gordie1973 Posted August 15, 2010 Report Share Posted August 15, 2010 Hello all, Am in the market for a new toy, and was going to get a second hand 335i / 335d or an maybe even an S4........ However in my travels today I spotted a 55 E60 M5 with 50k on the clock for £24k........ a couple of grand over budget - but I'm thinking for that sort of money its gotta be worth a punt? Now - the interesting bit...... What do I need to be aware of? I have seen here that the mpg is a bit frightening, as is the range - but what else surrounding running costs should I be aware of? If I keep it for a year - how much would you think it would be worth with an extra 7k miles on the clock? I suppose my overiding feeling is that I'm only (relativley) young once and and have always aspired to having one since I first saw them in the flesh 5 ish years ago..... Also - I'm coming from a DSG audi - Is the SMG really that slow / bad in comparrison? Sorry for the bombardment of questions, and I did try a search which came up zero in E60 and M5, but any help you can give me would be appreciated. Cheers, Gordie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golfer Posted August 15, 2010 Report Share Posted August 15, 2010 (edited) Hello all,Am in the market for a new toy, and was going to get a second hand 335i / 335d or an maybe even an S4........ However in my travels today I spotted a 55 E60 M5 with 50k on the clock for £24k........ a couple of grand over budget - but I'm thinking for that sort of money its gotta be worth a punt? Now - the interesting bit...... What do I need to be aware of? I have seen here that the mpg is a bit frightening, as is the range - but what else surrounding running costs should I be aware of? If I keep it for a year - how much would you think it would be worth with an extra 7k miles on the clock? I suppose my overiding feeling is that I'm only (relativley) young once and and have always aspired to having one since I first saw them in the flesh 5 ish years ago..... Also - I'm coming from a DSG audi - Is the SMG really that slow / bad in comparrison? Sorry for the bombardment of questions, and I did try a search which came up zero in E60 and M5, but any help you can give me would be appreciated. Cheers, Gordie Firstly "do a search on the web, there are many Forums that cover the E60 M5, Beemer fest, BMW land,Beemerforums.com, 5Post ,M5board.com to name some, Biscuits will be along to give you the latest "heads up". Full service history and a warranty are must haves, and go for the lowest mileage car possible. Good Luck. Edited August 15, 2010 by Golfer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 Sorry Gordie, missed your post some how. Hmmm.... I know exactly what you're thinking about, because its exactly what we found when looking around to replace the S3. Firstly, the 335i and 335d are stonking cars, personally i don't like the saloons or touring front ends, but the coupes look and hand very very well. Both respond well to a remap and will keep an M3 within its sights on road. The M5 however is a very different car, totally. It's quite a bit bigger for a start, making it feel much more grown up, but when you throw it around it doesn't feel that much heavier (mainly due to it being half aluminium). Pre september 2008 cars are now going for crazy prices, like the one you mention... However, the ones we looked at did feel tired inside... so remember this whenyou go looking, high mileage cars are fine but you MUST have a full BMW MAIN DEALER service history, these cars are mega money to repair if they go wrong badly. Things to look out for Interior is very well put together, if not quite to stylish as in Audi. Seat bases and bolsters wear and the steering wheels can go shiney if high mileage Satnav and head-up-display are standard, but Bluetooth isn't and is a must with idrive. You'll be very lucky to get an iPod connection, a cd changer is in the glovebox as standard though and can be upgraded for £365 (don't get fobbed off with £850 quotes!) Engine, as long as it's been fully serviced, all M engines are hugely strong. On tick over the V10 sounds almost like a diesel and when cold quite lumpy... this is just how they are till warmed up. Make sure the inspection service is stamped in the book at 1,000 miles, without it you'll not get a warranty through BMW. There's loads of info on the SMG gearbox. It's not as smooth as a DSG or Automatic and round town it takes a while to be smooth, but it does it's job very well 30+ mph and using the paddles is best. It pisses me off less than a normal auto and when stuck in traffic i don't get a sore clutch foot. It's a super car fast saloon, so things to double double check are the brakes and tyres, they are both fecking good, but expensive. You'll not get much change from £2k for disks and pads or £1,200 for tyres. Performance is way beyond the 335i or 335d, it's actually much much faster than we expected. Off the lights an evo or RS6 with four wheel drive will have the edge, but a rolling start 50mph onwards and it's blistering, struggling for grip till well past the speed limit. Stick it in D and an M5 will waft along in quiet comfort all day long, press the M button which sharpens everything and sets the engine to 500hp and it's a totally different drive. We love it and i can't think of another car that can carry a family of four with luggage in total comfort one day and the next keep up with a bunch of super cars on a sunday blast to Silverstone Ask any questions you like, main thing is the cars history, if you can find one that hasn't been ragged or pimped, they are solid cars. Good luck. PS: oh yeah, expect to average 17-19 mpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordie1973 Posted September 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2010 Howdy All, Golfer and Biscuits - Many thanks for the info........ Well - Ive gone and done it, I bought it bout 5 weeks ago, but due to an insane amount of travelling have not been able to really get to know it yet. . . . Till now........ By luck, more than judgment, all the above watch outs were adhered to - Full BMW service history - inc the 1000 miler, 9/10 for exterior, 9.8/10 for interior (tiny bit of shine on the wheel, but seats perfect), really lumpy and "clattery" on startup & idle, hates being driven for the first 10 minutes......... but then - M button, all is forgiven......... I love it! Agree with the SMG - its a bit dull on full auto mode (I’m out of an Audi DSG), but I'm finding myself using the paddles more now for most driving. It came with Bluetooth, and logic 7 and yes they are both godsends! I'll ask the wife for the iPod upgrade as a Christmas present! Fuel consumption is totally horrendous, stuck in traffic in Clapham and a few other jaunts in and around town got me 79 miles on a half tank........ however a cruise down to Bath at the weekend via the M4 saw over half a tank left and 160 miles on the distance to empty...... to be honest, I knew that it was going to be a thirsty one to run! Now the flip side - Somewhat naively I believed the sales guy when I noticed a slight rumble from the rear brakes, (he said it had been sat around and that they had corroded slightly although the rust would wear down with a few miles)....I've now had them checked at my local independent who has said they are badly corroded and some of the surface of the pad is falling away - I spoke to the place I bought them and they said the brakes will perform as expected, and as they passed the MOT 2 weeks previous they are not in a position to fix them under the 3 month warranty........ - To be fair the computer says there is 6,000 miles left in them - Can I have your advice on this? - Also are drilled brakes noisier than what I have been used to? Also - Local guy says (BMW Parts) 2 x discs and fitting would be £639 fitted - Should I go with a local independent - or should I stay with BMW or Specialist........ Secondly - It has developed a rumble when lock to lock on the steering - Local guy says a new belt needed...... (I'm not technical) anything else it could be? All in all - I am over the moon with the purchase, I need to get a few little things sorted (getting photos up here too!) , but they will happen with time, and budget. Thanks for your help this far, and in advance for anything else you may add, one day I promise to be able to offer similar levels of expertise to you guys so I can repay the advice favour.... Cheers, Gordon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted September 20, 2010 Report Share Posted September 20, 2010 WELL DONE ! You'll not be disappointed with it, they are epic cars. I'd get the discs changed by your local independent, there's not many jobs I'd trust on a non-specialist or BMW dealer, but there's really not much to do with replacing the rear discs and pads. Just make sure they check the handbrake pads while they are there. The handbrake is actually a drum-brake, that uses the inner part of the disk hub (the bit your wheel bolts on/into (if that makes sense!). Onlt thing they won't be able to do is reset the brake service meter... although I seem to remember the car works this out using resistance in the pad sensor ??? Driving in S (manual mode) gives the most fluid ride, but when you want to be lazy D is a nice backup. Looking forward to the pictures... what colour/options is it ? +++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beemarman Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 Congrats on the car, I have an M6 and the only advise am going to give you is to get a BMW warranty, for £70 per month(as long as the car is less than 60k miles) it worth every penny. I know people that have had work done on warranty and it had cost about £5k per job. Remenber you're driving a £60k car and when something goes wrong on these cars, you would need your bank manager approval to get it fixed. Good luck with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordie1973 Posted October 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2010 Thanks Beemarman! £800 pa whilst cheap vs an engine / clutch / gearbox seems to be top end of the market - I have seen aftermarket warranties available from £300 (yup probably too cheap) through to £800 - Actual BMW as you mention. Do you think that the BM one is watertight compared to the generic ones out there? Still loving it now that the brakes and steering are both sorted, although am treading carefully in the wet! Pics to come up when the weather backs off a bit. Cheers, Gordie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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