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I'm thinking of trading in my S4 to get into an E46 M3, or maybe a non-M 3. I used to have an E30 325is, and I'm hoping for something that feels a little more like that than what I have now. I'd like to drive a nice, naturally aspirated I6 with a hydraulic steering rack while I still can. On the E46 M3, how bad of an idea is the convertible? I live in Virginia, so I'm not too worried about being buried in snow all year, but the 325i convertible I had after the 325is had terrible seals and was kind of flexy. I don't drive on the track, but it would be nice to have as an option down the road -- does the vert preclude that? Is there anything I should know about the E46 model maintenance/reliability wise? I'm out of practice, but I did most of the work on my E30s, so if the E46 isn't too complicated I think I could hang. I'd really love to get into an E92 M3 (that engine sound...), but that's probably a bit much for now. Otherwise, where's the sweet spot in non-M 3's? I'm looking somewhere around $20k and planning on a manual transmission no matter what. I'd avoid the convertible on anything but the M3. I test drove a 128i that reminded me a lot of my E30, how are those? Sorry for all the questions, I've been out of the BMW loop for a decade or so. There's also this high mileage Z4 M roadster on a lot nearby that's very tempting...
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May 14, 2015 23:01
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Awesome, I was sort of hoping this thread would help talk me into an M3; I liked the 1 but I'd rather avoid all the electronic doodads where possible (too many of those in my S4). Thanks for all the advice guys, I think I'm going to go check out an E46 M3 and a Z4M roadster this weekend. M3 coupes with a manual are loving impossible to find, by the way.
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May 15, 2015 21:19
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GentlemanofLeisure posted:Don't be impatient and get a vert/smg combo or you'll hate yourself and your car. The reason they seem to be impossible to find is because most people with vert/smg cars are trying to sell them! Yeah, within a couple hundred miles of me there are several vert manuals, but coupes are out there and I'm not in a hurry. I'd sooner buy a different car with a manual than anything with that SMG. I do have a feeling that Z4M is gonna be pretty tempting though. Edit: I do wish so many sellers with SMGs wouldn't list them as manuals 
the milk machine fucked around with this message at 22:03 on May 15, 2015 |
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May 15, 2015 21:58
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Ormy posted:SMG pumps aren't even that expensive. At least drive an SMG before you decide you don't want one; I loved mine. I've driven one... it's not that bad, but I know I'd go nuts driving in traffic around here (which can be pretty bad).
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May 16, 2015 19:27
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Hypothetically, how bad of an idea would a 2008 M3 with 160k miles be in terms of random expensive/involved M-related maintenance? Hypothetically.
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May 27, 2015 05:19
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Hey thread. Thanks for answering my questions recently. I ended up finding a one owner E39 M5, and I just got it home through about two hours of pouring rain. That part was a little stressful, but downshifting to 4th going through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel with the windows down was pretty much a transformative experience. Looking forward to more time with this thing.
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Jun 2, 2015 02:34
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Oh right, haha. It was dark and still raining by the time I got home, so I just rehosted these from the dealer's website. It's a 2001 (9/2000 build), and I'm the second owner and it has 58k miles. The interior is nearly new looking, and the only typical E39 or M5 problem is dead pixels in the cluster display and a very faint VANOS rattle on a cold start that goes away pretty quickly.     I traded in a 2010 Audi S4, and this thing is both more fun and more comfortable at the same time. I'm very excited. Edit: I'd really hate to drill into the front bumper to mount a front plate (stupid Virginia)... can anyone recommend a bracket or something? I would just chance it, but I use the toll roads around here enough that I'd just get busted eventually. the milk machine fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Jun 2, 2015 |
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Jun 2, 2015 02:56
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I'm pretty sure it was a company car based on the carfax. Final price was $25k + TTL. I was looking for M3s in the low 20s, but when this popped up relatively close I figured it was ok to stretch a bit.
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Jun 2, 2015 03:16
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Brock Landers posted:Depends. I think the state is $30 plus court fees so figure around $100. If you're stopped in Fairfax County add $350 to that, plus their court fees. Yep, I work in Fairfax county. Thanks for the plate bracket recommendations everybody.
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Jun 2, 2015 12:56
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Thanks for the advice. I'm planning on doing oil and checking the filters this weekend, so I'll be on the lookout.
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Jun 2, 2015 16:09
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Ormy posted:Congrats, it's lovely! And yes, tunnels are the best thing. Gonna get rid of the mufflers? Thanks, I'm a big fan. Hopefully this summer, plus maybe an x-pipe.
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Jun 3, 2015 15:12
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As for cupholders, I got a pair of these for my E39: http://www.ultimatecupholders.com I tried several other options back in my E30 days but these are great and actually work.
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Jul 8, 2015 00:48
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That BMW shark nose is just the best. Nice find.
