[NC BMW Driver]

1991 M5
No rust
Interior in decent shape, no rips or tears in seats.
185000 miles
Been repainted, but paint in decent shape.

Any gotcha's I need to look at in particular?

Thanks in advance.

 

[M540FELLA]

You need to make sure the engine is in great working order, the m/engines require more maintenance, and if you need repairs expected it to be very expensive. Make sure service records are up to date, also need to test drive at 50-55mph to make sure the front suspension is ok. Look for a shake in the steering at those speeds. It's usually a part of the car that needs attention. Really need more info to give a price estimate. M5s in great shape usually fetch 13-15 grand, above average cars are around 8-10 grand, average cars around 5-7 but they may need more work.

Sent from my SPH-M910

 

[NC BMW Driver]

Thanks. That gives me some idea of worth.

Since these were somewhat limited production runs how available are parts and how expensive are they?

 

[TWard]

the S38 is a very expensive engine to build. but they the car was well taken care of with tons of receipts and maintenance you will be fine.

One thing you have to realize is that you are buying a 20 year old super sedan, you will spend money on it.

 

[haolibird]

Nevermind how you think it's worth, how much are they asking?

That would be a BAADDD ride.

I have heard the M5 with that engine is a great combo.

Pics?

Mahalo

 

[TWard]

Nevermind how you think it's worth, how much are they asking?

That would be a BAADDD ride.

I have heard the M5 with that engine is a great combo.

Pics?

Mahalo

Wha????

This could be why I dont post here much

 

[_Ethrty-Andy_]

An M5 is going to be expencive to maintain, and you may find wearable M5/S38 parts are ex-Germany via BMW only.

Wha????

This could be why I dont post here much

tripe from an irregular poster i dont recognise. dont think he speaks english very well.

 

[haolibird]

TWard, you're not missed...

 

[_Ethrty-Andy_]

TWard, you're not missed...

he posts with quality information. would be good to see him here more often actually. I dont think you know who he is.

 

[NC BMW Driver]

OK, from what I have been able to read the car is fairly complicated, but nothing unusual for BMW's. (I currently own a 735iL) The biggest issue I can see is if it ever needs major engine work the availability of parts is very limited and prices are appropriately high.

So, with 185K miles what are the chances of this car needing an engine rebuild/major work any time soon?

Thanks in advance.

 

[M540FELLA]

OK, from what I have been able to read the car is fairly complicated, but nothing unusual for BMW's. (I currently own a 735iL) The biggest issue I can see is if it ever needs major engine work the availability of parts is very limited and prices are appropriately high.

So, with 185K miles what are the chances of this car needing an engine rebuild/major work any time soon?

Thanks in advance.

Probably pretty high, the m/cars are usually driven pretty hard. Like it's been metioned by Tward, and Andy the s38 will be very expensive to rebuild. It's nothing like the M30 that's in your 735.It's basically a race engine. My advice is to join bimmerforums.com or the m5board and ask them. No one on the fest has an m5. We're just telling you what we know from research and general knowledge.

And haolibird, Tward is going to school to be a bmw technician and already possess a lot of knowledge about bmws. The M5 is a very expensive car and I understand why NC BMW Driver is concerned about what he spends on this car.

 

[TWard]

Yea a good rule of never buy a cheap ///M or one that has been abused, Any part on an ///M5 will be more expensive and hard to put in.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/3193852997.html

This could be something for you to look into if you want an ///M

 

[haolibird]

OK, OK!!

Good for TWard, no doubt, a very good contributor.

In my enthusiasm, (Excitement, Andrew), I made a silly post.
In retrospect, (That means looking back, Andrew), my post was...tripe.

That said, I was somewhat surprised by the response of "This is why I don't post..."
Only to be followed up by "He doesn't speak good English".
Talk about ***8220;Tripe***8221;.

I will take more consideration in the future, concerning contributing to this forum.

