BMW M6 *First and last mod complete*

[KyleR]

It's actually not that bad. Tax is only £200 a year more, which if I had known better and had more money when I bought the Zed, I'd be paying anyway.

 

Servicing is about 50% more than the zed and because of the miles I do, it won't be any more frequent, if anything, it'll be less often. MPG is lower also at an average of around 16ish compared to 20 in the 350.

 

So all in all, it'll cost me around £500 a year more to tax and service which is certainly less overall when you take into account the £100 a month I spend modding the zed

[gangzoom]

A while ago I worked out a newish M5 would cost at least £1k/month to keep on the road (including all costs and depreciation but excluding initial purchase price-assuming no finance payments).

 

Even if you take out deprecation I don't think your get much change from £500/month when it comes to running a M6!! But what a car to have though, wish I had bought something like it before I got married and had to think about other things like mortgages/kids

Edited September 16, 2014 by gangzoom

[Bodyboarder81]

If you can comfortably afford it I'd get the Porsche ..... And would get a warranty as well . I would love to have a Porsche and have the money to buy one but I wouldn't feel comfortable having that amount of money tied up in a car when I I have a wife and family to provide for ....... Guess I should have bought one when I was younger! All I would say is be realistic .... If having either of them will cause you worry , stress , stretching yourself financially in my mind its not worth it ..... If not go for it ( the 911 that is )

[KyleR]

A while ago I worked out a newish M5 would cost at least £1k/month to keep on the road (including all costs and depreciation but excluding initial purchase price-assuming no finance payments).

 

Even if you take out deprecation I don't think your get much change from £500/month when it comes to running a M6!! But what a car to have though, wish I had bought something like it before I got married and had to think about other things like mortgages/kids

 

£500 a month? Including depreciation over the next 3 years, tax, insurance, 2 oil services and an Inspection 1, plus fully comp AUC warranty? Yea, sounds about right But taking depreciation out, it'll cost about £250 per month, which is fine.

[KyleR]

If you can comfortably afford it I'd get the Porsche ..... And would get a warranty as well . I would love to have a Porsche and have the money to buy one but I wouldn't feel comfortable having that amount of money tied up in a car when I I have a wife and family to provide for ....... Guess I should have bought one when I was younger! All I would say is be realistic .... If having either of them will cause you worry , stress , stretching yourself financially in my mind its not worth it ..... If not go for it ( the 911 that is )

 

Problem is that the Porsche is 9 years old and may not be warrantable

[Ekona]

You can get a single year on it, but no more than that. Or you take the punt.

[Bodyboarder81]

If you can comfortably afford it I'd get the Porsche ..... And would get a warranty as well . I would love to have a Porsche and have the money to buy one but I wouldn't feel comfortable having that amount of money tied up in a car when I I have a wife and family to provide for ....... Guess I should have bought one when I was younger! All I would say is be realistic .... If having either of them will cause you worry , stress , stretching yourself financially in my mind its not worth it ..... If not go for it ( the 911 that is )

 

Problem is that the Porsche is 9 years old and may not be warrantable

 

Just make sure you do your homework on the pit falls on them ( I'm sure you have ) weigh up the financial risks if the worst should happen and make a level headed decision weather it's for you or not . It would be to much of a risk for me to run a porker with out warranty ... It would worry me constantly and this takes away the joy of owning such a car . That's just me though .

[gangzoom]

A while ago I worked out a newish M5 would cost at least £1k/month to keep on the road (including all costs and depreciation but excluding initial purchase price-assuming no finance payments).

 

Even if you take out deprecation I don't think your get much change from £500/month when it comes to running a M6!! But what a car to have though, wish I had bought something like it before I got married and had to think about other things like mortgages/kids

 

£500 a month? Including depreciation over the next 3 years, tax, insurance, 2 oil services and an Inspection 1, plus fully comp AUC warranty? Yea, sounds about right But taking depreciation out, it'll cost about £250 per month, which is fine.

