I want a big, fast, cruiser that can handle One Lap. M5 or S55 AMG?

My girlfriend and I (mostly me, but she will go if she gets to drive on track) have decided to run One Lap this year, and have signed up. The east coast centric nature of the route this year, along with cheap gas and our not building a race car this winter for the first time in 4 years, makes this work. The car for this needs to be a nice place to spend time and big enough to haul extra tires and tools and luggage, along with being fast and track capable. We have no intention of actually being competitive, it's just for fun.

For a few years now, I've had a hankering for a big fast luxury car. Something that will eat 1000 mile days no problem, yet still be engaging to drive, and a very very nice place to be. We take a lot of 6-12 hour drives during the summer, so having a car that can do that very very well would be nice. I want something that will also fill in a bit of a void in our current automotive stable, and think that either of these would do that.

Currently we have the following daily driver-ish fleet:
07 Z4M coupe, my baby, it gets parked in the winter.
07 Mazda3 hatch, her baby, has a 2.5 swap from a Fusion, 6 speed, MS3 brakes, Konis, etc. Fun, reliable, kinda loud.
03 Suburban 2500 quadrasteer. Beast of burden for towing race cars and stuff, and what I am driving this winter Then we have an MG, several race cars, etc. Had other winter beaters the past few years, all gone now.

So to sum it up, I want a big, comfy, fast car that I can drive in the winter on normal days (Sub on bad days), that is also capable of running in One Lap.

I've narrowed it down to an E39 M5 or an 03-06 S55 AMG. I have plenty of BMW experience, little Mercedes experience. I know the M5 is more engaging to drive, but after driving an S55 locally, it was very impressive, even aside from having 493hp. From doing lots of research, the S55 actually seems to be more reliable, with really only the active suspension being a real problem, but I can deal with that. They can both fit 275 tires all around, have huge brakes, have massive power, and will be a wonderful place to spend time. The S55 seems to be nicer inside and have more features (cooled seats FTW), but with the lack of a manual trans it won't be as engaging.

It also seems that the S55 can be had in comparable condition for $5k less than the M5. I'd like to spend $15k or less, and for that price, you are getting pretty rough M5s with 140k or more or salvage titles or the carbon build up issue, etc, but S55s that seem pretty clean with around 100k, sometimes less.

I'm looking for a fly and drive anywhere in the south or west, and then bring it back to PA. No more salty cars for me.

So, am I crazy for leaning toward the S55 now?

IMO, an E class AMG is more in line with an M5. The S class is pushing 7 series territory, which is why it's more comfy inside.

No CTS-V?

Oh, man. I'm envious. You're going to have a blast!

I think the S55 - being a higher line car - is going to be the better super long distance cruiser. But the M5 is going to be way better on track. Think of the guys that ran the S600 in Lemons - it was all over the place.

The surprising thing to me is their curb weights are pretty comparable. I've never driven an S55 so I have no idea what the suspension is like. Is it tight like an M5? Or wallowy? Are you planning on suspension upgrades?

Thinking about it, why not test drive an E38 7 series to add to the mix? Not as much power as the S55, but it's more comparable in size, etc. and they've gotten pretty cheap, even in V12 form.

Oh, one thing I forgot about - Mercedes traction control tends to be very intrusive and does not fully disengage even when "off." From second hand information, it can seriously impact the fun of hot laps in one. I don't believe the M5 has that problem.

Either car will put you in Luxury Sedan against some very well prepped and driven M3's. Do you want to compete with those guys or are you doing it for the experience?
You shouldn't have need to carry tires (short of one spare) and either one should be able to haul your stuff. Surviving the transits is more a matter of organization than outright comfort. I'd be tempted by the S55 simply because it's more interesting and if you're running down the order more interesting is more interesting.
Have you checked tire sizes? I'm sure good stuff is available for the M5 but I don't know about the S55. Appropriate brake pads is the other question.
And good luck! It's fun.