You two might want to consider holding back insulting comments.
It contributes nothing, and it***8217;s beneath you both.

Best regards,
Tom

 

[NC BMW Driver]

OK, so I got to see the car today.

I will also check out the M5 forums, but do have a few questions you may be able to help with.

1. The gearshift seems to be rather vague. Not at all like I'm used to. The reverse doesn't even seem to have a detent to prevent you from accidentally shifting into reverse. Is this normal?
2. The clutch engages right off the floor. Again, normal?
3. The car was tight and handled well. Idled smooth, lots of power. Overall I liked it. The interior, while there were no rips and tears, but it was a little worn.
4. The dog bones and some suspension components will need to be replaced, but that is no problem.
5. The current owner seems pretty knowledgeable on what is required to keep this car up and follows the required maintenance schedule. I think this is good.

 

[_Ethrty-Andy_]

No one on the fest has an m5. We're just telling you what we know from research and general knowledge.

oh there is, its just the M5 has its own forum here, its not in the normal E34 section. quite why they have it seperate i dont know. http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=108

OK, so I got to see the car today.

I will also check out the M5 forums, but do have a few questions you may be able to help with.

1. The gearshift seems to be rather vague. Not at all like I'm used to. The reverse doesn't even seem to have a detent to prevent you from accidentally shifting into reverse. Is this normal?
2. The clutch engages right off the floor. Again, normal?
3. The car was tight and handled well. Idled smooth, lots of power. Overall I liked it. The interior, while there were no rips and tears, but it was a little worn.
4. The dog bones and some suspension components will need to be replaced, but that is no problem.
5. The current owner seems pretty knowledgeable on what is required to keep this car up and follows the required maintenance schedule. I think this is good.

1/ No, you should require extra effort to shift into Reverse, assuming that the gearbox is the standard R135/24 pattern, rather than the dogleg R24/135 pattern. the dogleg has no limiter as far as i know, as youd be moving the shifter left and down rather than left and up for reverse, so you can't really screw that up.
2/ should have a bit of movement in the pedal, though it may suggests that the clutch is a heavy duty one, so may be normal.
3/ not a question?
4/ Piece of cake
5/ a lot of people can come across knowledgable, be wary

 

[MySatinDoll]

oh there is, its just the M5 has its own forum here, its not in the normal E34 section. quite why they have it seperate i dont know. http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=108

1/ No, you should require extra effort to shift into Reverse, assuming that the gearbox is the standard R135/24 pattern, rather than the dogleg R24/135 pattern. the dogleg has no limiter as far as i know, as youd be moving the shifter left and down rather than left and up for reverse, so you can't really screw that up.
2/ should have a bit of movement in the pedal, though it may suggests that the clutch is a heavy duty one, so may be normal.
3/ not a question?
4/ Piece of cake
5/ a lot of people can come across knowledgable, be wary

^this
A buddy of mine has 2 (one track, one street) IIRC. on the s38 make sure you have good and even compression out of all cylinders. Again IIRC he said compression loss is usually a common issue with higher mileage s38s.
IMO take buddy with you or pay a bmw tech to go with you and have that checked out.

How much compression?!? I can't say. I don't own one. You can search the topic and you'll get your answer plus other answers your looking for.

 

[NC BMW Driver]

Yea a good rule of never buy a cheap ///M or one that has been abused, Any part on an ///M5 will be more expensive and hard to put in.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/3193852997.html

This could be something for you to look into if you want an ///M

TWard, Thanks for the lead on this car. Title transfers Saturday to me for this car.

This car was beautiful and well cared for. Transmission shifts well, clutch is tight, mostly highway miles. Interior is beautiful as is the exterior.

More photos to follow.

 

[TWard]

You bought the one in Charlotte????????

 

[BMR_LVR]

Congrats Man :thumbup:

 

[M540FELLA]

Glad you found one with lower miles, can't wait to see it man.