Ideal non-pork 2nd car?

[Neil Haughey]

Got the itch for a change, been looking on pistonheads, autotrader etc. etc. been thinking for the last year about my next barge and settled my targets on, wait for it.




..an E34 M5 3.8 litre. £5K to £6K buys a decent one these days. Anyone have experience of these or for that matter what do you think of my choice? or do you have a different target in your sights?

Cheers, Neil

 

[RC18B 911 turbo]

A nice car to drive, reasonably quick, nice cound from the Straight 6, fairly good handling and looks really nice how a proper BMW should look if you ask me. Although at the Dealership I work out we have 2 that seem to be very regularly in with various issues.

 

[James_G]

Cracking choice. Good friend of mine ran one for 18 months, which was Calypso red, cloth interior and no rear spoiler so was the ultimate Q car. If I remember correctly his was a six speed and therefore also had the elctronic dampers. These are savagely expensive (circa £500 a corner IIRC), so check them carefully. Later models had the ability to adjust the damper rating, with a dash control, which is presumably more desirable and I believe is called the Nurburgring package or something to that effect.

However his servicing bills made my ones for the S2 look like pocket change and his was a low mileage one, I think he sold it on at 77k miles. There was a service in there that required setting the valve clearances which meant leaving the car at the specialist for two days! Although that may be because the engine needed to be stone cold. He used Munich Legends down here in sunny Sussex, who have a good reputation for the older M cars.

Interestingly this was around the time that I bought my 330i Sport and a few weeks after I let him take it for a lunch time drive he turned up at work in an E39 540i manual, on the premise that he was made an offer on the M5 that he couldn't refuse. I don't believe hime though, I think he just fancied leather seats....[]

Of course if you get an early one, then you will permanently feel like you're in the car chase from Ronin. No bad thing.....

Good luck.

 

[mik_ok]

Yummy [8D] 3.8 is of course the one to have, and the cars have a fabulous reputation for tactility. I've heard scare stories of big bills, but not researched extensively.

 

[hamzamian]

I don't know much about them myself but i know a bunch of people that do....

ask the chaps over a MTorque... lots of M car knowledge over there and they're a nice bunch too (its how i found this place actually). www.mtorque.co.uk

(Hope its ok to post that link, apologies if its not the done thing)

 

[appletonn]

I've always fancied one of those 3.8s too - just make sure the chains etc have been done as that is a big job £££s.

Munich Legends do have an excellent reputation and I had a few discussions with them when i was looking at buying an E30 M3 a few years ago - got a 964 instead[]

 

[morris944s2john]

Non Pork 2nd car. My practical solution for this is to go completely the opposite in terms of performance, costs, everything really apart from also being a classic (both Pork and non portk feature in Practical classics price guides).

 

[edh]

It's a great car - check the dampers though - IRO £1k per corner to replace!

Several of my mates have (or have had) these cars - I had a great ride round the ring in one last year. I'd say more than "reasonably quick" with well over 300bhp []

Built very well, interiors stand up to wear, heavy on fuel, brakes & tyres - fantastic engine (wish the 44 had a six!). I think it would cost you a lot to run as an every day car

 

[appletonn]

ORIGINAL: morris944s2john

Non Pork 2nd car. My practical solution for this is to go completely the opposite in terms of performance, costs, everything really apart from also being a classic (both Pork and non portk feature in Practical classics price guides).

Love that - I quite fancy one of those travellers but with a 1.8l K series conversion, modern brakes and suspension but outwardly standard looking[]

 

[MarkK]

Pug 205 1.9 gti,cheap,fun(bigtime),reliable(ish),seats fold down in the back if you want to use it as a van[]

 

[Wigeon Incognito]

E34 M5 - very tasty!!

In a very different vein, I'm saving for a Mercedes W123 280CE to complement my S2 as an alternative daily driver. I drove a few over Christmas and can't get them out of my head for some reason; such stately, solid, and relaxed machines.

 

[sawood12]

ORIGINAL: James_G

Of course if you get an early one, then you will permanently feel like you're in the car chase from Ronin. No bad thing.....

Good luck.

I thought the car in Ronin was an Audi S8.

M5's are lovely no matter which model, however one of the plus points of the 944 is that they are relatively cheap to run, other high performance cars tend not to be. I've been thinking about a second car recently as well, not to replace the 944, but to be the family wagon so am not necessarily looking for sportyness. I've been considering an '04 ish 4.2ltr Audi Allroad. They are dirt cheap because no-one can afford to run large petrol engines anymore - that is where the LPG conversion comes in. However at around 10mpg the fuel costs are looking pretty expensive - even at LPG prices. But I do like the idea of a juicy 4.2ltr v8 upfront.

Anyway Neil - I was reading a report today about the new Saab with the fancy 4wd system they've been developing - the one that beat the 997 turbo in a slalom race. I thought you'd be cashing in the equity on your house to get one of those!!

