Bought a spaceship

[Dave McLaren]

I used to have no interest in these things. Ugly headlights, SMG, the whole freaky futurama package. Then I drove one. Immediately afterward I started changing my eBay and Craigslist searches from "E39 M5" to "E60 M5" and digging around m5board for more info about the model years, updates and mods. Eventually I found what I was looking for, a super clean '08 Interlagos over Silverstone with the options I wanted and without the ones I didn't. Picked it up on December 31st.





Just getting in and making it do anything at all requires a learning curve. I felt like Will Smith in Independence Day when he got in the alien spaceship. After a few days with it, reading some of the manual, I've managed to pair my phone to it, get Sirius stations, and adjust a few other bits. Fortunately, the Power button is easy to find, though most of the time I just leave it in P400 mode.

When the E30 turbo is back on the road with the MS setup running, it'll be fun to drive them back to back and compare modern power with old school boost. Maybe if the E30 had been back home sooner, I'd have been playing with that rather than shopping for some other shiny thing. Anyway, I'm having fun with the M5.

Dave

[MR 325]

Great looking car sir. I just don't think I could ever handle anything with SMG.

[u3b3rg33k]

I could definitely do SMG (provided it doesn't downshift @ WOT without permission), it's slushboxes that I really can't stand. If they do what I tell them to, they're OK by me (find me a slushbox that does...).


What's your take on the SMG, Dave?

[dickerdeville]

That's pretty cool. Can't stand the wood trim though.

I miss my E39 some days. I wish the 6sp E60 M5 wasn't handicapped.

[Dave McLaren]

I just don't think I could ever handle anything with SMG.

I was totally in that camp. I was reading all the posts about M5's SMGIII vs 6-speed (available in '08 and later M5s) and started feeling like the 6-speed was out of place. 7 gears, closely spaced, is pretty trick and the gearbox works perfectly with the engine. I began to rationalize that it's just a manual box, but with a robot helper, and that's just what it feels like. Throttle blips on downshifts are excellent. I get it just right about half the time, and somewhere in the ballpark the other half. So, in the end I figured I'll go for the whole spaceship and I'm happy I didn't get the 6-speed.

[Dave McLaren]

I could definitely do SMG (provided it doesn't downshift @ WOT without permission), it's slushboxes that I really can't stand. If they do what I tell them to, they're OK by me (find me a slushbox that does...).

The thing will bounce off the rev limiter all day if you want. It won't let you stall it, it'll downshift before that, but it'll let you bog it if you want. It also won't let you moneyshift. Basically, it keeps you from fucking up but lets you have control otherwise. Definitely no slushbox. I can't stand them either, but this thing is different.

[Dave McLaren]

That's pretty cool. Can't stand the wood trim though.

I miss my E39 some days. I wish the 6sp E60 M5 wasn't handicapped.

LOL the wood was exactly what I wanted. The car is so freaking futuristic I wanted something to mellow it out. So, the Interlagos is beautiful to offset the weird exterior, the Silverstone interior is soothing (little more gray than the old Lotus White of the E24 M6, but lighter than the Silver Gray in the E34 M5) and the wood brings some zen. Basically, I wanted to put some lipstick on this pig. The drive, on the other hand, is amazing.

[imdashiz]

not a fan of E60's. Prefer the E39 M5 over any M5. Beautiful color though.

[archie]

hey you are from Orange, Cal? Me too.

Nice car.

[u3b3rg33k]

LOL the wood was exactly what I wanted. The car is so freaking futuristic I wanted something to mellow it out. So, the Interlagos is beautiful to offset the weird exterior, the Silverstone interior is soothing (little more gray than the old Lotus White of the E24 M6, but lighter than the Silver Gray in the E34 M5) and the wood brings some zen. Basically, I wanted to put some lipstick on this pig. The drive, on the other hand, is amazing.

So is it real wood veneer, or the kind of wood trim that came on our '81 impala wagon and falls off after ten years (wood trim tape)?

I must say I like our old jags with the real wood dash. Gives them character. It's hard for me to tell what's real and what's fake in a new car where it's all so fit and finish and shiny. [The jag]'s 3 speed 1:1 slushboxes don't even have lockup torque converters; and that leaves much to be desired.

[Ray Smoodiver]

Spaceship?

Try an F01 or F10 :D

[PedoBearE30]

thats a bitchen ride man congrats

[5ickride]

not a fan of E60's. Prefer the E39 M5 over any M5. Beautiful color though.

^^This

[blunttech]

beautiful car. congrats. Id love something like that someday.

[briansjacobs]

I hated SMG...until I drove a F360challenge, The SMG in the E46 is nothing in comparison to the Ferrari, the SMG in the E60 is a lot better but still has a long way to go be on par with Ferrari.

I will say this, the first time you get in the E60 with power mode on and bang 1-2-3 gear it is amazing.

congrats, it is a beauty