Can't comment on the S55, but I did have an E39 for a time and the interior is comfy but not all that spacious. It felt a lot like the C55 I have now, as far as interior dimensions are concerned. I had to look it up but the C55 is actually a little bigger on the inside and a little smaller on the outside than an E39.

On one hand though, BMW parts are easier to get a hold of and cheaper than Merc parts. Especially AMG specific stuff.

V6 ecoboost Taurus SHO

Come on man, go big or go home.

S65 FTW!

captdownshift wrote: V6 ecoboost Taurus SHO

You can get that same motor and AWD in the Flex. At some point in the week you'll want to take a nap at the track and having something you can lay down in is awesome.

In reply to mazdeuce:

But I'd rather be tracking the SHO with some police package bits then lugging around an extra 1,000lb on a softer suspension, higher center of gravity and less stiff chassis.

6 hour drives on the highway? That's what S-classes were made for. Buy the Benz and don't look back.

Sonic wrote: 07 Mazda3 hatch, her baby, has a 2.5 swap from a Fusion, 6 speed, MS3 brakes, Konis, etc. Fun

Sorry to veer off topic, but is there a build thread on this?!? It really sounds like an interesting set up

Between those to the benz gets my vote no question.

Built Olds 403 backed by an enriched 200-4R. I'm talking full-tilt, Eldebrock heads, port injection, EDIS/Megasquirt, the works. Back it with a Ford 8.8 with discs and a Torsen. And put it all in this;

Or just get a 335i. But the Olds would be a lot cooler.

I would go with the Merc.

There are some suppercharged xj Jags floating around that can be had for cheap. They are around 400 hp. This would be a interesting and different ride to consider.

Or go for R type. You can get them in your budget

In reply to Sonic: I have to agree with the Big supercharged Jags. Unlike the past once Ford bought them their reliability improved dramatically and I'm seeing some really buyer friendly prices on them..

Can you find any E60 series M5s in your price range? I test drove one and gotta say, the 500 hp V-10 and 6 speed manual was the bees knees. The seats were REALLY nice and the overall feel was nearly perfect. Mileage was abysmal but so what, it's not a Prius. For track purposes it'd be more than competent.

If you're doing this all for the lark and will keep the car for a few years after I'll also toss out Audi A8/S8. Their AWD is a nice feature in real world driving when the weather is less than ideal.

The E39 M5 is an incredible machine, but its finicky and requires lots of maintenance. Not something I'd want to push on track constantly. The friends I've known that have had that vintage M5 all spent a small fortune keeping them in top tune.

If you're looking for a fast Euro-barge to flog around the track, maybe a naturally aspirated W210 E55 AMG or if you want that Russian gangster look a C43 AMG

You know I can't get anywhere near as detailed on the mechanical side of things as you can, but just some general thoughts. You can handle either car mechanically...after all, you've brought 40 year old Rolls Royces and Citroens back from the dead. So I think it's a wash there between the two. If you're going to keep the car for longer than I usually do...say 3 months ...then you'll probably be happier with the car that's far and away the better cruiser. Your fleet already has super "fun" stuff. Yeah, you'll probably get slower on track lap times than the M5 would, but as you said you're doing One Lap for fun. When that's over, I'd presume it's primary duty will be long distance cruiser and winter commuter (when there's no snow on the ground). While it won't set fast time, I can't imagine the MB would embarrass itself on track. Add in a much cheaper buy in, and I'd agree the Mercedes is the way to go. And hell yeah, cooled seats FTW...they are the best luxury feature ever put into a car.

S55. There are lots of reasons above but here is another.

So you can tell us how you like it. We have lots of M5 experience (as a board) and very little S55. Take one for the team!

In reply to t25torx:

And somebody just happens to have a C55 AMG for sale.

...which I think would be really cool; to have a car go from a "wheeler dealer refurbish" thread to a "I'm doing One Lap" thread.

+1 on the Big Jag XJR. Not at all the M5 but a really cool answer to the question. Have been trying to talk myself out of buying one for some time now. Can't stop looking at them though.