Busta Rib

If you don't need the power, I recommend a 2001-2003 E39 6-cylinder with manual. The 6-cylinder cars are sublime, return decent mileage, and offer 80% of the driving experience for a lot less money. No offense to Mike, but I much prefer the E39 chassis for simplicity and looks, and they provide a greater bang for the buck from a luxury and comfort standpoint. It's difficult to find a low-mileage example, but you can find well-maintained cars. As long as the cooling systems, VANOS, chain guides, and suspension bushings have been kept up, they will practically run forever. They are very practical, stylish, and comfortable cars. Great value for what you get. I had an E39 525iT silver/black wagon with a manual. That is a rare bird and now I regret selling it.

budge96

I may not be the average Porsche owner and certainly not BMW
Advocate but my E39 M5 has just been an awesome all around beast
As they say on the M5 board ....
That is withstanding its a 2000 I purchased in '01 with I think 35k
put 60k on that drivetrain then when leaks a replaced vanos and trans
main shaft whine got to much for me came across a 2500 mile eng and
trans '02 vintage in 20011 swapped them out and put pss9 bilsteins
and 20" TRW's and never looked back ...
This is about my fifth M5/6 and believe me the best of them all
120k miles and kicking butt ....caught a guy photographing it when I was out doing errands today it often sits but my Range Rover just went in for needed attention....Bert

nrubenstein

I kind of regret not buying the 528iT my friend Mike replaced with his M5. We had swapped a 3.0 into it (it's a direct drop in), and it was pretty close to perfect. A 6spd with a shorter rear gear would have nailed it.

993Brendan

My DD is a 99 528it manual. Love that car...great inexpensive car that leaves more $$ for Porsches.

RacingJunkie

My rec is to not buy a low mileage example. They will eat you alive with the maintenance. Look for one with close to 100k on the clock that has been maintained and drive it and enjoy. They are great cars and a thrill to drive. 400hp and great gearing for in town or highway cruising.

pnuts

LOL! Just picked up a 2000 M5 with 57k a few weeks ago. So far so good after 200 miles. Can't go into much details about maintenance yet, but agree with JM993, not as good as a 993 (my 993 is a 1995 coupe with 34k), but hard to find something better from that era. We also have a 2001 E55 with 66k. For comparison purposes, E55 is not as tight as the M5 and the transmission is definitely not as responsive. When behind the wheel of the M5, it is so easy to go fast and you always forget how fast you're going.

badabing

Another E39 lover here. I had a 2003 540i M-sport. I've read since 2003 was the last year of the E39, BMW took all of their surplus "M" bits and used them on this car (except the S62 engine of course). Suspension, body kit, interior bits etc.

My favorite non-pcar. I'd still have it today had I not had an unfortunate incident. I recommend test driving one. May be all you need and you won't have to pay what seems to be an exorbitant premium for the M5. A nice one can be had for mid to upper teens.

And IMHO the stock wheels that came on that car are nicer than the M5 wheels and one of the best looking wheels ever. They absolutely make that car.

I was looking to replace my lost 540 with an M5 but gave up the search and bought an Audi S5 for a DD. I'm still toying with getting an M5 just to play with on occasion

On the negative side, they have tons of little niggly issues. I can't remember everything I fixed while I owned it but there were a lot of things. None terribly expensive if you can follow a DIY post but still annoying to chase after.

A few I can remember;

Cup holders
Display pixels
Window regulators
Fan blower final stage resistor
Rear door vapor barriers
Exterior windshield rubber trim
Leaking power steering lines/reservoir

8 trips to the dealer for recurring CEL/small evap leak code which kept being dismissed as loose/leaking gas cap but turned out to be a "drunken" charcoal canister.

Suspension torque arms

Interior trim adhesive on a,b, and C pillars.

Cracks in wood trim on dash, doors, and center console.

Ah memories... I loved that car. I bought it in 2008 still under CPO with 35K miles. I put about 55k on it. I was excited every morning to go to work just so I could drive it.

