Re: 850 maintenance costs compared to M5 (archive)

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Posted by Sean on January 20, 2000 at 10:28:42:

In Reply to: 850 maintenance costs compared to M5 posted by Jonas on January 19, 2000 at 17:16:50:

: I'm thinking of buying an 850 or an E34 M5. Now to my question, how does maintenace costs and reliability compare between these two cars?

: Very grateful for answers

: Jonas

Jonas,

I had an '89 E34 535i (which uses the same engine as the E34 M5). The M5 is a bored out and modified 535i.

Service costs (so far) have been lower on my E31 '92 850i Six Speed. Granted, I have lower miles on the E31 (101K) vs. 146K when I sold the 535i.

For pure service cost though they are pretty close in costs at the dealership:

E31 Oil Change: $53
E34 Oil Change: $43

E31 Inspection II: $728.09
E34 Inspection II: $672.43

For part/components wearing out:

E31: DK Motors, OBC Pixels, Power Seat Cables, Control Arm Bushings

E34: OBC Pixels, Interior Door Panels (peeling away from door) Water Pump, Control Arm Bushings, Top end valves (pinging is a sign)

So, as you can see, not much different. I think that both the E34 3.5L Engine and the E31 5.0/5.6L engines are bullet-proof.

Good luck in your choice, either way they are both outstanding BMWs.

Sean

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