I decided to set up a new ownership thread to update you all on my adventures / perils (hopefully not) with my newly acquired beast! I purchased the car on New Year's Eve Dec 2022 with approximately 26K miles on the clock, a 2016 model in Tanzanite blue with Silverstone 2 extended merino leather. This was after a year of searching for my M and figuring out what I wanted, which at times must have seemed like I hadn't a clue, swinging from initially looking at E93 convertible M3s, then convertible M4s, a Sakhir orange F10 M5 Competition before being guided by this forum down the AUC route where I initially targeted a white M5, negotiating heavily with the dealer when this one came up and I registered my interest early. Then a ride on the emotional rollercoaster, a decison to proceed with the purchase, followed by a huge wave of buyer's remorse that peaked the morning I drove up to collect it! Most would have been chomping at the bit, but not this weirdo, instead I felt I had made a reckless decision yet I had been looking for an M for a year! Anyway, many BMWland members here helped guide me to finding this beast, you guys rock and I am sincerely grateful for your shared experiences and advice which as you know I took very seriously. In return for your generosity, I will attempt to provide periodic updates here on the ownership experience! Read or scroll by as you wish Awoke 5:45am for my 06H30 departure to Colchester from Southampton, feeling fragile, soon to be topped up with a significant dose of dread / impending doom feeling I had made a reckless and hasty decision. I had committed to meeting the dealer at 9am; he had made special arrangements to do the handover despite their premises being closed as it was New Year's weekend, no doubt keen to get that last sale in before end of the month. A wave of panic came over me on the drive up, even to the point of me contemplating the scenarios of me pulling out of the deal at this very late stage and wondering what the financial repercussions might be doing so. Do they have a database of timewasters that will flag up at any BMW dealer when I make any future enquiry? Anyway I kept my nerve, kept plodding on with my long journey, feeling exhausted at the same time due to to many late nights and massive overthinking! I promised myself a strong coffee for the return journey. The 535d reminded me on its last journey what a balanced and accomplished cruiser it is, which ironically was its downfall for me eventually. An incredible machine capable of delivering 313BHP without a sweat and bags of torque, did everything well but did it without drama and fuss. And its last swansong was to show me what I was going to lose in my recklessness; a fine balance of performance with economy returning 42MPG, so not helping my massive guilt trip. What led me down the road to M is that I wanted the drama and fuss, the 535d's ability to doing everything well became boring. I have huge respect for it, like Spuff once said it was like that favourite lounge armchair or some comfy slippers, a nice place to be, predictable, reliable, and quick! The lack of personality wore me down, and I hankered for something old school before being compelled down the electric car route. Mid life crisis probably (I am 47) . But now the impacts of reckless decision making were starting to bite. Anyway I arrived at the dealer 5 minutes late, and there she stood, looking incredible! The dealer greets me at the entrance expecting me to be grinning from ear to ear. Admittedly a small smile had materialized when I saw the car in its newly valeted glory. Tanzanite blue is not a colour I would have chosen from new if I had specced the car, instead would have gone for the more popular blue (Monte Carlo - is that what you had Mystic?). But it does look great when clean and can imagine if it was a sunny day it would have looked even better. On arrival I did admit my regret and remorse and enquired whimsically if there had been other enquiries on the car, which the dealer assured me there had been (likely he was humouring me). The valet was not quite done to my standard but no AUC car has ever met my cleanliness standards! But it looked great nonetheless, and the handover was quick, apart from the removing stuff from my old car where the dashcam wiring I had installed was proving more tricky to remove (I cable tied it in under the glove compartment but forgot I had done that. I abandoned said wire, took all my gear and duly deposited it in the new car, catching a whiff of whatever air freshener they had decided to generously coat all over the interior. Anyway, spent a few minutes setting myself up with the basic necessities for my 3 hour drive home, whilst the dealer drove my old car to the back to be locked up for the weekend. Sensing my trepidation, he came to check on me and mentioned that just as he was pulling my car in, someone came over enquiring about the blue M5 for sale. Not sure if this was just his attempt at making me feel better or if it was sheer coincidence, but good to know others would have grabbed it if I hadn't (something I was doubting due to the cost of living challenges so many are facing). We said our goodbyes and the call of nature was now beginning to overwhelm my desire to get the car fully set up. So I fired up the beast, set everything up in the most efficient modes, pulled out of the dealership, savouring the aural experience in the process and pulled out onto the A12 being very gentle with the revs (keeping under 2000rpm). Not being used to the calibration of the temp guage it seemed to be taking an age