[Steve A]

am i mad?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1500?logcode=p

this looks in great condition and is for nowt.

[Vaheed1]

400bhp V8. Rear wheel drive. Manual. 4/5 seats. Lot's of noise. Cheap as chips.

[MB London]

And it looks like it has a telephone with a cable

[JLR1969]

Have you become a middle aged stock broker.

[dxb335d]

Great car, but way outdated now. It does look old. An E46 M3 looks fresher. Thinking back to some of the cars you have owned Steve, i think you will find it too old!

What else can 11k get you?!

[rogerxp]

I was just admiring one of these outside my office literally 1 hour ago, it was dark blue with black leather, the alloys had been redone I think a dark grey. Looked great; still cuts an imposing figure. There was an RS4 and a new Aston Martin Rapide parked opposite and still looked menacing enough for me to think I could own on of those.

One thing is it'll be virtually depreciation proof at that sort of price so what's to lose?!?!

[JLR1969]

Repair bills!

[F31-340i]

Interesting - I'll have to add one to my list.

Repair wise, what's bad? Vanos? Do they have hyd lifters, or do you have to get the feeler gauge out?

[KadeSdad]

Have Evolve not boosted one of these up to some silly BHP figures?

Looks way dated IMHO!

[Steve A]

Forget the looks for a minute, im not trying to impress anyone. Im thinking fun, fast, great noise, cheap, no depreciation to speak of and if i buy the right car im sure mechanically itll be fine.

Carl ive looked at e46 m3s and for 12k you can get a nice 04 plate with lowish miles. either one would be nice for a change.

Ive had some tasty cars inc m3 and m5 and spent a bloody fortune. im being more sensible with funds at the mo. investing a lot in google which over the last 2 weeeks has made me over 10k in profit.
Im thinking now about maximising my money and still having fun. i dont need to show my wealth anymore. im buying a house in florida and investing elsewhere. loosing mega dough on cars is futile.

[335iLondon]

Lovely looking cars IMO
they are an excellent balance of performance 'menace" or whatever you call it, and subtlety
I would have one in a heart beat if I needed a car that size.
The only reason is the heft of the thing. I would rather a smaller lighter more nimble car.
But depends on your use.
Running costs are likely to be the bigest concern but hey for that price to begin with just keep a little pot of cash aside.

[Kerr]

I've always liked them.

Never driven one but it just looks so classy still.

I see there is a lot available for a lot less too.

[willhollin]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1500?logcode=p

[Steve A]

Originally Posted by 335iLondon

Lovely looking cars IMO
they are an excellent balance of performance 'menace" or whatever you call it, and subtlety
I would have one in a heart beat if I needed a car that size.
The only reason is the heft of the thing. I would rather a smaller lighter more nimble car.
But depends on your use.
Running costs are likely to be the bigest concern but hey for that price to begin with just keep a little pot of cash aside.

with the mileage i do know fuel isnt an issue really so im not to bothered about mechanicals if i buy the right car

Originally Posted by Kerr

I've always liked them.

Never driven one but it just looks so classy still.

I see there is a lot available for a lot less too.

they are a great drive and sound mega, i think they have started to look better. imo the new f10 reminds me of the e39

Originally Posted by willhollin

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1500?logcode=p

nice will, but if i do this its gotta be a fun car so 'M'ust have an 'M' in its title 5 or 3 that i dont know.

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by MB London

And it looks like it has a telephone with a cable

lol

[Palmnuts]

Theres a feature in this months Evo where they pitch and E39 against a new Panamera and something else....not read it yet but I assume the E39 fairs well given they chose to compare it.

At least you won't have to put up with the gearbox of an E60!

[MattOz]

I've had a couple of E39 M5's. First was a '99 pre-facelift and second was an '02 facelift car. Both were fantastic cars. I truly believe that even now they offer an all round driving experience that's almost unbeatable.

The do like a drink, both SUL and Oil, and spare parts can be expensive. Mine both averaged about 20mpg and the majority of my miles were motorway. They're at home driving to Sainsburys as well as blatting round the 'Ring. I'll never forget sitting on the limiter in 6th on an Autobahn for about 12 minutes, 4 up with luggage and in total comfort. Didn't even have to raise voices to chat. Great car.

First one:



Second one:

[JLR1969]

Clean as ever Matt. Looking good mate.

