| Message: | | Jay, I have found my E28 straightforward and enjoyable to work on. I have always been able to get parts, although the dealership sometimes gets confused with M5 specific parts. For instance, when I replaced the seat belt latch, it took three tries at the dealer parts department due to M5 specific seats. I've had to get a few special tools, like flex torx sockets to drop the transmission when I replaced seals, but mostly use standard tools or homemade jigs. The electronic control systems on the car are still user-serviceable; things can be diagnosed without special equipment. After 109,000 miles, and a long road trip to Alaska, my car is ready for some suspension work, but I've seen previously on roadfly that there are preferred setups established and available, or I could retain stock configuration. The M5 has never left me stranded.
My M5's paint and leather are pretty good and I've seen other examples available that look fine. I think the key is keeping it garaged always and not driving in winter here in Ohio.
I think engine rebuild cost is a factor of more expensive parts (at one time, $300 per piston seemed shocking) and specialized machine work at knowlegeable machinist. If I recall, the block or head needs to be prestressed on a fixture to machine properly, not something your corner shop might do or have the correct mounting fixture onhand for. You pay willingly for the experience to do the job correctly the first time. Also, there are some details to reassemble the motor, like when to oil head bolts and when not to, and attention to detail costs a little more. Now, I'm currently rebuilding a lowly Mercedes 190E, and Mercedes wants about $280 for a standard fit piston, so The M5's doesn't seem so bad in comparison. I found a used piston for the 190 on ebay for $60. I think you could rebuild an s38 reasonably if you did the grunt work yourself.
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