 

[James_G]

ORIGINAL: sawood12

ORIGINAL: James_G

Of course if you get an early one, then you will permanently feel like you're in the car chase from Ronin. No bad thing.....

Good luck.

I thought the car in Ronin was an Audi S8.

There's an S8 in Ronin too, with nitrous if I remember but the infamous home cinema demonstration car chase scene is between an E34 M5 3.6 (although in a few scenes it's actually a 530i, tch!) and a Peugeot 406. There's also a big old Merc S class too, confusingly a 450SEL 6.9. No 944s though[]

 

[Neil Haughey]

ORIGINAL: sawood12


Anyway Neil - I was reading a report today about the new Saab with the fancy 4wd system they've been developing - the one that beat the 997 turbo in a slalom race.  I thought you'd be cashing in the equity on your house to get one of those!!

The technology is very impressive, and the performance just shows they have some brilliant engineers. However I have promised myself that after the "experience" of a modern Saab the only one I would buy again would be a classic 900 turbo. BTA I have been there and done that already + the chances of finding a puka one that isn't a rot box is next to zero. The problem with Saab is that at the end of the day you are buying basically a GM vectra with nicer seats, nicer looks but not much else BUT at premium prices.

They look cheap secondhand but my 10K miles a year over 3.5 years has cost me almost 4 grand in bills and either myself or my brother did a lot of the work. Never ever again. It costs less to run a 944.

I fancy something different and really want something that is an enjoyable drive rather then having to be very fast. I couldn't face the depression of driving round in a diesel eurobox. I would rather cycle to work.

I don't need to do a lot of miles because I need to use the S2 more so if I get an M5 it will do maybe 6K or 7K a year.

The thing that attracts me to the E34 M5 in particular is that they are within the capabilities of a home mechanic for a lot of the work, and that engine is one of the nicest best sounding motors ever made.

 

[appletonn]

Neil, the other advantage of the M5 is that they have now reached the bottom the their depreciation curve, so even if the maintenace costs a bit, you are not having to fund £200 per month on depreciation, which you would if you bought a s/h Ford Focus for instance!

Ronin - love that film almost as much as Rendevous with that ficticious Ferrari engine soundtrack[]

 

[sawood12]

Though the brakes on any M5 need upgrading as in true M5 tradition the brakes are rubbish. On every track session i've ever seen or read about that involvs a BMW the brakes are usually shot after a couple of laps. It was the same in a recent Evo test comparing the new M3, 911GT3 and the new Nissan GT-R. The M3 only managed one lap before the brakes totally gave up.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Friend of mine took me out in his new M5 last weekend. He's now contacting the guy who he beat to the dealer, and offering it to him at cost. His E34 - recently had a full suspension overhaul by Munich Legends, low mileage, full history - has not sold and he has decided that it is by far a more enjoyable car to drive.

I must admit, with the full 500BHP, seat bolsters that clamp you in the bends, and unbelievable grip I appreciated the new car. Over a few miles I got the impression it was soul-less, over-powered, over-specced and had way too much electronic trickery. It's sad to say that, if this is the way cars have reached their peak, I'd rather see progress go back a couple of generations.

Buy the early M5, expect it to cost a fair but not excessive amount to run, and you'll wonder why you ever owned a Saab.

PS - want a new M5? Black, piano black interior, all the tricks, as much use in the real world as a chocolate fireguard.....[&o]

 

[georgethackray]

My second car is an X reg Ford Mondeo Estate, 1.8 Diesel. Believe me, when you've done a few miles in this car, you really appreciate the Porsche!

 

[TK2015]

I ran an E34 M5 for about 18 months a few years ago. A truly fantastic car. I had it maintained by Munich Legends despite the fact that I live 2 1/2 hours away. They really know their older M-cars.

The M5 handles brilliantly and has a great, linear power delivery, takes 4 people in comfort and does not attract much attention on the road. However, as others have pointed out, the electronic dampers that were part of the Nurburgring handling package are extremely expensive to replace and even normal servicing can be costly. Oh, and if you use the performance the M5 can guzzle fuel (I sold mine when I put £184 of fuel - at 85p/litre - into the tank in one week [] )

Although the E34 M5's are getting quite cheap to buy this brings its own problems as many have been bought by people who could not afford to look after them properly. It is well worth looking for one that has been owned by an enthusiast.

 

[diabloam]

My daily runner is an M plate clio 16v, I have had it for 8 years, had the engine out three times (easiest way to do the belt) written it off twice and bought it back (always cosmetic damage but never bent), great day to day runner, not spectacular fast but very nippy round built up areas and cause its been written off twice I am currently 4k in profit from it, fantastic. They are great fun, not much slower than a williams (less torque though, needs plenty revs). Thought about an M5 before got my 944, but like someone mentioned they are slighly faceless and lacking soul. Think the earlier ones are more loveable long term although there is no doubting the full bifter 400bhp later models are a very impressive piece of engineering. Whats everybody elses daily runner as get the impression that like me most people use thier 944's as second cars/toys