to warm up, until I realised it was not going to move past the first quarter / third of the dial. My 535d temp always sat at exactly mid way. About 5-10 mins I found a small Services, found a parking spot in the corner of the lot (suitably far away from any family SUVs or other potential door ding gnomes) and headed quickly to the loo, but couldn't help a glance back at the beast, with its HUGE 20 inch wheels filling its arches. I couldn;t help but wonder about my experience the previous evening when I tried to get the BMW driveaway insurance organised which was refused as the car didn't have a Thatcham Tracker fitted - really surprised when it was something BMW offered me but impossible if you buy an M car from them that happens not to have a Tracker. I didn't want to spend too long in the loo if gangs of thieves happen to lurk at motorway services ready to steal any M car without a tracker. Anyway, back in the car, fuel gauge showing a third full so decided to keep moving and refuel later. Fired her up and revelled in the throaty, gruff start up before it settled to a smoother idle. I was pleasantly surprised at the noise, louder than I expected as the reviews suggest it is too quiet. Perhaps too used to my 535d. Anyway pressed on and it started to rain lightly. Kept everything in super nanny mode, full efficient / comfort mode and settled down to a steady 70mph. As Peter mentioned, the smile gradually grew and my anxieties with my purchase began to subside a bit and I decided to enjoy the moment. Despite pootling along like Miss Daisy, I was beginning to savour the planted and solid feel of the car. It has qualities far beyond just the huge powerplant. My 535d was sparsely specced and as I started to explore the features I never had, such as the HUD which is superb, the lumbar support seats which are incredibly comfortable (thanks Mystic for your advice on these), and the Harmon Kardon sound system which is vastly better to the basic hi fi setup I had in my old car. I continued for another 20 mins and pulled into a second Services for a coffee, as I was pulling in the fuel reserve light came on unexpectedly (clearly the reserve is based on consumption, not fuel level). I filled up with BPs finest, noting the car filler cap recommends RON 98 but BP Premium 97 had to do. I continued on to the M25 with the light rain turning into a heavy downpour with lots of surface water and spray. Fortunately this meant all the traffic behaved and meant I could get more used to the car. I played with the flappy paddles and got the revs up a bit, feeling a huge wave of acceleration and backing off mindful of its notoriority for losing its backend. But in all honesty I didn't want to push it hard on the first drive, I was savouring it, enjoying the engine note, the creature comforts and its superb planted feel. I pulled in at South Mimms Services for another coffee, parking at the far end of the car park again avoiding the door ding gnomes, looking back proudly at it and eager to get back to avoid the wrath of the lurking thieves no doubt hiding out waiting to escape in what was fast becoming my pride and joy. I complete my journey home with a slight detour to pick up a family friend and get home to show the family, with my wife's first retort being how loud it is. She has no interest in cars whatsoever but she is incredibly supportive of me and my idiotic ways and I am very lucky to have her. We agreed when I pull into the drive I do it quickly and switch off to avoid irritating our neighbours (we share a drive with two other houses). I agreed to make my parking manoeuvres more efficient in future. She did acknowledge the incredibly comfortable soft merino seats, and I think she is happy for me. Anyway, if you're still reading my ramblings I apologise but appreciate you sticking with me thus far. I will end off by saying the car is superb, its full of the drama I lusted after, and has more capability than I could have ever dreamt of. I will never use its full 560 horses on British roads, but it doesn't matter as it offers that and so much more that you can savour on a gentle commute to work, or a more spirited drive on your favourite A roads. It will also transport us in comfort across the continent, and most of all will be something special to treasure, attracting an admiring glance wherever our travels take us. And there will always be capability in bucket loads that I have yet to explore. I am taking Spuff's advice, although noticing the far worse MPG versus the 535d, I am trying not to get too hung up about it. Owning an M is about enjoying the drive, and my daily commute to work is 10 miles each way so it shouldn't be too dramatic. I have a BMW warranty for the next year, and paid out the atrocious road tax (£615) plus my annual insurance (£570). Next service is in 17000 miles and brakes have between 17000 and 30000 miles on them before needing replacement. So I hope to have some relief from some of the big costs for a little while. I will however absolutely take an extended warranty before the year's warranty is up. I believe a replacement engine is big bucks. I also don't want to be worrying about rod bearings or injectors, I just want to enjoy the ownership experience. Early days for me, buyers remorse is waning, tomorrow I will spruce it up and clean it as it got filthy driving home! More to come in the weeks and months to come as I savour M ownership, doing early morning wake ups to savour an empty A road, or attending a BMW show like Simply BMW which is not far from me. Thanks all again for your incredible support and advice.
