Opinions: Buy an '02 M5 or put $2K in the 2.7T?
 

My friend offered to sell me his 02 BMW M5 (400 HP/~370TQ) for the same price I bought my 04 2.7T for. I've researched and know each of these cars have an expensive list of hypothetical failures and repairs, and both seem to be equally expensive to repair.
If I stick with the Audi, I might run into $3K Torque Converter repairs, or (and more certainly)$3K turbo replacements, in addition to normal repairs along the way.
If I go with the M5, it has alot more hp and tq without doing any additional work to it, but I'll be up against clutch replacements ($1,200-$2K estimates), possible VANOS issues, with several different causes and soutions and costs up to $5k for total replacements, in addition to other wear and tear items.
My A6 has 78K, and the M5 has 63K on it.
If I keep the A6, and use the 2K I was going to put towards the M5, I am considering all the usual suspects: APR chip (I usually drive very sedately), VAST TIP chip, DV's, TBB, some type of DP, but sending out the piggies sounds like a PITA, we'll see...
My only concern with spending the 2K is that I'll be pushing the envelope of failure with the turbo's and TC.
I've done all the research and read all the threads about the unpredictability of turbo and TC failure, so I'm really asking for a "what would you do if you were in my shoes" kind of opinion here.

What do you guys think?

what do you need the car for? i looked at an m5 before i decided on the a6. for me the killer was the complete lack of trunk space as my a6 pulls double duty. it's a fun car and a family car. the m5 is a fun car.

The Audi will still get good gas milage if you stay out of the boost. The M5 has a 5.0 V8 which sadly means V8 fuel economy all the time... But also V8 music! =) Also, You might just see your audi helping you if you venture out into the snow with a Bimmer. IMO I would keep the audi, What ever choice you make... Good luck!

Matt.

All valid points. I originally went with Audi because of the Quattro for my 30 mile round trip commute. I'm usually driving on the hilly curvy back roads while most people are sound asleep, hence the need for AWD. That being said, I drove modified Mustangs for 10 years in the winter, and never with winter tires (or heat!), and I've searched on the M5 boards and found drivers using dedicated, downsized winter wheels and tires and doing just fine.

I have been enjoying the fuel economy of the A6, especially as of late, but that itself hasn't been enough to push me over the edge in either direction... pardon me as I think out loud: I do often find myself eating breakfast in the car on the way to work, which wouldn't work so well with the 6 speed... and I would be facing inevitable clutch replacement (maybe more than once) with the M5, while the TC in the Audi is merely a possibility, am I right??
I have step-kids, but they live with their father, and 85% of the time it's just me, 14% of the time it's me and my wife, and 1% of the time it's her kids or other passengers. That being said, not too much double-duty being done.
Much like the proposed addition on the mods, I got a 4 dour sedan for "when the need arises", rather than that I need the room, or in the other case, when the need/desire for speed arisies....
Ah, choices, choices.
M5's are just so much more rare than 2.7T's, too.... oh, I don't know.....
The good news is, I love my car every time I see it and drive it, except for when something breaks, but then I'm right back to loving it!
Speaking of which, I just put over $2K into the car in July w/ the TB, brakes, plugs, oil and a few coil packs, which also kind of has me leaning towards keeping the Audi...
OK, rant/monologue over for now!!!!

I actually had a 98 540 (same body style I believe). I now drive a 2.8 (MUCH SLOWER) I would choose the M5 over the 2.8 any day! I love my Audi so much, but the only reason I bought the Audi in the first place was because my bimmer made me LOVE GERMAN CARS.

Go with the 540, you won't regret it.

Wow! First enthusiastic vote for the M5! The E39 M5 is the same body style as the 540, with different front and rear fascias, wheels, suspension, interior, and obviously drivetrain!! I've ridden in a few and they scare the sh!t out of me (or at least the drivers do!)
To answer cbok's question, I'm considering the M5 strictly for power and performance. It would be, as my A6 is, a daily driver, and my only car. It would be the fastest car I've ever owned, which in theory is appealing, but I rarely, if ever, go more than 75 on the highway anymore, and due to several run-in's with the local authorities :) I'm relegated to 30 mph on almost all of the back roads that I travel back and forth to work every day. So for the most part, the M5 would never be used to the fullest of its' potential, nor would I ever track or drag either car, so it would be more for the pure ownership of it, and the potential to drive it however I see fit up to the fullest of it's potential at any given point.
Does anyone really NEED a 400 HP streetcar?? No! But can a fair amount of the population walk into a growing number of various dealerships today and walk out with 400 HP+ off the showroom floor! Yup!!
So, no, I don't "need" it, but do I want it?? Yeah!
And actually, it's worth mentioning, we wouldn't even be having this discussion right now if I weren't being offered such a great deal on the M5! The car could be retailing for 7-10K more than what he's offering it to me for, but he doesn't need the car or the money, so he wanted to give me first refusal...

OOOO all the way

I've never driven a 2.7t, I may actually buy one soon, but take it some somebody who (if your talking the A6 in general) had both cars. Get the M5.

Now I might retract this statement in a few weeks when I drive a 2.7t.

worth mentioning? yeah! it seems like you just want us to tell you to get the m5 so you'll sleep better at night. go for it! if you can get that kind of deal on an m5, why would you consider anything else? that's a huge discount!

all you have to do is turn around and sell it. get a 2.7t and drop the 7-10k into it. you'll be happy with the performance then. :D

Ya know, the more I type about it, talk about it, and weigh the pro's and con's, I think I'm gonna mod up the A6!!!
Technically, the whole M5 v. A6 debate has been hinged upon the necessity of me selling my A6 first. As is, I priced the car 2K below what I owe and was prepared to pay 2K in cash to pay it off, then turn around and get a new loan. However, the car is priced only slightly below Blue Book Value. The market in my area is saturated with 2.7T's, some for a few grand more, some for a few grand less, and many have less miles than me. Plus I need to replace both rear window regulators, which don't bother me being broken, as I don't use the rear windows, but I can't very well sell a car like that, and there's a gouge in the front bumper where a SHINGLE, yes, a shingle, flew off a pickup on the higway and speared right into my bumper. So given those things, there's another $500 I'd have to put into the car to sell it that I won't have to put into it since I don't mind either of those things :) Also, When I bought the car, I never had a drivers-side floormat, so if a prospective buyer wanted one of them, those are fairly pricey from the dealer for OEM... So things I don't think twice about living with, might prevent me from selling the car at the price I need/want without spending more money to sell it!
Another con, if I sold my car right now and got the M5 before winter, I'd need to spend 1-1.5K right off the bat for winter wheels and tires, and the bills just keep adding up!!

I figure I already have a car that I love, that I've put prob. more than 3K into over the past year in repairs and maintenance to have it runnng in top form, and there's a whole helluva lot of performance I can extract out of it for 2K and still keep the AWD performance for the New England weathers, the Tip tranny so I can eat breakfast while I'm driving to work at 4 am, and still get some good gas mileage and not replace a 2K clutch every 2 years!!!
So, thanks for everyone's opinions and humoring me while I "talk it out".
I Think I'm goin' stage 2!!!!!!!