View Full Version : Opinions and advice?
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/m5/immaculate-facelift-m5-in-le-mans-blue-silverstone-leather/939764
I want to go and see the above car. It is NOT in Hampshire sadly but near Leicester or Derby I think.
Looks awesome?
Muffler delete has been done already.
I don't want to modify the car loads really, just makes for silly insurance quotes. Maybe later.
or....I love the grey:
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/m5/bmw-m5-2000-manual-dolphin-grey/522990
There don't seem to be any M5's near me ever! I am in Southampton.
Other than the above, I might just go super gay and get an eco car instead so I can spend loads on Clio...
jamiecrookston83
08-12-2012, 21:10
Both lovely cars wobba. mega guzzlers though.
anyideas
08-12-2012, 21:22
The ad for the blue one is much better written I'd be looking at that before the grey one.
Having said that M5's that old have a risk of a huge bill just around the corner, as long as you walk in with your eyes open they are fantastic cars.
I've got a 550i and I can't see me ever selling it....
Hey, thanks.
I am a firm believer in old=bargain. These are cars waiting for huge bills, but...V8 RWD...massive positive reviews. Even if I bought a 4-6k M5 I could afford the silly issues with engine etc. The rest I can sort with after market coilovers and bushes and do my own work on em...
The Clio costs but that's cos I run a mad spec car everyday to work. At worst, it goes to 19mpg. I think with some TLC it will get better tbh though.
I like top soec cars, so the M5 E39 is the one for me...I also have been looking at special Scoobies though.
stevie_b
09-12-2012, 00:29
The blue one definitely seems the better car from the advert (LMB is the best colour :winkey:). Fastidious owner by the looks of it. I know KDS and I can't imagine you would take a car there to get detailing work done on it if there were mechanical things need sorting on the car first. Also he has done quite a high mileage in the car in the short time he has owned it, which again points to someone who depends on the car and thus would keep it tip top. I'd contact him and ask for some interior shots though as there are none I can see on the advert. Lepsons do what is considered to be the closest to OE wheel refurbs (should be 'satin chrome', not silver, with black on the inside of the wheel behind the spokes) so again the fact they were done there shows that it is an owner that knows what he is doing/talking about. He's only selling up because he is moving abroad for work.
The dolphin grey one looks very clean but buying from a dealer not so easy to tell what the previous owner may have been like. Also it is a pre-facelift car which generally consume a bit more oil (up to 1 litre per 1000 miles considered completely normal) whereas the 2001-on 'facelift' cars are better in this regard (mine doesn't seem to consume any between oil changes, but then I do do them every 3k or so anyway so not much chance for it to be too noticeable!). At the end of the day, for someone like yourself who is very mechanically adept, having to chuck a bit of oil in it every now and then isn't a big deal anyway, but some people seem to think it is a big issue on the early cars (even quoting the extra expense is an issue, which at 1l per 1000 miles I work out about a tenner when you would probably do over £250 in petrol in the same mileage, so I can't see it makes much odds for an extra £10 in oil to be honest). Also that car doesn't have a sat nav, which makes it less desirable to some, and so worth less than an equivalent that has it. Whilst it's not a great system anyway (I use my TomTom in it most of the time if I need nav) you do get a much better screen and computer display in the later cars with a widescreen sat nav.
Give me a shout if there is anything else you need to know.
Cheers Stevie!
Munich Legends are well known and they did the VANOS a couple of years ago too...
stevie_b
09-12-2012, 21:29
He sold the LMB :(
That's why I forwarded you the ad within about an hour of him putting it up for sale! The good ones don't hang about, and that was definitely one of the nicer ones I had seen up for sale in the last few months. There'll be other fish in the sea though - I looked at a good half dozen before finding mine. Just make sure you take a look at some for sale locally in the meantime, to save you having to travel hundreds of miles getting the learning done, even if they aren't the colour/year/spec or whatever that you are interested in, so that when the right one comes up you can jump on it and press the button knowing its up to scratch as soon as you have viewed it (if its the first one you have viewed it can be harder to convince yourself to commit and in the meantime the opportunity could be missed).
The trouble is, there are none locally!
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/74653-2001-m5-lemans-blue/
This guy will sell for £6k. Shame the advert is pooh.
stevie_b
09-12-2012, 23:28
Link doesn't work.
