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it may not be the bargain of the century but a nice E39 is a nice car.Its nicer than most other $4000 4 litre sedans

personally I would skip the E60. The F10/F11's are very nice but keep in mind that these 3L twin turbo engines in the F chassis are even more complicated than say the 335i/135i engines in the E chassis cars. Eg. the waterpump for the N54 in the E chassis was about $1000 vs my N55 in the F chassis $1300+ Also, I had a major problem with the valvetronic in my car that cost me $3k+ to sort out.. The higher mileage 535i will suffer from similar problems in my opinion.. but they are bloody nice haha.

I deleted my comment cause I thought it was abit dumb...who hasn't spent a tonne of money on maintenance on their BMW! But totally agree on high km E39 is going to need some $$ put into it...and the E60's are so cheap now...you really have to want an E39 to go in. Oh man.....i keep looking at F11 535i Tourings...... ?

I'll give ya $4k ?

i like being able to do just about any trip without having to stop to fill up

Agreed. You sound like you're a good fit and going in eyes open. I've had a coil go too, plus bonnet struts. Previous owner had the E60 sunroof drain blockage issue that needed a lot of the interior removed to be dried. Done 2 front tyres after getting a massive bolt in the front left Fuel level sensor is a bit meh - replaced one sender but still not quite accurate. Since my final drive/diff service at Winger I'm getting LSD binding/slipping which is irritating - even after replacing the fluid with the stuff containing the special additive.

Sounds like you will be fine with an M5. I've had mine for 2 years now and only had minor things: 1x coil 1x knock sensor (dealer fixed it) Diff seal leak P/S leak I do have to do the brakes and tyres next year though.

She doesn't like to the clutch anymore. I have driven an M5 SMG and its fine, a bit clunky but it's acceptable and tolerable. Yes that is not much difference from our Cayenne (possibly M5 is even more efficient... yup we use about 20-30L/100km). If I don't spool the turbo on our R34, the Skyline it's our most economical car (10L/100km), but that never happens and (20L/100km) is achievable. The local BP petrol station attendants calls me as their most valuable customer. I don't see any issues with the SMG, aside from the usual maintenance cost. My wife actually likes to drive these cars, minus the clutch. She hates driving cars like: Camry or Corolla, etc. She does appreciate our eclectic clunky old cars. I think the SMG is actually appealing to us. I am no stranger to 3 and 4. I can work those out, worst case just park the old broken car until the other old cars all breakdown. So far I haven't got a case where all the old cars had major issues the same time. The S6 and E63 was suggested to me, but for me the engines doesn't have enough different character from a V8 Cayenne, yes they are not the same but the S85 V10 NA high rpm and clunky SMG is much more different experience. I am trying to trick my brain the reliability issues of the E60 M5 is just part of the character! Or I can just think logically and never buy a M5.... however it is also logical to have a V10 and SMG experience w/o the exotic car capital and running cost. Thanks for the info they are all helpful, I am lucky enough to have a wife and kids than understands the insanity of these cars. Even my young daughter likes our old cars. I just need to make sure we can eat 3x a day and still enjoy life.

If your partner doesn't want a manual they likely wont want an SMG M5. Mechanical insurance is exceptionally expensive for these. You could be looking at $2200 per year. Mine cost that much and was limited at 2 years. Before you own an M5, ask yourself these questions: 1: Can you live with 20L/100km fuel consumption? 2: Will anyone that frequently travels in the car have issues with the SMG? My wife won't drive mine. 3: Do you have cash flow available IF something was to go wrong? I.e. can you pull $5-10k of cash together if the worst was to happen? 4: Are you happy with ~$2-4k per year servicing costs? If you can get past the points above and you want an M5 then go for gold. Otherwise I would suggest looking at alternatives such as the newer Audi S6 V8 twin turbo, AMG E63. They aren't an E60 M5, but they are far more modern, faster and in the case of the Audi, fuel efficient. Common maintenance items: Tyres: $2200 Brakes: DIY @ $2500 Oil/filter: DIY @ $250 Spark plugs: DIY @ $200 VANOS Solenoids: $1400 each * 4

I was interested in it when it was for sale in auckland back in October/November. The car originally sold for $4200 with a stack of service paperwork from the previous owner and new wof at the time of sale. Car should have been mechanically sound at that time. Not sure what has happened in the 1 month since it went from AKL to Rotorua and now the current seller is claiming to be selling it as they bought a 335i. It was listed by the current seller for $4000 buy now then reduced to $3800 and then withdrawn.

