Advice Buying E39 ///m5..please

[M3POWERBOY]

Hi guys im looking into bying a e39 m5 in a few months and having owned a e36 m3 would like to know what to look out for when i come to buying?, my budget will be £12-13k so it will be around a w reg 2000 model with about 90k miles in avus blue(same as my m3:D ), whatsort of major problems do the m5s suffer from ie vanos/gearbox etc? what are the servicing costs like for oil,ins1 and insp2 services?, i know the fuel consumption isnt good but what can i expect if im cruising at 70-80mph, the car will be a weekend car so mileage will be 5-6k miles ayear how aften do they need servicing roughly? and my last question is do i need the sat nav/tv option as theres loads of cars in my budget without it or would u recommend getting it?, cheers all:)

[Black Sabbath]

Loads of questions,anyway first off welcome to the forum and enjoy your stay.Not really too sure what is specific to the M5 with regard to faults,but generally use the same principle for all cars when buying,do your homework,check out the history etc.An abused model outside is generally abused under the bonnet as well.TV sat/nav option is fine if its there but if its not there are loads of aftermarket routes to go down.Good luck with your purchase,post some pictures when you get the car

[Auryn]

hya mate & welcome to the forum, good choice on picking the E39 M5 its a great car!
As for things to look for with it being an M car the usual rules apply. walk away from anything without full service history or anything which looks slightly wrong is cause for concern.
Satnav is absolutely pointless & you'll get more lost with it than without it! tomtom is 1000000% better.
Vanos is an issue but when its on the way out its as noisy as hell, little things like cam position sensors, MAF sensors & O2 sensors reak havok but are relatively cheap to replace.
Cruising fuel consumption at motorway speeds should be around the 20-25mpg ish with the cruise on.
Its the same with anything really, if you get a good one it'll never go wrong but get a shitter and it will bankrupt you!

Id say test drive at least 5 before you part with your hard earned & defo have the full AA inspection, and fight for a descent warranty!

Good luck hunting & post pics when you buy!!!

[M3POWERBOY]

cheers guys are thee any decent sites that have a m5 buyers guide??,

[Tin]

good choice of car! try and get a facelift car, 2001+ satnav is a nice option, but is alittle dated by todays standards, still a nice toy to have with the comms pack. All have rear park distance control, air con, climate control, elec'y everything.. Check wheels for refurb, worn suspension/brakes..

dedicated m5 forum, with tons of info on the m5 : www.m5board.com
There's also been some buyers guide in Total BMW, and BMWCar mags, sorry don't have the edition no.

[Kin Mak]

20-25mpg is max. If you do mainly motorway miles expect around 20mpg at most on avg. If you have mixed say 16-18mpg. If you do Only city you will get around 12-15mpg.

Usual problems are Vanos, ABS control unit, MAFs, CPS, anti roll bar brackets. If you can, find one that does not consume much oil. Not that it is a problem, just so you save on buying TWS.

M5board.com is the bext place to get to know the car, I suggest you do some searches on the about what to look out for when buying a car and common problems.

[cableguy]

cheers guys are thee any decent sites that have a m5 buyers guide??,

Best sites IMO are www.bm3w.co.uk & www.m5board.com ;)

Buying giides for the e39 M5 as well as all common faults, upgrades, options etc. are plentiful.

Good luck with the purchase, had my previous e39 M5 for over two years and was one of the most accomplished allround supercars of all time IMO.

C.

[M3POWERBOY]

thanks all,