Hello All,

It has been a while since my last post since I turned all diesel on you for my long commute, but I do have a read through frequently in case there is anything I can add to any posts! Well now I have my own bit of news to post and that is that I have finally bitten the bullet and bought a 2002 M5 in Le Mans blue.

I have pined after one of these since I was 13 when they first came out and now I finally own my dream car - I have owned it for coming up to a week now and I can categorically say buying it was the best thing I've ever done. Selling my manual E34 540 was a monumentally stupid idea as I missed that car so much but the 530d has been so reliable as well as efficient; it also got me addicted to the E39 model.

Now I have a new job I thought I would go back to a 540 but interestingly I actually found it a little sluggish low down in comparison to the diesel and so I thought it would be best to do what I've wanted to do for half my life and buy an M5. I have been searching for just over 3 months and eventually found the perfect one on Sunday and so I eagerly emptied my wallet and took it away with me and I haven't looked back since! 

I can't imagine ever needing to get another car, it literally does everything I would ever want or need from a car plus more - much more. I knew it would be outstanding but despite my high expectations it has surpassed every one of them and I find myself pretty much running away from work so I can climb into it and start it up for my drive home, the long way.

I haven't managed to take any decent pictures in this weather but the below will have to be a teaser until I can get some more done during the daytime. To put it in perspective though, the 530d in the background is still an outstanding car but this machine is at a whole new level and it has rekindled my love for cars that I lost a couple of years ago on my 72 mile daily commute.

Nice to be back!

Crispin

It just gets better every time I drive it - it's raining, foggy and generally miserable outside right now but I've just got back from a random 20 mile drive that I went on purely for the sake of it. I didn't even bother making up an excuse to go out I just got in the car and played the left right game till I found a long straight then just held on; I haven't done that since I had the 540!

My plan is to keep the car completely standard (it currently has a matt black grill, which probably looks really good to many people but that's going as soon as the new ones have arrived at the dealer!) and to restore it to it's former glory. It has full service history and runs as well as it looks but I can't help thinking that the last owner was running it on a budget as there are a few knocks and rattles (exhaust brackets, couple of bushes too perhaps) which would be so simple and reasonably inexpensive to repair, so I'm just going to go a bit mental and replace everything that I think would be worth replacing. I love restoring cars like these because all it normally takes is a couple of grand in genuine parts and they pretty much run like new and if the old owners realised what they'd been missing out on I think they'd cry and wish they hadn't sold them :) It's not been neglected but I don't think it's exactly been spoiled either and I expect it'll run even better when I've replaced all the old sensors and worn suspension components. 

My daily driver is my Land Rover which has a modified 4.0 Rover V8 in it and with the dual side exits I honestly don't think I could beat that noise, as unlike many others it seems I actually prefer the old American hot rod noise. I aim to leave the M5 standard so that I can do all my Europe cruises in it and be in as much comfort as I would have been in the 530d. I ruined the 540 by putting a droning exhaust on it so I don't want to do the same with this one, plus I was actually impressed by the level of engine noise inside the car under moderate acceleration especially considering that it's virtually silent from the outside - a very nice surprise!

 

A nice two fingered salute to the DIEsel brigade. Proper petrol V8, that's what you want.

 

I'm a great believer in keeping it standard. 

 

Keep us posted how you get on with it.

Parts arriving on Tuesday so I will be hard at work Tuesday night fitting my new thermostat and temperature sensors :) MAFs next, along with cam position sensors as I hear they will make quite a big difference unless they've all been recently changed, which they haven't from the looks of things!

I rigged up an umbrella to hang over the front of the car last night so I could change the thermostat - what an awful job that was; I thought it was going to be easy but it was the most fiddly thing I think I've had to do on a car to date. I left all the VANOS lines attached so that didn't help with space and I didn't finish till 2am so the lack of light didn't exactly help either but I was at college all day so I can only work on the car at night! Whilst I was doing that I changed all the seals and O-Rings as well as the coolant temperature sensors and it now sits at 79-82 degrees constantly so has definitely done the job.

New MAFs should arrive tomorrow morning (they didn't have any in stock which surprised me!) so they'll go in and then I can concentrate on the faint knocks and rattles I can hear. I may have to take it to an Independent for that as I'm no good at getting bushes out! There is a subtle shimmy under braking from speed so I think I will just order up all front end bushes/wishbones/thrust arms or whatever else is there and take it all to the garage for fitment. Hopefully that will solve most of the issues then!

I did take it for a brief spin today to dry it off, in the rain, and I'm sure it's just getting better and better :)

Can't wait for the Summer now though as I'll clean it up properly, give it a proper detail and touch up some of the chips and scratches and I can start driving it properly!

