I can't search for M5, it won't let me so I have to ask if anyone owns or owned the 2000-2003 M5? I'm contemplating one and many aspects are very impressive but what kills it for me is that it's not like jumping into cars like Hondas and Toyotas where even if you neglect it a bit on the maintenaince its no big deal, they're reliable. I just don't get that vibe from an M5. Lots of oil consumption issues, some electrical and overall it seems to require a lot of attention. The NSX was sooo easy to maintain.
E39 m5
- Thread starter TRM04
- Start date
Expect some issues and to pay 1-2,000 in unexpected repairs annually. That won't always be the case but I wouldn't advise anyone to get one if they weren't willing to except that. Several friends have owned them used over teh past few years since they drop in price quickly, 2 of the three had major issues, even though nothing major even broke, and regretted owning the car. The other got his after I believe the 60k maint. and sold it with 80k without fixing anything except the A/C to the tune of $1200 and some engine sensor went twice at 4-500$ each, that was over about a 2.5 year period.
i just sold a 2001 m5 63k miles on it a few months back.. it was a great car. i didnt have to do anything to it except oil changes. not one problem the car had k&n filters and a dinan exhaust. the only thing i didnt like was that to me it had no power. i know its a 400hp beast but the weight of it was crazy and felt very slow. sold it and now have my nsx 
Had no power, I have no idea what this dude is talking about? That is pretty much the only thing that I liked about my 2002 M5. It kicks you in the ass when you stomp on it much more so than similar year M3's or the NSX. For me it was a real disconnect. They say they handle very good on the track, but it felt very heavy and unsporty compared to others. (nothing like the NSX/M3 or even some of the sport sedans out there today that feel tighter/sportier) Get an exhaust and it sounds downright mean. I really loved that.
PLEASE NOTE, ALL PERFORMANCE UPGRADES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE ON THIS CAR!!!! Get the Dinan upgrades and you are talking about a huge chunk of cash. E/I/H upgrades alone are insane in my opinion.
Most importantly, this is NOT a car that you want to run without a warranty. Mine was under warranty, but was in the shop for one reason or another at least once a month if not more. It isn't like the NSX where you can take it elsewhere or fix it yourself, everything triggers a warning screen and you have to run it through a computer diagnostic. As you can imagine parts are expensive. The stock clutch is too weak for the engine and tends to fade quickly.
PLEASE NOTE, ALL PERFORMANCE UPGRADES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE ON THIS CAR!!!! Get the Dinan upgrades and you are talking about a huge chunk of cash. E/I/H upgrades alone are insane in my opinion.
Most importantly, this is NOT a car that you want to run without a warranty. Mine was under warranty, but was in the shop for one reason or another at least once a month if not more. It isn't like the NSX where you can take it elsewhere or fix it yourself, everything triggers a warning screen and you have to run it through a computer diagnostic. As you can imagine parts are expensive. The stock clutch is too weak for the engine and tends to fade quickly.
Check out his name 'snglturbosupra'. He make be basing his comparison on a 800HP Supra. I drove both a E46 M3 and an E39 M5 almost back to back. Even though their acceleration numbers look similar on paper, the M5 felt much faster due the massive amount of torque.
I think one of the greatly beneficial things you can do to an M5 is weight reduction. I've red on the forums that you can get 300+ lbs off with serious weight reduction. That will make the car handle much much better.
-Paul
-Paul
GREAT car. Lots of power and torque, very nice interior and BMW ride qualityand steering. Yes it weighs 4000lbs but to me its not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. If you expect it to be a 2800lb NSX, of course it will feel heavy. But the power more than makes up for it to make it a hell of a curbenshmacken driftenwagen.
I own E39 M5 and have all the best to say for the car, I have bought it for 14000 euro here, and the cheapest running NSX here is around 30000...however build quality on Honda is a LOT better but if you care for the Bimmer it wouldn't be lot of an issue...
Use this link to Search NSXPrime for "M5" (or any other 2 or 3 letter word items)
http://www.nsxprime.com/search.htm
M5, awesome performing car.. Reliability - I have heard mixed reviews.
http://www.nsxprime.com/search.htm
M5, awesome performing car.. Reliability - I have heard mixed reviews.
Don't do it. The engine on my bro's M5 failed at 73K miles, and the repair was estimated at $15k, so he trade it in for a E63 and the dealership give him $10k for the car.
I have heard for more then one person that you need 10k per year in maintanance.
That is Ferrari bad.
That is Ferrari bad.
I still own an e39 m5 with around 50k miles. I bought it back when it had around 30k miles three years back and it gave me absolutely no problems!:biggrin: i consider myself extremely lucky because of everyone i know, they have had small issues here and there that would cost around 1-2 grand every year to maintain. No major spending for me besides getting a new clutch upgrade, tubi exhaust, regular maintenance, and GAS! Even if I try to drive economically (which is impossible btw, knowing that you have 400 reason of fun under the bonnet), i can NEVER get better than 11-12mpg in the city.
A freind had a his and hers and told me the both radiators went out at about the same mileage. Electrical gremlins and front tire wear if driven hard (it was soo bad he installed a camber kit on his)
I purchased my '03 M5 in October 2005, with 6800km on it. I sold it this past summer with about 37,000km on it (I don't drive much). Luckily it still had 2 years of the warranty on it when I got it.
During that time, the lower oil pan leaked (replaced under warranty), the radio occasionally forgot what preset it was on (replaced under warranty), one of the rear brake light sockets was making intermittent contact with the bulb (easy fix), starter motor needed to be replaced, new battery needed, lower oil pan started leaking (again), some dead pixels on the instrument panel display (very common problem), and some of the buttons on the climate control panel started falling off.
Also, the car is rather sensitive to the state of the cats. When I replaced the stock muffler with Tubis, I occasionally would get cat efficiency codes. Didn't affect performance, but still annoying. There are workarounds for these codes. I did not suffer from the carbon fouling of the secondary air system, which is another common problem with these cars.
If, knowing what I do now, I had to do it all over again, I would still buy the car. It is a fantastic car to drive. The problems were nothing major, mainly annoyances. However, having now owned a BMW, it has kind of cured me of wanting another, especially with their current lineup.
During that time, the lower oil pan leaked (replaced under warranty), the radio occasionally forgot what preset it was on (replaced under warranty), one of the rear brake light sockets was making intermittent contact with the bulb (easy fix), starter motor needed to be replaced, new battery needed, lower oil pan started leaking (again), some dead pixels on the instrument panel display (very common problem), and some of the buttons on the climate control panel started falling off.
Also, the car is rather sensitive to the state of the cats. When I replaced the stock muffler with Tubis, I occasionally would get cat efficiency codes. Didn't affect performance, but still annoying. There are workarounds for these codes. I did not suffer from the carbon fouling of the secondary air system, which is another common problem with these cars.
If, knowing what I do now, I had to do it all over again, I would still buy the car. It is a fantastic car to drive. The problems were nothing major, mainly annoyances. However, having now owned a BMW, it has kind of cured me of wanting another, especially with their current lineup.
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