http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/532516846.html

Good for someone out there I'm sure.

That's high mileage. Yikes.

If someone were mechanically incline and did a rebuild of that engine...that's a smokin' car for the money.

If someone were mechanically incline and did a rebuild of that engine...that's a smokin' car for the money.

Err, it takes a bit more than someone "mechanically inclined" to rebuild an S62 :)...

Err, it takes a bit more than someone "mechanically inclined" to rebuild an S62 :)...

Understatement. It takes A LOT more than someone mechanically inclined to rebuild one.

This guy took his M5 to a gas station repair shop for some driveability issues. The mechanics discovered carbon buildup in the heads and the customer authorized them to repair it. When they went to reinstall the heads, instead of timing the Vanos correctly (which is a very, very, very long, involved process requiring lots of special tools), they marked the parts with paint pens and just winged it. When they started it, the timing was off, valves got bent and the repair shop ended up paying thousands of dollars for my friend's shop to disassemble, repair, and reassemble the damage that they caused.

The gas station mechanics are automotive professionals. They work on cars every day to pay the bills, so I'd say they're fairly mechanically inclined. They don't, however, have the training and knowledge required to tear down an S62.

But back on topic, I want that car. Damn good deal and it'd fit in quite nicely with Ben and my collection of high mileage cars. :D

Wow!!!!

do Not Want!!!!

There's definite upside... if you don't mind spending 15k after you buy the car.

Err, it takes a bit more than someone "mechanically inclined" to rebuild an S62 :)...

Pretty much, I remember Luke (lwebb) tearing apart the S62, and he is/was a mechanic for the airforce.

Wow, thats tempting - thats cheaper than the salvaged crashed E39's out there :).

I wouldn't be scared of tearing down any motor as long as I have the TIS available for rebuilding it. Take your time and it wouldn't be that bad.

I wouldn't be scared of tearing down any motor as long as I have the TIS available for rebuilding it. Take your time and it wouldn't be that bad.

I think you're forgetting about the special tools required for S62 rebuilding.

Holy Hell Batman! thats alot of miles no way man id rather pay 10k more for one with 40k-60k miles if not more but not over 200k miles.

I'm not sure I caught the part about an engine that's running "excellent" somehow requiring a rebuild. Last time I checked, if you change the fluids on a well-designed engine, the rod and crank bearings and rings aren't periodic maintenance items. They fail if oil cleanliness, film strength, and pressure fails.

As long as that guy didn't beat the shit out of it and changed the oil religiously, I'd be pretty confident buying that car.

I know a lot of guys on here deify M-Power engines like they're from fucking space, so this comparison might be kneejerked to death upon viewing, but my M20 powered 525i had zero bore wear when the timing belt snapped at 218,000 miles, and I'd owned the car for the 17,000 miles before that, and beat the living shit out of it during that time period.

It's not a direct comparison, but the point is: BMW knows how to build an engine that lasts, even with all the electro-trickery of exotic intake manifolds and double vanos. Yes the S62 puts out about 80hp per liter and revs to 7,000rpm, but that's not exactly race-level stress. A lowly M50 vanos engine with a chip in it has the same specific output and rev limit, and those routinely surpass 300,000 miles.

It's true. I'd be more worried about bushings, gaskets and seals than the engine itself. I want it...

I think you're forgetting about the special tools required for S62 rebuilding.

While rebuilding my s52 I see that the TIS tells you to use a special tool for EVERYTHING you do. Doesn't mean you really need it, not every single one at least.

Can you enlighten me as to what special tools are a must for a s62 rebuild?

JUST to replace the cylinder heads, there is a list of 14 special tools needed. The first 6 aren't really necessary - just engine stand, adapters, torque angle tool and other things that you can use generic versions of. The rest of it is absolutely necessary for adjusting the VANOS which is a long, extremely tedious process. I'm not going to go to the trouble of listing every tool, so you'll just have to take my word for it. Keep in mind, that this is only to replace the heads, not to rebuild the entire engine.

All through my M class in STEP, my teacher told us that the S62 is an engine that is NOT meant to be rebuilt. The engine is built to such tight tolerances that there is very little room for machining, and definitely no margin for error. I'm not saying that it can't be done, because I know it has been done, but it wasn't designed with rebuilding in mind.

Anyway, I'm not saying it's impossible, but not just any schmo with a manual can pull it off in his garage. That's all.

I have had and currently have a very high milage BMW. My current 540 has 228,000 and is going strong. I'll take pics at 1/4 million. BMWs run forever with maintenance and routine replacement of no lubricated wear items. Throw a new front suspension and some bearings into one every 100,000 and you are good to go.
Shame I don't have the cash - I'd cruise the M!

as along as it has been maintain with records, ill will not think twice about pickin it up.
and people talkin about engine rebuild? sure its a high compression motor but if its maintain properly with good compression #'s i dont know why u will wanna waste ur time/money rebuildint it.

I want someone to pick it up on here to see how the car is- im actually tempted to buy it myself.

Smoking deal, it would be completely dependent on how well the car was maintained. 230k is alot so I guess take it to the dealership or authorized shop to have a once over.

...so I guess take it to the dealership or authorized shop to have a once over.

That is pure common sense on ANY BMW, especially an E39 M5.

I had tons of problems with my first 2000 M5 and it only had 65k on it (new MAF's, CPS's, TRANNY, etc) I saw this car and called the guy (before he had the mileage listed) but it didn't seem like he knew all too much about it. He had bought it two years ago with 170k or something...

well it wud be worth it dpending on who bought it and what they could do themself

records are everything, who knows it might be on its second life w/ all the typical wear parts replaced already. It is possible for a 230k car to be less costly than a 85k car depending on if all the maintenance has been done. The lower the mileage doesn't always mean the lower the maintenance, you have to look at where the car is at its life, and if it has had its 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 life repair/mechanical run through. Who knows this guy could have spend the 20k of repairs on it already and your the lucky dog buying it with everything taken care of!

Shit, if that car was in the bay area when I went home on leave, I wouldn't hesitate to buy that car.

c'mon guys, if this car has been well maintained it could still be strong up to 300k.

you forget we are talking about a car hand built in the m motorsport division of one of the best car companies out there.
id pay 12k for that thing if it were in denver.

Unlike its predecessors, the E39 M5 was not handbuilt at the BMW M GmbH factory; it was produced on the same assembly line as the normal E39 5-series at the Dingolfing factory in Germany."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M5

Regardless I still agree it could go for many miles more potentially.

only if it were local and i could check it out. skeptical to make a trip to check it out and than return just to waste a plane ticket.

Wowza i would seriously consider it if it was closer no doubt it can go 300k easy.

if my parents let me put another car on their driveway id consider getting a PPI. if anyone does get a PPI let me know the results.