A cracking write up Nic. Thank for the effort in this, it really does help gain a small insight into the ownership of such a special car.
Thanks for taking the time to write up and look forward to reading all about the ownership story. Enjoy!
They are rather good arn’t they!! I neglected to say that the reserve warning will come on generally at quarter tank lol. To be honest my G80 isn’t much better on fuel than the M5 which really shows how good it is given it’s size. Little touches like the red gauge needles I miss as I really dislike the full LCD screen, much preferred the analogue setup of my old car. Enjoy every mile because they are the nuts!!
Enjoy it. Lovely colour. You will enjoy all of the horse power sooner rather than later - it just happens without you realising it. Cheers Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Exactly the same sentiment. Don't doubt the colour either, Tanzanite is a superb colour, particularly in the sunshine. Definitely enjoy! Peter
Thanks for adding that comment Nic. Says so much to us guys who have understanding wives. Makes all the difference for enjoying our motors. Peter
Thank you for taking the time to write up your first impressions with the M5! All the best with it. It is a beautiful example.
Small update: I love the car! It’s got character, drama in spades, and puts a smile on my face every time I drive her. Most nonsensical decision I have ever made but happy I did it. Don’t ask about consumption, after my trip home at 27mpg the average dropped considerably to 19mpg due to short trips. I am trying to not think about that bit Oh, and in this wet weather it scares me, any moderate use of the loud pedal simply results in the rear wheels losing traction. Not a perfect car by any means, but that’s not why I bought it @mystic sport is right, wants M gets under your skin, it’s addictive!
Told you lol, what tyres are fitted? I had Pirelli’s on mine but switched to PS4S and it transformed the handling. It still wanted to oversteer but became far more predictable, easy to control but the grip just increased hugely. I know I sound like a broken record but only until you drive one can you understand all the little differences and what they translate to. They are irrational but life would be boring if every decision was rational.
I had Michelin Primacy's on mine, changed the rears to Michelin Pilot Sport 4's recently, and even in this weather the traction is massively improved. The fronts are being changed to the same in the next couple of months.
I have Michelin Pilot Super Sports all round. I’d guess they are roughly halfway worn, still some good tread left. I have to say it doesn’t take much throttle to lose backend grip, which I must admit surprised me vs the 535d wearing thinner Michelin Primacy tyres on the rear seemed to have much more grip. Honestly it’s likely more me getting used to the car, plus since I got it I don’t think I have had a single dry day when driving it!
You really haven’t had any decent weather since buying the car, looks like it will be getting colder next week, also not great for a powerful RWD car….!
