2000 BMW E39 M5

The seller says it’s been comprehensively refurbished over the past three years and has had over £15,000 spent on it. This includes rust removal, new sills and jacking points and a full body paint correction.

In addition, it received a new windscreen, with the leather interior reconditioned and a whole host of mechanical work carried out. “In came a new clutch and flywheel, alternator, coil springs, viscous fan, ABS pump, sub-frame and diff mount bushes, brake calipers, disc pads, and exhaust system catalytic convertors. The brake pipes and fuel pipes were also refurbished.”

And breath – wait, there’s more!

An Inspection 2 service was carried out at 124k miles, with fresh plugs, oil and an MoT with all previous advisories sorted. So, what was the net result? “It now drives like a car with half the mileage,” says the vendor.

That of course means that the next owner is going to get one very potent and very sorted example of one of Munich’s finest ever M-weapons.

Oh, and that rather nice M5 private plate is also included in the sale. 

The bodywork is in very nice condition with the corrective paintwork standing it in good stead. It’s pleasingly free from marks with just the odd blemish here and there including a touch of bubbling on the top left-hand corner of the nearside black anodised door surround.

Silverstone Blue is perhaps our favourite hue for an E39 M5 – it just shows off the sinuous and muscular profile so well. The paint finish is even and it’s a hue that’ll encourage you to lose many an hour staring at it. Those long flanks appear nice and straight, and the original equipment alloy wheels are generally smart with just a tiny touch of surface bubbling on one or two. The Michelin rubber that they wear is relatively recent and there appears to be a good amount of tread left on each.

Light lenses remain nice and clear, but the black bumper inserts (particularly at the rear) are a touch faded and could benefit from a bit of back-to-black restorative product. 

Given the car’s mileage the interior is holding up really well. The leather has a nice patina with just one or two small scrapes present on the front seats, and their bolsters still provide both driver and passenger with plenty of support. In the rear, it’s clear that the back seats have seen considerably less action over the years as they still look almost new.

The brushed aluminium inserts are relatively free from scratches and the dashboard is again, in similar nick. In pride of place sits the BMW leather sports steering wheel (with lovely contrasting M-colour stitching) – ready to be grappled, and manhandled, as you enjoy the car.

All electrics function, as they should. Carpets and mats present with excellent pile, and the Anthracite headlining remains clean. The car came fully loaded, so you get heated electric memory seats with lumbar support, climate A/C, a widescreen Satnav and cruise control.

Overall, it’s a very nice cabin. A study in Teutonic black it may be, but the aforementioned aluminium inserts and a quartet of elegant brushed alloy-rimmed dials break it up nicely.

Perfect perhaps, for swallowing four mates for a high-speed journey to Le Mans Classic or an event of a similar ilk perhaps? Now there’s a very good idea…

We’ve had the M5 at our Abingdon HQ for a while now and the vendor's assertion that it drives like an example with half the mileage has been borne out; there are no untoward drive train or suspension noises, and the V8 engine pulls like an absolute bloomin’ train – and then some.

The assorted works carried out have placed this example into Benjamin Button mode and returned the driving experience to that of much earlier in its youth. From a driving perspective the E39 M5 and its non-turbocharged engine absolutely always hits the spot for us, and this one delivers on that front.

The underside has a touch of road surface dirt present and one or two small edges could do with a wire brush and re-seal but, for peace of mind, work to the main areas prone to corrosion (jacking points, sills and sub-frame) has all been completed.

Prospective bidders will also find a meticulously clean picture under the bonnet. No grime, dirt or otherwise here – just clean black plastic, and the promise of that evocative BMW M Power badge. 

The M5 comes with a pretty decent history file. In it you’ll find a service book with a good number of stamps contained within, including the all-important running-in check carried out by main dealer Altwood Ltd at 1,831 miles.

The included V5 document indicates that a total of 11 owners have enjoyed this car, with the last of those embarking upon its restoration. Many of the big-bill invoices are present and these include:

£2,511.97 for brake refurbishment works and engine re-mapping by Barkers Motor Works, on the 14/06/2018

£2,392.59 for sub-frame and rear diff works and other assorted items also by Barkers Motor Works, on 01/03/2019

£3,275.27 for ABS pump replacement and other works also by Barker Motor Works, on 19/07/2019

£2,535.72 for brake hose and pipe section replacement, and new coil springs and Michelin PS4 tyres by Barkers Motor Works

£2,420.08 for a new clutch, flywheel, alternator and other minor works by Barkers Motor Works.

You’ll also find a number of invoices from earlier in the car’s life, numerous expired MoT test certificates (including the present one) and all of the original handbooks. Both keys are also present.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and maintained to a very high standard.

We’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating: this model is the king of a new breed of collector cars, and modern classics of the superior kind have been moving up significantly during the Covid era.

This example has had a significant recent outlay (£15k, nonetheless) to ensure it’s absolutely spot on. That nugget of information makes our £17,000 lower estimate seem almost criminal, while even the top end £23,000 would see its next owner receiving top value for money.

Another of our phrases related to this model that’s worth revisiting is: if Carlsberg did M5s then it would most likely state that, “The E39 M5 is probably the best car in the world”. That’s because it did absolutely everything when new. It was the only car you ever needed. That was true then, and it still stands today.

Be in no doubt, this proper weapon is ready for some serious tarmac-related mischief. 

This car is being sold from the sellers private collection, and is located at The Market’s Abingdon HQ; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.