 

Insurance, I assume it's at least 1k a year so £100/month

 

Fuel, £70-80 in my 335 gets me less than 300 miles so unless your not driving the M6 at all, at least £100/month

 

AUC - no idea but £50-100/month

 

Servicing items - No 'M' car part will be cheap, and budgeting at least £1k a year on servicing I would say is realistic, so again around £100/month

 

Road tax - £40/month

 

So that's £400-450/month already assuming no nasty surprises and warranty covering all work, and excluding deprecation.

 

I wouldn't want to try and run my 335i on a budget, let alone a full fat M car Good luck with the car hunt though....wish I could be in the same position in regards to cars

Edited September 16, 2014 by gangzoom

[KyleR]

Insurance, I assume it's at least 1k a year so £100/month Got a quote already for £700, might be cheaper if I call Chris Knott who I am currently with.

 

Fuel, £70-80 in my 335 gets me less than 300 miles so unless your not driving the M6 at all, at least £100/month Probably not far off to be honest. £100 will fill the tank which will in turn get me 250 miles, that'll be about the most I'd do a month.

 

AUC - no idea but £50-100/month Good guess - £60 - £90 depending on cover.

 

Servicing items - No 'M' car part will be cheap, and budgeting at least £1k a year on servicing I would say is realistic, so again around £100/month Standard oil service is about £250, it gets expensive when you start changing plugs etc. But they were done last month

 

Road tax - £40/month £41.67 actually

 

So that's £400-450/month already assuming no nasty surprises and warranty covering all work, and excluding deprecation. £272.67

 

I wouldn't want to try and run my 335i on a budget, let alone a full fat M car Good luck with the car hunt though....wish I could be in the same position in regards to cars

 

 

The M cars aren't really all that bad. I'll have a slush fund for emergencies such as bi and tri annual big services and brakes.

 

I can afford it, providing I can get an AUC warranty on it, because without the warranty, if something goes bang like the SMG, I won't be able to afford to put it back on the road without maxing out several credit cards lol

Edited September 17, 2014 by KyleR

[KyleR]

You can get a single year on it, but no more than that. Or you take the punt.

 

Tell me the truth, what are the real world chances of it going bang? Not the internet scare story bullshit, but in reality, how often does it happen?

[Ekona]

On a pessimistic scale, work on a basis of 5% failure rate.

 

A car with high miles is less likely to suffer from IMS failure, but more susceptible to bore scoring or D-chunk. Whilst you can't really check the IMS, you can easily check for scoring by boroscope, which should be part of the inspection which every Porsche owner should get done before buying their car. You can mitigate the chances by doing proper warm up and cooldowns, as well as fitting a 3rd rad and the low temp stat.

 

I decided to spend an extra £15K and get an engine where that's not an issue, but that's not exactly the cheap solution!

[Daryl]

I thought all Mezger engines suffered from the IMS and bore scoring, apart from the Turbo,GT2+GT3?

There is definitely more scare mongering than actual failures though. I know several people at work who have Porsches and i know they have had no issues at all, and they get driven hard! A good friend of mine works at Porsche Silverstone, and he has said to me that the risk of failure is small. No different to walking in the street and getting hit by a bus!

[Daryl]

Its always good to wind people up about it though, like it being a posh Beetle.

[KyleR]

On a pessimistic scale, work on a basis of 5% failure rate.

 

A car with high miles is less likely to suffer from IMS failure, but more susceptible to bore scoring or D-chunk. Whilst you can't really check the IMS, you can easily check for scoring by boroscope, which should be part of the inspection which every Porsche owner should get done before buying their car. You can mitigate the chances by doing proper warm up and cooldowns, as well as fitting a 3rd rad and the low temp stat.

 

I decided to spend an extra £15K and get an engine where that's not an issue, but that's not exactly the cheap solution!

 

Yea, you mentioned a few checks to me before to get done, incl. Overrevs. It's a real shame that these issues exist because I'm sure many many people have been put off buying them because they know they can't afford £10k to fix it.

 

I think there is a distinct possibility I'll give it a miss and wait until he 997.2's become affordable to me and then jump into a Porker. I'll still take one for a spin, though, I need to have a go at least

[KyleR]

I thought all Mezger engines suffered from the IMS and bore scoring, apart from the Turbo,GT2+GT3?

