I've been thinking about replacing the M5 and I always liked the 996tt. I find myself doing repairs to the car on a regular basis eventhough it's only driven 5k miles a year. The most recent issue is the vanos system. I'm a little cautious going from the M5 to the 996tt because basically I'll be going to a car one year older with similar mileage. It's getting to the point where I am paranoid about driving the M5. I know that the 996tt engine is solid but can I expect the 996tt to be similar in terms of reliability(frequency and cost of maintenance/repairs)?

 

Its a shame you had somewhat of a bad egg. My M5 has 89,000 miles and has been great besides maintenance and stupid stuff like the uneven seat tilt from the pulled cables. M5 maintenance is pretty expensive, I guess its similar to the 996TT in terms of pricing for maintenance and parts. You will just notice the "Porsche tax" on plenty of trivial things, even when taking it to a shop. Just make sure you do your research on whatever is being done. Sometimes you have to pay to play, and its mostly true but not as intimidating as you may think. Both my 996TT and E39M5 have been pretty solid all around. This site has been incredibly helpful so look around.

 

I am now 6 months out of my E39 M5 and into my 996 tt. I was lucky to buy good examples of both cars and have had very few problems. I have found both cars to be quite reliable, although parts are definitely expensive - and about twice as expensive on the tt.

I bought my M5 with 34k on the clock and sold it at 75k. The tt arrived with 32k and I have put an additional 7 on so far with no problems aside from an accumulator.

I really need to write a comparison as I loved / love both cars. If you maintain either well, and buy a good examples, they both should be fairly trouble free. Go for the tt, they are wonderful cars and although expensive to buy parts for, definitely not a maintenance nightmare.

 

My E39 had vanos issues, numerous valve cover gasket issues, failed fuel pump, failed catalytic converter. Was a royal pain in the butt. But i still loved it, and miss it when i see one.

Mine was a Dinan S2, my TThas had few issues.

 

I have heard also that newer M5 models has go to as low as 7 mpg...