[W///]

Originally Posted by KevinC

The numb recirculating-ball steering was a big turn-off, and while they handle quite well for a huge 2-ton-plus barge, it's still not stellar overall. Also the lack of factory Bluetooth and the absolute awfulness of the M-audio "upgraded" OEM infotainment was driving me crazy. I was not interested in replacing any of it with modern gear (cost, lack of originality, hurting resale value, etc) so I fixed what I could - Mk4 nav brain upgrade, Intravee, Moto Bluetooth dongle on the sun visor - but at the end of the day, the nav was still unusable, M-audio sounded awful, and my Bluetooth solution sucked. Also despite buying a super-clean turnkey example, it was still a money pit in the year that I owned it. I also had a ZHP coupe at the time and found myself preferring to drive it - that was the clear signal that it wasn't something I wanted to hang onto. So I sold it and bought a new Golf R, which scratched all my itches along with providing far greater fuel economy and practicality. 2 years later I sold the ZHP, and a few months after that, decided that I needed another Z4MC to go with the Golf, and now my life is complete again.

Very interesting, thanks for the feedback. I've always had a soft spot for an Imola Red E39 M5, with the two tone red interior. But I could never justify getting one. If I wanted an M sedan, it would have been the E90 M3 or E60 M5 personally. The S62 is a good engine, but I never thought it was as special as the S65 or S85, or even the S54.

What kind of maintenance went wrong with it, and what was your mileage? My friend bought one that was not in great shape and I remember I was always helping him with the small stuff.