dmbgamer

Any of you own an M5 in addition to your 993? I am getting the itch to own an M5.

I envision the BMW to be more fun in a straight line and maybe as a daily driver with the 993 being more fun on a twisting road or at the track.

Any thoughts?

Wilder

They're fantastic cars. I had an 02 with the Dinan stage 3 suspesion for a while. Don't kid yourself, M5s are a lot of fun on the twisties, especially if you have the setup I did.

It's an ideal car if it's your only mode of transportation and you have a family or need the comfortable seating space. However, a 993 and an M5 might be overkill. Then again, I'm all about simplicity these days and just went from four cars down to two and the next 400+ HP beastie for me will be a TT. If you don't need the space/comfort, that's what I'd do if I was you.

agdamis

As most of the fellas and gals on the board have noticed and given me sh*t about is my love for BMWs. I have a 02 540i with the 6-speed / sport and I love it. It is the perfect stable mate. Seats four can cruise at north of 100mph all the comforts and a big trunk. I have parked it for the last month and a half, and actually kind of miss it. If I had to have only one car and could not afford the luxury of two it would probably be an M3. I wanted an M5 but decided the 540i was enough, I need to put money in something other than a fossil fuel burner. In short go for it won't be disappointed, and the 540i not a bad call either if you want ot save $20K in similar condition.

Allen

A buddy of mine had a 540i and now has a M5. The operating/maintenance cost of the M5 has turned out to be unexpectedly higher than the 540i. May want to check out the Bimmer boards for more information.

993c2cab

My 2000 m5 was beautiful. and fast. I miss the horse power. However I was always in the shop. I agree with above post having both is over kill. But if you can swing it go for it they are very nice. Check m5board.com great site just like here.

David Danhof

I have a 2000 M5 as my daily driver. A great compliment to the 993. Very different experiences. Makes my 993 feel like a featherweight. M5 is comfortable, safe, very strong and under the radar to most. Not a cheap car to own both in initial investment and maintenance, but what is, Excellent support group on the M5board as well.

Arrwin

When I outgrow my 323i, I plan on going the route of a 530i Sport/540i Sport/M5 as well. With the ever increasing gas prices, i'm not sure if i'll need a V8. Do you find the 530i underpowered and does the M5 require more maintenance and more $$ to maintain in the long run compared with it's siblings?

mr_bock

I have a 2002M5 that I bought new (before the 993) and have made many modifications to it. Different animals, but both are way lotta fun!!!! I have a truck for the dirty work, the M5 for groups, the 993 for Autocross and pleasure.

Arrwin

Wow....this problem sure sounds familiar.

E39 Carbon Build Up

Never realized other cars had our problems as well.

Father of 3

I've never heard of this before either. I wonder if the SAI issue is unique to the M5 or if the other BMW V8 motors are impacted as well. I've been religiously reading the e38 (740i) related boards and have never heard of this type of issue.

tj90

I just spent 3 hours cleaning out carbon on my F-150 IAC port. Carbon blocks the airflow making rough idle and throwing CEL codes. Carbon buildup seems to be a problem on many engines. I miss the days of just venting the stuff out the exhaust pipe!!

PK

If straight line fun is what you're looking for you might want to consider an E55. That thing is a torque monster! HP is addicting but torque is simply intoxicating. Horsepower is great once you get on the freeway, but for those 5 lights/intersections you have to get through before the freeway on-ramp torque would be your best friend.

P-cars are perfect for weekend twisties...but for daily driving and occasional stop-light racing it's tough to beat an E55. M5's are awesome cars but you might want to try out an E55 before you decide. Just my $0.02 Good luck.

agdamis

PK

Under 98 M3 "boy, am I glad it's gone"?

Why that sentiment, love that car.

993Brendan

Although not an M5, I have a 540 6-speed as my daily driver and love it. It cost about 1/3 of what the M5 would have cost me on the used car market, and has been trouble free since I picked it up last year. I've thought about upgrading to an M5, but the money would probably be better spent doing additional mods to my 993!

Droops83

Wow....this problem sure sounds familiar.

E39 Carbon Build Up

Never realized other cars had our problems as well.

That poll on the M5 board was a good idea . . . my shop works on BMWs as well as Porsche and we had a customer who had an E39 M5 w/ a dead miss, turned out that the SAI ports were clogged solid, and the #5 exhaust valves burned up. A $10k valve job later and he was back on the road!

So as you can see the M5s can be expensive to maintain. It uses a lot of expensive, unique parts. But man, what a fun car to drive for a big heavy sedan! Throttle response and sounds are great. Really easy to drive, slick shifter and clutch, great handling and feel. But a 540i 6-spd is also a great car and you can find some good deals on them. The 6 spd really wakes that engine up. The BMW v8s have more issues than the straight 6 for sure, but nothing disasterous. Just make sure you buy a well maintained car (BMW undermaintains cars at the dealer-find a good independent shop), and get a PPI like you would with a Porsche. Good luck!

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Chris Andropoulos
Schneider Autohaus
Santa Barbara, CA