Anyone else own an e39 M5 and Carerra 3.2 Combo?
 

Just wondering your thoughts.

PK ... Acknowledge me and you can't shake me...
Owned 540i 6 speed, 750 il, 528e... Perfect combinations, but my wife frowns on too many cars parked around the house. Interesting was when I owned 928s, a few of us also had older Broncos as well. Strange combo. Should of kept the old Broncos. I spent years restoring a pale yellow 73.

Acknowledged.

I really liked the 928 when it came out. May still own one yet. 928 S4 is a very cool car. But driving this M5 kind of ruins it for every other GT car. I can't see how you could actually improve on it. 911's are so different. They are a sports car and a toy and for me meant to be driven with the top down in the summer. Many disagree. To drive one everyday would take away the thrill of looking forward to summer each year to get the car out.

At one point I had in my driveway, and they were all at the very least nice drivers, a mint 86'535, 88'635 Csi, 84'533, 91'318 Cab, 77'911S Targa and an 84' 911 Cab. Still have the 84' 911 and now the M5 and the 318 wife's car. I Just traded the 77' 911 and the 86' 535 for the M5. I love owning all these cars but the constant repairs on the older cars is overwhelming. I get tired thinking about it. I am happy I am down to one car that I work on and can devote my attention to. I won't touch anything other than oil and brakes on the M. To many systems and electronics in that car. The only way the 84' Cab will leave is when I replace it with a Ferrari 355 Spider or a 360 Spider. Or maybe I will keep them both.

The wife has the 335 and I have the 87 911

Yes.. Ferrari, always in the background of my mind. Lamborghini Gallardo as well. But, deep down, I'm a Bentley kind of guy. It's corny, I know. But, I need to be pampered with handcrafted materials, and now with an Audi platform, you can't go wrong. Love them. Wife thinks I'm nuts. I'll end up buying a used Azure someday. Top down cruising at its finest. Grey Poupon, anyone.

I drove a 355, very nice.

PS. Love M5s, always have.
Rich

I have a E36 M3 and a '84 911, close enough?

Both have their foibles, but I love the feel of driving them enough to put up with them.

Thinking of getting rid of the RSX Type-S just because it's too darn easy to drive.

Siberian, yes...right in the middle close. I hate cars that are too easy to drive. My 4runners going to my kid...so I don't have to put up with it never breaking down on me again.

Welcome to the club.

I have a 2003 e39 5 Speed and a 1984 Targa. Does that count?

I used to have a 2001 E39 M5 along with my '87 3.2 Carrera.

Do you think the M5 so much better that it makes the 911 pointless? I say absolutely not. The M5 is very nice but it's got so much trouble lurking inside because you can't/shouldn't tap into its grunt on the street. Takes only a handfull of seconds to be going WAY faster than is responsible. Has WAY more go power than any fool needs, honestly.

It's a ton of fun but it can drain your wallet fast. Tires, brakes, front wheel bearings, misc unexpected service, oil leaks, clutch, crazy sensitive t-stat, weird electrical gremlins, squeaky rear window shelf,.......... Mine had all of those.

Brakes were a straightforward DIY. Not all that expensive if you buy the cheaper stuff (Centric rotors, Axxis pads) but still not that great- I hate stupid sliding calipers & expect better on a high end car like this. Front wheel bearings are undersized and nearly always go bad. Not a bad job to do but should not be such a common issue on the car.

Misc oil issues with air-oil separators, cam covers, oil level sending unit.

Had a weird ECU issue where my car would not allow EPA testing to access OBD function. Turned out had to take it to the dealer to update the CAN programming. Of course once that was updated, the thing throws a cooling system code and needs the t-stat replaced.

T-stat replacement was a real treat with the umpteen o-rings. What a crappy design by Behr. The cooling system on this engine is a real sensitive system.

Had a post-cat O2 sensor go bad. Thank Goodness for the OBD2 scanner I own. Told me exactly which sensor was faulty. That scanner has paid for itself many a time.....

Clutch was on its last legs. Would get considerable slippage at high rpm quick upshifts. Self adjusting clutch and dual mass flywheel is a hokey design.

Had the weird HVAC control unit and Navigation system gremlins. Also had a crapped out auto-darkening rearview mirror I replaced.

Lots of little BS problems that probably would have driven a non-DIY person crazy. Dude I sold it to loves it to death and should be thankful I attended to many of those annoying issues.

I have loved the 911s because they are so basic and very easy to work on. The whole drivetrain comes out with four bolts (and a bunch of misc disconnects)! Even the tiny stock brakes are fantastic. Engine loves to rev & driving feel is like no other car.

I drove the M5 daily and hadn't driven in the 911 in quite some time. When I got in the 911 I was shocked how closely spaced the G50 gear "gates" are compared to the M5. It took me a few minutes to get re-accustomed to the 911's brakes, shifter, steering and engine. I will say the M5's great low end torque makes the 911 laughable at low rpms. But the 911 is still tons of fun and (obviously) much more nimble than the two ton M5 sedan.

