E60 M5 Pre-Purchase inspection.

[Djinn]

Hello everyone,

Not familiar with M powered cars, need a bit of help.

Q1:

I'll be looking into purchasing an E60 M5 and will need to do a Pre-purchase inspection as the car is from the US.
Now, Do you guys think it will be best to do it at the stealership in Al ain? Price for a 360 inspection i think will cost about 3800-4000AED at ADM.

Is there any specific garage you guys know of in Al ain who can truly give me the ins and outs of what this car has been through and how much trouble it'll give me in the future?

Q2:

What are the pros/cons of taking a 6-Speed over the SMG?

Q3:

Is this car overall a reliable car to own in the UAE? Are parts readily available(Used parts/New)? Does it cost a BOMB to maintain/keep?

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I've never owned an M-powered car before. The only BMW i've ever owned is the '05 530i and i loved the space & way it drives. Currently driving a 1965 Custom built Mustang coupe that i'll have to sell due to the need for a more family friendly car.

The alternative was something like a brand new dodge charger SRT(190k), but if i buy it i'd hate myself for not taking this opportunity to own a piece of history and a car i have truly loved for quite some time but never thought i could afford.

I need all the help i can get from you guys, please dump all your knowledge into this post. AKA- hook a brother up with SOME IQ

Thanks!

Best Regards,
Djinn

[Hasan Shaikh]

Hi Djinn

I have tried to answer your questions below.

Q1:

I'll be looking into purchasing an E60 M5 and will need to do a Pre-purchase inspection as the car is from the US.
Now, Do you guys think it will be best to do it at the stealership in Al ain? Price for a 360 inspection i think will cost about 3800-4000AED at ADM.

Is there any specific garage you guys know of in Al ain who can truly give me the ins and outs of what this car has been through and how much trouble it'll give me in the future?

A pre purchase inspection is must on there cars even if it is GCC spec. Don't know of any garage in Al Ain. Sorry :( But the inspections at an independent garage sgould cost around AED 1,000.

An E60 M5 drawn heavily on BMWs innovation in F1. So you are in for a lot of pain. :)




Q2:

What are the pros/cons of taking a 6-Speed over the SMG?

Pros: The 6 speed should be more fun and slightly more reliable than the SMG.

Cons: The 6 speed was an afterthought and was not developed for the V10. The synchros tend to go bad quickly if you don't rev match your shifts properly. In addition, the gearing ratio is quite bad. But you can fix the gearing ratio by changing the crown and pinion in your diff. I'd go with a 4.10.




Q3:

Is this car overall a reliable car to own in the UAE? Are parts readily available(Used parts/New)? Does it cost a BOMB to maintain/keep?

Car is as reliable as your preventive maintenance. You need to fix things before they die. You wait for them to die and they will kill 2 more with them. Parts are not a problem.
If you compare maintenance costs with cars of similar performance like the F430 or the gallardo, its not expensive. Compared to a 530, its extremely expensive. An oil change will cost you around AED 800 and you should change the oil at 10k kms max.

Beware of the mileage. The rod bearings don't last very long because of the tight clearance and are a time bomb after 120k kms. However, this is an easy preventive maintenance.

The 2006 and 2007 models had different oil pumps which had a higher rate of failure. So the 2008 onward cars are better.

Oil leaks are a common issue on most BMWs, but is an easy fix. Sometimes the seals at the top of the oil cooler start leaking oil. Should be an easy fix if the workshop knows their crap.