Upgrade to M5 or stay with 530i Ac Schnitzer

Hi all, just looking for some opinions......

I currently own a BMW e60 530I Ac Schnitzer, factory built as a Schiniter and has all the body mods you would need together with comfort seats, active steering, and sports suspension. I also have quad sports exhaust and it does 0-60mph in about 6.5 secs.

However, I really want an M5 e60!..I don't need to ever change this car as it has everything I need (looks and decent performance) but an M5 is an M5!

The problem is buying an M5 would set be back financially and my car insurance would double along with servicing. Nevertheless I would be content that I have the ultimate e60 and one of the fastest road cars to hit the market.

My 530i Ac Schnitzer is still a head turner and is very unique in looks and style, I believe it's a real collectors item. I have yet seen a model the same as mine and it is my pride and joy, but does the M5 have the same uniqueness? or is it regarded as just a fast 5 series?

or should I just upgrade my 530i with a sports intake and supercharger?

what would you do?

It's just my opinion but, do you think you will really use all the performance potential of the M5 or do you just want it for the ego boosting. If you are consistently maxing out the performance of your 530 and really want/need the extra performance of the M5 then that is what it is.

However, if you are just wanting an ego boost it's not worth it IMO. You have a pretty unique car already why worry about bragging rights of unused performance potential (like I said, it will depend on if you will be using all the extra performance or not).

Lets face it, the M5 is the ultimate of the Ultimate Driving Machine.... but you pretty much talked yourself out of it in your original post. If its gonna "set you back" financially, wait and do it when you can a bit more comfortably.

Originally Posted by mrvin

Hi all, just looking for some opinions......

I currently own a BMW e60 530I Ac Schnitzer, factory built as a Schiniter and has all the body mods you would need together with comfort seats, active steering, and sports suspension. I also have quad sports exhaust and it does 0-60mph in about 6.5 secs.

However, I really want an M5 e60!..I don't need to ever change this car as it has everything I need (looks and decent performance) but an M5 is an M5!

The problem is buying an M5 would set be back financially and my car insurance would double along with servicing. Nevertheless I would be content that I have the ultimate e60 and one of the fastest road cars to hit the market.

My 530i Ac Schnitzer is still a head turner and is very unique in looks and style, I believe it's a real collectors item. I have yet seen a model the same as mine and it is my pride and joy, but does the M5 have the same uniqueness? or is it regarded as just a fast 5 series?

or should I just upgrade my 530i with a sports intake and supercharger?

what would you do?

I happen to think the 550i is the ultimate E60 but that's my opinion of course.

Originally Posted by bikerdib

It's just my opinion but, do you think you will really use all the performance potential of the M5 or do you just want it for the ego boosting. If you are consistently maxing out the performance of your 530 and really want/need the extra performance of the M5 then that is what it is.

However, if you are just wanting an ego boost it's not worth it IMO. You have a pretty unique car already why worry about bragging rights of unused performance potential (like I said, it will depend on if you will be using all the extra performance or not).

Thanks all...Biker you hit the nail on the head!....I'll probably hardly ever use all that power.... but for my ego it'll be nice to know I've got it!! :0)

I'm off to but my lottery ticket!

I looked at used M5s before I got my 535. Boy am I glad I didn't go that route. The cost of ownership is night and day. All sorts of insurance hikes and warranties, ongoing maintenance through the roof.
They are loaded with so many systems and tuned so aggressively that issues are seemingly never ending.
The 535 and 550 are much easier to keep running, for a fraction of TOC.
Keep your car, it has enough power for getting you around. Think of all the money you are saving and what you can do with it.

Originally Posted by Oceans10

I looked at used M5s before I got my 535. Boy am I glad I didn't go that route. The cost of ownership is night and day. All sorts of insurance hikes and warranties, ongoing maintenance through the roof.
They are loaded with so many systems and tuned so aggressively that issues are seemingly never ending.
The 535 and 550 are much easier to keep running, for a fraction of TOC.
Keep your car, it has enough power for getting you around. Think of all the money you are saving and what you can do with it.

Thanks for the words of wisdom!..I think you're right as I can only afford a model 3-5 years old and the trouble with this is that they'll be approaching major service periods and the odd component failure.

Hmmm maybe I"ll stick with the AC530i.

Thanks all

$500 rotors (each), a troublesome Vanos system, a frequently failing SMG pump that costs $5000 to fix on a good day... The M5 is a beast but cost of ownership is night and day between it and the other E60's. A 550 or modded 535 is going to get you 80% of the fun at probably 50% of the overall cost.

The understand the appeal though. The 550 is an absolute blast to drive, especially with the manual transmission but the M5 just sounds exotic and demands to be looked at. Plus it's just stupid fast once it's moving.

+1 100% agreed. Wise words.
I have a buddy with an M5. Same year as mine. It is in the shop once a month and it is silly how much it would have cost him without warranty. It will likely get worse! Recently he got a quote to change the VANOS. $11,000.
PS, we play on the highway and he cannot put space between his M5 and my modded 535. I think north of 120 mph he would walk away, but I have a giant torque advantage and a lighter car.
In a drag race from 100-200 mph the M5 is murder. But when would you ever be in such a situation? I enjoy a good rip but I also value my life. Unless I lived in the desert there is just never a reason to go that fast, it's more about what happens south of 100 mph.
For those who are uncomfortable with the idea of tuning and intervention the 550i Sport is an excellent choice and a huge value in the used market. They are built to last and a joy to drive.
It was my original choice until I discovered I could have a sleeper M5 for peanuts. The difference is the willingness to mod the engine.

OMG....seems like an M5 is going to a constant expense, I would expect reliability for all that technology!!

Hmmm not worth the risk unless you have money to burn!

IMHO, stick with your 530. M5 is nice to own or lease while under warranty, but after that, unless you have deep pockets and a lot of free time, you probably don't want to own it. Besides, isn't buying a car more exciting and more enjoyable when you're actually buying *another* car...not basically the same car with a bigger engine, etc? lol

Originally Posted by mrvin

OMG....seems like an M5 is going to a constant expense, I would expect reliability for all that technology!!

Hmmm not worth the risk unless you have money to burn!

It's an exotic car. It just so happens to be stuck in an E60 shell. I've not owned any other exotic cars (other than my M5) but this is generally par for the course. It's something you take into a account when you buy a car like this. It's also the reason a used M5 isn't much more than a comparable 535.

is it the same that can be said for an M3 as far as maintenance cost as the M5?

Upgrade.