[Shotimes] Replacing the SHO

[John Miller]

> I didn't talk specifically about build quality, but there is NOTHING
> wrong with the build quality of my '96.  Body lines are tight and
> consistent.  The thing is tight and squeek/rattle free at 7 years and
> 80,000+ miles, and the interior is holding up well, as is the exterior.
> Can't ask for much better than that.

The '96 cars were a fair bit better in trim and material quality than the 
earlier ones.

> Like I implied and said, the Beemer is a quality piece and it shows and
> drives like it.  But the '96 is close enough that it just isn't worth the
> huge hit my pocketbook would have to take to trade.

I think I'm reasonably well qualified to comment on the BMW vs SHO issue.

The E39 ('96-03 5-series, wasn't sold in US until '97) is a nice piece of 
hardware.  They are not perfect - the door seals tend to squeak and wear 
out quickly, folding rear seats in early cars tend to squeak, and the 
cupholders are junk.  6-cylinder cars get flak about plastic thermostat 
housings cracking, all get griping about radiator hose spigots breaking 
(incorrect coolant pH causes plastic in cooling systems to become brittle) 
and rubber oil-filter housing mounts tearing (this can lead to loss of oil 
pressure if not caught.)

The material quality is generally a whole lot better than SHOs, the 
sport-package seats are far better than anything ever offered in any SHO as 
long as you're under 200lb, and the chassis tuning is ideal for 100mph 
cruising though the V8 cars tend to feel a little numb below 80.

Note that the V8 cars are fundamentally different from the 6-cylinder cars. 
When the E39's layout was frozen in 1991/92 BMW's V8s weren't in production 
yet, the world wasn't in good shape economically and they didn't see a big 
market for V8-powered 5s.  So to economize on development they borrowed the 
front subframe from the E38 7-series also under development.  So, while the 
6-cylinder 5s get rack-and-pinion steering, the V8s use a 
recirculating-ball steering box.  It makes the cars feel somewhat 
different, the 6-cylinder cars feel lighter on their feet.

John.
'91 SHO
'98 540iA sport-pkg
'00 M5