Gobby 11 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 Hi all, I'm looking at buying an e60 M5 which is in Queenstown. The car has extremely low Km's for the age (it's a 2006 model done 17,000km), but it's registration ran out in 2009, so it became deregistered. The owner is adamant the car has not been in a crash (even a minor one), and states that he had it locked away in storage from 2009 until now. The car has been reregistered by VTNZ in Dunedin, and has had a full service and checkover by the BMW dealership down there. No red flags are coming up on the service report, or the vehicle history (apart from the de-rego). I've talked to the owner on the phone, and he seems like a nice old guy, that knows his stuff. I don't get a 'dodgy' vibe from him at all. Should I buy it or not? If everything legit, the car would be amazing, and it's a pretty sharp price too, but if he's lieing about the car not being in an accident... Advice please! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smac01 12 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 Sounds like a nice car. The mileage would suggest his story is true, and I tend to use gut instinct on these sorts of things. You could also check with VTNZ Dunedin about the specific car to see what the circumstances were around re-registration? Also the BMW dealership should have been able to tell if there were any major panel repairs during the inspection (I would assume?) Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 Sounds legit. I'd be inclined to get an independent mechanic to check it. VTNZ aren't renowned for their attention to detail. Maybe someone on here can recommend someone local down there you could call. Otherwise, go for it and make the rest of us jealous! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wom 0 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 I don't why people let rego's lapse on perfectly good cars it's free to put it on hold if you ain't gonna use it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 If it's been deregistered, doesn't it require re-compliance to be registered again? If so they'd have checked if the car has had physical repair and if so the compliance people would have ordered a repair report. Can't recall how long it needs to be deregistered for before it goes through compliance again however ... But yeah, if it was anything serious and the parts were ordered through BMW then they'll have a record of what was ordered/repaired. Sounds to me like it's quite legit though. Loads of people let regos lapse simply because they don't use the car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
briancol 3 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 (edited) The car will need to be re=complied. Once a vehicle has been unregistered for 12 months it must be recomplied. Just take it to your local VTNZ, they will do it for you. Cost $600/700. plus registration. Edited August 2, 2012 by C0SM0S Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gobby 11 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 It's been complied at VTNZ Dunedin. I called em up, and talked to the guy who carried it out, he said he can't say much for confidentiality reasons, but when I said that I just wantd to know if it had been in a smash, without hesitation he said "na na mate no way, that car was straight as, no evidence what so ever of even a minor repair". I also tracked down the technician that carried out the service and inspection a few days ago, and he knew the car and owner well, said the cars immaculate, no evidence of anything dodgy, and that the owner had just put a cover on it and left it in storage. So fairly confident it's all on the up and up. Def will be giving it a solid check over before I pass over a cheque though. Fingers crossed it's all good! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RvT 9 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 As a past owner of a e60 M5 for 3 years, I know a fair bit about the Beast. Firstly your best friend is this web site ... http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60-m5-e6...ing-discussion/ You really need to get the car checked out by BMW dealership and by the right person as some dealers do not have experience with M5s so they make stupid comments when they check over the car. I can't tell where about in NZ you live as you haven't entered that detail on your signature so can't give you advise on who to talk to who know the M5 well. If you are in Akl, avoid BMW Takapuna and go to Newmarket dealership Buying a car under 40kms is a good move and worth it long term !!!! First advise is to get an after market auto insurance because when things go wrong, you will be needing $000's of dollars to repair some faults. Vanos units are known to fail on the earlier M5s - allow $15k to repair. The gearbox SMG pump had a recall notice on it so you need to make sure it was carried out. If they didn't get fixed you can write your gearbox off if the pump fails = $25k repair bill. There are plenty of discussion on it in the above web link. Hopefully your 06 model has the keyless start - nice upgrade and bluetooth enabled as it costs a fortune to add it if not in the car. Make sure you marry someone who's parents own a petrol station !!! The car will use a tank of gas in 260 to 300km and if you drive it hard ... 140km. Think I once got 360km out of a tank on a long trip ... Rest of the car is amazing to drive and will put a smile on your face. Happy to give more advise on the Beast if you have questions. If it was in Chc, I could have checked it out.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gobby 11 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 (edited) Wow awesome thanks for the advice! I live in Orakei, Akl. My plan was to get a JC Premium warranty (I've attached digi brochure for it) which covers M cars, with a claim limit upto $10k...but it's only valid at Jerry Clayton's in Takapuna...which you've informed me to avoid...so that plans down the toilet. Can you recomend me a good warranty? Most of the ones I've looked at only have a $5k claim limit (which would cover the cost of what? like 1 air vent and 2 hours of labour), or don't cover high performance cars. The ones I've seen that do cover M cars, are horrifically expensive, however I must say that the Clayton's warranty is very reasonable at $1500 for 1 year, or $2050 for 2. But again if you can recommend a warranty that you've come across that means I can use Team McMillans, I would definitely be interested. The Service Manager called Barry at Cooke Howlison (no idea how to spell that) in Chch I talked to on the phone seemed very knowledgeable