2001 540i 6spd or 2000 M5?

[tpetty]

Based on ebay sales, it looks like I could get either a 2000 M5 or a 2001 540i 6 speed (with similar miles) for the $35-38,000 price range. Obviously the M5 is faster - but which would you guys spend your money on. I want it to be comfortable as well as fast. Is the M5 (which would be out / close to out of warrenty) as reliable as the 540. How about insurance - is it "ridiculously" more for the M5?
Thanks.

[Malachi]

I would find an M5 board and ask them about known problems and annual cost to run and maintain. I do not know anything about the insurance but you could easily find that out by calling your agent.

If all that checks out, I would go with the M5, it is just a BMW classic.

[McMannusBMW]

I would find an M5 board and ask them about known problems and annual cost to run and maintain. I do not know anything about the insurance but you could easily find that out by calling your agent.

If all that checks out, I would go with the M5, it is just a BMW classic.

I agree with Malachi, M5 over the 540

[Greco]

Based on ebay sales, it looks like I could get either a 2000 M5 or a 2001 540i 6 speed (with similar miles) for the $35-38,000 price range. Obviously the M5 is faster - but which would you guys spend your money on. I want it to be comfortable as well as fast. Is the M5 (which would be out / close to out of warrenty) as reliable as the 540. How about insurance - is it "ridiculously" more for the M5?
Thanks.

Took me all but 0.0000001 seconds to come to a conclusion, especially after test driving one...


///M5

[humanoid]

Hands down the ///M5 :thumbup:

Yes, warranty is a concern and justifiably so. These cars are not inexpensive to maintain and it's easy to drop a few k into them. With that in mind, I would look into extended warranties from your local BMW dealerships, or perhaps puchasing a CPO vehicle.

[Tahoe]

All else being equal, except the year of the car, it would HAVE to be the M. But, I haven't seen what you are seeing available on Ebay available elsewhere. (I am always suspicious of Ebay sales although I know there have been many successful and happy buyers).

[mottati]

I too vote for the M5. It will cost more to maintain, and i wouldn't want to be out of warranty with one. I'm really happy to have the CPO warranty on my M5, and i'd suggest spending a bit more to find one with the warranty coverage. Some known issues include vanos units and weak clutches. I've owned my M5 for just under a year, and had a bunch of problems in the first 2 months, which included.... SES lights caused by: O2 sensors, a bad catalyst, 2 bad MAFS and a VANOS unit. Then I had some oil leaks (not too uncommon) which got me a new oil pan gasket (which i think was a misdiagnosis, since the car still leaked!) and then a rear main seal. This leak also ruined the clutch, so i got a new clutch and flywheel. My car was still under factory warranty for all this, but i bet i could have easily spent $10k for these repairs at the dealer. Since then, the car has been trouble free and an absolute blast to drive on road and track. Insurance is about $200 per year more than my 528 is (i have a clean record). I'd imagine an inspection 2 will cost over $1k too.. (then again, even my 528 cost around 700 at the dealer). Is it worth it.... to me yes, in a heartbeat.
Mike

[KevinM]

I'd get the M5. Otherwise you'll always still want one, especially if you see one. Having said that, I'd definately try for a CPO one. The CPO M5s are often 5-10K more than non-CPO modes, in part because of the CPO and in part because they are (obviously) sold by BMW dealers exclusively.

I've been considering a 2002 M5 so have trolled ebay quite a bit. The price you are quoting seems low to me for an M5, even a 2000...is the mileage high? I'm looking for less than 30K miles.

I don't have personal experience but I've got to believe a highly tuned (almost) 400 hp V8 is going to require more maintenance and have more problems than the much more produced 290 hp V8. Of course, when you are test driving something like an M5, such trifling, boring details seem very unimportant :D .

Good luck, let us know!

Kevin

[CSBM5]

How about insurance - is it "ridiculously" more for the M5?
Thanks.

The difference between my 2002 540i/6 and my 2001 M5 is $12/year.

[SleepRM3]

I know the M5 is faster in a straight line, but what about the M5's extra weight compared with the lighter 540i 6-speed? Personally there aren't very many places to use the M5's extra potential except on a road course (BMW CCA drivers ed), so why bother?

[TXE39]

http://www.m5board.com/

Everything you need to know is here. Seems like an easy decision to me :p

I'm just trying to decide if I want to replace my '00 528i with another '00 (M5) or if I want to get an '01 or sell one of my Rovers and get an '02 or '03 even.

Hands down the M. I drove when I bought my 528 a 540i/6, a 540iA, a 530i/5, a 530iA and the 528. I ended up getting the 528. I made the mistake of leisurely test driving an M5 a few weeks back and wish I had driven one back when I bought the 528. I wouldn't be jonesing for one now. :D

[PropellerHead]

I dunno. I've driven a few M5's. I even drove them on the BMW track in Spartanburg, so I got to toss one around and everything.

Fast? Yes.

But- and I'll admit that I've done a LOT to my car. My 540 handles just as well with the suspension mods. My quiaffe diff handles power delivery very well. The StopTech's haul my big a$$ down to repetitive stops better than a stock M5.

So the only thing left is power, and a blower will fix that right up. In fact, recent threads indicate that I may even put out MORE power than a stock M5.

Could I have bought an M5 for what I've spent on the car and mods? Probably, but I would not have been in an E39 for the past five years. The cost difference is further away than you might think. I have spent the most money on cosmetic parts- double glazed windows, DVD NAV, High gloss trim. I would have done those to the '00 M5 anyway. I do a lot of work for different folks who cut me huge slack on the parts and basically free labor. Plus, I've used interest free credit cards to fund the upgrades and pay them off before maturity. (The cards' not mine :D ) Go fast parts alone have been a very small monetary investment.

I was thinking about this the other day when contemplating the next series of upgrades. It's not just about money. I've had the fun of building this car. Choosing the fun bits and pieces and seeing what each mod will do- nearly one at a time. I've spent time with a lot of great folks doing the work. It's been a fun adventure.

Sorta like building PC's used to be. Like building a PC, maybe one day I'll look back at how silly it is to spend all this time building a car. Maybe I'll just buy an out of the box E60 M5. Or maybe I'll just drive my E39 until the wheels- which I'm getting worked over, now- fall clean off the car.

[Ohmess]

The M5 is obviously a step up from the 540, but I would strongly counsel you to consider the overall condition of the vehicles. I would have thought that there would have been a significant price difference between the two cars you are looking at, leading me to speculate that either the 540 is in really good shape, the M5 is really hammered or both. If this is the case, I would go with the 540.

When I bought my 540, I had an idea of what I wanted to spend and found the best car I could locate in my price range. There obviously are a lot more 540s to choose from, so finding a good used one was easier than finding a good used M5 would have been. You need to drive them both and decide. For me, the 540 is plenty of car, but I can see where others would go for an M5.

Good luck :thumbup:

[liuk3]

M5 no doubt. That's what I SHOULD have bought if I hadn't been so impulsive. If you don't get the M5, you will always look at the M5s on the road wondering what if...