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.

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.

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.

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.

What would you call an owner who changes his oil every 4,500 miles at most, sometimes as early as 3,500? Or spends 2,500 dollars refurbishing the car’s cooling system? Or spending $4,000 for Bilstein PSS coilovers, OEM bushings and control arms so the car would go another 100,000 miles? The owner claims that at 99,000 miles, the car is like new. And you better believe it. The description on the car is pretty extensive, and it’s a wish list for any car buyer looking to buy an E39 M5. Which is why it probably garnered 29 bids.

One big plus in our opinion is the fact that engine mods were limited to intake, exhaust and an ECU tune only. This means that the V8 was not stressed beyond design spec and the heart of the car should still be very healthy. This BMW M5 has gone to a very lucky owner, who will get to enjoy his ride for a long, long time without needing to do some major repairs or maintenance.

See this pristine E39 M5 here.

Aside from the E39 M5, this assembly will apparently also fit the 540i with 6-speed manual from 1997-2003. Part numbers are given for the components in question so that an interested buyer with another BMW can check and see if it will fit his car. The whole assembly is being sold for $75, excluding shipping. The ad shows the actual parts that are being sold so you can make a judgement on whether they’re worth risking $75 dollars on.

Interested parties can look up the listing here.

The thread discusses the best tires to use on for the E39 M5 and what the effects of staggered and square setups are. The consensus is that wider tires are good for this generation of M5, with a square setup promoting a more neutral balance in handling. One can argue with theory, but nothing beats real-world experience, as the guys on this thread show with their informed responses.

See the discussion here.

For a time, some U.S. enthusiasts found in convenient to import Canada-spec E39 M5s because of the favorable exchange rate. Contrary to an uninformed person’s initial impressions, documentation procedures are fairly straightforward for those who want to import a car into the U.S., and you can do it yourself, without the need for paying an importer. Just takes a bit more legwork and research.

It seems that this practice has happened often enough that BMW Canada and North America are now charging for the declaration documents that affirm that the car you are importing meets federal regulations. This letter used to be provided free of charge but the fee seems to have been imposed to help protect the dealer networks in the U.S. and Canada. Nuggets of information like these are valuable for enthusiasts like E39 M5 aficionados, who may see a car they like across the border but are put off by the prospect of regulatory hoops to tackle.

See the discussion here.

But even before those Porsches, guess what this guy was driving? A couple of E39 M5s (01 and 03) and an E60 M5 after those. The BMW driving experience must have left a lasting imprint with this guy but it’s unusual because you’d normally expect a car guy to graduate from the sports cars to the “family” cars, which would mean a progression from an M3 to the M5s. But whatever the circumstances, it’s apparent that for this guy’s needs, BMWs have fit the bill for him.

See the new toy here.

But further down the thread, there’s a poster who actually loves his M3’s shifter action, which several commenters feel as being so light as to feel like you’re driving a video game. Those who had experience with the E39 M5’s mechanical actions were universal in their praise for that feel. That’s the reason for asking about the generational aspect of the E39 M5 vs E9x M3 clutch/shifter sentiments. Could it be that the newer generation of drivers, brought up with automatic transmissions and cossetted in cars that insulate the driver from noise, vibration and harshness, been conditioned to softer cars and controls?

See the thread here.