There is definitely more scare mongering than actual failures though. I know several people at work who have Porsches and i know they have had no issues at all, and they get driven hard! A good friend of mine works at Porsche Silverstone, and he has said to me that the risk of failure is small. No different to walking in the street and getting hit by a bus!

 

Up to 08 I think it was or maybe 09 when the 997.2 came out and they changed the design. I'm sure if I went for it nothing would happen, but it's the risk and knowing the IMS goes it's going to cost 5 figured to get it fixed!

[Daryl]

I thought all Mezger engines suffered from the IMS and bore scoring, apart from the Turbo,GT2+GT3?

There is definitely more scare mongering than actual failures though. I know several people at work who have Porsches and i know they have had no issues at all, and they get driven hard! A good friend of mine works at Porsche Silverstone, and he has said to me that the risk of failure is small. No different to walking in the street and getting hit by a bus!

 

Up to 08 I think it was or maybe 09 when the 997.2 came out and they changed the design. I'm sure if I went for it nothing would happen, but it's the risk and knowing the IMS goes it's going to cost 5 figured to get it fixed!

 

You can fit an aftermarket warning kit for the IMS failure, which will give you a warning of some sorts before you cause expensive damage. However, have not known anyone to kit one in my limited exposure to them. A good friend of mine got a 70k C4S 997.1 for £25k or something, and its a great car, though not massively faster than my DE Zed, but its a lovely place to sit, and the noise is growing on me. He went for a higher mileage car, as its less likely to suffer the IMS failure etc.

[KyleR]

I thought all Mezger engines suffered from the IMS and bore scoring, apart from the Turbo,GT2+GT3?

There is definitely more scare mongering than actual failures though. I know several people at work who have Porsches and i know they have had no issues at all, and they get driven hard! A good friend of mine works at Porsche Silverstone, and he has said to me that the risk of failure is small. No different to walking in the street and getting hit by a bus!

 

Up to 08 I think it was or maybe 09 when the 997.2 came out and they changed the design. I'm sure if I went for it nothing would happen, but it's the risk and knowing the IMS goes it's going to cost 5 figured to get it fixed!

 

You can fit an aftermarket warning kit for the IMS failure, which will give you a warning of some sorts before you cause expensive damage. However, have not known anyone to kit one in my limited exposure to them. A good friend of mine got a 70k C4S 997.1 for £25k or something, and its a great car, though not massively faster than my DE Zed, but its a lovely place to sit, and the noise is growing on me. He went for a higher mileage car, as its less likely to suffer the IMS failure etc.

 

The one I'm looking at is 2005 and 64k, so like you say, chances are slim compared to a low miler. I think an issue they have that increases the likelihood of failure is sitting around not being driven and thats why high milers are thought as safer. In my ownership it would sit about a bit, maybe 3k a year after the first couple of honeymoon months.

[Ekona]

I thought all Mezger engines suffered from the IMS and bore scoring, apart from the Turbo,GT2+GT3?

Nearly, Mezger engines as fitted to the Turbos (excluding 997.2 ) and GT models do not have an IMS. They can still suffer from bore scoring, but no more so than any other engine ever produced. It's the M96/97 engines that are the concern.

 

Kyle, I wouldn't consider a 60k mile engine to be out of the danger zone: You'd need to look towards 80k+ before I'd be a bit more comfortable.

 

Sitting around isn't too bad (although 3k miles isn't a lot at all), it's the warming and cooling that's the issue. A car that only does a 10min trip to work and back is never going to warm properly, and you'll be at massive risk. A car that does 20mins either way will be infinitely better.

[KyleR]

I thought all Mezger engines suffered from the IMS and bore scoring, apart from the Turbo,GT2+GT3?

Nearly, Mezger engines as fitted to the Turbos (excluding 997.2 ) and GT models do not have an IMS. They can still suffer from bore scoring, but no more so than any other engine ever produced. It's the M96/97 engines that are the concern.

 

Kyle, I wouldn't consider a 60k mile engine to be out of the danger zone: You'd need to look towards 80k+ before I'd be a bit more comfortable.

 

Sitting around isn't too bad (although 3k miles isn't a lot at all), it's the warming and cooling that's the issue. A car that only does a 10min trip to work and back is never going to warm properly, and you'll be at massive risk. A car that does 20mins either way will be infinitely better.

