1988 M5 - to buy or not to buy (& Carfax request)

[1st time BMW buyer]

I have been looking at BMW's for atleast a couple of years now - trying to figure out what I really want. Especially as a '1st' BMW. I've been ad admiring fan for many many years now.

I've stumbled upon a 1988 M5 with 170K miles. Car looks exceptional. Supposedly no paint work and no interior work - and for a 17 year old car, it looks just as good as our 4 year old SUV from a condition perspective.

Any thoughts on whether or not this is something worthwhile? I don't have a lot of time for maintenance and repair - can do a few things on my own - and also have 3 kids to help drag around to ball practices and such....so I need something that is reliable and won't take a lot of maintenance. I do know these are pretty rare and I see hardly any at all.

For those of you who are able to run a carfax, I would sure appreciate it. The VIN is WBSDC9307J2791103.

Thanks guys for your help - I enjoy reading all the information shared between those of you experienced with these cars.

[willobmw]

Maybe you need to ask this question on the myE28 board. I would have to be a little biased and say that an E28 M5 would be a tough family car as far as reliabilty goes. I could be wrong. A very capable car but expensive(parts and paid labor) to maintain as they age. Also more of a 9/10th driving car. If I choose an M5 once again, I would have to go borrow Jr's M5. The E34 M5 body style showed BMW that if you make it more than one color, They will come. If you must get an M5 and for all BMWs, get it an inspected and get the best example that your budget will allow. Check for good maintenance records. LOL in your search.
Willo

[Kalevera]

I agree with Willo on this one.

If you aren't familiar with the way the car "should" look and work, and what to check out on a used one, have a trusted and experienced BMW-specific mechanic look at it. Moreover, if it's an impossibility to do the work yourself, best be sure you've got a full bank account available to pay for the things that come up. Especially on M cars.

It's all about how much research you do. What are the service records like? Who did the service and what do they think about the car? It's relatively easy to tell whether or not a panel has been replaced (at least, on the E34) - panels have a VIN plate on them; OEM replacements have the roundel and a "DOT-R" plate instead.

Finally, and I don't mean this to sound crass, but if you're seriously interested in buying a car, I would just go ahead and get the carfax report. It's the first thing I do, at least so I have a general expectation of what to look for in the car.

Good luck!

best, whit

[Jr ///M5]

I wouldn't recommend an M for your first BMW. Find a nice 535, and see how you like it. Spend a few years learning about them, then if you still want an M car, go for it!

Just my .02 cents worth,
Jr

[Craig]

You absolutely do not want an e28 M5 with 170,000 miles. Keep in mind that E28 M5s are in my top 5 favorite cars list as I say this.

The M5 engine is not nearly as robust as normal BMW engines. In fact, I'd be surprised if the one you're looking at isn't ready for a rebuild. It's extremely rare for them to top 200,000 miles. The engines aren't cheap either, expect to pay about $10,000 for a full rebuild. If you need a new head, add another $2500. A new block? $5000. They are horribly expensive to repair. And that's just the engine, many of the driveline and suspension parts are also unique to the M5 and therefor very expensive.

They make a great second car, but for primary transportation I'd steer clear.