There is only one more year after mine and although a 2003 would have been nice purely for the rarity of them they are still 10 years old now and so would be in no better condition than mine. I test drove a number of M5s before settling on mine, many with lower mileage and as I found with my last car mileage means next to nothing when it comes to mechanical condition. I'd have been happy to get one with 130k on the clock if it ran as well as mine does - so long as it's serviced and maintained it should go on and on. This one was the only one I looked at that had a really smooth gearbox and ultra smooth engine so I snapped it up pretty quickly; you can tell if a car's been thrashed or ill-treated/neglected and this one has just sat on the motorway for most of its life. Hence the engine and gearbox are lovely but I think the suspension would benefit from an overhaul.

I have friends that replace things only when needed and they always ask why my cars have been so reliable :) She drives beautifully and technically there is nothing 'needing' replacement - but I'm not running it on a budget and I want to return it to factory condition (sounds better than former glory!) and there is no way any car with 10 year old suspension will drive as well as it did when new however carefully it was driven and so I look forward to replacing it all and having it perfect!

Don't get me wrong, I don't aim to waste money on it and I'm an accountant so you can imagine how tight I am but this is not my everyday car but is a hobby and so it'll get what it wants, not what it needs :)

And I do understand what you mean about the license - point taken! I can imagine it being very easy to get carried away and so I will try to behave...

Many thanks for the thoughts though - I do understand what you are getting at!

 

Hexagon of Highgate BMW have two E39 M5s, Sep 2001 48,000 mile for £18,995, and a Dec 2001 with 29,500 miles for £24,995!

 

You do need plenty of beans though!  Me thinks you are paying for that years AUC warranty big style.

 

Hmmm a few E60 M5s are appearing in my kinda price range now, hmmmmmmm.  Big milers though.....compared to what mileage my E60 had when I bought it for similar money.

I went in an E60 (albeit only as a passenger, I haven't driven one) and I must say the gearbox would drive me mad. I remember you like your Steptronics though so I should think you would appreciate it more than I would! But they do sound outstanding and are supremely comfortable - I wonder how reliable they will be in another 5 years time...? Might try one out then when I'm bored with manuals ;)

Haven't had a chance to take her out recently because of the weather! My little brother who was an avid Volvo fan (as I used to be) likes it so much he is thinking of converting to BMW, too. Funnily enough he is looking at the 330Ci soft top! Just waiting for the snow to stop first ;)

 

The press never liked it and always harked back and still do to the E39 5er as being the last proper BMW M with a proper manual gearbox.  Mine is a nice smooth proper autobox but with the option to 'step' it when I want, but the 'box in the E60 is something different again.

 

I like the look of the E39 M5 over the E60 M5, the E60 does slightly worry me with the reliability of all that electronics and the clutch!

Andy  

I love my 530d - it's always driven so well and I hate to say this but it is actually far more relaxing on the motorway and much more comfortable on longer runs than the M5. I wouldn't say the M5 is choppy, but it's definitely not as calming and I should think that's the softer SE suspension and chunky tyres. Then again I found myself grinning from ear to ear earlier today and I actually burst out in spontaneous laughter at one point when overtaking someone - the 530 never did that :) so as lovely as it is it has to go. I took her to work today as I needed to make room for another car in the driveway (not mine!) and so I thought I'd take the long route home - it just never gets boring!

I am jealous of your many trips to the Nurburgring - hopefully I can sort that soon! I would quite like to go for a drive with Sabine round there in THEIR M5 ;) as I bet that'd be amazing!

Andrew - I think the E60 has aged so well and is now looking absolutely spot on; it was way ahead of its time when it came out but I do actually like the look of them now especially the M5. I can't deny that I prefer the E39 (luckily!) even the interior strangely enough but if they had one with a manual gearbox or a double clutch job then I would definitely be saving up for one now! I think I may have to skip and wait for the F10 :)

I just unbolted the exhaust, sat it on stands all the way along and rehung it - now it's perfect and much more pleasant to drive. It's quiet and smooth but with a hint of 400bhp, just the way I had hoped it would be :)

Happy Easter all,

Crispin

I'll be honest, a 6 speed 540i is every car you'd ever need so if you can find a good one of those then go for it! I adored mine and still regret selling it and that was an E34 without all the fancy SatNav and curves that the E39 has.

The M5 has a new gear knob now to replace the slightly little worn original and it's made such a difference to the appearance and feel of the interior as it was the only thing that was looking tired. Interior pretty much looks brand new now :) I had a nice drive at the weekend - didn't really go anywhere in particular but managed to empty the tank. Then another half tank on Sunday! Literally cannot get enough of the car and I'm starting to get used to it now which means I am starting to drive it properly and enjoy it even more. I am so tempted to buy the Hayward and Scott exhaust as it really does sound outstanding but I am also set on keeping it in its factory condition and so am torn! Not the most tragic of dilemmas I have been in I will admit... 

