Recommend a V8 for a mate

[Jeremy]

The E39 M5 is a genius suggestion thanks Gregor. He had considered the 540 but assumed the M car would be out of budget for a nice example, how cheap have they become now though

I think the E39 is the nicest looking car BMW have ever made, still looks contemporary 15 years on

Life is too short not to have a punt on a M car at some point me thinks.

Regards,

Jeremy

[foz01]

I have had 2 M5's and great cars they but even buying a "good" one can lead to some monumental bills, for someone just wanting a v8 to say they have tried a v8 the E39 M5 ain't that cat IMHO. Just take a quick look at the cheaper end of the market and there's plenty tat out there..

[Scotty C]

[Sanjøy]

A quick bit of editing due to a thunderclap of inspiration:-

http://motors.shop.ebay.co.uk/Cars-/980 ... 86.c0.m282

Not many people think these are unexciting in the twisties...

I hate you for posting that.

[ryallm]

Just 5k or so would get you a very nice E39 540i with plenty of life left in it for example this one. The V8 is supposed to be very good and doesn't suffer the Vanos problems of the 6 pot cars, and running cost would surely be much less than an M5. So much nicer to look at than the later 5 series too.

Mark

[cjm]

Do you not get a v8 XC90?

[woody]

Just 5k or so would get you a very nice E39 540i with plenty of life left in it for example this one. The V8 is supposed to be very good and doesn't suffer the Vanos problems of the 6 pot cars, and running cost would surely be much less than an M5. So much nicer to look at than the later 5 series too.

Mark

Oh, I like that.

I work with a guy who bought a minter of an e39 M5 a couple of years ago from the main dealer with full history & all the toys. It's apparently cost the warranty company a few pennies.

[GregR]

to the harbingers of doom:-

Even cheap, small-engined cars fail.

If someone wants a V8 who has already said he goes into this with his eyes open, don't put him off with tales of "I met a guy once who said his sister's uncle had a car with an M badge on it and the wheels went square after three weeks."

I owned a V8 with two turbos and never had a problem in 10k miles and 12 months of 'spirited use'. Well, the tyre pressure sensor's batteries ran out, but would you call that a problem?

I'm not telling Jeremy to close his eyes, hand over a bag of coins and to hope for the best! He now knows that there are desirable, high perfomance V8s out there in his price bracket. FWIW you'd be well advised to hit the relevant forums (fora - but I can't be bothered being too pedantic yet) to see whether any of the cars are 'known', what their weak points are and perhaps even if there are some well looked-after examples on there that are for sale within range. Afterall, there's likely to be a heck of a lot more knowledge on the internet about performance (rather than cooking) 5s, as we performancey-car types love to have a beardy chat online.

[BiggestNizzy]

oh yes

http://www.sweeney-kincaid.com/Sales/Li ... l=1&auto=0

[woody]

to the harbingers of doom:-

Even cheap, small-engined cars fail.

If someone wants a V8 who has already said he goes into this with his eyes open, don't put him off with tales of "I met a guy once who said his sister's uncle had a car with an M badge on it and the wheels went square after three weeks."

I owned a V8 with two turbos and never had a problem in 10k miles and 12 months of 'spirited use'. Well, the tyre pressure sensor's batteries ran out, but would you call that a problem?

I'm not telling Jeremy to close his eyes, hand over a bag of coins and to hope for the best! He now knows that there are desirable, high perfomance V8s out there in his price bracket. FWIW you'd be well advised to hit the relevant forums (fora - but I can't be bothered being too pedantic yet) to see whether any of the cars are 'known', what their weak points are and perhaps even if there are some well looked-after examples on there that are for sale within range. Afterall, there's likely to be a heck of a lot more knowledge on the internet about performance (rather than cooking) 5s, as we performancey-car types love to have a beardy chat online.

I suppose you're right Greg. I'm looking at the 5s through the lens of; meets budget, ticks most boxes, running costs however above what's desirable.

[GregR]

I suppose you're right Greg. I'm looking at the 5s through the lens of; meets budget, ticks most boxes, running costs however above what's desirable.

There is only one lens ....

[foz01]

Of course they do, and I also had a V8 RS8 biturbo, low miles minter and it cost a fortune, point I was making that if things start to go wrong on a car that listed at 50+ grand then don't expect to be able to be run on peanuts. A 5 grand M5 could easily cost you that in a couple of years and that's not even for a catastrophic engine failure..

to the harbingers of doom:-

Even cheap, small-engined cars fail.

If someone wants a V8 who has already said he goes into this with his eyes open, don't put him off with tales of "I met a guy once who said his sister's uncle had a car with an M badge on it and the wheels went square after three weeks."

I owned a V8 with two turbos and never had a problem in 10k miles and 12 months of 'spirited use'. Well, the tyre pressure sensor's batteries ran out, but would you call that a problem?

I'm not telling Jeremy to close his eyes, hand over a bag of coins and to hope for the best! He now knows that there are desirable, high perfomance V8s out there in his price bracket. FWIW you'd be well advised to hit the relevant forums (fora - but I can't be bothered being too pedantic yet) to see whether any of the cars are 'known', what their weak points are and perhaps even if there are some well looked-after examples on there that are for sale within range. Afterall, there's likely to be a heck of a lot more knowledge on the internet about performance (rather than cooking) 5s, as we performancey-car types love to have a beardy chat online.

[GregR]

Of course they do, and I also had a V8 RS8 biturbo, low miles minter and it cost a fortune, point I was making that if things start to go wrong on a car that listed at 50+ grand then don't expect to be able to be run on peanuts. A 5 grand M5 could easily cost you that in a couple of years and that's not even for a catastrophic engine failure..

Ah, your point was a similar one to this?

Just tell your mate to remember V8s are big engines, normally squeezed into small spaces so servicing and repairs cost a fortune given the amount of dismantling required. Buy one that's been looked after and don't fall into the trap of thinking a £5k car + £3k slush fund is as good as an £8k car that some nice man has just spend £5k repairing.

Your friend will also doubtless be aware that a pint of petrol is costing almost as much as a pint of speciality lager thesedays and road tax (and for the moment, parking in Edinburgh) is linked to engine size.

[robin]

No, I think his point was more along the lines that a spare widget for a 50K list price BMW can easily cost £800 for the part. The fact that it then costs a further £2000 to remove half the car so as to be able to install said widget is, of course, also relevant ...

Cheers,
Robin

[GregR]

No, I think his point was more along the lines that a spare widget for a 50K list price BMW can easily cost £800 for the part. The fact that it then costs a further £2000 to remove half the car so as to be able to install said widget is, of course, also relevant ...

Cheers,
Robin