It would be ridiculous to have a page with the name "Touring Cars" with out having a article for the M5. This one being focused on the E39 model, made from 1998-2003. You can expect that other models will get some recognition in the future...But the E39 is my favorite M5 and has been since I saw Transporter with Jason Statham almost 20 years ago. Yes, I am aware that he drove a 735i, but this movie made me realize how cool German performance sedans are. I can distinctly remember playing Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 and driving the E39 M5 around like a boss.
The legacy of the M5 began in 1984, and by the time the millennium rolled around, the E39 M5 was the pinnacle of luxury performance cars. This was solidified by the performance from its 4.9L V8 engine which had 394 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Putting down power through a 6-speed manual transmission and limited slip differential, the E39 M5 was capable of going 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds, which was pretty sporty for any car at the time, especially a 4-door, nearly 2 ton car.
Being built from the home of the Autobahn, they made sure to provide plenty of speed. Unrestricted it can reach 186 mph, but due to regulations it comes limited to 155 mph. But M5's are also known for their handling, coming with a lower ride height, stiffer sway bars and quicker steering ratio than the base E39. It also has floating disk brakes, which is some race car tech. The impressive performance was demonstrated by posting a time of 8:20 around the Nürburgring, which was faster than a Nissan GT-R R32 and still holds its own against modern sports cars.
When looking for these in the used car market, you can find them anywhere from $10-60K. It seems like a fair amount of them on the lower end of that spectrum have near 200K miles, which i guess is a good sign, but I would shoot for one closer to $20K to avoid any severely abused ones. Also aim for the face lifted model from 2001-2003 to get some interior updates and better headlights/taillights. Maintenance items to watch out for include the VANOS system and timing chain.
I feel like I don't need to add anything else. Just look at it!
Perks: German performance, German precision, German depreciation
Negatives: German maintenance
The Cannonball Run is an infamous cross country sprint from NYC to LA. It consists of a grueling 2,825 miles, and it being unsanctioned and illegal, requires 3 things. A fast car, police detection and big balls. In 2006, Alex Roy had all of these things and lead a crew in a modified E39 M5 across country in a record time of 31 hrs and 4 min, averaging 90 mph. This record has since been beaten, but the livery of the car alone will keep this Cannonball Run notable for a long time.
Got a minute?
Check out this E39 M5 commercial from back in the day
Here is a video of some of the rigorous testing done on the M5
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