I sold the M5 about 3 years ago when I needed a tow vehicle to tow the '79 racecar I bought to replace the '87 street/track car. Turned out to be a good move because the Suburban carries the kiddos (3 now) & hauls junk in the trunk way better than the M5 did! :D

But I still have good feelings toward the M5. Nice tight feel to everything- steering, brakes, shifter, and a solid thunk when you close the doors. It is an all around excellent car. Can lope around town just like an average 4 door sedan and is a comfortable drive. Unknowing passengers didn't really have any idea it was like a 4 door Corvette until you stomped on the gas. Always would make me grin when the 4 cam V8 would scream when merging or passing on the highway. Warp speed was easy to acheive in that car. Gotta give BMW credit for making a serious supercar in the M5.

Best part was the price of admission. $75K supercar for only $20K. I put a good bit of work into it so it wasn't exactly cheap to own. But it was nice to sell it 3 yrs. later for $20K and "not lose money" so to speak. Definitely could be a big money pit for someone if they get a bad apple and cannot do any of their own work on it.

From what I've heard, the Ferrari (esp. the 355) will take your repair malaise to a whole new level. I too have been constantly tempted to get an old Ferrari, but whenever that happens I'm reminded of what a great car the 911 really is.

C55 AMG and 3.2 '88 here. Decided on the C55 over the E39 M5 due to repair costs...Mercedes generally just uses displacement rather than VANOS and other tricks to get their power, removing complexity and failure points in the process. BMW electronics (dash especially) seemed weak as well per other owners and my own experience with an E46 M3.

- Matthew

Close, E39 540i Sport/6MT owner for 10 years 232k miles, still going strong on original clutch, echo Kevin's sentiments on weak cooling system, on 3rd radiator but not that difficult to work on.
I've done suspension, wheel bearings and cooling system.
The handling is great for a 3800lb car esp. after adding Bilsteins.
Just made the natural progression to the 550i Sport 6MT, with 360hp/360 ft lbs, there is plenty of torque even in 6th gear for insane passing speeds. Can't beat it for carrying 5 people in comfort and luxury yet return 20+ mpg at 80-90 cruising speeds.
The 540/550 are awesome daily drivers. The 911 is a purer driving experience, I have no a/c, heat or radio in my '74 as it's all about the driving, with manual steering and manual brakes. It leaves a smile on my face every time I drive it but unless you own one, the average person would not appreciate its rawness.

I have a clapped out 2002 Odyssey after giving my wife the Turbo Beetle, son the 1.8 Passat and the daughter the mighty warrior - 2000 Corolla.

Plus my Porsche is an 81.

Why TF am I posting here?

KTL. Just for clarification I wasn't comparing the M5 to the 911, I was comparing it to other sedans.

I have heard that about the 355 as well. It is a bucket list car that goes back as far as me at 4 years old. Most likely I will tick it off then go back to a 911. I don't mind the expense and time to work on one car but 3 or 4 is too much. Most of those cars I mentioned earlier that I owned were cars from the past that I always wanted to own when I could afford it. That trip is done now so moving on to one real nice one at a time. At least that is the plan for now.

With over 5000 posts you have earned the right to post whatever, whenever and wherever you friggin want to.

Close.

Check my sig. :

I've got both in the Garage....

A 2002 E39, just turned 56k. Had it for the last two years. The performance for the money is stunning. Have had a few small gremlins....replaced the fuel purge valve (DIY) a couple of wheel speed sensors (also DIY), and a full service......belts, filters, plugs, etc (and again DIY). When I had the plenum off to change the purge valve, the throttle bodies and associated mechanism reminded me of jeweler-level machine work. The driving experience is a world away from my 84 Carrera. Performance capabilities way beyond appropriate for the street. It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Can't imagine replacing it with anything short of spending $50 - 75k plus.

Had my 3.2 since 1989.....so it fits lit a well worn shoe. A rebuild/hotrod about a decade ago with euro pistons, custom cams, fancy valve job, steve wong non-O2 euro chip, B@B headers and dual-out exhaust, etc. The 911 is loud, reasonably quick, and has gotten plenty of track time when I volunteer as a HPDE instructor. It's probably gone close to 300k in total.....the odometer broke sometime in the late 90s and I never got around to fixing it. :eek:

With the mods, however, the 911 has become somewhat objectionable to the modern American female (with a few notable exceptions). The M5 however, appeals to every lady who gets a ride once I have run it up to 7000 in third!!

Have to say I think it's close to the perfect combination for two vehicles for $40k to $50k total.

Your mileage (and opinion), of course may vary!

Heh heh. Thanks.

One word. Beer. :-)

I couldn't agree more with your summary. My Wife loves it, and she can drive it when I reluctantly give her the keys. Mine has 135km on it. It Gets few looks from people other than the ones that know what it is. My 911 Cab on the other hand stops people young and old dead in their tracks. People want to talk about it! The power of the M5 makes me want more out of the 911 so I am considering my options on that at the moment. I can honestly say though that the M5 would go before the 911, without a doubt. It is just more overall fun.

84 911 and e60 m5 here