Well the beast continues to impress me and now have no regrets with my decision. The only unfortunate thing is the weather, the salt, and the state of the roads being far from ideal for taking delivery of a new (old) car. The state of the road on my route to work makes for a teeth shattering series of bumps no matter how slowly or gingerly I take it, and so anxiety levels are a slight bit elevated that I might damage the 20 inch alloys in some way. It does put into perspective that UK roads are not the best playground for M cars. Yet I’ve never known the roads to be so awful. Anyway the car has been washed weekly only because of the salt and muck causing my OCD into overdrive. I am trying to put my fears aside that the engine will spin a rod bearing being that the car has a warranty, but I do a very careful warm up not allowing the engine to exceed 2k revs until the oil is at normal temp. Cold start is almost comical and wondering where my ranking stands with the neighbours since I got it. Despite criticism by some about the lack of noise due to the turbos, I don’t find it lacking the sort of noise that makes you smile. Car is now at 26900 miles, meaning I have put on roughly 500 miles since I got it. Unfortunately all short trips apart from the day I collected it, meaning I’m not bettering 17mpg. My short commute is 10 miles and a tank of premium unleaded comes to £105 every two weeks. I have every intention to get the oil and filter changed every 5K mainly because of the short trips and concern about the rod bearings. The car serves well as the family wagon too, my two girls love it too and I am pleased I landed up with a rarer individual colour which adds to the ‘specialness’ of the car. I even have a set of Thule bars for my roof box, bike carriers and paddle board. I’m a little fussier about security having heard reports of a couple of M5 thefts in my region so the steering lock is on every evening and anywhere I go. Wet roads make it tough to impossible to experiment with the mental power band this car has, and even moderate experimentation reminds me of the cars eagerness for its rear to overtake the front. The few times I have dared to, I feel a small sample of how good this car is as a performance car, the DCT gearbox is lightning quick combining with the aural sensation hearing the exhaust note on the downshifts. These are the very rare moments the oil is at temperature and an open road presents itself. My commute to work is awful with roadworks in abundance. I worry a bit about clutch wear on the DCT at low speeds in stop start traffic as naturally there is some clutch slip so the car moves forward in a gentle manner. Overall though very pleased with it, just need to do a longer trip in it but with the state of the roads and the car staying clean for a grand total of 10 mins after a wash it has some what put me off doing it for now.
You are making me miss mine lol As you become more used to it you will become braver with the loud pedal. It is such a controllable car, the rear end can be held nicely with a bit of opposite lock, it really communicates to you. These Ms have solid mounted wishbones etc I think which is why you feel so much. I drove mine all the time with everything in sport+ but the steering in comfort, my spine must have thought WTF!! Oddly though I have the suspension in my G80 on comfort as it is considerably stiffer than the F10, in sport+ I feel that my hips will dislocate
Good to hear you are enjoying the car, hopefully even more so when the weather starts to warm up and dry up. Sounds like and absorbing relationship is blossoming!
Thanks @mystic sport ! So glad and immensely lucky to join the M club. To sum up the experience so far it’s the definition of ‘special’ vs ‘competent’. I’ve had a vast array of BMWs over the past 17 years. All competent, reliable and more than enough power and excellent handling. Some have left a lasting impression, like my 330ci convertible that I loved. The E46 325i in Imola Red (my first I6) and my wife’s E91 Touring (325i) which is still with us 14 years and 120k miles later. BUT the M is special, it really is! From starting it up, driving it slow, driving it not slow , sitting in it, lets you know you’re in an exclusive club! Not a perfect car by any means, but one that makes you smile!
Good to see you are enjoying it with no regrets. Just make sure you continue to use it. I’ve done about 7,000 miles in six and a half years in mine so not really justified at the moment. Oh well Enjoy and post some more pictures when you can. Cheers Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It’s my daily, I have no other car apart from my wife’s old E91. So it generally gets used daily. Probably way too many short trips but does get used. It was part of the reason I got an M5 as I went through the motions of getting a third car for the weekend (was looking at older M3s convertibles at one point). My better half weighed in and wasn’t keen on us having a third car in the drive, plus the double tax, double maintenance, double fuss. So decided that if I was to scratch the itch it needed to be a car with the practicality thrown in too. So we’re even planning holiday trips, have the roof racks for the roof box, bike racks etc. So it’s the do everything car And I think that’s what the M5 is meant to be!
As further confirmation this car is a true daily, here it is in full practical mode. Quite happy not to have a carbon roof in lieu of being able to carry bikes, roof boxes and other paraphernalia. Truly the Swiss Army Knife of M cars. Car has been awesome so far!