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The BMW engines have softer valve seats (at least so I have read I haven't looked at them myself) and so would worry about the LPG. But then again I've seen several 740i models on LPG with over 200k miles so perhaps it's just a load of hype! I run the Rover V8 on LPG and love it as it's very tuneable; you can advance the timing so much and get very good performance out of it. It's also very smooth and noticeably cheaper to run with, even with today's prices so if it all works then that does make it very attractive so long as the valve seats haven't gone (maybe check for oil consumption?).

I like my cars standard usually but other than the blue lights, the grill, the mirrors and the wheels I think it looks ok! Worth a look - it will have been thrashed but then so has every M5 out there; if it has been looked after then it should be able to take the 'abuse' it was designed for.

 

But yes you do get great performance and a hint of better economy.  Search on youtube for the Top Gear review of the BMW 535d, I like the race bit at the end for an obvious reason!

 

If it were me as a Petrolhead I'd go for the E39 M5.

 

A V8 or a diesel, hmm let me think about that one, NOT!

 

 

Found it!

Andy 

The problem for me with the silver M5 on Pistonheads is that I don't like modified cars so I wouldn't want it; I bought the M5 for its subtle appearance and non-provoking looks and also its performance straight from factory. Having said that, logically speaking most people that spend money to modify their cars generally care about them and so it may be in pretty good nick so could be worth a look!

As for diesel vs. V8 - well, that's more of an issue than I first thought as I must say I really miss the straight six growl and turbo whistle of the 530d. It really did sound good, probably helped by the fact that I chopped the back box off. I still maintain that for simply cruising around as an everyday car and doing long commutes everyday there is little that will beat the 530d (or I should think the 535d and new 540d) but there is no denying that when you can have usable power from 1000rpm right up to 7000rpm a diesel is just not going to interest you anymore. I am definitely a reborn petrol head :)

And I am also too greedy to share it so I'll have to opt out of the group buy offer ;)

If you can knock him down a bit on price for the brakes then I reckon if everything is genuine you could be on to a winner. It certainly looks very straight in the photos with no car park dings, but then photos never tell the true story!

Give the chap a ring to get a good feel for what he may have been like as an owner and then go and see it! History and condition is definitely one thing, but how it drives is just as important in my opinion and if you aren't 100% happy with it (which you will be if it's the right one) then walk away - simples!

Realistically, other than aesthetics I don't know how much it matters as there are very happy pre-facelift owners and their cars don't burn much oil. Mine is a facelift but I've just put in my 1L top up bottle and I've only done 2.5k miles. Admittedly I've been driving it like a baffoon but if you stick to sensible revs and don't spank it around absolutely everywhere then you may not notice a difference. They certainly produce the same amount of power and if the VANOS has been upgraded then you shouldn't have any worries there either.

That Oxford green one has been on for a bit now and I don't know why that hasn't sold - I think the colour combination is pretty nice! Having said that I wouldn't trade my one for anything, even if Imola red is meant to be the best colour ;)

UweM3 - you seem determined to put me off? I am not going to get sued as I would be hiring a car for the ring which is not only completely legal but is actually recommended by most if you read up on it; I did not mean I'd go to a bog standard rent-a-car for holiday airport runs and thrash that round because that would be stupid and surely no fun anyway as you'd be in a Polo. You can actually hire cars to race around their track and as I said in an earlier post the worst case scenario is you pay a small (or large, whichever way you look at it) deposit if you stack it, which I wouldn't. I am not an idiot and aside from having someone scratch my pride and joy in the car park I am not scared of the Nurburgring and I don't see why anyone would be if they go by the book - it's just a toll road and again like I said before I'm not going to race (I do that at Castle Combe when I need to get it out of my system) I would be going for a drive round a famous road as hundreds of thousands of other motorists do just for the enjoyment of it!

There is so much information regarding the Nurburgring available I think I'd have to be a clutz not to be aware of the rules and regulations, and being the person that I am they are the first thing that I read about when I first wanted to go out there. But I do appreciate that you are looking out for fellow members so thank you.

The car's still defining perfection for me :) thank you! Literally just got back in from another random drive and I'm still grinning from it.

You haven't found a car yet then? There are a few online for sale at the moment, some of them look quite good! The market actually seems to have picked up a little though so finding a bargain might be a bit more difficult now.

The trip to the ring is on the back burner for now as I bought a house last week so am being a little tight at the moment. But once I've moved in, got settled and have a little more time on my hands as well as shorter pockets then I'll re-plan the trip! What will you be taking there?

Firstly, many congratulations - sounds like a very nice ride indeed!

Secondly, you manage to get more than 40mpg from it? I had read the '35d engines seldom return over 30mpg - perhaps the 'best of both worlds' really does exist then!

Finally, I do still have the M5 and my license :) I have also bought the house I had my eye on and so the money I was planning on throwing at perfecting the car has gone elsewhere so for the time being I am just enjoying it as it is (which in all fairness is still pretty close to perfect...). Actually I have racked on quite a few miles recently - it's just so hard to resist driving it!

Any photographs of the new car then?