It’s quite stunning how cheap some cars can get once they start aging. Back when the E60 M5 was on sale I used to drool over it and its massive 5-liter V10 engine. It was the car of my dreams and I’m sure a lot of people agree, even to this day. However, back then it was too expensive to buy and maintain so plans for the future had to be made. Today, though, that’s no longer the case, as prices have dropped enough to allow you to get one without selling a kidney.
The people over at Fifth Gear have noticed that as well and they put together a short comparison of the best three sports sedans you can get today, without breaking the bank. The E60 M5 is included on this list, of course, along with the Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG and the Audi RS6. All of these cars can apparently be found around 10,000 GPB in the UK, where the show is based. Of course, prices will vary, a lot, depending on where you actually live.
Out of the bunch, the Mercedes has proven to be the most reliable, by far. Sure, it has its own faults but they are not as expensive to fix as the M5’s. As you may very well know, the SMG gearboxes of the E60 M5 didn’t always live up to Germany’s reputation for reliability. Though, get an M5 with a manual and you’ll soon find yourself spending a lot more than 10k on your new car.
The brakes are also expensive and can be a headache later down the line. And of course, there’s the infamous rod bearing issue. Anyway you slice it, the E60 BMW M5 is an expensive car to own, thanks to its inherent issues and high cost of parts and repairs.