Whatever you get, I think it needs to be a "sport" model with angel eye xenons. The lower stance, and body kit keep it contemporary looking. The "regular" E39 just look old to me.

I considered the 2001 750i aka remote control James Bond car but it was too old. Has those same awesome wheels though.

CP

I had an E39 M5 for 4 years when I also had he Ruf. The M5 came into the family first, but the Ruf eats its lunch on all counts.

I still love the E39 look, probably the best looking 5 series built. However, if raw power is NOT a must, I'd much rather own a 2003 535 (?) 5 speed. True rack and pinion steering, bullet-proof straight 6, much easier to maintain. Much better gas mileage too.

CP

DrFraserCrane

I currently own an e39 m5 as well as my 993.

they are 2 very different cars. the e39 feels like a sledgehammer while the 993 feels like a precision tool to drive. I took my e39 to a HPDE at Summit Point last weekend - car did great, but felt HUGE on the track.

I love my e39, I would highly recommend one. mine has been pretty great for me - only real problems were the fuel pump died at 100k, driver's window regulator broke around the same time, and I had to do the drive shaft guibo/coupler and center support bearing on the driveshaft recently. Other than that, keep up on the maintenance and the car isnt bad to live with at all cost wise (other than gas).

like most higher performance german cars - hunt for a strong car to begin with and you should be solid.


and on the m5baord point, that was my primary source of information for all questions. good community with a lot of knowledge over there

Spencercat

I have some experience with E39s. Aside from factors already mentioned, one major maintenance difference with the 993 is that there are about a dozen computers/fuse boxes hidden in the E39.

This leads to peculiar headaches w/r/t HVAC, ignition switch, lights, remotes, etc. When the diagnosis consists of seeing if your problem resolves when you lower the passenger visor and open the mirror, you've often got a "ghost in the machine" problem.

Battery drain can become a problem, difficult to trace. The 993 is farm-cart simple by comparison.

Carbon buildup inside the M5 motor can lead to gradual HP decrease. $$$ to fix.

BMW OEM recycled plastic means when you unclip a part it is likely to crumble/snap. From what I've seen the 993 uses much higher quality materials.

Both cars will comfortably cruise at 100+ mph, but different horses for different courses.

Allen

I strongly disagree with this. I have (2) of them...and except for the controls/operation of the AC...the interior of the E60 is excellent....IMHO.

As to the OP...my buddy had a 2000 E39 M5. It had several issues...and it seems like being a "M" BMW...made the costs about 3X as expensive as a "non-M" BMW. His was drinking a quart of oil every fill up. It also went through tires rapidly. He eventually sold it fearing the engine was on the edge of death...and with that oil consumption...it was probably very close. Other than that...it was a fast comfy car.

DiegoR

I agree with your disagree

e39 better shape/quality interior in my eyes/hands.

badabing

Oh yeah forgot about the "seat twist" issue. Never got a chance to fix that.

+1 on E39 over E60 aesthetically in my eyes.

Also, a good forum if you don't go with the M is bimmerfest. I was on there frequently when I was an owner.

I also found this site informative when I was researching

http://www.kenrockwell.com/bmw/540.htm


And you think we get a lot of oil questions...The factory can't even make up its mind between castrol 10W-60, BMW 5W-30 (euro castrol) and Mobil1 0W-40 on the S62.

BSL

Thanks all for the info! It sounds like the best bet is similar to the 993--look for a little more miles with good maintenance history. Seeing prices creep down makes the thought of keeping the 993 easier too. Will continue looking around and see about picking one up this winter I think.

tanger

The RS4 I find to be a funner car, given that it is much more revvy (same engine as in the R8, redlines at 8k) and it is smaller. Also the Quattro makes it more useful for ski trips or inclement weather.

Which one would I sell first? Probably the M5 but not an easy decision. I may put them both up for sale and see which goes first.