The E39 M5 Video Guide Blog » E39 M5

E39 M5 Appreciation Thread On A VW Forum

Brooks — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:49:10 +0000

Hit this thread for some E39 M5 appreciation comments springing out from a VW GTI driver who decided to tag along in an E34 vs. E39 M5 race. You would think the E34 driver to be crazy to go against a BMW M5, but according to the original poster, the E34 looked modded. Made no difference to the outcome though.

The rest of the thread contains comments that would make an E39 M5 blush. GTIs are nice cars but you can see the respect these guys have for the M5. It looks like given the chance, some of these guys would give up their pocket rockets and spring for the big M5 in an instant. A particularly funny story is when one VW driver is at a stoplight with an M5 and what he calls a moron ricer. Ricer revs his engine, M5 revs back and ricer tucks his tail. The end.

More appreciative comments can be seen here.

M Diesels Continue The Division’s Progressive Thinking

Brooks — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:59:59 +0000

If you’re a follower of things M from BMW, you will have learned of BMW’s launch of the M Performance cars that are based on a new generation of 6-cylinder triple turbo diesels. Like us, your first reaction would have been to say that it’s another bastardization of the storied M badge. But look at the numbers and they get pretty interesting. How about 400 horsepower and 37 miles per gallon? And a torque figure that makes the E39 M5’s V8 look wimpy.

Admittedly, the engine revs to less than 6,000 rpm, and there’s no glorious engine note whatsoever, but as a powerplant for the street, doesn’t a 400 horsepower diesel that returns 37 mpg beat a raucous V8 that seems to be best friends with gas stations along your route? And how about torque that’s available a few thousand rpms lower than the S62’s? To be sure, the S62 found in the E39 M5 would trump the M Performance diesels at the track. But isn’t the 5-series M meant to be rapid transport for the enthusiast executive? Given those parameters, the new M diesels are worthy of a serious look instead of outright dismissal.

Source for this post here.

Another E39 M5 vs. BMW M3 Question

Brooks — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 03:31:12 +0000

A current BMW M3 owner must have seen a really nice E39 M5, because he’s thrown a what if question to a Bimmer forum, asking for their opinions on whether to keep the M3 or swing for the E39 M5. Both these cars are fantastic cars but there are a lot of personal factors that come into play when considering a change such as this. For this M3 owner, it seems that a lifestyle change is in the works, because one of the factors that has him considering the E39 M5 is the fact that he can convince his fiance to go for the car. It’s got four doors, but at the same time hasn’t been called the beast for nothing.

But compared to his current M3 which is newer, the M5 is a generation old, which means that there aren’t many very good examples left. Even then, maintenance will be a pain, simply because there would be many more worn and older parts compared to the current car this BMW enthusiast has. And it’s not really practical in this climate of expensive fuel to use an E39 M5 as a daily driver. As a family car, sure, it can do double duty as a family car one weekend and a canyon carver the next. One solution to consider would be to sell the M3, get the M5 and then get a beater daily driver which would cost pennies to run and maintain. Sure, you’d be driving a crap car during workdays, but imagine the thrill and enjoyment of getting into a beast of a car to drive your stress and sorrows away.

See M3 vs. E39 M5 discussion here.

Is The Alpina B10 A Worthy Alternative To An E39 M5?

Brooks — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:28:23 +0000

Inevitably, a lengthy discussion of the merits of owning an E39 M5 will include the Alpina B10. Built by the specialist BMW tuner of the same name, the Alpina B10 is based on the E39, but is thoroughly reworked by the tuner according to their own philosophies. It has almost the same performance as the M5, and in terms of specs, it would probably be placed above the E39 540i and the M5. As a car, it is more practical than the M5, as it rides softer and is equipped with a sporty 5-speed automatic. For collectors, it is arguably a rarer item.

Enthusiasts wanting to get into one of these things can follow the example set by a UK magazine, which bought an Alpina B10 and converted it to LPG. According to their long-term testing, performance did not suffer at all and the hearty exhaust note was still there. And they were able to enjoy the car much more because of the cheaper cost of fuel. If you are a BMW enthusiast who’s getting frustrated by not finding the perfect E39 M5, considering an Alpina B10 as an alternative is food for thought.

See long-term summary here.

Used OEM E39 M5 Struts And Springs For Sale

Brooks — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:31:02 +0000

For sale on the post linked below is a complete set of front and rear struts as well as springs from an E39 M5. The seller claims that these suspension components are in perfect condition, but it would have been better if he included the mileage these struts and springs have on them. He lists the following data for the available parts for those interested:

Front spring struts (x2) – Part # 31312229612, Dealer Price: $446.89 for L&R
Rear Spring strut (x2) – Part: 33522229126, Dealer Price: $322.07 for L&R
Left & Right, Front & Rear Springs, OEM BMW (presumably E39 M5-spec)

The seller gives out an email address so that interested parties can contact him with an offer. The first thing to do though is verify the mileage before anyone makes an offer, because the price of these parts will depend on how many miles they’ve done. These would make good spares for someone who still has the original suspension on his E39 M5, or can even be an upgrade for non-M5 E39s if the shocks aren’t too worn.

See the post here.

