! That really puts some things into perspective for me.

How do you like your e90 M3? I’ve heard they’re pretty much bulletproof aside from a really small group of individuals with the rod bearing issues? If I can swing it I would’t be opposed to an e92 M3 (I just like the coupe more).

E90M3 > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
05/03/2016 at 13:36

I absolutely love it, put 15,000 hard miles on it and the only problem I’ve had with it was a throttle position actuator go out, apparently that’s a common problem and to be honest, not a cheap one either. Happened out of warranty and the part alone was $1100. Before I got the car, they replaced a head gasket cause it was leaking oil, it doesn’t leak anymore, so I think that might have been a fluke. But then all high performance engines have some faults, and for a V8 that revs to 8300 rpm not to have many problems is impressive. I mean you see plenty for sale with near 100k miles on them.