2007 BMW M5

First registered on the 28th of March 2007, this wonderful BMW M5 has been in the care of the vendor since the 11th of July 2017. Finished in Silver grey with a Black Merino leather interior, it has covered just over 82,000 miles from new.

Fully loaded, its engine was completely rebuilt in April 2018 following a failure. Having now covered around a thousand miles, it had its run-in oil changed before being put into storage, where it has been for the past year.

So, if you’ve ever fancied getting your hands on what might just be the most iconic super-saloon of the noughties – complete with what is almost a brand new V10 engine – now’s your chance.

PS. And, it’s probably going to cost you a lot less than you think…

The Silver Grey coachwork is in a great condition, with even shutlines and factory-tight panel gaps. It’s also nice to see an M5 that doesn’t have tinted rear windows too; we hate to judge, but their absence does hint at a more mature, sensible owner, which can only be a good thing when it comes to buying one…

The M-specific front valance and boot spoiler are present and correct, and the paintwork is generally very good, with a good shine to it and only the usual small stonechips to mar its finish.

The glass sunroof seals well, and opens and closes as it should. It is shielded on the inside with a retractable blind.

The 19-inch OE alloy wheels were refurbished in August 2017, and are still looking sharp with only the odd minor mark on them. They are shod with Bridgestone Potenza tyres on the rear axle, and Michelin Pilot Sport 3 on the front.

Problems? None really. You might have noticed that some of the photos show the nearside front corner of the bonnet sitting slightly proud. This is simply because the bonnet hadn’t been pushed down fully and latched. As you’ll see in most of the others, it closes securely and aligns as well as the rest of the panels.

The black leather seats are deliciously old school in design and yet still in fine fettle. Only lightly patinated with the gentlest of creasing, the outer bolster of the driver’s seat is showing mild colour loss in a couple of small areas but there is nothing there that would worry us at all.

The interior specification is massive, and includes a head-up display (HUD), heated front and rear seats, rear sunblinds, cruise control, the light package including adaptive xenon headlamps, and the very useful ‘through loading’ system. The headlining is anthracite.

Music comes via a DAB tuner and a six-CD changer and a Tracker has been fitted.

The steering wheel is the usual bland BMW item, albeit with the correct ‘M’ badging and red and blue stitching we’ve come to know and love. The paddle changes for the semi-auto gearbox are situated behind it, and BMW redeems itself with an ultra-cute stubby little gear selector.

The boot is clean and well organised. Home to the first aid kit, warning triangle, tool kit, tyre inflator, and battery, all of which look barely used.

As to condition, the whole interior looks terrific and is in need of nothing whatsoever bar the air-conditioning button, which falls off. The air-con works just fine but the button is iffy. Still, even with this niggling little fault, it’s still going to be streets ahead of your Italian exotic in the reliability stakes, isn’t it?

The engine failed in April 2018, a catastrophy that triggered a complete rebuild following an investigation by a BMW specialist. The work was comprehensive and included race liners, new pistons and conrods, and a reground crankshaft with new shell bearings.

The car has since been run in with an oil change before being placed in storage. The last two MOT certificate’s show just a couple of hundred miles of running since then, and the VANOS unit was checked during rebuild. The work cost £10,236 – and that was including a £1,450 goodwill discount…

A new clutch was fitted in July 2016 at a cost of more than £2,200. The ABS control unit was repaired in April 2017 and is still under its five-year warranty; this brake repair, along with a new DSC unit and labour, set the owner back more than £3,300.

A new ignition coil was fitted in May 2017. This, along with its annual service, racked up another £900 bill.

As you’d predict given this recent expenditure and only limited use, means that it drives very well. Our test drive revealed that its performance is as it should be i.e. somewhere between epic and terrifying, depending on your bravery, helmsmanship, and proximity to solid stuff.

The engine bay is very clean, but then you would keep it like that when there’s a V10 engine in there, wouldn’t you? (Frankly, if it weren’t for COVID-19, we’d probably kiss it clean every night.)

The underside is clean and presentable too, and the M5 even still has the warning stickers on the suspension arms.

The BMW’s MOT certificate expires in May 2021, and as might be expected given its history and mileage, was been gained without a single advisory point. In fact, bar tyres and brake discs, every single one of its MOTs was awarded without coming to the attention of the MOT tester.

This means that the online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s mileage.

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it. It also comes with the original owner’s handbook and the stamped service history book.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

The first genuine super-saloon, the E60 BMW M5 is also the last of the naturally aspirated super-saloons, ensuring it takes its place among the very few modern cars that was an instant icon.

The trouble is, all that bespoke wizardry comes at a price, as you can see from the invoices and service history. And yet, if you can find one with a good VANOS unit, plus a new clutch and fully rebuilt engine, then you should be on to a winner.

Because this slice of heavy metal gold will probably only set you back somewhere between £11,000 and £18,000, or the price of a mid-range Ford Fiesta.

And that is a frankly ridiculous state of affairs. So, somebody please bid, because if you don’t one of us just might.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.