Here's hoping, Jim! (archive)

BMW/Sachs clutches are notoriously strong. I've seen 208k miles on my brother's 535is, and the disc still had some left. The throwout bearing is the part that usually fails first, around 120-150k miles.

Take it to an independent shop that knows M cars. They should do a leak-down and compression check, and also check all the rubber. Mine with 125k had bad subframe bushings, completely torn. The PO did replace the muffler, so I assume they all go shortly after 100k miles in these areas (PA, VA, MD, DE). My cat is original, passed Northern VA smog (on a dyno at 15 and 25mph) by a country mile. My brother may be selling his nearly new OE muffler (about 1.5 years, 10k miles) soon, so if you need one, drop me a line.

Good luck! I know you've been looking for a long time!

JamesM

I'm looking at this M5 and it has had no major work ever done to it. The owner says everything is tight and feels like new. The car has 104,000 miles on it. If I buy the car, how much longer do you guys think I can get out of the clutch and the exhaust? I'm just trying to think of costly repairs that I may need in the near future. Any other tips would be helpful! Thanks guys

Jim Eagan
83 533i 438,000 miles
88 M5 104,000 miles(hopefully!!)

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