.: The E46 is Gone, AND Forgotten. Here's Why ;) :. *long*

Originally Posted by TiAg2247

3M Clear Bra application to prevent rock chips and preserve the paint quality over time. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...otection/Film/

By the way, 3M does a lot more than tape!

Haha thanks for that I saved it bec I got lots of rock chips and want to fix them and never in my life deal with them again.

Originally Posted by Sergzam

So noobish question what is the maintenance difference in the m5 and a typical e46 or heck even a typical 540 or 525?

The M3 costs just shy of twice as much to maintain as a non-M. Which is not so unreasonable.

An E39 M5 costs about twice as much as an E46 M3 to maintain. This is coming from one of the foremost experts on maintenance in the country on the E46 M3 and E39 M5 (not me).

And I hope you get something other than the original 3M clear bra... they own one of the companies that's much better than their original now.

Originally Posted by zhp43867

The M3 costs just shy of twice as much to maintain as a non-M. Which is not so unreasonable.

An E39 M5 costs about twice as much as an E46 M3 to maintain. This is coming from one of the foremost experts on maintenance in the country on the E46 M3 and E39 M5 (not me).

And I hope you get something other than the original 3M clear bra... they own one of the companies that's much better than their original now.

Thank you that's fair enough for me!

Nice pick-up......the detail looks great....nice job.

The paint looks to be in fantastic shape.

Enjoy in good health.

omg, this is also my dream car!

Originally Posted by TiAg2247

Yup. What an epic road!
..Not to mention the E39 M5 is so beautifully balanced for the corners, too, despite being nearly 3900lbs (its not over 600 compared to an E46 coupe FYI). The low end TQ makes it a insanely fun car to dance in the corners - lift-off over steer or throttle over steer as you wish.

Yep what a great road to enjoy your first drives in that beauty of a M5 on.

*(Um don't want to clutter up your thread so i can remove or link to a new thread if you'd like). but i did a bit of research prior on the M5 as i may end up buying one. according to the Official BMW 2003 M Brochure i bought for reference with full specs. the M5 (unladen) weighs 4024 lbs and the M3 3415 lbs (unladen). granted options and other goodies may change the weight some but it's still close enough to the 609 lbs. difference.
here even this post says track M5s are weighing in at ~4000 lbs. http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39...ml#post1978750
not that it's any big deal, but your (fyi) post is contrary to all info i've seen so one of us is off. if it's me i like to get it corrected whenever possible. i'm a nerd on stuff like this lol

Originally Posted by Alex323Ci

not that it's any big deal, but your (fyi) post is contrary to all info i've seen so one of us is off. if it's me i like to get it corrected whenever possible. i'm a nerd on stuff like this lol

Epic attempt to let him down easy right here.

Props to you sir for not settling! Awesome story. I hope I can do the same in a few years when I'm in a position to look for a true enthusiasts car...

Originally Posted by Alex323Ci

Yep what a great road to enjoy your first drives in that beauty of a M5 on.

*(Um don't want to clutter up your thread so i can remove or link to a new thread if you'd like). but i did a bit of research prior on the M5 as i may end up buying one. according to the Official BMW 2003 M Brochure i bought for reference with full specs. the M5 (unladen) weighs 4024 lbs and the M3 3415 lbs (unladen). granted options and other goodies may change the weight some but it's still close enough to the 609 lbs. difference.
here even this post says track M5s are weighing in at ~4000 lbs. http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39...ml#post1978750
not that it's any big deal, but your (fyi) post is contrary to all info i've seen so one of us is off. if it's me i like to get it corrected whenever possible. i'm a nerd on stuff like this lol

Appreciated the info. I see ranging numbers from 3900-4000+ and M3 numbers from the mid 3300s to 3500+. Like you said, options and all that changes things. In the end this is like arguing over minor details in terms of what the exact weight is.

Here's my philosophy: we already own/owned E46s why not change up the platform for something new? In my case, the ONLY appeal of an M3 was the incredibly engineered S54. I already had short gearing in my 330 and the entire drivetrain, so in reality the M3 wouldn't offer *that* much of an upgrade of a driving experience from my 330; definitely not +10 grand worth of enjoyment at least. That's where the E39 came in

Originally Posted by zhp43867

Epic attempt to let him down easy right here.

Lol. I really don't care either way. Good on Alex323Ci to not start a pissing match and instead have a mature discussion - something rather rare on forums these days. Bottom line is thing thing is assloads more fun than an E46 M3 is/was for me so I'm more than happy.

As for maintenance, it is not 2x that of an E46 M3. Yes there's more plugs, another MAF, etc, but it's not that much more than an E46 M3 like people make it out to be. Just don't buy a shitbox and you're good to go! For me, I shelled out thousands every summer keeping my E46 in as good condition as physically possible. I replaced things out of sheer desire to keep it mint, not only because something is worn/broken. That translates into already being used to spending more than avg. on maintenance, so the costs on most things on the E39 aren't as big a shock to me... And it really helps having a great relationship with an indy BMW shop

Originally Posted by HyeWarrior

Props to you sir for not settling! Awesome story. I hope I can do the same in a few years when I'm in a position to look for a true enthusiasts car...

Thanks. I waited almost 7 years for a legitimate driving machine - and it was totally worth it.

Congrats Anuk! Nice ride... looks like I was correct with my speculative assumption a few months back, eh?

Originally Posted by empowerd

Congrats Anuk! Nice ride... looks like I was correct with my speculative assumption a few months back, eh?

Thanks, Randy! It would seem so, lol. You need to see her in person. I'd say she's a close second to Julian's in terms of the condition/cleanliness. Yeah. You read that right.

It's been a painful winter with storing the M5, but I got some little mods here and there, gearing up for Spring.

Matte black kidneys and swapped the tail lights with OEM Hella clears. These look far better than the smoked ones, IMO.


A little matching key fob bling: red leather case and ///M keychain with red contrast stitching


Also grabbed this custom illuminated 6spd ZHP shift knob

Coilovers are next followed by a custom exhaust. Wheels should be done by summer as they are also a custom one-off build

And could a mod please change the title so it now reads, ".: The E46 is Gone, AND Forgotten. Here's Why :. *Imola Red M5 Build Thread*"? Please and thanks!

Can't you do it? Go to your first post and edit you should be able to change title

I am chiming in here again to say I am jelly.

Originally Posted by THECLEANERBEAMER

Can't you do it? Go to your first post and edit you should be able to change title

First thing I did. No longer works, I'm guessing because a long time has passed since the post was made.

Originally Posted by ruskisky

I am chiming in here again to say I am jelly.

Lol! Thanks.

nice car - enjoy

Originally Posted by 330i ZHP

nice car - enjoy

Congrats! Car looks great! The E39 M5 is one of those cars I would one day like to tick off my list. However, as many others have stated - the cost of maintaining this beast worries me a little.

I should have grabbed one of these - preferably one owner, low mile and well maintained...of course that's what we all want