preach (dudeist priest) said:
I did not have the time to preach the Cayman enough when I posted.
5 times from NH to San Diego 3300 miles+ in the thing. I am not talking E36 M3.
My wife, the second 10hour day of driving, said"this car is amazing" I asked why and she said "2 long days and my ass does not hurt".
We crushed the Tail of the Dragon a couple times with a full load front and rear.
I might be the Frenchy of Porsche but prove me wrong. 3300 miles, 77mph average, no issues, and a happy wife...
The hardest thing about the Cayman: Which color to get? (Trick question as there's no wrong answer.)
Do E39s crack subframe mounts like the E46 does ?
I've driven a Cayman S, it was really impressive but then for the money it should be, and it's not the answer for 4 passengers. This thread has prompted an image search of E39s on 3 piece wheels and it seems pretty easy to make those cars look great.. all the ones I used to see had awful multicolor angel eye lights and pep boys wings.
Trivia: the E39 M5 is the original application of angel eyes as well as the originator of the Sport button. I have not "upgraded" mine, but E39 owners can get quite excited about optics. The original lights are crazy expensive so there are lots of cheap drop-ins on the aftermarket. These things are basically the equivalent of a German Impala, so the worldwide market is a lot bigger than we think.
I don't think they have subframe mount problems, but I have heard of the rear sway bar mounts ripping off. The aftermarket provides.
I've never heard of subframe mount issues on the E39 (or E38) either. Sway bar mounts are an E39 specific issue, I think. For E38s, the 740iL and 750iL have pretty small rear bars and I've never heard of mount failures. The 740i short wheelbase (with and without sport package) has no rear sway bar at all.
The sway bars may be an M5-specific issue.
It's not the mounts, it's the brackets. Permanently solvable problem with thicker steel brackets from Beastpower for $120. I went with some steel ebay ones for $40 personally because I was feeling cheap, no problems yet.
E39 M5 definitely eats up highway miles effortlessly, but I wouldn't call it a slightly bigger E46 M3 at all. The character of those cars is completely different. I own both right now and they complement each other really well. The E46 is a real sports car, especially with some mods and a couple hundred pounds lost, the E39 is a great torquey road car.
In reply to repoman :
Agreed on the characterization.
dannyp84 said: I'm not trying to buy anything, I'd just like to hear some of your experiences.
The S60R is nice but gets uncomfortable after around hour four. I literally could drive an RX-7 all day long. They're just very nice places to be.
They don't hold four people, but it's not THEIR car.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
When I bought mine there were probably 25 for sale in Souther California all colors. I took less options for Cobalt Blue. I was berkeleying stunned when I saw it in person.
My longest trip in it was 47xx miles from San Diego to New Hampshire. I drove some fantastic roads.
I regret not paying attention to my average speed when I did the Coronaball Run 2x in 2020. I bet it beat my first drive home. There were no cars and no enforcement. I am not saying I did the right thing, but I did the right thing.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
The furthest I've gone in my FB is probably from WV's northern panhandle all the way down the Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville. Back then I didn't have a fixed bucket seat in the car yet, and though the factory seat was worn out, I was reasonably comfortable. I also drove my FC home from Texas and was comfortable till I tried to sleep in it..
My answer to the problem.
It doesn't have 200HP, but I really like my Volvo 850 whether on highways or more interesting roads. The seats have a good shape to them, the suspension is reasonably firm, and the five-speed makes it more engaging. It's a good size for what I normally do in a car.
My Chrysler 300 V6 isn't as much fun, but it has passed a few surprise handling tests (suicidal deer, stupid commuter tricks, etc) with good marks. Being 28 years newer, it actually beats the 850 on highway MPG. And a take-down mobility scooter fits in the trunk along with a couple of suitcases.