If none for sale locally then just a waiting game I guess. I think there was a dealer down your way that had one of interest when I was looking and I said can you hold it to the weekend and fairly he said that he'd hold it from the time I set off from home until I got there as it was a 3 hour drive but when I rang him before setting off on the Sat he said that he had already sold it during the week. I'll see if I can find my notes from the time and tell you who it was - they sounded like they knew what they were looking for and would buy them in if they knew they had a likely purchaser/demand. It must have been decent as I rang him the minute it came advertised and yet it was still gone by the weekend.
It's a shame that the weather was not great yesterday as I was toying with the idea of driving down to the dyno day - you could have then had a good look over mine there. Of course if you are ever up this way you're more than welcome to pop by and have a look. Or if there are any for sale up here why not do a viewing as well and I'm happy to come along and take a look at any for sale with you too.
Cool thanks Stevie :D Yes, that link must only work if you a re a member of that site.
Have a peek for me at any M5's near you. I need to come and raid your garage sometime hehe.
Try this expired ad...
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/m5/bmw-5-series-e39-m5-2001/903009
He has said 6k to me as he has removed the brake calipers and sold the backboxes as well. Refitted OE stuff instead.
stevie_b
10-12-2012, 10:16
Looks good value at that price. You were talking about maybe modding one so I guess originality isn't that important but it has a non-standard gearshift gaiter and also sat nav/audio (which he mentions). I'm not sure whether the sat nav precludes some of the computer functions on the car being seen on the central display - the MPG readout, range, etc. but I suppose you would still be able to cycle through them on the 'pixel' display below the main clocks on the dash. In the photo of the Alpine unit the steering wheel looks pretty worn, but perhaps that is just an old photo as it looks okay in the other pics and he does mention in the text that it has recently been retrimmed, but something to check if you view.
The Alpha-N is a mod worth having as it does away with both MAFs which are prone to gunk up and are quite costly to replace (>£100 each), plus gives slight improvements in power/torque.
Welcome for a garage visit anytime!
Yea I knew about the MAF sensor crap being deleted with AlphaN mod. I was supposed to see this car last week but Clio let me down :(
Steering wheel has been refurbed properly now. The previous condition of the old one could indicate wear in other areas though I guess!
Ok, well that one is sold as well. Only ones are 60 odd miles away now.
Ooh, well he was trading it in on Saturday for a new car but says it's mine for £5k as he will still make more money on it that way. Exhaust and brakes are back to standard now and stereo as well.
Ok, well that one is sold as well. Only ones are 60 odd miles away now.
My god wobba you make me laugh. Your complaining about cars that are only 60miles away??? I've travelled 6 hours plus each way to view cars!!!
Get your arse out and view these cars that are LOCAL!
They're all up bloody north! It's a fuking wilderness up there full of dragons and yeti's!
stevie_b
10-12-2012, 23:20
There's one that seems worth a look in Hertfordshire, which is only 50 miles from here. No nav/TV but to be honest it's not really worth having (I have it and use TomTom for nav in preference to the 10 year old BMW system and TV doesn't work these days anyway due to digital switchover) so just use it as a haggling opportunity.
I easily did 1000+ miles viewing the ones I looked at - the one I bought was 100 miles away so 400 miles done viewing it and then going back to buy just that one. They are not rare like a Williams but they are not that plentiful that you are going to find a good one on your doorstep other than by getting lucky. I got a wake up in that I felt too busy to waste time travelling all over to view so I waited for some to come up locally and viewed two very close to home which were both comparative dogs, so that really spurred me on to get out there and find a really good one even if it meant dozens of phone calls and hundreds of miles/days spent on the road. I feel I was rewarded for my efforts as I haven't really seen anything better since (although I have seen some that are as good but cheaper than what I paid, but that is just the market that has further reduced their prices in the two years since)
Okay :D I will shut up and stop moaning about distances then hehe. I like a good moan though :p
16v_paddy
11-12-2012, 00:19
They're all up bloody north! It's a fuking wilderness up there full of dragons and yeti's!
You only think that because you're an un-cultured, un-civilised southern heathen :winkey:
Right, well tomorrow morning I am taking some time off work and going to see an LMB M5, 113k miles. I know a bit about this car already, as I vaguely know the previous owner from not long ago. Needs some minor TLC, but I like easy stuff to sort tbh. Wish me luck!