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Jul 9, 2015 01:23
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Has anyone here done spark plugs and/or belt tensioners on a V8 E39 before? Both need to be done on my M5 and I'm trying to figure out whether I can do them myself or should just pay a shop. Doing the plugs looks tedious and hard to reach, but not too bad with the right tools and socket extensions. I've done plugs on a WRX before, surely this can't be much worse, right? Any thoughts? I'm also planning to do rear brakes and new fluids in the diff and transmission.
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Jul 15, 2015 17:52
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Cool thanks. I have the E39 Bentley manual, but it doesn't cover the M5. The plugs and tensioners don't look wildly different between the M62 and S62, so I'm feeling confident-ish.
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Jul 15, 2015 17:58
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Two E39 M5 questions! 1) I've heard of a simple fix for dead pixels in the instrument cluster display. Does anyone have a link? Do I just buy one of these? http://www.pixelfix.net/eng/bmw.html 2) I occasionally get slight squeaks like birds chirping when going over small bumps or potholes. My mechanic said he checked the bushings and suspension and didn't see anything. Any ideas what this could be?
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Sep 11, 2015 18:12
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Infinotize posted:As someone who got annoyed with my ZHP at how often something minor broke on it, how dumb would I be to try to buy an e39 M5? Although the twist is it would be only a fun car and I have a reliable daily already. i've had an e39 m5 for ~5 years or so in the latest of a string of old bmws and it's my "daily driver" though i don't commute or drive a bunch these days in my experience it's been fairly solid other than a major issue: the vanos valve timing solenoids are ticking time bombs and are very expensive to replace. you'll want to find one with proof that it's been done already and/or you should budget several thousand dollars to have them done eventually. my mechanic works on a lot of older bmws and daily drives an e39 m5; he says he sees them like clockwork between 70-100k miles. i personally can't speak to the viability of diy but even just the parts were quite expensive and had to be shipped from germany. other than those extremely major things the car has been fairly painless. the couple of e30s i drove for awhile back in the day were much more finicky in terms of minor day-to-day things, but there are some issues that may or may not bother you that i understand are fairly common for e39s, m5 or not, that age: - the auto-dimming rearview mirrors tend to break and/or leak and the easiest fix is just to clean the liquid out so the dimming feature stops working, and there's no lever to flip the mirror up/down at night - the instrument cluster led screen tends to get flaky due to bad solder joints or something, so its legibility will vary through the seasons - the "fancy" entertainment/nav system sounds fine but is not easily replaced or bypassed due to its use of a custom amp that lives in the trunk. last i looked into it people were replacing it by just taking it all out and running new speaker wires. i have a $10 cigarette lighter bluetooth fm adapter that works ok and put my phone on a mount if i need gps, but getting the "infotainment" system up to anything modern seems like a commitment - the electrics can start to get a little funky with cars this old. mine is fine but i do get some phantom "check side light" and similar warnings on occasion. - tires and some parts aren't cheap but it's an m car, so - the rear seats don't fold and there's no passthrough (maybe some have a ski passthrough? i haven't bothered looking at mine) but again it's an m car so presumably you're not shopping for cargo space. the trunk itself is fairly spacious - there's no spare and there's not really any space for one unless you just want to have it in the trunk; i think there's a special donut you can buy that fits over the brake calipers. the bmw solution was a can of fix-a-flat and an electric pump. - usual old bmw stuff like bits of trim breaking, gaskets drying out, things getting a bit loose, etc. - you'll get 10-12mpg around town unless you drive it like a grandma, in which case you'll get 13 mpg, and best case maybe 22 on the highway, but again, it's an m5 this is my first but to me it seems like many m cars, there are some things that will cost you a whole lot of money in maintenance, but otherwise it's more or less like most other bmws of that age. which can also be good or bad. i got burned by the vanos solenoids but dollars aside, it's the best car i've ever driven and i have no clue what i would even replace it with if i get tired of it. maybe it's stockholm syndrome. e: i was looking for an e46 m3 with a 6mt when i happened upon a good deal on this. that would be even better in many ways, but when i was looking they were already basically impossible to find. the milk machine fucked around with this message at 01:57 on Dec 17, 2022 |
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Dec 17, 2022 01:25
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Infinotize posted:Wow thank you for that! Honestly that’s about as bad or even a little less bad than I was expecting. Maintenance record would be a big deal as price wise I would be looking at well over 100k mile cars. to me, it feels pretty decent even on rough roads. i'm no expert but the chassis feels more supple than the e46s i've been in. it's definitely not a comfortable v8 cruiser but i've never found myself thinking the ride is particularly rough. i had an e39 528 back in the day and it had a very similar ride; i don't think they harshed up the m5 very much.
