Depending on who you ask, the e60 M5 with the S85 V10 is either their dream car or their worst nightmare. For a long time, it was my dream…but not without concern. A few weeks ago, I got the chance to drive two different e60 M5’s – one was a headache waiting to happen, and the other I regret not buying.
Better: 2008 BMW M5, 117k miles
Asking Price: $13,760
This car came to my attention by somewhat of a surprise. I ran into the guy who sold me my e46 330xi a year ago in a supermarket outside DC, and while catching up, jokingly said to let me know if he had any e60 M5’s in the future. He said he did have one, and was finishing up the throttle actuators in a few days. Not just that, but the rod bearings, main bearings, VANOS pump, solenoids, high pressure line, SMG pump, low pressure fuel pump, clutch, and SMG pump had all been serviced/replaced within the past few months. WOW. But what was the catch? There wasn’t one….
A week later, I took it for a test drive. It was incredibly clean, in great condition, and he had pics from rebuilding the V10 on his phone. Clean title, new wheels, and an immaculate interior. I had only driven a couple e60 M5’s before, and they were all in questionable or rough condition, so this was my first time in one that genuinely felt like it was running right. The only issue I had with it was the M6 wheels it was on were a little too big, and rubbed in the back on bumps, but nothing a little fender roll couldn’t fix. He even offered to swap back on the OEM M5 wheels, he just thought the M6 wheels looked better.
Ultimately, driving it was amazing. The car idled smoothly & the engine sang as I climbed up to redline on the highway. The V10 sounded incredible, and the handling was great. One of my favorite features was the active side bolstering on the seats on turns – I expected it to be gimmicky and forgettable when I heard about it at first, but after experiencing it firsthand, I can say it lived up the the hype. So, why don’t I own the car right now?
He was asking $18k, but by the time it sold 2 weeks later – he had it listed for just $13,760 – not sure what happened there. The car felt and looked amazing, but at the time I had a hard time convincing myself that selling my car for $12-15k and paying an extra $3-6k was worth it. It was truly a beast, and in great condition, but it was missing that torque I craved from turbo i6’s like the n54 and my n55. Had the price been the latter when I drove it, I may not have been able to turn down this opportunity.
What would I pay?
If the price hadn’t dropped, I probably wouldn’t have had a second thought if the price was $15k when I test drove it. If it was slightly lower mileage, like 100k, I may have been more convinced at $18k. If it was $13,760 when I test drove it, I would have run to the bank.
Beater: 2006 BMW M5, 105k miles
Asking Price: $13,800
The beater was a 2006 M5 that was a pretty good price, but had seen better days. Unlike the Better M5, this one had no evidence or receipts of rod bearings, throttle actuators, VANOS, or SMG maintenance. Oh, but they had an “extensive maintenance history” of oil changes and tire rotations. They probably should have added battery to that list, as the car was dead when I got there. Already a big red flag. Second red flag was the m-colored grille stripes – in girl lingo, that is what us BMW owners call an “ick”. I was already convinced I would not buy this car at this point, but had driven 45 minutes, so at least wanted a test drive.
Walking around the car, I could see it was on K&W coils, and someone trimmed the bumper in the front to avoid rubbing. There was a plethora of small scrapes and scratches on the lower half of the car, and the interior was rough too. There weren’t any codes on the dash, but then again, the battery had been dead for who knows how long, so they may not have had the chance to populate.
As I pulled onto the road, I was immediately surprised with how insanely slow this renowned V10 felt. It felt like it was in limp mode, but didn’t have any codes. The exhaust sounded amazing as expected, but the engine felt labored, and even for an SMG, the shifting was rough. Once oil temp was relatively high, I dropped into 3rd and gave it some serious corn. I was disappointed – it sounded great, but felt slower than my 335xi was when it was stock. WTF. The driver side mirror also decided to flip outwards facing the front when I went to adjust it, and kept moving and trying to adjust itself.
I’m a big believer in transparency when dealer cars are junk. So I went back and told the salesman that there are simply too many potential problems with this car to overlook, and I would not be continuing with it. This may trigger them to be irritated, or to consider actually fixing the car before selling it to some poor chump. Even if the beater car seemed nice….ALWAYS GET A PPI. I would even get one for the better car, regardless of proof of maintenance. What is a PPI? Read my next blog to learn more.
What would I pay?
Nothing would have convinced me to buy this car. This car was clapped out and gave me major lemon vibes. No thanks!
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