[SteveC]

We all know how to make a small fortune with cars. Start with a large one then buy a new supercar every year.

Last year I got to thinking how I could enjoy great cars but avoid the financial blackhole. Then it dawned on me....old(ish), highly desirable, low mileage cars with large, powerful engines and high emissions.
The majority of people who would normally pay £6k - £20k avoid such a car due to high running costs, while those who can easily deal with the running costs usually buy newer models. So there's this interesting market emerged where one can buy 5-15 year old 'heavy metal' for Ford Focus money. Further depreciation is negligable, tax is high but at £460 its only 'relatively' high, fuel costs are high but you're only doing weekend mileage and you can afford to run it for a year or so then sell up for a maximum couple of grand loss and move on to the next one. For around £5k per year all in you can have a 'new' (to you) supercar every year.

Not only that! The hunt for such cars is great fun....its what I do while eating breakfast and lingering over coffee. And restoring them to pristine condition is also satisfying, usually only requiring some rudimentary detailing and mechanical skills and the willingness to spend a few £Cs on cosmetics

Also worth noting is that depreciation on the high road tax bracket gas guzzling polluters of this world (read 5 litre V8s) has been astronomical over the past few years. That depreciation translates into a very-easy-on-the- pocket prices for used vehicles. The savings available more than offset the extra fuel bills, so get out there and grab them while you can!

So to answer your question, the only indication I see of insanity is your propensity to vote for wasteful spendthrifts. Your ideas on cars seem perfectly sound and the M5 IS a beaut.

[Steve A]

Originally Posted by SteveC

We all know how to make a small fortune with cars. Start with a large one then buy a new supercar every year.

Last year I got to thinking how I could enjoy great cars but avoid the financial blackhole. Then it dawned on me....old(ish), highly desirable, low mileage cars with large, powerful engines and high emissions.
The majority of people who would normally pay £6k - £20k avoid such a car due to high running costs, while those who can easily deal with the running costs usually buy newer models. So there's this interesting market emerged where one can buy 5-15 year old 'heavy metal' for Ford Focus money. Further depreciation is negligable, tax is high but at £460 its only 'relatively' high, fuel costs are high but you're only doing weekend mileage and you can afford to run it for a year or so then sell up for a maximum couple of grand loss and move on to the next one. For around £5k per year all in you can have a 'new' (to you) supercar every year.

Not only that! The hunt for such cars is great fun....its what I do while eating breakfast and lingering over coffee. And restoring them to pristine condition is also satisfying, usually only requiring some rudimentary detailing and mechanical skills and the willingness to spend a few £Cs on cosmetics

Also worth noting is that depreciation on the high road tax bracket gas guzzling polluters of this world (read 5 litre V8s) has been astronomical over the past few years. That depreciation translates into a very-easy-on-the- pocket prices for used vehicles. The savings available more than offset the extra fuel bills, so get out there and grab them while you can!

So to answer your question, the only indication I see of insanity is your propensity to vote for wasteful spendthrifts. Your ideas on cars seem perfectly sound and the M5 IS a beaut.

That's a nice post Steve. It is interesting how cheap some of this tasty metal has become. These top spec M5s of 2002 with heritage leather were £65k they are still highly accomplished cars with amazing engineering. To some like Carl it looks dated, yet i feel in the right colour it still looks purposeful. The main aim would be to have V8 grunt and M dynamics for very little cash or similar thrills.

If i bought a good spec car for 10-11k and i allowed say a maintenance cost of say 1.5 to 2k and sold it in 12 months for 8k, that is really cheap motoring.

My Merc diesel is depreciating at least 500 quid per month and although its a great all round car, that's fast, comfy, economical and reliable its just sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo boring lol.

So i think i've rationalised the idea. So now its time to find a nice high spec 350bhp+ super saloon in great condition.

M3 M5 or C55 maybe and S4? im going to enjoy this search.

[gIzzE]

Originally Posted by Steve A

M3 M5 or C55 maybe and S4? im going to enjoy this search.

Forget the S4, you will soon want your Merc back if you buy that!

Honestly, worse car I have owned, just a complete disappointment in ever respect.


I actually think the M5 is getting cool again, it is starting to feel more classic than old, if it is a good looking, well kept example.

[gIzzE]

Blimey!

Didn't realise E60 M5s were starting at £16k now.

This one at £18k looks nice, bet that would be pretty cheap motoring too.


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...80ab?logcode=p