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Dec 17, 2022 17:38
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Intermittent ABS/traction control warnings accompanied by dead speedo are almost certainly a dying wheel speed sensor, right? e39 m5 if that's relevant Also, shaking through the steering wheel at ~45mph, is that upper control arms or "thrust arms" or whatever bmw calls them?
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Mar 5, 2023 01:30
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Is it only at 45 mph? If so it’s unlikely to be thrust arm bearings. The test is to lightly brake - you should feel some shimmy in the wheel - and then brake harder - it should go away. You should also feel general looseness, wandering, tram lining etc in the front end. hmm yeah, the front end feels pretty normal, it's just got a signficant shake at 45-50. the tires are about a year old, maybe a balancing weight fell off or something
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Mar 6, 2023 18:05
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i have ordered a bluebus as an alternative to totally replacing the infotainment in my e39 m5. everything i've found about doing so in cars with the DSP amp says it requires rewiring the system  so this could be good
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Apr 3, 2023 01:16
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i posted this in response to someone asking a very similar question. ymmv:the milk machine posted:i've had an e39 m5 for ~5 years or so in the latest of a string of old bmws and it's my "daily driver" though i don't commute or drive a bunch these days it's a 20 year old bmw so you take the bad with the good. other than the vanos solenoids it's been very reliable for me, but those two parts are a big deal
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Apr 3, 2023 20:57
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:if your VANOS units go you just fix em. yeah true. it’s kinda cool when they’re busted because the car sounds like a really lovely antique tractor or something. they should wire in a switch to make it like that on purpose
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Apr 4, 2023 16:56
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welp, I posted about my car being mostly reliable and 24 hours later I’m pretty sure my alternator is dead. another lesson in owning an old bmw.
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Apr 4, 2023 18:08
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Popete posted:Your water pump is lurking I won’t say anything about the entire cooling system at all. It’s not to be spoken of
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Apr 4, 2023 19:02
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does anyone have opinions on exhaust "upgrades" for the e39 m5? i don't get much highway mileage but i don't want too much of a drone. i'm tempted to do the muffler delete but i heard that can be very obnoxious. i'd like it to be at least a li'l obnoxious, let the s62 sing a bit, but i don't want to be "that guy" in the neighborhood either
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Apr 22, 2023 22:52
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Big Taint posted:One of these days I’m gonna take the time to make a muffler delete for mine, will keep the mufflers for when I need to be classy. I will price it out and I could make two if you’re down. Prob would make it with Chevy bowtie tips or something tho gotta keep the purists uncomfortable. lmao this sounds pretty awesome actually muffler delete seems like the way to go i've just never been able to hear one in person and youtube exhaust comparison videos are hilariously bad
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Apr 23, 2023 22:30
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my e39 decided that the abs and traction control dont work (probably dead wheel speed sensor(s) i guess) so now it’s just like an f1 car
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May 5, 2023 16:02
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this is loving gorgeous
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May 12, 2023 22:30
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I received my bluebus and got it hooked up and now I have modern bluetooth functionality in my 2001 car, it’s been great to ditch the fm adapter 
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Jun 21, 2023 04:39
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the e36 got a lot of poo poo but the body style has aged sooooooooooo nicely
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Jun 22, 2023 16:10
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Ether Frenzy posted:I don't know where else are you going to find aberrations like this (besides LA Craigslist)? what in tarnation 
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Jun 25, 2023 06:04
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yeah i would fuckin love an m5 wagon but there’s no way i would/could ever justify spending 130k or whatever on a car unless i had lotto winner money or something
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Jun 28, 2023 02:45
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bmw make the m van
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Jun 28, 2023 18:23
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i you care at all about trunk space beyond fitting some highly specific item in it, do not get the convertible. you'll be able to do a couple of carry-on size roller bags and a couple of smaller bags best case
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Jul 16, 2023 16:03
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could be off-lease vehicles as well. around here 85% of new bmws are obviously leased (silver, few options, weird things like xdrive, etc)
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Aug 2, 2023 22:10
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my first bmw was an 89 325is (automatic unfortunately  ), black with tan interiorwonderful car, a real pleasure to drive
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Aug 3, 2023 18:48
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KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:Idk where you are that xdrive is a weird option, but I think most people in the Northeast check that box when ordering just weird in the sense that I don't really like it  and it's not necessary here
the milk machine fucked around with this message at 18:09 on Aug 6, 2023 |
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Aug 6, 2023 18:04
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my m5 has recirculating ball and it's fun to steer. beats the poo poo out of any modern electric power steering system i've tried
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Aug 21, 2023 17:26
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the correct choice is obviously the real and genuine wood trim in my e39. nothing says "cool 90s business man" like black leather and polished wood trim and a shifter that's almost rally car height; too bad mine doesn't have the mobile phone package to really complete the look
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Aug 25, 2023 15:44
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