 

The problem I then have with 80k+ is the stigma I have with the 100k mark. I know they will do double that, but then condition starts to suffer.

 

I'm beginning to think I should wait for the 997.2 or buy a 996 Turbo if it wasn't so ugly. The M6 is looking more attractive now providing I can get a AUC warranty on it.

[Ekona]

Condition really doesn't suffer on Porsches., as long as they're looked after. I put my 2008 45k miler up next to a 2011 10k miler, and mine was in far superior nick. Look at the older cars: Decent leather is decent leather, and any 997 has that. I'd be amazed if you could tell the difference between a 2005 car with 100k and an early 2008 car with 40k: I wouldn't, assuming they've been maintained well.

 

Go and have a look at the high milers, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

 

 

That said, the 997.2 is a much better car in every way, I sold mine for £35K so they're starting to come down. I still say do the M6 while you can though.

[Daryl]

My mates with 70k on it when he bought it looked amazing, you would swear it was half that mileage, so agree with Dan, the inside and out is very well built, and defy their age, i wouldnt have known it was on 70k unless he told me.

[KyleR]

Condition really doesn't suffer on Porsches., as long as they're looked after. I put my 2008 45k miler up next to a 2011 10k miler, and mine was in far superior nick. Look at the older cars: Decent leather is decent leather, and any 997 has that. I'd be amazed if you could tell the difference between a 2005 car with 100k and an early 2008 car with 40k: I wouldn't, assuming they've been maintained well.

 

Go and have a look at the high milers, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

 

 

That said, the 997.2 is a much better car in every way, I sold mine for £35K so they're starting to come down. I still say do the M6 while you can though.

 

I sat in a 12-13 year old 996 and the leather was in great nick for the age and mileage, but I'm thinking more like bushes starting to fail, fuel and water pumps etc. None of those things are too expensive on their own, but it's £500 at a time i'd prefer to do without.

 

When I decided I wanted to move on the Zed, I originally wanted to buy brand new, maybe a 370 or BRZ/86, just to have something fresh and new. But then I can to my senses and decided I didn't want to lose £2-3k a year in depreciation. So decided to go for something I could never afford new and won't lose much over the next few years, as well as a car I won't want to spend a fortune modding. The 997 I'd only want to retrofit Sports Chrono at about £700 and the M6 I might consider the carbon front lip and thats it.

 

So, I think I've cancelled out the 997, just because of the warranty issues with it being 9. That doesn't mean I'll definitely get an M6, but it's certainly an option along with a 63 AMG if I can find one I like in my price range.

[Ekona]

If you're buying a manual 997, don't waste your money on the sport mode retrofit, it's not worth it. PDK or Turbo though, it's a must have.

 

Fair comment though on everything else. I'd find it tough to choose between C63 and M6 myself, but a nice problem to have

[Sarnie]

Porsche all day long.

 

M6 is fast of course, but you'll soon get bored of just driving fast in straight lines and to most people it will just be a six series.

 

I like BMW's and currently have an E46 M3, but when the choice is between a BMW and a similarly priced Porsche then it's surely a no brainer.....

 

I spent £90k on a Lambo with no manufacturer warranty with everyone telling me the clutches were made of chocolate and would last 2k and cost me £5k to fix.

 

Never had a problem with it at all and was probably one of the best things I've ever done and would do it again in a heartbeat if I could go back to being 28, single and childless!

 

Life's too short!!

[GT4 Zed]

Kyle mate you are exactly where I was a month ago! I needed a car with 4 seats and a decent boot with low depreciation and the M6 was high on my list. And the porker was out but after doing my homework I decided the M6 maybe fast, luxurious and all but the M3 V8 ticks more boxes and though it cost more than the M6 V10 I was looking at, I think it was the right choice. I'll be picking it up at the end of the month and will report.

On the other hand I think the depreciation will be lower on the M6 and for what they are and how generally owns or drive them they will be a better choice over the porker. However if its the dynamics you are after the 911 is a no brainer. One day I hope I can own a GT3 RS. Its one of the purest driving experience I've had on the road or track for a road legal car and up to that point I did rate porsches highly.

Yo money up call😎😇