Yacht Master

Old 528 rebadged to M5 would be a great campus beater, and about all a student could afford. Get ready for dings all over, parking rash, party people throwing up inside and outside, and the guy that hates you and slashes you tires and keys the sides.
If you don't know what kind of car you want, you are not ready for college.

93 Octane ABC

I assume the OP is in college currently AND his father or so is purchasing his car and not himself. Nice hard work there OP.

Get neither. From your posts and behavior, please don't give either the BMW M guys or the AMG guys a bad rep.

Ride the bus and/or keep your current BMW 335d and 5 series. Aren't they good enough already for you in school?

And the E60 M5 is more than a match easily on the highway versus any stock 55k. How do I know? I have both. The E39 M5 is still a great even today to have and drive.

tgoss

Had to sleep on the this one but the choice is clear...

The only thing you should be concerned about in college is TNA.

..... And maybe hitting some books.

azgunz

nice

The E39 does look much older but has such classic lines. Still looks great IMO.
Merc is definitely more luxury/comfort, BMW's priority is more sport oriented.


Hmm. Now that is tempting..
M5 bolt ons are about $7-8k for full exhaust & headers + tune and about a 60hp gain. There are a couple SC kits coming out that seems pretty exciting though. 550hp, 630hp, and 700+hp

I just know a few for the E55 via Renntech. With the price difference of the E39 to E55, won't have a lot of mod money if I go E55..

You'd be surprised.. There are a couple E92 M3's here and this "subjective" matte red/pink C63 amongst other nice cars. Of course the few ricers that rev their crapboxes thinking it impresses someone.. I hope you weren't talking about the E46 M3, a classic but sounds awful.

It was a leather option on all years, there are a ton for sale with em. Came in black and Caramel. Im only looking at the ones with it, the default is too hard and plain. The two-tone sport interior is the more rare leather option.
As per the exterior, looks old yes but at the same time pretty classy. Not as elegant or near as new looking as the E55 but still looks good. But I like as it ages the E39 will hold onto its looks (as classic "timeless" lines) more than the W211 when the next gen comes out. I think most of the aged BMW's look better than most of the aged Mercs. Just one's opinion..

Ahh sorry to disappoint, I'll buying the next one.. Just won't be paying for gas and maintenance. I still wouldn't want to get a car that will need more than $2500/yr in maint which I hear is around, if not less than, what the E55 does.
I've put too many miles on the 335d and I'll be trading the 5 + cash for this next car. I just want something nicer & faster.

That's part of my original question. Being on campus with everything near, I rarely use the highway besides a trip to a nearby city every couple of months. I also like to throw the current bimmers around this nearby Mt. Lemmon

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

I feel like we're being trolled. An 01-03 E39 M5 with 60-80k will be a rat. A good friend has one, it's always in the shop.

GT-ER

Also, think about this. I personally know someone with a supercharged M5 and it was slower than my bone stock E55. $10K invested just so my bone stock E55 could murder him.

emoving

Go buy an Orange Lotus kid! Right up your alley!

chawkins2001

Another *** clown finds our boards. I think what you need is a Lotus Esprit for college you douche. PAWNED FTW!

93 Octane ABC

Not paying for gas or maintenance? At all? Nothing?

I got a better idea buddy. How about a BRIGHT ORANGE Lotus Elise or something like that? It's faster in terms of tracking than your 335d and "nicer" in a sense that it's a Lotus and not as common as a BMW 3 series.

And it attracts attention. Mod the exhaust/engine so you can rev it all you want. Sound good? And if you don't rev it or beat it up as much, maintence should be down. Hopefully. Won't go over your "2500/year bucks" maitenance budget. Shouldn't I mean.

chiromikey

wow, this forum has gone down hill...and i'm not talking about the op!

you can't even compare the interior on a regular e to an e55!

AKnight55

Agreed... Everyone was new here at one point

bamaster

I'd be most concerned about this.

I just bought an 04 E55 and dropped $4k on a 4yr warranty. I'm hoping I won't need it but a 7 year old car going into the shop is a likely reality. If you are worried about reliability why are you looking at such old cars? Will you be buying a warranty?

Snogard

I had E39 M5 (like many others BMWs) in the past for 4 years, so beleave me i have known him inside out. That said , and keep in mind that i have E55 for over a year now, i can tell you if E55 is pig for you, then E39 M5 is pig just the same. It does not corner better then E55, it does not give any more sportier filling then in E55 and it is a HELL lot slower then E55 (many of E39 M5 doesnt even have stated 400 hp!!!). On top of that i get BETTER millage in E55. And not even to mention that brakes were constantly overheating on M5, MAFs and clutches are on the monthly list to swap (6 months to be precise for me) and not forget that 90% of E39 M5 engines (S62) have oil consumption of more then 1 liter / 1000 km.
For me (who actualy have and do own them both) it is not even the think which one is better.
But like you said, stiching on the dashboard is the key.... Like many others have said to you-go and buy M5 and enjoy stiching and stay away from E55 world. You dont deserve it.

