You Need This: E39-Chassis BMW M5 for $6000?

The perfect color is black, but the blue is a good second choice.

Looks like a good option for someone. Buy now, they're not making any more of these and they're a high water mark for the M cars like the E30 M3.

So are they extreme exotic maintenance or just normal BMW performance maintenance $$$$?

They're pretty modest when it comes to maintenance. The main issues are usually related to the suspension/driveline components— the engines themselves are fairly stout. I had a 2000 M5 that I bought for $7000 last year, and while it needed a fair bit of work it was all quite affordable. The trick with these cars is to DIY as much as possible, because while their purchase prices have gotten cheaper, BMW mechanic rates haven't gotten any lower.

It varies. The E39 parts are reasonable. The M5 parts, not necessarily. The dual VANOS service, for example, is a serious piece of work that requires an experienced mechanic and quite a collection of parts. But front control arms and bushings are quite attainable. Don't even think about replacing one of those rear wheels.

I'm glad I don't pay someone else to care for mine. But I don't begrudge the work, because they're special cars. Far different from a 540i Sport, no matter what people try to tell you.

What do we think it will sell for? Less than $10,000?

It'll crack five figures. I'm gonna say $12-14k.

Keith Tanner wrote: It varies. The E39 parts are reasonable. The M5 parts, not necessarily. The dual VANOS service, for example, is a serious piece of work that requires an experienced mechanic and quite a collection of parts. But front control arms and bushings are quite attainable. Don't even think about replacing one of those rear wheels. I'm glad I don't pay someone else to care for mine. But I don't begrudge the work, because they're special cars. Far different from a 540i Sport, no matter what people try to tell you.

Eh, the Vanos on an M5 isn't that hard to deal with. I've taken it apart in my M5, it's quite simple. I also re-soldered the Vanos circuit board to fix a non-working solenoid.

But then again, I have a lot of experience with this stuff... I've rebuilt the chain guides in 10 M62/M62tu engines, as well as replacing rod bearings in an S62. All you need are the right tools and some patience.

Did you do the full service? Just popping out the circuit boards and soldering isn't that big a deal, but getting into all the various seals makes it an approximate 12 hour job. That's a fair piece of work by most standards. And maybe I'm just some hack, but I found the packaging to be tight and access limited. Not a job for a novice.

I'll call you to do it if I ever have to go in there again

I've got m62tu timing guides in line to tackle. Looking forward to conquering another thing people say is 'hard'. I watched a youtube video of it and it only seemed 20-25% stupider than 'normal' engines. I have no friggin idea how AllData came up with a labor estimate of 35 hours... but i sure wish i could get away with billing for it! lol

Keith Tanner wrote: Did you do the full service? Just popping out the circuit boards and soldering isn't that big a deal, but getting into all the various seals makes it an approximate 12 hour job. That's a fair piece of work by most standards. And maybe I'm just some hack, but I found the packaging to be tight and access limited. Not a job for a novice. I'll call you to do it if I ever have to go in there again

Yeah, the full service. Beisan Systems had a guide that made it pretty easy to do. Access really isn't that bad if you remove a few things first, like the cooling hoses and whatnot. I've also rebuilt about a dozen M62tu Vanos units, that's a lot of fun too, involving 300-400ft-lbs of force to press the new seals into the units.

Vigo wrote: I've got m62tu timing guides in line to tackle. Looking forward to conquering another thing people say is 'hard'. I watched a youtube video of it and it only seemed 20-25% stupider than 'normal' engines. I have no friggin idea how AllData came up with a labor estimate of 35 hours... but i sure wish i could get away with billing for it! lol

It's really not a hard job, just very labor intensive. The time estimate is actually not too far off, based on my experience. It's a lot of disassembly and reassembly— valve covers, upper timing covers, cooling system, water pump, alternator, lower timing cover, crank bolt, chain guides, Vanos units, OSV, etc. And all the "while you're in there" stuff adds up too, like resealing the valley pan gasket and intake manifold. Timing the M62tu can be quite tricky too, you need the correct tools and a high level of precision or else you'll get the dreaded P0011/P0021 timing codes after the job is completed.