The perfect gift - BMW M6 (e24)

paul571 · 06-30-2009, 10:27 PM

Dose anyone here own a BMW e24 M6? How dose it compare to a 1988 Carrera in term of drive, performance and cost of ownership. Any known problems and what to look for when buying one?
The reason I am asking is because my wife always love these cars, so I am thinking either to sell or trade my 1988 Carrera for a M6? This would be the 15th year anniversary for my wife.

Am I crazy?

Paul

javadog · 07-01-2009, 03:27 AM

I'd suggest that you find one to drive and not consider any serious looking until you have done so. It's a completely different car to a 911. Lots of them are deferred maintenance nightmares, so finding a good one will be a challenge. Most are well used so it is hard to find one without a ton of miles. You don't want one that will need any serious attention to the engine, as it's even more expensive than working on (or rebuilding) a 911 engine. Lastly, a lot of them were built with weird interior colors (off white is common) so finding a color combination that you like may prove to be a challenge.

JR

onewhippedpuppy · 07-01-2009, 03:49 AM

Is this like the husband that buys his wife a set of tools because "she" needs them? Maybe you'd piss her off less if you bought her a blender?

Does your wife like your 911? Because I know mine sure didn't. Many of the same complaints will transfer to the M6. Compared to a modern car it won't be as comfortable, will have sparse options, will be mechanically temperamental, and is old. We see old as a virtue, but women don't seem to have the same attraction to old cars. If your wife likes interesting old cars, congratulations you've found a pretty cool chick. If not, you're a dead man.

On the upside, an E24 M6 is worth the sacrifice. If you can find a good one, they're seriously cool grand touring cars. Plus they're just dead sexy.

Macroni · Macroni's Garage

I owned a 1986 Euro M6. It is a totally different car from a Carrera. It is a GT w/ 286hp. It is much heavier, slower and considerably less agile. It does sound and look great. I am a little fuzzy on the details but there were engine issues that required a very expensive rebuild. There were also issues w/ the wheels. w/ all that being said if you can get in a the right price [less than $10k] they are fun.

einreb · 07-01-2009, 04:55 AM

There was a guy that used to run an M6 with the Chicago PCA DE days a few years back. It actually made for an impressive track car considering its weight. His main complaint was that the brakes weren't up to snuff for track time, but it was a beautiful car on the track and kept pace just fine with the porchas.

He eventually sold that car and got a Supercharged Dinan e36 m3... and eats most of the porsches and regularly wins the DE.

-Bernie

Nostril Cheese · 07-01-2009, 07:29 AM

Friend of mine had one. I liked it, but there are a lot of parts specific to the car ($$$$) and they are kinda heavy. It's a great cruiser though.

paul571 · 07-01-2009, 09:58 AM

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Yes, my wife dose love our 911, from the way it looks to the way it drives. I am lucky, she is a car person.

The M6 is a car she has always dream of owning. I just thought it would be a nice surprise as an anniversary gift.
Maybe I should stay with jewelry...or driving shool.

Dueller · 01:50 PM

I owned one about 10 yrs ago,,,an 86 euro (small bumpers) M6 that had some Dinan upgrades pushing it to 300+ hp. It was one of my favorite cars ever ever ever. While somewhat heavy, it was not cumbersome. It would suprise some 5.0 mustangs and z28 camaroes. I saw an indicated 155 mph on a long lonely extended stretch one afternoon and the thing was as stable as a rock. Peppier than you woukld think.

Big thing to check is whether valve springs have been upgraded as this was a common and expensive failure point. Also...if the tranny is the least bit balky, walk away. It had a special Gertag transmission that is nearly impossible to get parts for.

As with some german cars of the era, electronics can have gremlins tho I had none with mine.

that being said, there is a prisitine white 635 for sale in this area for under 10K. Around a 100K miles IIRC. Pretty and cheaper to maintain than an M6. You could probably pick it up for 8-8.5K. That way you could keep the 911

No affiliation...here's the link. Been for sale for a while. Looks extremely well kept: http://jackson.craigslist.org/cto/1230939360.html

McLovin · 07-01-2009, 03:43 PM

They were great cars back in the day, but most are pretty worn now, and parts can be very expensive - to a level that makes the cars not worth it to anyone other than diehard M6 fans.