about the M5's, and overall he was impressed with the car. All services upto 2009 were done to schedule, which is the period when the recalls were initiated, so is it a safe bet to assume that they were carried out? I tried to pull the service history today from Team McMillan, but they said they don't have access to the service records from other dealerships (All Audi and VW dealerships share their databases, don't see why BMW haven't caught up yet), so I can't look at them until I get down there. I know the first service was done at 1500km, which I understand is quite crucial. The bluetooth has been enabled, but don't know about keyless. It actually has the old style key, with the diamond shaped fob with a blade poking out, which did surprise me. It has odd options like Homelink and privacy glass (I'm told it's not tint, it's factory darkened glass), but doesn't have the active sport seats (has the "luxury" option seats, from an e65 7 series, instead ) or an AUX input at the back of the driver armrest console thing, so it is a bit of a custom order car. Ooh at this point, does anyone know an installer who can do an ipod integration solution that will work fully with the iDrive? This will actually be my 2nd M5...in a month... I bought a black one a couple of weeks back, but literally only owned it for a day, as I wasn't happy with the KM's, and found a buyer who didn't share this dissatisfaction, quite quickly due to the price. In that day I used half of my $134 tank... so I'm well aware that one of these cars cancels out the efforts of 6 Toyota Prius owners JC_Premium_Care_Booklet.pdf Edited August 2, 2012 by Gobby Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ssbmw 217 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 Gidday Raj, I suspect I know the owner of this car. Did he by chance mention owning an E39 M5 previously? About 5+ years ago there was a guy by the name of Stephen from Alexandra marketing his incredible Lemans blue 2002 E39 M5. That vehicle had clocked about 45,000k's or so, but had barely been driven by Stephen - the M5 was locked up for most of the time. The photos of that car were also in a similar area. A friend of mine was keen on that E39 but missed out on it as it was purchased by a gentleman from Auckland. My friend bought that car eventually from the owner in Auckland. The condition of that car was nothing short of superb. If this silver E60 is in the same type of condition, and I am sure it will be, it will be a good buy. Incidentally, good on you trying to source a low k E60. I suspect with the E63's as well that it will be hard to snap up a low k example in years to come. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RvT 9 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 Getting the warranty from Takapuna is fine. In my case, one of the conditions of sale, was to get a BMW inspection of the car completed by a dealership. The buyer was in a hurry so he drove the car from Chc to Akl and went to BMW Takapuna and was informed by a guy called Bradley who told my buyer that the VANOS was stuffed. I knew this was bullshite and it turns out that the guy was a plonker but it almost undid the deal !!! The best person to talk to is Travis Cross at Jerry Clayton For this reason I was put of Takapuna as miss diagnosis can cost you $$$. I would take the warranty from JC as this was not an option for my buyer who had to shop elsewhere - can't remeber where he got it from in the end sorry. Found your car on Trademe - looks nice. If has a key start so not the push button start. Homelink means it has set up or garage door opening. If it has Climate Comfort Laminated Glass option (356), it will mean you can't use a radar detector in the car as it blocks the incoming signal - long story but I did a lot of learning on this ... I have a bluetooth dongle that fits into the car phone cradle that may get your phone working on bluetooth if you are interested. It is a BMW part but my car was Japan setup so never worked for me. I got it on eBay. If you end up buying it, drive it home past Rangiora and I can point out a few hints etc. Also have a set of front tires for your car which are on Trademe as you will need some rubber at some stage and $1200 a tire is a lot of coin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gobby 11 Report post Posted August 2, 2012 Jeez you guys are super helpful, thanks so much! ssbmw: I suspect this is the same person, as he did mention that he like to keep an M car on hand, but I will ask him when I finally meet him this Sunday. RvT: The guy said the bluetooth worked, but if I have issues I will definatly contact you re: that dongle. I used to work at CCS, so I get mates rates on Pirelli, which I have run all my cars on in recent years, but always interested in a deal . What brand are they? How much do you want for em? Flick me a PM if you'd prefer. Yea I could definately pull up in Rangiora, I'll let you know my driving itinerary once I make one haha Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gobby 11 Report post Posted August 6, 2012 Just picked up the M5 today. It's frikn mint, so stoked! Turns out it is the same guy that ssbmw bought his E39 M5 off. Hoping to get to AKL by tomorrow mid arvo. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ssbmw 217 Report post Posted August 6, 2012 Just picked up the M5 today. It's frikn mint, so stoked! Turns out it is the same guy that ssbmw bought his E39 M5 off. Hoping to get to AKL by tomorrow mid arvo. Hi Raj, Congrats mate! Well done. Enjoy your beast! I didnt buy the E39, a good buddy of mine did. He tracked down the next owner who lived in Auckland and asked to buy it off him. He then restored it to like new condition and sold it!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted August 6, 2012 Just picked up the M5 today. It's frikn mint, so stoked! Turns out it is the same guy that ssbmw bought his E39 M5 off. Hoping to get to AKL by tomorrow mid arvo. Manditory photos .. Also, would be cool to include it in the calendar ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gobby 11 Report post Posted August 7, 2012 ssbmw: Aah right, misread. The owner's wife said when she went out to pick up the buyer of the e39 one, she recalled feeling uneasy because he didn't go over 3rd gear on the journey from Qtown to Arrowtown haha. hybrid: Below is a photo of it that I took just outside of Qtown. I had to drive through the ash cloud that Mt Tongariro spat out, so it's completely filthy now, will put more pics up once I give it a solid clean tomorrow. I assume you mean a calender for this forum? Yea definately Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
