if you guys had a choice between an RS6, M5 and an E55 amg which would you buy. Model years would be 2000-2002. Most of you have good taste in cars that's why you own TT's so that is why I am asking here. I threw in the RS6 as well as it is in the same class.

 

I really loved my E39 M5. The car was rock solid and very fun to drive for a Sedan. It's even a better car than the E46 M3. I also love how it looks. Very classy.

The E55 will be faster and more moddable, but I personally get bored with automatics.

I've never driven an RS6, so I can't speak to it.

I'd go with the M5.

 

E39 M5 all the way! My brother has one, and its a great car. Plus its the only one that comes in stick!

 

That's the one I was leaning towards. I traded the wife's sports car for an econobox for my daughter, so I am feeling kinda guilty. She loves stick shifts and you can get an E39 very cheap these days. If the AMG was a stick, I would consider that one, but I don't know if any where made manual. I gues auto is easier to drive but she doesn't go anywhere except to the store. and we can use it as a family car so I can explain getting it that way.

anything I should look for when looking into these cars?

 

Not sure of any specific problems, but get make sure to get a ppi. M5board is a great source to find out more about these cars

 

MY favorites where the early 90's M5's but those days are gone as finding one in good condition is nearly impossible. Will do the ppi for sure and carfax. Not going to mod this one. I think if I got an RS6 or an E55 I would mod them because they are easy to mod and make really fast. I am not looking for another money pit. One is enough.

 

2000-2002 e55 would be without S/C...as S/C came on the w211 body which was available in 2003...

i used to have an w211 e55 and it was plenty fast stock...with a few mods ie( pulley,h/e, pump, and tune) it can be extremely quick for a sedan...but it has its shares of problems and has the"AMG tax" on parts...

the e39 m5 on the other hand is a great all around car...although not as fast as a w211 e55 it will be a car that you will enjoy driving a lot more... the 6 speed trans on the e39 has got to be one of the best gearboxes i have ever driven....

I too have been looking for a clean e39 m5 to buy as a DD....
good luck on your search...

 

I found an E39 with 20k plus miles and working on a deal right now. we'll see.

 

I've had a 1999 E55 up to 120K miles with no issues and was pretty damn quick. I bought a 2003 E55 that had close 550-600HP with some mods and sold the 1999 E55 the next day. The newer w211 E55 is light years ahead of the other cars of the same year. With that said I would consider a M5 with the V10 but there still holding there value as of recently.

A six speed 4 door car is an issue for me, I can't drink and eat on the way to work very well in with a manual transmission. I have the Porsche for that, lol.

 

you can get a V10 M5 these days in the $40's with low miles from 2006-07 and they are still dropping. I just don't want the auto trans.

I agree that if I wanted to mod a car the E55 would be the deal. or the RS6. Those came with turbos so you can really pump up the power there just like a 996tt.

 

e39 M5s had few issues. Some of the earlier cars were prone to VANOS failure (about a $2k fix). Oil consumption varied but I have heard cases of having to add a quart of oil every 1k miles or less.

Then you have issues that were common to the e39s in general. Some examples include plastic bits in the cooling system that needed replacement, dead pixels in the display, thrust arm bushings wearing out, etc. Parents had a '99 540i many years ago. There were so many minor issues that they ditched the car with about 50k miles on the clock. Went for a Lexus GS instead and they couldn't be happier. But they aren't car enthusiasts though. So if you are mechanically inclined and aren't bothered by the smaller issues (i.e., the dead pixels in the display), the e39 M5 is a fun car to drive.

 

RS6 will be my next car. I spend about as much time over on that forum as I do here. Not blazingly fast, but just so nice and the exhaust note is spectacular for a turbo. With a flash and a few mods you can get 400awhp out of them. Still a 4200lb car, but oh so cool. Only came to this country in 2003 and only sent about 860 of them here.

 

I had an rs6...and it was absolutely incredible. Just make sure you take out the ****ty drc shock system and replace it with some normal coilover. Otherwise, they are just some of the most incredible cars!

 

Another potential issue with the e39 M5 was "carbon build-up" in the engine. My brother-in-law ran into it at about 65K miles and it required a $4-$7k overhaul, so he dumped it.

I think some of it was his fault, as near the end of his ownership he started driving it real gently to try and get some higher MPG's (this was when gas was >$4 per gallon in California)

But great car and it sounded awesome!

 

e55 is you plan on only driving in nice weather... rs6 if you are looking for a great all season car.