2003 BMW M5 E39

Finished in the fantastic shade of Le Mans Blue, this 2003-registered post-facelift E39 M5 has been in the care of our vendor since 2005, and has become a part of their family life during this time.

Used as a daily driver and family runabout for the first ten years of ownership, the car has subsequently been used as a weekend toy, and has also been professionally stored twice during the vendor’s tenure, for around a year at a time each.

Evidently, this M5 has been the pride of the vendor’s garage, as shown by the fact that all four wheels have been recently refurbished, and that several courses of paintwork have been carried out, despite no accident damage having befallen this ‘super saloon’ during the vendor’s time with the car.

In addition to this, a new clutch was fitted in 2020, and a VANOS service was carried out in 2016.

The Le Mans Blue paintwork looks fantastic in the sunlight, and is in excellent condition throughout on account of the vendor’s work to maintain the condition of the car. There is a few small marks which are commensurate with the car’s age and mileage, along with some more notable stone chips to the front end and a large mark on the nearside front wing below the mirror.

Looking along the lines of the car, the bodywork is wonderfully straight throughout, with the only indentations noted being a small pin dent on the offside rear wing, along with a parking dent along the nearside front wing, both of which are hidden in day-to-day life. There is also a small patch of bubbling around the front badge, though this is the only patch of bubbling we noted on the car.

The refurbished wheels are all immaculate and have no marks, scratches or kerbing to speak of, whilst the front light lenses are in good condition but have a few minor marks and slight clouding.

The black leather interior of this M5 has stood the test of time very well indeed, and presents fantastically throughout.

The front seats have the usual signs of wear such as creasing and some light scuffs to the outer bolsters, but for a car of this age and mileage we reckon they look very good indeed. The carpets are also in great shape, and the dashboard is free from any sun damage, cracking or distortion.

Up above, the headliner is in great condition, and there are no signs of any sagging or damage. The high-traffic areas such as the steering wheel and gearstick are in good shape with only a light usage patina noted, and the same is true for the door cards which only sport the odd scuff here-and-there in line with regular usage.

The only known faults, according to the vendor, are that the rear offside window regulator is temperamental, despite having been replaced in 2011, so a dodgy connection issue is suspected. In addition to this, only a handful of the parking sensors work correctly, though this has never been an issue for the vendor.

As far as we could see, everything else is working as it should, though the sat-nav system is somewhat outdated, with the last update taking place around ten years ago! Nonetheless, it’s good to see the original system still in-situ.

In the boot, there is some light wear and usage marks, but nothing untoward. The fold-down tool kit is present and largely complete, though there are a couple of items missing.

Out on the road, this M5 behaved exactly as a well-built German performance car should - with no fuss, drama or show, but plenty of grunt when required. The car starts with ease and will happily handle repeated starts even when hot, and there was no untoward mechanical behaviour that we noted.

During our short test drive, the steering felt good and showed no sign of any alignment issues, nor were there any unusual noises, knocks or bangs. We would suggest that the gearshift feels a little loose, but some new bushes would likely go a long way towards remedying this or perhaps even eliminating the problem completely, though we are being hyper-critical here.

In the engine bay, the S62 engine presents very well, and there were no leaks or signs of any misting that we could see. The engine pulls well, and the redline adjusts as the car heats up as it should.

Looking underneath the car, the chassis looks to be in good order, with nothing more than the usual light ‘bloom’ of corrosion on the exposed areas such as the exhaust and suspension. The recent MOT on 11 August 2021 also gave the car a clean bill of health, so we’d wager there’s nothing to worry about here.

Included with the car is an impressive history folder, including an itemised spreadsheet of work carried out to the car whilst in the vendors ownership, the original Approved Used handbook, the V5 showing 4 former keepers, a spare key and a treasure trove of invoices.

The car was last serviced in July 2018 at 113,433 miles, whilst the clutch was renewed in April 2020, the air conditioning was serviced in May 2020, and the door sills, boot lock, exhausts and front bumper all received attention from the bodyshop in July 2020 before the car was placed into storage at the vendor’s home in late 2020, being kept in a carcoon.

Prior to this, we also note that two new tyres were fitted in February 2018, the VANOS system was serviced by Dick Lovett BMW Swindon in August 2016, and numerous other miscellaneous items such as exhaust brackets, power steering pipes and fan switches have been taken care of as needed, with this M5 kept in top mechanical condition by the vendor, largely using BMW main dealerships for work.

Speaking of BMW main dealerships, the vendor notes that whenever the car was taken in to Swindon, Oxford or Bristol, the technicians always commented on the condition of the car, which is high praise indeed for a nigh-on 20-year-old super saloon.

Wonderfully original, unmolested and mechanically excellent, this is a fantastically usable example of the classic E39 M5, which also benefits from long-term ownership and an extensively documented maintenance history.

Having been used as both a daily driver and a weekend toy, we see no reason that this E39 couldn’t return to being a high-performance daily driver for the discerning driver or BMW enthusiast, should the next owner wish to do so.

With unmodified examples becoming harder to come by, we think this is an opportunity not to be missed by anyone looking to obtain a post-facelift E39 M5 which can be used and enjoyed to its full extent, and we estimate the hammer to fall in the region of £19,000 to £29,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and 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’.