Maintenance Costs: 1991 M5 versus 1991 525

[repenttokyo]

I have a91 525 5 speed, M50 engine with almost 400 000km. The car has been almost completely maintenance free, and has been extremely reliable. Parts are also not unreasonably priced.

I'm getting to the point where I need to dump a bunch of money into the suspension - probably to the tune of about $2000. This isn't really an eappealing thing for me to do, as I really like the car, but it is wicked slow, even with my EAT chip. I am considering replacing it with a 1991 M5, as prices are very reasonable now - sub 10k - and I could most likely sell my current car to help offset the purchase cost, making it a palatable option.

The other advantage in owning an M5 would be that I would be much more willing to invest in the necessary maintenance, as it is simply a superior car.

My question is basically this: I know the M5 will require more maintenance than the 525 - but HOW much more? How much per year does it cost to run one of these cars as a daily driver? I would love to hear from current owners.

[repenttokyo]

Depends.

You gonna learn to do the motor work yourself?

Is the ///M gonna be a daily driver?

Thanks for coming into the thread.

The M will be a daily driver.

I can handle most motor work that doesn't involve a complete teardown.

I have heard that the heads and the cams on the S38 can be finicky. Is this true?

[repenttokyo]

The truth is...the M5 is about 25% more to upkeep. Buying one that is sub 10 thousand $...and you will soon find out just how more expensive they really are...

Now, with that out of the way, the M5 will hold it's value especially when you keep it up with the proper maintenance. In my mind, there is no way I would want to use an M5 for a daily driver, unless it was highway miles and if you're going to rack up highway miles with an M5, why waste that kind of car for that reason.

Suppose you do land a pretty good vehicle for 10 grand, it's going to have some miles on it, probably over 150k miles for that price. Now you're approaching some of the higher dollar investment phases that come with that kind of car.

Again, depending upon condition of the prospect vehicle, and unless it has already been done, the suspension, steering gear, drivetrain bearings and flex disc, subframe bushings and rear pitman arms will make it handle like new again, but will probably eat up the majority of your 2k you had to work with, and we haven't even touched the brakes, cosmetics, or even mentioned the engine, it's systems, as in cooling or the A/C system. This is also assuming that you know enough about these cars to do your own work. Otherwise paying a shop $90 an hour will make real short order of your money.

The engine in the M5 isn't any regular BMW engine. It is a piece of art, well thought out, precision engineered, and not meant for just anybody to tear into unless you know what you are doing.

Otherwise, they are one of the most fun cars you will ever own, and you will always wear a smile when you climb behind the wheel. Especially when you feel the kind of performance that is associated with the M5.

The only advice I could offer is be very careful when choosing which M5 you want to dump money into...the old saying is that it should take at least a year before you find the right one. The guy that bought mine had been looking for 5 years....

Good luck in your search,
JR


Thanks for the input. The reason I want the car for a daily driver is that I feel cars are meant to be driven. I will leave it to others to preserve their cars in museums for me so I can still see what they looked like new in 15 or 20 years.

I don't think that a sub 10k would be a basket case, as the market for these cars has changed a lot over the past 2 years or so. It's getting hard to consistently sell an e34 M5 for more than 15k, especially since e39 M5's are starting to sell below 20. I saw a well sorted 2000 M5 go for 15 just today - and that really pushes the price down for the e34 cars.

I have well more than 2k to invest in repairs for an M5 - the figure of 2k came up because it is an amount I don't feel it is necessarily wise to invest into my 525.

I appreciate your warning regarding being careful when making the initial purchase. Some years ago, I was seriously burned when I purchased a W116 Mercedes which refused to stay on the road even after I sunk 10k into it - I have NO desire to go through that experience again!

25 percent more seems reasonable - my current costs are quite low. The goal is to aim for a car that has had the high mileage window repairs already done, with documentation. I was able to get this documentation for my 525 when I bought it. I would also prefer to land a southern car, from a corrosion perspective.

As long as these cars aren't as finicky as say, B5 Audi S4's, I think I will be happy. I basically want to know if the car will be on the road more than it is in my garage.

