Used e39 530, e39 M5 or Used e60 520?
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LimPeh
Well-Known Member
Re: Used e39 530, e39 M5 or Used e60 520?
I've driven a e39 525 before. Quiet, good handling, silky smooth gearbox and very responsive gear shifts. On my current e60, its noticeably noisier at high speeds and its gear downshift response is very lethargic... it takes more than 1 sec after you slam down the accelerator for the ECU to downshift in D mode. In DS mode, its a little faster but nowhere close to the E39 downshift time.
An E39 M5 will be a very cool car to own and drive. In my opinion, I'll put it as a higher ranking then all the cars you are considering. If you must get the E60, wait for the new e60 535i (twin-turbocharged 3.0L) or the e60 M5.
I've driven a e39 525 before. Quiet, good handling, silky smooth gearbox and very responsive gear shifts. On my current e60, its noticeably noisier at high speeds and its gear downshift response is very lethargic... it takes more than 1 sec after you slam down the accelerator for the ECU to downshift in D mode. In DS mode, its a little faster but nowhere close to the E39 downshift time.
An E39 M5 will be a very cool car to own and drive. In my opinion, I'll put it as a higher ranking then all the cars you are considering. If you must get the E60, wait for the new e60 535i (twin-turbocharged 3.0L) or the e60 M5.
chester
Well-Known Member
Re: Used e39 530, e39 M5 or Used e60 520?
I'm from Malaysia.. yes its quite rare to find one in malaysia but lately I have an offer for a used model '02 e39 M5.. This monday or tuesday I'm going to test drive the M5.. e60 M5 is just way off my budget at this time unless I strike lottery...
I'm from Malaysia.. yes its quite rare to find one in malaysia but lately I have an offer for a used model '02 e39 M5.. This monday or tuesday I'm going to test drive the M5.. e60 M5 is just way off my budget at this time unless I strike lottery...
Re: Used e39 530, e39 M5 or Used e60 520?
test drive it well and sent it to ur workshop to check it up..cos i know some of them has some pretty troublesome maintenance problems...... i read from the monthly bmw mag that one owner has heaps of maintenance problems on the M5
if it is good and well maintenance...it is the car to buy...no doubt
test drive it well and sent it to ur workshop to check it up..cos i know some of them has some pretty troublesome maintenance problems...... i read from the monthly bmw mag that one owner has heaps of maintenance problems on the M5
if it is good and well maintenance...it is the car to buy...no doubt
Singapore Brummie
Well-Known Member
Re: Used e39 530, e39 M5 or Used e60 520?
M5 = Lots of expensive repairs.
I had a colleague who owned a E39 M5 in Dubai and he rejoiced the day he sold it, not because it is a crap car, but because it was a bottomless pit as far as repairs and $ was concerned.
Great to drive, but soooooo expensive.
That is confirmed by the BMW Car magazine from UK. They have one on a long term test and every month, there is something wrong with the car. Each time it is a new problem and each time it is really expensive to repair.
M5 might be a great car to drive when it is working, but you have been warned.
Top Gear also had a test in the E60 M5 (Jeremy Clarkson) on TV last week. With normal driving through town, he gave the car a really bad report. Ugly, annoying, poor handling, poor driving, noisy, frustratingly difficult i drive. There was nothing about the car he liked and even on start up, it sounded gruff and like a diesel.
However, once he hit the "M" button, then the car transformed into a brilliant driving machine, almost as good and as fast as a Ferrari 430 for half the price. Once he was able to push the car to the limits, then the M5 came into its own - and the car was described as brilliant.
Now, of course, you will not be able to drive like that in Singapore - so other than the drool factor - what is the point?
By the way, the Top Gear team race all their review cars over a particular race track using a professional racing driver. The M5 blew up during the initial race (slip diff?) and had to be towed away. The replacement car also had a warning light come on after a few laps and so the reliability of the M5 was put in question - even brand new and supplied and tested by BMW, knowing that the car had to perform.
Not good.
Also, in my opinion, the E39 is a much better car than the E60. Better handling, drive, response. You can pick up a 2002 E39, 523 executive (or perhaps that is 520?) for around $80k and that is surely the sensible approach.
Me? I was not sensible!
M5 = Lots of expensive repairs.
I had a colleague who owned a E39 M5 in Dubai and he rejoiced the day he sold it, not because it is a crap car, but because it was a bottomless pit as far as repairs and $ was concerned.
Great to drive, but soooooo expensive.
That is confirmed by the BMW Car magazine from UK. They have one on a long term test and every month, there is something wrong with the car. Each time it is a new problem and each time it is really expensive to repair.
M5 might be a great car to drive when it is working, but you have been warned.
Top Gear also had a test in the E60 M5 (Jeremy Clarkson) on TV last week. With normal driving through town, he gave the car a really bad report. Ugly, annoying, poor handling, poor driving, noisy, frustratingly difficult i drive. There was nothing about the car he liked and even on start up, it sounded gruff and like a diesel.
However, once he hit the "M" button, then the car transformed into a brilliant driving machine, almost as good and as fast as a Ferrari 430 for half the price. Once he was able to push the car to the limits, then the M5 came into its own - and the car was described as brilliant.
Now, of course, you will not be able to drive like that in Singapore - so other than the drool factor - what is the point?
By the way, the Top Gear team race all their review cars over a particular race track using a professional racing driver. The M5 blew up during the initial race (slip diff?) and had to be towed away. The replacement car also had a warning light come on after a few laps and so the reliability of the M5 was put in question - even brand new and supplied and tested by BMW, knowing that the car had to perform.
Not good.
Also, in my opinion, the E39 is a much better car than the E60. Better handling, drive, response. You can pick up a 2002 E39, 523 executive (or perhaps that is 520?) for around $80k and that is surely the sensible approach.
Me? I was not sensible!
Singapore Brummie
Well-Known Member
Re: Used e39 530, e39 M5 or Used e60 520?
Top Gear is on BBC Prime, SCV channel 76 on Thursday night at 8pm (and repeated other times too).
The show is about 2 yeras old I think, but it is entertaining. Not sure if you can get this over the internet.
Coldplay said:
Top Gear is on BBC Prime, SCV channel 76 on Thursday night at 8pm (and repeated other times too).
The show is about 2 yeras old I think, but it is entertaining. Not sure if you can get this over the internet.