If it is no good, I might seriously consider looking at some Megane R26 230's instead, or even old T5 Volvo's as they are such amusing barges.
My budget has dropped quite a bit from the early days. The realisation that digging into my nest egg is just not worth it. Cost of running seems to go up exponentially, and the E39 is now pretty well documented as an older car in the ways of home-maintenance, though I will probably let BMW service it still for the FSH.
Still love the Clio though. Just got 8 R888's for it and two new AD08's for shittier wet road stuff.
stevie_b
18-12-2012, 09:23
Good luck. What's the minor TLC it needs then?
Vandella
18-12-2012, 15:08
hey wobba, just to make you aware if your not already.. the munich legends garage is not far from east grinstead.. i know your in southampton, but i dont think its too far away... they specialise in beemers
http://www.munichlegends.co.uk/independent-bmw-dealer
Munich Legends have some great cars! Very expensive though!
I have now seen the car. It had not been cleaned/polished properly yet as he has only just got it in stock, but was still very very nice. The alloys are shadow chrome and freshly refurbished, the paintwork is very good, no dents or dings at all. The engine bay is super clean. New flywheel and clutch a couple of years ago, and a much lower mile gearbox as it had a damaged synchro on the old box. Loads of work done and FSH of course.
It has new shocks and springs which have dropped it a little (20mm).
Interior is clean, steering wheel is tip top and lever gaiter is mint.
Uprated front speakers.
Some new steering components too, just fitted.
OE exhaust, but I will change that.
I offered £6k cash, ended up at £6.2k. So much car for the money! I collect on Friday I hope :D
It needs rear tyres soonish. Minor repair to front offside splash guard, which he will sort for me.
It has an AlphaN tune I think...MAF's are unplugged. Hoho.
robi1000
18-12-2012, 18:57
Congratulations! ;)
E39 M5 is a great car! Have fun Wobba!:)
Hehe thanks guys! All my plans are at fruition! Yey!!!
Can't believe what a car it is, for the money it is just epic and in such good condition. Bodywork is excellent and the engine bay is so tidy...and the V8...ohhhhhhhh yeaaaaaaa! Clio is still epic though, even though it broke down again just now on the way home from work lol. All fixed with laptop easily though :)
stevie_b
19-12-2012, 09:30
Congrats. That's a bargain. I'm in for a group buy on a muffler delete!
Yea, I was trying to knock him down more but tbh it was so good a purchase I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Muffler-delete group buy hehe!
On train, off to get my new Beast today :D
16v_paddy
21-12-2012, 19:26
7 hours later & still no pics :tapping: or has he had a 400bhp rwd talent failure:gears: :lol:
Well Paddy, you could have watched my trip on Facebook. I checked in at many locations on my way to get the car via two taxis and three trains, two of which were cancelled due to floods and a fire at Paddington signalling station. Then the taxi was late due to a river that burst its banks too. Got there in the end though! Traction control was going apeshit on the first hint of a corner hehe!! Yeeehaaaa!
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w102/barneywobba/BMW%20M5%20E39/2012-12-21151907_zps2d6b421a.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w102/barneywobba/BMW%20M5%20E39/2012-12-21151942_zpsf0f6b4eb.jpg
Although I did get home in one piece, the piece of inner lining they had replaced for me had not been fitted correctly and it just got ripped off by the sheer pressure from the air as I cruised at 90ish. Of course, there is a sensor there, the same sort we have in our wing mirrors on the Williams for outside temp readings. It broke that so the ECU thinks it is -40.0 outside.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w102/barneywobba/BMW%20M5%20E39/2012-12-21172047_zps14cbebff.jpg
I guess I will have to fix it properly. As they say...if you want something done right, do it yourself. I hate garages. Bunch of tards mostly.
So...is it fast? Errrr, yes. It is very quick indeed. I can light the rears easily. The torque is mental for a N/A car. I have not pushed it really at all yet as I want to get used to it first.
The box is slow compared to the Clio's so you cant flick about up and down the gears as fast, and you need to be more measured with your pedals I find.
It needs more noise. I can hear and feel the 5.0L V8 but it is so muted. Will sort that very soon. Nice for cruising though.
As fast as the Clio? Yep easily, but you cannot chuck it about like the little Williams and I dare say the Willy would have it on twisty roads. Beef up the suspension a bit more though and get better tyres and give me a few months with it and I reckon it might be a different story. At the moment, I am scared of RWD, though I did get the rear out once or twice, felt very controllable, it is an encouraging start!
