looking at a couple of cars for sale atm, an m5 and an m3. just after opinions really on pros and cons of both models. not sure which i prefer and some insight into both models would be useful. its just an impulse buy for a laugh for a few months until i start looking for a 911 turbo, so haven't done a huge amount of research into these cars. let me know your thoughts. many thanks nick
would prefer something a bit newer really thats got some serious grunt. e34 m5 is a great car, i already have a nice 635csi highline, never owned an m car, and the two mentioned are the sort of money i want to spend, and both are nice dailys aswell. just a stepping stone until i find a suitable 911 turbo
I'd go for the M5. But I like big cars. Drive a 530D touring. I think it depends on what you want out of a car. I think the M3 could potentially be quicker on back road blasting but the M5 on good A road blasting. But I think you'd need big balls and a death wish to really push either for any length of time. Most peoples problem with M5's is because they have 4 vanos's. Vanos scares people.
the vanos, how expensive is it to fix if it goes tits up. I can do the work myself so would be parts, but as a reference what does a specialist charge to do the work? how do you know if it has any issues? what else to look out for? I have my eye on an m5 may go and have a look so just want to be aware of the main big costs they can suffer. cheers nick
Both are good cars. The M5 is a bit more of a barge but makes up for it with an awesome soundtrack. They are very fuely though, and you absolutely must not buy a cheap one. It will bite you in the pocket really hard. The E46 M3 is unbelievably cheap for what you get now. I paid £14k for mine a few years ago, and can't believe you can pick up a car that goes that well for half that now. For both cars we have Monopro coilovers in stock, which transform either car without making them too stiff for the road.
Got to be the E39. Vanos can be done DIY or send to Mr.Vanos (no thats not a joke) which is around £600 to repair. Just seach for BMW vanos noise and fix loads of info out there about them, not a massive job to do either. The pixels on the dash can go and the tv and sat nav systems are old hat now so depending what you want factor that in. The front brakes take a good amount fo abuse so check them, obs rear tyres and also like most bm's bush both front and rear. Find one that been well looked after and ignore milage and you should be ok.
Hello, E46 M3 Driver here, i've also had many play's in E39 M5's too. In my opinion, they're two very different cars. I love the size of my M3, it's large enough to fit 3 mates in it comfortably, it's fast enough to be scary, yet civil for town driving, averages easily in the high 20's on MPG on long distances and the 2 door coupe aspect makes it feel really sporty. Mine is completely stock as rolled out of the factory and it's perfect. The M5 is equally very cool, but for a different reason. It's a proper family car that goes properly fast. Typically great M handling and still looks cool. The big down side with the E39 M5… MPG - it's horrific! fully, fully, horrific. If you're driving around town expect waaaay under 10MPG, the motorway on a frugal drive will reward you with mid 20's at best. They are fast cars, but the handling is not as sharp as the smaller and slightly more agile M3. The other thing, - yes the E39's still look cool but the E46 M3 still feels and looks so much newer in comparison. I've never before driven a car (that I own) that gets so much attention from people. I've pulled up in petrol stations and attended many meetings in my E46 and been greeted by people with seriously nice, much newer cars that love the M3 and always have something to say about it - everyone loves the M3! Always look for facelift models, on both the M3 and M5. The biggest tell tale sign is the head lights and rear LED lights. Regarding the VANOS, (if) it goes wrong, it's about a £600 repair but typically if it's not gone by around 80,000 miles, chances are you'll be alright. This is my one: When test driving, listen out for pinking under load, ALWAYS look for full service history and make sure you keep an eye on the dash board when you turn on the ignition to see when the next service is due. If it starts with a minus number (e.g. -4500) then walk away, or demand a service before purchasing. Avoid M3's on lowering springs (it ruins the handling!) however proper coilovers along with proper alignment the way to go.
is there much difference in straight line performance between the 2? I have briefly driven a couple of m3s, and they felt pretty gutless in the lower rev range, I suppose its an engine that comes alive at 5k or so,(I never touched those sort of revs) whereas the m5 will be quicker from the word go due to the torque?
I've had an e39 m5 and was amazing and the noise with power flow back box delete was sweet,to thirsty tho. I've had about 50 beemers and the e46 m3 ticks all the boxes looks,power,good on fuel. If I could ever bring myself to sell my 'keeper' I'd go for the e46 m3 but I've had it 7 years and can't let go.
If I was buying with my heart I would have the e39. However my head says e46. The noise of the m5 is amazing and the torque is nice, but in the real world my mate in his m5 can't pull away from the m3 and truth be told the guy in the m5 is a much better driver. If the m5 goes wrong you will be looking at higher costs than the m3
I had e39 M5 loved every inch of it but its just soooooooooo juicy its unreal and just like chucking £100 everyweek, it hurt so i sold it, M3 would be the better to live with cost wise and fun too