[repenttokyo]

Thank-you both JR and Bob for your insights - sorry this board keeps posting my messages out of sync.

JR, that car is indeed nice, and I am moving to Boston in a few months, so hopefully there are more of them in the woodwork down in MA. That is the same color as my 525, and I would love to have a calypso M5.

[RockJock]

Blitzkrieg Bob has both he'll be able to give you a good answer...

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Depends.

You gonna learn to do the motor work yourself?

Is the ///M gonna be a daily driver?

[Jr ///M5]

The truth is...the M5 is about 25% more to upkeep. Buying one that is sub 10 thousand $...and you will soon find out just how more expensive they really are...

Now, with that out of the way, the M5 will hold it's value especially when you keep it up with the proper maintenance. In my mind, there is no way I would want to use an M5 for a daily driver, unless it was highway miles and if you're going to rack up highway miles with an M5, why waste that kind of car for that reason.

Suppose you do land a pretty good vehicle for 10 grand, it's going to have some miles on it, probably over 150k miles for that price. Now you're approaching some of the higher dollar investment phases that come with that kind of car.

Again, depending upon condition of the prospect vehicle, and unless it has already been done, the suspension, steering gear, drivetrain bearings and flex disc, subframe bushings and rear pitman arms will make it handle like new again, but will probably eat up the majority of your 2k you had to work with, and we haven't even touched the brakes, cosmetics, or even mentioned the engine, it's systems, as in cooling or the A/C system. This is also assuming that you know enough about these cars to do your own work. Otherwise paying a shop $90 an hour will make real short order of your money.

The engine in the M5 isn't any regular BMW engine. It is a piece of art, well thought out, precision engineered, and not meant for just anybody to tear into unless you know what you are doing.

Otherwise, they are one of the most fun cars you will ever own, and you will always wear a smile when you climb behind the wheel. Especially when you feel the kind of performance that is associated with the M5.

The only advice I could offer is be very careful when choosing which M5 you want to dump money into...the old saying is that it should take at least a year before you find the right one. The guy that bought mine had been looking for 5 years....

Good luck in your search,
JR

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

The ///M is very reliable, as long as it is mantained.

But it is very unhappy in traffic.

I picked mine up for $8750, it is not mint, but has had a lot of work done to it by the PO.

I have been lucky, the car runs very well and is not that expensive to maintain...but I do my own work.

I only have a few cosmetic things to do.

Just make sure the valves have been checked every 10K and it come with lots of records.

The trans shifts smooth, or it's $3500 for Jim Blanton to rebuild it.

[Jr ///M5]

Here's a nice one....

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?rdpage=thumb&car_id=243220696&dealer_id=780707&car_year=1993&model=M5&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&start_year=1991&keywordsfyc=&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&make=BMW&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=61525&advanced=&end_year=1995&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=942

[repenttokyo]

Ben,

Buy the 1992 M5 with the 3.8 in it. Its way more then 10grand like double but it sounds like its trouble free. Not sure if its this forum or bimmerboard but its the purple one with cloth interior. Just a dream I know. But at least you Canadians can get them. Here there are few to none like it.


denny - i've looked into those, they seem to be going for around 20 to 24 here. Definitely beautiful cars, but I think if I was going to spend that much money I would go e39 M5.

[healtoeit]

The engine in the M5 isn't any regular BMW engine. It is a piece of art, well thought out, precision engineered, and not meant for just anybody to tear into unless you know what you are doing.

Anyone can pull apart an engine. It's the putting it back together part where "just anybody" would fail to do it correctly.

The M5 is a great machine, but as Jr pointed out, it is high maintenance, just because of the badge it wears.

[healtoeit]

sorry this board keeps posting my messages out of sync.

Switch to hybrid mode and it helps with that problem

[dennyg]

Ben,

Buy the 1992 M5 with the 3.8 in it. Its way more then 10grand like double but it sounds like its trouble free. Not sure if its this forum or bimmerboard but its the purple one with cloth interior. Just a dream I know. But at least you Canadians can get them. Here there are few to none like it.