hello,
i don't have bmw right now, but since i was 16, bmw has been my dream car, specially e34 m5. i'm saving money to get one right now, but i have questions.
one of my mechanic told me that e34 m5 is like collector's car. it's really expensive to do maintenance, hard to find parts, and not that reliable. is this true?? can it be more expensive than e39 (parts, maintenance fee, etc)?? he is saying that e39 m5 is a lot better than e34. well, ofcourse it's better because it's later model, but i just love how e34 m5 looks....

i have both e34 and e39 M5's, parts are not inexpensive for either, nor is labor. The e34 requires a bit more 'routine' maintance, like valve adjustments, and is older so will need more 'freshening' in general. The e39 has several components that are expensive that just didn't exist in the e34's day, like vanos, navigation and many electronics. My e39 has 98k on the clock and is my daily driver, it's been quite reliable, but that said, it does occasionally require a couple - three grand thrown at it to keep it happy. My e34 has about 145k on the clock, i've only had it for about 8 months (always liked the e34 the best myself too), and most of what i've done has been cosmetics, interior trim and basic 'freshening', that you'd need on a 17 year old car. Both are fun in different ways, the e39 is a 'better' daily car, safer, more comfortable, all the amenities (bluetooth, sirius, etc) but when i'm in the mood to really 'drive' it's the e34.

I'd say to daily drive either you'll want to have $3-4k per year available, if you don't spend it this year, you probably will next year.

...since i was 16, bmw has been my dream car, specially e34 m5. i'm saving money to get one right now...

What he said.

Keep savin' and plan on saving 30% more than you think you need to get the car, for future maintenance, etc.

M-anything means you'll pay more across the board. Especially for gas. :D

Owning any BMW means you will have to spend much more on maintenance than a corolla.

Owning an M car means you will have to spend much more on maintenance than a regular BMW.

If you have your heart set on an M5 then do your homework, save your money and buy a car which has been well maintained by the previous owner. Don't buy a fixer upper as you will have a love / hate relationship with the car (love the car, hate the $$$ hemoraging)