As above. I purchased these tyres from Hyper 10 days ago. Unfortunately they were slightly too large for the rear of my E46 Touring, and went back to stock 255/35/18 MPS4's. Literally done 10km (Grey Lynn to Takapuna), hence tyres are in near brand new condition. Have receipt to confirm purchase. Pick up North Shore or Auckland CBD. $700 ono.

Hey @Jun and welcome to BimmerSport I'm based here in Welly and have only had my E60 M5 for just under 2 years. It's an epic vehicle and I have one as it is a 'bucket list' item for me. In terms of MBI, if you look at Autosure (DPL/Turners) an M5 fits into Category D (Executive) and the thresholds for claims are: Gold policy - max age 12 years, max KMs 160,000, excess $500, max claim value $5000 Platinum policy - max age 10 years, max KMs 100,000, excess $500, max claim value $10,000 This is based on the latest rate cards I have - so don't take this as gospel. Gold example is below. So you'll have trouble attaching a MBI to most E60 M5s as they're just too old. In the last year I've seen 1 2009 M5 come up and most are 2005-2007. So if you want a performance 5-series with your risk covered, you're best to go for an E60 LCI or F10 550i MSport (Category C) where you can get affordable cover for longer for less money, or step up to a F10 M5, with prices starting around $55K. My M5 is on ~143KMs now and has had clutch done, along with one actuator - but not the rod bearings yet as my MBI expires in a few weeks. Rod bearings is on my to-do list for next year and I'll get prices from a couple of places before doing it (e.g. Winger, Page). I've had my regular garage (Driscoll Motors) service my 545i (Richard's now), my E53 X5 and my M5 and they've been good - but recently I've had Winger look after the M5 (service, actuator replacement) as I just wanted M-car specific knowledge. I love the vehicle and it puts a grin on my face every time I drive it (windows down of course!) Happy to catch up and have a yak. Presumably you've driven one already? FYI this one in Welly is being sold by one of the techs at Winger: https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1822874372.htm Pete

It's just the crank pulley so everything is slightly under driven, less than 10 %, i can't see it being enough to actually damage anything considering the rev range of the S85 anyway. My main concern would be the water pump being under driven, but it doesn't have a temp gauge so it can't overheat can it!

Wurth Copper Slip is the best product to use in these applications

Not to mention the 45 series changing your handling. Usually when you go wider, you go lower aspect ratio to remain at the same circumference. The engineers set that car up as a package with thousands of hours of development time. Unless you're looking to make specific changes, I'd suggest you stick with the stock sizing, as @eliongater suggests. Here's a visual comparison of your stock size, and your tyre professional's suggested option: Aside from the handling change (taller sidewalls adding 33mm to the height, more sidewall flex, and higher c of g), you can see it'll also gear it up, and nearly 99mm to the circumference (more than 5%). Seriously, I'd shop somewhere else, where the tyre guy has a clue.

Aaannnnnddddd she's legal. Few minor issues to sort but she's all legal. And clean. And registered. And ready for it's first outing tomorrow ?. Though having the "check engine light" come on at random intervals. I keep checking, the engine is still there and running.... not sure what's up with that lol. Oil is good and clean, all fluids topped up. New wiper blades and a couple other things. Starts and runs first time, the slight misfire at idle is getting better, so I think a good cruise on Christmas Day to Dunedin and back, change the oil, go right over it then start looking at what needs replaced.

So you gotta ask yourself, was it Wurth the effort??

It's ALIVE!! Picked up this afternoon, just in time to run it in before the fuel tax hits! Total bill was about $6.3K, that included a Turner motorsports power pulley kit, a power steering hose that had shat itself, a new belt tensioner, and a bit of extra labour un-siezing the lower control arm bolts so the wheel alignment could be done! Haven't taken it for a decent run yet, but will bring it to the meet on Sunday. Also discovered it needs a new pair of rear tyres, decent cut on the inner shoulder of one. Will have to put it back on a dyno after running in and see what (if any) difference the pulley makes.

Its one of those cars that you gotta love, willing to sink money into, and intend to keep for some time, otherwise its just a ticking time bomb basically. I would love to own one again some day but probably wont happen as the good ones are just getting harder and harder to find and the rest are just rubbish now. wait till you get an F chassis car.. you cant compare parts prices.. my waterpump was quoted $1322.21+GST from AKL BMW. lol