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Just wondering what's people's current opinions on the E39 M5...looking to buy one in the next year but to be fair there isn't alot to go on with the Irish market there is only one on donedeal and it hasnt sold? Are they gonna soar in value like the E36 M3? Would high mileage massively affect the value ?? Any help welcome thanks
sills,rear wheel arches and boot lid are common areas for rust (the arches starts from the inside and works outwards)
high mileage cars could need a new clutch (given that some peoples driving style in these cars can be less than desired )
thrust bearings (some people recommend upgrading to the X5 ones as there are a little stronger)
viscous fan clutches is a bit of a weak spot,not just with the m5 but a lot of the cars from that era also the resistor for the fan can be troublesome but that's also common on the normal 5 series of the time aswell
normal wear items like engine oil,power steering and diff seals should always be checked but they weren't a problem with these cars but any high mileage car should be looked at for these
personal one for me is the seats (given the age of these cars now they can suffer from wear and and if your buying one with the aim of freshening them up that can be costly )
all in all a great car,lovely car to drive weather its for a spin down the country or blasting through the sally gap
and if looked after and maintained its not going to give you any major headaches
like any high performance car you should do your research on whatever one you go see,bmw can give you any bits of info on the car if its got a service history on it
weather the price goes up or down is dependant on the market for them but they are getting fewer and further between over here
20 - 25k for a good one.
Big ticket items are:
Vanos
Road bearings
Chains and guides
Full suspension refresh including shocks and springs
Clutch and flywheel, 60-80k miles depending on driving style, the clutch is small at 240mm, the car has a lot of torque, so they're not easy on them
The brakes, they suck, there is no escaping that, stock disks and pads are only ok, you need to be very careful not to cook them, ideally, a decent BBK.
Interior refurb, most of the interiors are nappa leather.
Wheels will need a refurb, lepsons in the UK are the only ones who can get it right.
Full glass out respray, every single one of them has body issues and you'll find that you'll be at 80% of a full respray so just do it.
Headlights suffer from adjuster failure, after late 02 you can't split them so the car will need new lamps.
On top of that, shove 2k on the list for bits that you'll find that need to be replaced.
Cannot argue with Dave 20-25k.....
Was offered a pretty good one with excellent history for 16k a couple of years ago....I should have taken it in hindsight, that era of m car is really heating up now with collectors.
I think the e36 M3 is lagging well behind it. My impression is that the e39 was never popular with less desirable owners, so they are generally in better nick. They are sensitive to mileage like all m cars, but buy on condition. Try avoid one thats been modified.
Being honest I don't mind the maintanance if I do buy one I'll be keeping it unless I'm forced to sell it....So would a higher mileage car be a no no..for instance that black one on donedeal has 170000 miles is that too high?
If there's proof of the following having been completed as Dave said, then use the mileage as a bargaining tool...Quote:
Originally Posted by ep82lunacy
Vanos
Rod bearings
Chains and guides
Full suspension refresh including shocks and springs
Clutch and flywheel
The engine in that M5 has been replaced and has 70k miles.
Looking at the pictures, I wonder if the 1st few are older pictures when the car looked a little fresher?? But maybe the owner had it detailed after the Cannonball stickers were removed.
I would say it got a short block at best.Quote:
Originally Posted by Curran
A fella I know had it here in mayo around 3 years ago and I seen it then it was a lovely car....but then again alot can happen in 3 years 😂
Ya - it will be hard to shift on when it comes to it. Hardly anyone wants a big miler M5Quote:
Originally Posted by ep82lunacy
If one comes up for sale that tickles your fancy then go and look and have it checked mechanically. If it drives fine then happy days. I wouldn't go in thinking to myself I need to change vanos or clutch or bearings etc. A bonus if there done but really no need to address unless they start giving issues. A lot of M5's will have had a vanos or both vanos changed by now anyway. You can get an oil analysis done to see if there's an issue with bearings and a clutch is well ….. a clutch!
One more thing water pumps are very expensive IIRC €600 and there BMW brand only
Buddy of mine bought a very good one last year (ex members car that was on Donedeal) for less than 10k and has only had to do rocker cover gasket and timing chain tensioner
I was with him when he bought it at the time and if he didn't bring it with him I was going to!
You can pick up an OEM, German made LASO waterpump for €250 from the US - https://www.turnermotorsport.com/BMW...mw-water-pumps. Using one of the AddressPal jobs should have it delivered quite cheaply. Excise/Duty is a lottery of course....:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by eamo
C3BMW in the UK also stock them (but are a little pricier)