What's the going price for these, say 04-05?

I see some advertised on autotrader for 17-18k and up ... but I have no idea if they sell for that ... and if those sub-20k cars aren't plagued with problems (including that pesky read diff).

Stay away or get on the bargain train? Or get an E39 instead?

 

I'd go with the E39. The Caddy might have a few smaller problems that are cheap to fix, while anything that goes wrong on the E39 will surely be more expensive but I feel like the M5 would be a more solid ride. It has a nicer interior too. You can't really go wrong with either though.

 

from what i remember the older cts-v had issues with the rear diff that can get expensive. Not sure about how many people had real huge issues with the diff though

 

The issues with the V are axle hop if you launch it really hard (so just don't do that) and a foot-operated parking brake. It handles fantastically, is reliable, but has a really cheap interior. The E39 is older and has horrid steering. The interior is much nicer and it definitely has more "cache" but if anything goes wrong you're out big bucks. Those motors have tight tolerances and need to be taken care of. I'd say it's a toss-up. I had an E39 and it was a great car but it had a few things go out on it (nav, CD, dash) which would have been crazy expensive without the warranty.

 

The V is a much more fun car to drive then a E39, I've driven both. If you like torque don't by a E39. The only real issue with the V is the diff and axles. There are upgrades that you can buy that help cure it. It's alot of car for the money IMO.