EDIT: Dont relay on M5board members (M5E39 owners) words about how exelent M5 E39 is. Most of them are just trying to convince themselve that they have not make life mistake when they buy it. Reality is something different. So, you should speak with someone like me who actualy own both of them and is not biased to one side. That man will give you competent info, not M5board members (E39 M5 owners).

Das Geld 2

Good Answer Snogard.

OP is a ******, who probably can't even use the E55 to it's abilities.

Yesterday a friend of a friend who I met was pushing a 328 loaner because his car was in the shop out-drove the e92 m3 in the twisties, he was one of the best BMW drivers I've seen so far pushing the car to it's limits, power-sliding turns etc.

Most of these clowns don't know how to drive.

unagi1

Slight Feminine styling? Oh hail naw

emoving

The only M5 that has leather dash are the ones with extended leather package. But make sure you find one of those because I hear the leather dash and stitching is good for 50hp.

azgunz

lol I like how I mention I drive up mountain roads and somehow that means to you guys that a track car is necessary? Ahh mercs and their straight lines..

Obviously the brakes are much better on the E55 but I have yet to drive one so that is just what I hear.. Might test drive one tomorrow. Im guessing you bought a year 2000? That's the ones with the oil consumption at the level yours was. MAFs go out often but ECU tunes bypass them anyways. Probably a good thing you went to the auto trans because the clutches are good for many tens of thousands of miles. I know a few people with E39 M5s so Im aware of the maintenance for the most part.

You guys grab a word I say and take it and run. I was questioning the level of luxury in the E55 cause it didn't have a leather dash, mot that it was anything near of a deciding factor.

yes you know me and my driving abilities.
I have a pretty good grasp of driving and just finished a 4 door racing course so that has kind of inspired me to go for the performance sedans.
Driver is the best mod. Anybody catch the CTSV challenger where the kid in the E92 M3 beat everyone who was driving the V, beat them quite significantly IIRC.

lol it's an added bonus. Some of these responses are like you are insulted and at the same time threatened by the question..

e500slr

Listen kid, don't listen to anyone telling you not to buy an expensive car when you're young, buy what you can afford so even if you're 17 and you can afford a Veyron, buy it. Age doesn't really matter and most people telling you not to buy an expensive car when young is people who are older and have a certain jealousy, just look at that kid Justin Bieber, people hate him for driving a Ferrari and calling him a "******" and a "queer" for one simple reason, they can't afford one and are jealous such a young guy is driving it and to be honest there's nothing wrong with that. It's kind of sad to see people with their own kids being jealous of a teenager. If he can afford it more power to him and if you can afford the car you want then so be it.

Moving on. The E39 M5 is NO match for the E55. As for the E55 being feminine, that's BS and an E63 W211 facelift conversion would make it even less girly, which it is not by the tiniest amount. The E55 is better in every single way, the interior, the daily comfort, the modding potential and the cost effectiveness of the modifications, the looks, the power and torque. I adore the old M5 but I'm sorry to say it's just inferior. The only way I'd own one is with conjunction with the E55 (if I could afford to own 4+ cars) as to drive it on occasion as a classic but if you can only have one then it's no competition.

Try to find a place to park or store the car as not to be damaged by jealous or stupid college kids/skateboarders. Also don't listen to M5Board, just like Snogard said, they're trying to convince themselves the M5 is better but just look at the facts, look at the figures and go for a test drive. Believe me, I have nothing to gain from telling you this but there is NO CHANCE for the M5 to be superior. You can supercharge it and still be beaten by a stock E55 let alone an E55 with 10-12k mods which would molest the M5 and you'd go to jail for rape. The E55 is more in the league of supercars when it comes to a highly modified one in a straight line, sure it's heavy and not as nimble as a Ferrari but it's actually not bad on the street, it feels solid and with the Airmatic in the stiffest settings it holds its own. I think the car falls short on the track where the brakes start to fade, the tires struggle for grip from the weight and the engine gets heat soaked but chances are it won't ever make it to a closed racing course so you'll be alright.

Here's some videos to help you decide. These aren't stock E55 though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWPoQ8YB84o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UV-drd9fag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVsetfAYaxg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FJ-ngpJF_U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTttFKHOyTs

93 Octane ABC

Didn't get the gist of my post huh? that's okay I didn't expect you too. The sole reason why I recommended a Lotus Elise bright orange for you wasn't because you like to "tear up the moutain twisties and roads". It's because it can get the most attention for you which sounds better with the way you act and behave.

Bright Orange Lotus Elise and revving its engine out on college campus? Take it bro.

hyperion667

or this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S2sf...eature=related

azgunz

I thought you could have meant that but I thought people could see it's not about attention. Why would I even be considering an E39 M5 if it was..
I enjoy driving very much hence my worry of having the car crap out often or a pig in turns. Going to drive em and compare

gaspam

to me the e39 interior looks like its from the 1980's

guysandiego

E55 is not a pig -- its a whale -- the answer is really simple -- get the M5-- you will be much happier in the mountains and twisties -- E55 is just tooooo heavy and soft.

Done -- this thread is over !!!

Glyn M Ruck

Guys - behave - show some respect for one another please.

slownrusty

I see what you did there...clever!