16v_paddy
22-12-2012, 00:30
220 bhp per tonne those cars are and I didn't follow your trip on fb because I was too busy being asleep so stfu :tongue3:
Actually, they are 236 bhp/ton and this ones remapped hoho.
Actually, the Clio and M5 are roughly the same BHP/ton with Clio's current spec. Lots of weight saving going on soon and I have since found errors in the ECU map since you drove it, which made it less efficient so it wil ltrump the V8 on the bhp/ton soon. Of course, if I did significant weight saving in the M5 it would be far more significant, but I wont be doing that :)
16v_paddy
22-12-2012, 00:46
No point buying an M5 if you're gonna strip weight out of it though, just supercharge it, fit a tow bar and go be a complete & utter cunt at track days, I'll gladly be co-driver & take out whatever car you're not driving so it's not sat in the pits feeling lonely :muahaha:
No point buying an M5 if you're gonna strip weight out of it though, just supercharge it, fit a tow bar and go be a complete & utter cunt at track days, I'll gladly be co-driver & take out whatever car you're not driving so it's not sat in the pits feeling lonely :muahaha:
Yea I agree, the comfort and stuff on board is great shit to have. The heated seats and heated mirrors and demisting stuff is worth their weight in gold.
I am eyeing up the Evolve supercharger kit, costs £9k though. I would do other stuff first if I was going to go mental. There is simply no point doing it for road use, its already ridiculously powerful. Better brakes and a bit of stiffening up would be the first thing to do to make it faster round a track.
Yea sure Paddy. Could bring Clio as well. It should be fighting fit when you next see it. Fixed an idling issue I noticed on the ECU map, meant it wasn't idling at all properly due to throttle pot setting, and noticed a couple of glitches which Emerald didn't spot too :D
stevie_b
22-12-2012, 18:13
Looks nice in the pics. Shame about the lower valance, but not too difficult to fix at least (it's not body coloured is it, so at least no painting required!)
Should be an easy fix and I got a used sensor today for 30pence hehe.
stevie_b
22-12-2012, 18:16
30 pence?!?!?
Yea :D
I got some new wipers too. Had an incident where the drivers wiper stopped and the passenger one hit it and got stuck. It then became buckled and although I bent it mostly back into shape, it left a scratch on the windscreen :(
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w102/barneywobba/BMW%20M5%20E39/IMAG0491_zps522a8054.jpg
The cause was easy to sort though:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w102/barneywobba/BMW%20M5%20E39/IMAG0490_zps4f2b65b7.jpg
This nut was not torqued up properly. Now sorted!
Minor gremlins aside, HOLY SHIT this car is so fast. The torque is immense. With the AlphaN tune it adds typically a minimum of 12bhp bumping it into the 410bhp area. It is so stable too. I have had the rear twitching out many times already hehe. On the motorway, it just eats miles at a massive speed.
I drove the Clio before I took the wiring loom and ECU out. Although it missed a few beats still, what a BRILLIANT little car. I love the Clio to bits still, and it is going to get lots of attention over the next two months.
stevie_b
24-12-2012, 13:25
Yeah, I've just put some new Bosch blades in mine as noticed in the recent weather that they weren't clearing the screen too well.
get that glass polished by a professional ASAP - I hate scratched windscreens. Sign of poor ownership is that!
I will do that as soon as the UK returns to normal trading times. Can't seem to get anything organised with Xmas and New Year.
LEIGH-ANNE
07-01-2013, 22:38
Normal trading times have been resumed so is it sorted? :winkey:
Hah! No, but I fixed the undertray section which got ripped off, and replaced the sensor.
The person who fitted it previously needs a medal in being a ****ing cock. They hadn't replaced the securing brackets, and didn't replace any of the securing screws on the underside (there are 4), and I found one of the old screws still in the bottom of the car...they just put the new splash guard over the top of it rather than unscrew it and fit it with the new guard on...
Luckily I picked up a sensor for 20p at Silverlakes. Also, they gave me the trim screws and brackets on my next visit for nothing. Inner arch cost £77 though.
The window will get sorted, just need to decide if a new one is needed or if it can polish out. Got to get exhaust sorted and rear tyres too. I got to the fitters too late on Saturday.
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