Dr. No

I have a hankerin' for one of these to be used as a cool DD. Thought there was an old thread on this but can't find it.

Am familiar with some of the issues: M5, carbon buildup; 500e, wiring harness, suspension, tranny; RS6, ungodly expensive timing belt services that can be performed only by three 75 year old Audi mechanics who are booked through 2027.

I know several on this forum out there have one or the other. Why'd you pick one over the other? What do you like about it? What are the one or two things you'd absolutely warn a new buyer about? (And if anyone says, "Get a PPI," I will report you to the mods).

Christian J

I had a 500e and an e39. If your daily drive is in traffic the Merc's auto is handy. The m5 is a much stronger performer but around town it's a little ponderous and the suspension is not as supple as the Benz. Frankly, I think the 500e was one of the best cars ever, given the technology available, it was a thrill to drive hard, well-balanced even with snow tires (I had nokian RSI) and the stealth factor is unmatched.

ilko

My choice between those 3 would be the E39 M5. Beautiful V8, comfortable, yet nimble and quick. The RS6 is an amazing car but when things go wrong it can quickly empty out your savings account. There is a reason why they are so cheap to buy, comparatively speaking. This comes from an Audi guy who loves these cars. And the 500E is a cool car, nice pedigree and all, but too old and outdated for DD IMO.

tanger

I currently have both a '94 W124 E500 and a '01 E39 Dinan M5 S3. The Merc is pure butter, pulls like a locomotive. The Dinan is a f$%ing BEAST. Completely driveable but what Dinan did to it (supercharger, reworked engine components, susp, the list goes on) warps reality when you stomp on it.

As far as maintenance, you listed the main areas for the E500E (wiring harness etc). But it is engineered like a tank and with proper maintenance will literally last a lifetime. Check out the 500eboard forum (if you haven't already) and read about the 500k miler. On the E39, I think it is mainly VANOS but some folks would have upgraded it to solve the issue. Minor issues here and there (like dead pixels or bubble in the rearview mirror). Again a properly maintained car should be fine. Great DIY resources over at m5board if you wrench yourself.

I am thinking of trimming the garage and may put the Dinan and the RS4 for sale soon. PM if you have any interest. I know I am going to regret selling them so may change my mind but have been obsessing over a new Boxster or Boxster Spyder...

Dr. No

ilko - I'm afraid of the RS6 for exactly the reason you state. But God, it's a cool car. M5 is definitely sexier compared to the 500e (and has 5 seats). I used to have an e39 and it's been largely downhill for BMW design since then. But then there's the automatic thing and the Porsche thing going for the 500e.

In terms of DD bulletproofedness, I'm going to guess it's a tie between a well sorted M5 and 500e. Thinking it could come down to which good example shows up first.

Dr. No

This is one of the great attractions of the 500e. Totally stealthy, goes like stink, very comfy, not a lot of ridiculous technology to go wrong (except maybe the rear SLS). My mom had a W124 300e long ago and that was a terrific DD.

mklaskin

Never had any issues with the timing belt, but the RS6 suspension gave me a few headaches. The dampers are linked via a valve, to the diagonally opposing corner. When/if the valve fails, it sounds like a sub-frame is loose. Thankfully, my dealer covered it even after the warranty expired. There may have been a recall to fix it on the RS4, so it's worth investigating. Otherwise, it was an awesome car. If you plan to hit the white stuff, it's the perfect choice.

JDHertz11

Not a quote I'd make being from Miami...

Anyway... I love them all. What year RS6 are you thinking about? I had a C43 and it was a really cool car too, but it sounds like you need a larger car. If not look into the C43's, Trinitony DD'd one up until a few weeks ago when he sold it.

mklaskin

I hadn't thought about it that way...

The RS6 was only brought in to the USA as a 2003. Be careful of anyone telling you otherwise.

Kika

My wife had a 300CE w124, great platform, very comfy, sporty, got out of its own way when it needed to. Was a terrific car for my son to learn to drive in, I.e. Heavy and safe!

She got rid of it when premium was approaching $5/gallon, just couldn't justify spending that much money on gas.

I wish I had kept it, would have been a great DD for me, as my commute is much shorter now.

I don't know if it shared a tranny with the E500, but we did have to replace it at 150k, soon after that the radiator developed a leak, got rid of it at that point.

JM993

The e39 M5 is the only one of the 3 that has a real transmission.

mooty

e500

burton

I've owned an e39 M5, but never an RS6 or an 500E.

The e39 M5 is a great car, but depending on where you live, a rear wheel drive daily driver can be a challenge.

Have you ever considered an RS4? It's smaller than an RS6, but a few years newer. I have 102k miles on my RS4 and it's been trouble free (knock wood). Since I live in the mountains I could never use an e39 M5 or a 500E as a daily driver.

Dr. No

Yes, RS4 is another consideration. Great cars; great v8 noises. A bit smaller but still pretty practical.

Chip Martens

I've owned multiple e39 M5s and one 1992 500E. The 500E was my wife's daily driver up to nearly 160K miles; but, I put upwards of 25K miles on it myself. The 500E was the most rock solid high-speed highway car I've ever owned. The punch when you hit it in motion made it feel faster then the e39 M5. We replaced the 500E with an E55 (a real rocket compared to the 500E); but, I still prefer the 500E. The weak points in the 500E were the transmission (replaced at 100k miles) and some electronic gremlins (that may or may not have been unique to our vehicle). The e39 M5 is my favorite daily driver of all time. I purchased my first e39 M5 new and drove it to nearly 100,000 miles. Other than replacing a clutch (the weak link in the e39 M5 and an expected repair, and some nuisance issues with a bleeding rear view mirror and disappearing pixels in the instrument cluster), the car performed flawlessly. I've purchased 2 more low mileage e39 M5s since. There is a reason: it's the best damn daily driver you can buy! I love both cars; but, my vote is for the M5, UNLESS you are stuck in an extended daily traffic jam that requires the automatic.