Thoughts On The E63 6-series

[Sterling Roadster]

Dealer's were definitely trying to cash in on the specialty of the E63 M6 over here, but no takers. I watched clean M6's get posted for 60K only to sit on their website and drop prices over and over again. I really do wish I had a place to store all the special cars that are being ignored right now. I'm falling in love with bikes which makes that dream more realistic. But something about that V10 is so glorious. One day.

[Rafichicago]

I used to have 2004 545i. Had this car for 10 years purchased with 30k miles sold with 130 or so. The only electrical problem I had was airbag module that prevented generic obd scanners to read faults therefore car wouldn't pass emissions. They burn oil because of valve stem seals getting brittle and not sealing properly. I did not have single transmission problem. Secondary air system can take a crap because passages will get clogged with carbon. My very good friend has e63 M6 manual with low miles under 50k. Other than leaky oil cooler no problems for 7 years and almost 30k miles. If I'd have any M5 or M6 of that era it would be manual car only. They're good cars but not great daily drivers. They require proper 10W60 and it needs to be changed regularly. Those cars need to be properly warmed up before driving them. Hence not great daily drivers. Rod bearings can be done for around $2k-2,5k which shouldn't be a problem when buying any of those. They were in some instances over $100K vehicles and maintenance remains high. Hope this helps someone.

[Sergio19]

I am never selling my 650 - love the way it looks and drives. Quality is exceptional, this was BMW's flagship at the time and all the materials are top notch. I have no experience with the M6 but the V8 and 6 speed manual in my 650 is more than enough for me.

The N62 is a very good engine except the common oil and coolant leaks which aren't too bad to repair if you can DIY. The 6ers all got the oil cooler so leaky valve stem seals are less of a problem, especially up north.

[jwolf]

If you gave me one, I doubt I could afford to keep it running. I love my BMWs, but it is really embarrassing how bad some of there motors are. The V8s and the N20. I guess you better stay with the 6-pot. An M54B30 looks like a Honda motor in comparison.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by Rafichicago

I used to have 2004 545i. Had this car for 10 years purchased with 30k miles sold with 130 or so. The only electrical problem I had was airbag module that prevented generic obd scanners to read faults therefore car wouldn't pass emissions. They burn oil because of valve stem seals getting brittle and not sealing properly. I did not have single transmission problem. Secondary air system can take a crap because passages will get clogged with carbon. My very good friend has e63 M6 manual with low miles under 50k. Other than leaky oil cooler no problems for 7 years and almost 30k miles. If I'd have any M5 or M6 of that era it would be manual car only. They're good cars but not great daily drivers. They require proper 10W60 and it needs to be changed regularly. Those cars need to be properly warmed up before driving them. Hence not great daily drivers. Rod bearings can be done for around $2k-2,5k which shouldn't be a problem when buying any of those. They were in some instances over $100K vehicles and maintenance remains high. Hope this helps someone.

I think the marketing is what let down the M6. They made it seem like a 6 series with more power and it was not. Harder to live with as you mentioned, it needs a proper warm up and the SMG transmission needed some deliberate shifting, not a normal automatic. It should have been treated as a more hardcore car from day one then I think it would have been appreciated more. People wanted a cool daily and as a daily a 650 with some options probably would do a better job. Even with all of the problems it has, the fact that you can get a clean car under 30K with a carbon roof, full leather interior and a f1 derived V10 that sounds the way it does is bonkers. It's still not off the table for me but I think I would need to know the seller personally, I wouldn't be comfortable picking one off of a lot or classifieds. The fewer the mysteries with those cars the better, if someone in my circles ends up with one and wants out I might bite. It really is a supercar experience for relatively small money, at least initially.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by jwolf

If you gave me one, I doubt I could afford to keep it running. I love my BMWs, but it is really embarrassing how bad some of there motors are. The V8s and the N20. I guess you better stay with the 6-pot. An M54B30 looks like a Honda motor in comparison.

It seemed like back in the day BMW loved putting out all new motors and seeing how they did. People put up with it because high revving V8s and V10s were special enough. The line up now looks to have a lot of older but evolved engine architecture. Turbos fours, six's and v8s. Seems like they are trying to chose reliability over all else. I still think an older NA BMW 6 is one of the best all around daily engines. Pretty reliable all things considered.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by Sergio19

I am never selling my 650 - love the way it looks and drives. Quality is exceptional, this was BMW's flagship at the time and all the materials are top notch. I have no experience with the M6 but the V8 and 6 speed manual in my 650 is more than enough for me.

The N62 is a very good engine except the common oil and coolant leaks which aren't too bad to repair if you can DIY. The 6ers all got the oil cooler so leaky valve stem seals are less of a problem, especially up north.

That car still has a great sense of occasion. Always catches my eye in traffic. Lots of cool individual spec ones too. I'm a sucker for that stuff.

[Rafichicago]

Those M5/M6 with V10 are super special. Regardless of what most are thinking about them. I am fortunate to have Z4 with last N.A. inline 6 F90 M5 and E63 wagon with N.A. 6.2 V8. I've driven my friends M6 with V10 and manual on few occasions. This kind of special engine is not happening anytime soon. High revving V10 in a 4 door sedan and in two door grand tourer probably not happening again. Those are great cars. Rod bearing issue is not like you need to do it every year or two and repair is not really that expensive unless previous owner neglected the car enough. It becomes expensive when crankshaft is gone. But nonetheless still repairable. Those are 12 year old at least at this point so most have those issues taken care of and documented. If not it can always be negotiated. Good luck with any decision you'll make 👍

[bagekko]

Lately there have been a bunch of M6 6spds on BaT in addition to the many M5s that pop up, I can't understand why anyone would EVER get rid of a V10 6spd, the SMGs sure as they are money pit ticking time bombs.

[Rafichicago]

Smg can be converted to manual. And with premium those car fetch over SMG cars it kind of could make financial sense. You will definitely not get same money as cars that had been produced as manual but scarcity alone will make this worth it. I believe only around 330 were sold on US market, also listing on BaT opens it up to new markets. Remember that tam Ula's were not available in Europe and are highly sought after. so if one has coin it makes sense. For fun factor and resale value alone