E39 M5 A Tool For Setting Famous Record Run

Brooks — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:04:19 +0000

As responsible E39 M5 owners, we would not think to do anything illegal with our cars, such as ah, breaking the speed limit. But other people have, and famously bragged about it. We need to go no farther than Alex Roy’s infamous 2006 run, where he and co-driver Dave Maher drove from Manhattan to Santa Monica in 31 hours. Beating prepped Ferraris that previously tried to go for that illegal record, Roy and Maher used an E39 M5 that would have easily flown under the radar because of its pedestrian looks, specially when you compare it to a screaming Ferrari.

Helping to maintain their high average speed was a plethora of radar receivers and other electronic gear. In fact, the video grab of the M5 that was used shows a car that looks like a mobile command post. But aside from those multiple antennas, that E39 M5 looks very stock indeed and it would not have needed much, if any, mods to travel coast-to-coast in 31 hours.

See the car here.

E39 M5 Drivetrain Underpins Classic E9 Restoration

Brooks — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:42:02 +0000

E39 M5s on the road are now more and more becoming project or weekend cars and will in a number of years be called classics themselves. But not as classic as the 1970 CS and CSL coupes that are still pretty beautiful to look at after all these years. In 2011, German tuner MKO completed the restoration and upgrading of a 1972 CS coupe, also known as the E9. The CSL versions of these cars became known in the racing world as the Batmobiles, which were fearsome competition cars.

This street version by MKO is also scary in its own right. Aside from being a pristine restoration, peek under the hood and you’ll find the 400 horsepower S62 that inhabits the engine bay of your beloved E39 M5. More than that, this E9 restoration also has the 6-speed transmission, ABS, DSC and other relevant electronic gadgetry found in the E39 M5. With less than 1800 kilos to propel, the 400 horsepower V8 should be able to scare the owner and passenger of this restored classic too. That is, if the prospective owner doesn’t get scared away by the 130,000 dollar asking price in the first place.

Find the car here.

E39 M5 For Sale In Washington State

Brooks — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:31:47 +0000

There’s a 2002 E39 M5 for sale in Washington that, for whatever reason, is being disposed of after only 3 months of ownership. The car looks nice enough, and the seller says that it’s got no major issues. In fact, it reportedly doesn’t consume oil as other E39 M5s are wont to do and the VANOS mechanism does not exhibit the disconcerting rattles that are evident on other M5s of similar vintage. Rod bearings were replaced at 80,000 and the odometer reading is presently at 96,000 plus miles.

What’s curious is why this car is being sold off after only such a short time. E39 M5s are a blast to drive and any enthusiast owner considering its sale would keep it for a longer time than 3 months just to enjoy the car thoroughly. Normally at this point, only serious E39 M5 enthusiasts would even bother with looking for such a car and going through the trouble of inspecting it and go through the motions of buying a used and potentially expensive to repair car. The seller says he’s now wants a Subaru STI or an M3 project car and is asking $20,000 for it. He’s open to trades too so the seller is pretty open about making a deal on the car. One wonders if this is just a case of buyer’s remorse. Let’s hope so because it would be a shame to pass on a less than stellar E39 M5 to another enthusiast.

See the posting here.

Stanced E39 M5 Looks Good

Brooks — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:21:44 +0000

Although a large number of E39 M5 enthusiasts like seeing the car in its OEM form, it’s refreshing to see other owners taking their M5s in new directions in terms of alternate wheel fitments and looks. Take the case of this M5, which has been fitted with 19-inch wheels. Widths are 9.5-inch for the front and 10.5 for the rears. Offsets are +20 at the front and +22 at the rear. Then, the owner dropped the car an additional half-inch at the front.

The end result is an M5 that has the stanced look that so many people love. As a piece of eye candy, it certainly is pleasing to the eye and the wheel fitment is spot on. We agree with a couple of the comments saying that the wheels are a mite too thin profile wise, but the owner says those are what he could get considering the size and fitment considerations. Not many will agree that an M5 dropped like this would be a practical daily driver. The reduced suspension travel may have the suspension bottoming out on the stops in not-so-smooth roads. But the point here is that the owner is quite happy with the way the car looks now and we have to agree.

See a stanced E39 M5 here.

Big Front Calipers Cause Fitment Issues In E39 M5

Brooks — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:06:16 +0000

Recently, there has been an upswing in automotive forums about discussions on wheels and tires to use for the coming winter months. On this discussion thread, a poster is asking about wheels that will fit an E39 M5. Apparently, he’d bought a set of 16-inch OEM BMW wheels but was surprised when the wheels didn’t fit the fronts. This owner apparently didn’t realize that the M5′s front calipers were larger than ordinary E39s and this is what caused the problem. But he wants to stick with OEM wheels so he’s looking for another set that will fit.

Two points of interest entered this discussion thread, one being that not all aftermarket 17-inch wheels necessarily fit the E39 M5. The other is a suggestion to use front-sized tires for the rears, as this will give better performance in snow conditions. It must be equal parts fun and scary to be driving an E39 M5 out in the snow. A light and gentle foot is certainly required if we don’t want to see these cars against a snowbank or worse, a tree. It would be better if an E39 M5 is garaged for the winter but not all owners have that luxury.

See the discussion here.