2003 M5

[billings86er]

Hello all,

I have always wanted an E39 M5. I just won auction on Bring a Trailer for far less than I expected the car would sell for. Chiaretto Red/Caramel interior. Absolutely gorgeous car. 37k original miles. I am dumbfounded I got the car for the price I did based on the market for low mileage/good condition E39 M5s I have been slobbering over for almost a decade. I have never owned an E39 M5, and wondering if anyone on here reads this and has any input on the car. You can find it on bring a trailer under recently sold M5s. Feel free to comment any input.

thanks

[spammysammich]

Still one of my dream cars and one I keep a casual eye on now that I have an M3. Nice ride.

[Ab28]

Congrats! I was following that auction.

I’ve had 2 E39 M5s. Still have my TiAg over black sport.

Feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns. I’m quite familiar with the platform.

[Mintsopoulos]

We can not help until you post pictures of that beauty. Forum rules.

[Josh-PA]

Congrats. Funny to think $55k + BAT fees is a steal, but I think you bought that car really well. I really liked the Chiarretto / Caramel color combo. Its not just rare, but very pretty imo as well. I frequent a smaller car message board where we were tracking that auction. Everyone there was predicting over $60k. We wondered if the green one listed at the same time competed for buyers with this one. Was the buyer OK with the price?

I had an '03 M5 for a few years. Absolutely great car, one of my favorites ever.


I sold it in 2013. My car was really solid. It seems like the s62 engine was more robust than the m62, so I didn't have as many of the normal v8 BMW issues as the 540 people did. Watch out for leaking rear view mirrors. The chromatic goo in them will do a number on your interior parts if it gets on anything.

Enjoy. If there is anything I can answer, I'm happy to. It's been a while, but the beast still holds a place in my heart. m5board is a great resource.

[billings86er]

Originally Posted by Josh-PA

Congrats. Funny to think $55k + BAT fees is a steal, but I think you bought that car really well. I really liked the Chiarretto / Caramel color combo. Its not just rare, but very pretty imo as well. I frequent a smaller car message board where we were tracking that auction. Everyone there was predicting over $60k. We wondered if the green one listed at the same time competed for buyers with this one. Was the buyer OK with the price?

I had an '03 M5 for a few years. Absolutely great car, one of my favorites ever.


I sold it in 2013. My car was really solid. It seems like the s62 engine was more robust than the m62, so I didn't have as many of the normal v8 BMW issues as the 540 people did. Watch out for leaking rear view mirrors. The chromatic goo in them will do a number on your interior parts if it gets on anything.

Enjoy. If there is anything I can answer, I'm happy to. It's been a while, but the beast still holds a place in my heart. m5board is a great resource.

It is hard to tell if the seller ( I am the buyer)was ok with the price, but obviously his reserve was below the 55k which is another thing that threw me for a loop. The seller is an Auto Gallery with hundreds of vehicles for sale, knowing the car has potential for 70k+ it confuses me how the 55k met the reserve?!? When the auction was over I figured I would get a message or a call saying it didnt meet reserve

[Josh-PA]

Originally Posted by billings86er

It is hard to tell if the seller ( I am the buyer)was ok with the price, but obviously his reserve was below the 55k which is another thing that threw me for a loop. The seller is an Auto Gallery with hundreds of vehicles for sale, knowing the car has potential for 70k+ it confuses me how the 55k met the reserve?!? When the auction was over I figured I would get a message or a call saying it didnt meet reserve

I think the minor front end damage probably held it back from being a top dollar - low mile M5. Nice thing for you is you'll be able to enjoy it, add a few miles and still have a stable / appreciating address.

[Mani59]

Originally Posted by billings86er

Hello all,

I have always wanted an E39 M5. I just won auction on Bring a Trailer for far less than I expected the car would sell for. Chiaretto Red/Caramel interior. Absolutely gorgeous car. 37k original miles. I am dumbfounded I got the car for the price I did based on the market for low mileage/good condition E39 M5s I have been slobbering over for almost a decade. I have never owned an E39 M5, and wondering if anyone on here reads this and has any input on the car. You can find it on bring a trailer under recently sold M5s. Feel free to comment any input.

thanks

Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing it!

[CSBM5]

I agree with Josh-PA. It's unknown what precisely happened with the A-pillar and fender repair and how intense the accident was in fact. No records are shown from the body shop and also no pictures...simply states: "An October 2003 Carfax entry lists damage to the right front and right front pillar."

The seller wasn't interested in getting pictures of the underside with the front cover removed (on a lift which he obviously has, it takes less than 1 minute to remove that cover -- I've done it a hundred times in the past). From the looks of it, I'd budget valve cover gasket replacement and also both power steering hoses -- pretty easy DIY, minimal parts cost.

I looked over the pictures, and frankly, the lighting was poor making it difficult to make any worthwhile judgement on the overall car, how well the a-pillar and fender repair was performed, how well the paint was blended, etc. The one close up of the VIN through the windshield shows that the rubber molding around the base of the windshield is cracking/rotting away, so the car has likely spent some time in the sun/elements. I'm using my old M5 as a comparison here -- it had 66k miles when I sold it, but it was garaged 24/7 since new and as of 2018 that molding still looked and felt new.

I've tried to be as critical as I could with what little info is available from the seller. If complete records since new had been available, complete body shop records (preferably with before/after pictures), better pictures (proper lighting, both shade and sunlight, detailed up close pics of areas of concern in the right front, etc)...all would have gone a long way to potentially encourage bidders who passed getting involved or who simply bailed at a given level.

All that said, congrats on getting the M5! Get it home, baseline the car to figure out its needs. I'd guess that includes valve cover gaskets and power steering hoses - if so, it gives the chance to flush the ps fluid! The coolant expansion tank has been replaced, so perhaps the coolant isn't too old, but with no significant records (it appears), I'd flush the coolant too. Also figure on an oil change (I'd do so since you have no idea what is actually in there), transmission and differential fluid changes, brake fluid flush. All are easy DIY jobs other than the coolant flush as the block drains are hard to reach and coolant splashes everywhere -- best to use a vacuum extraction/refill kit which is inexpensive.

One more thing that comes to mind is assume the thermostat needs replacement. The S62 tstat generally has a short life in my 15 year experience with the car. Once you get the car, you can unlock the "secret menu" in the dash, and follow KTEMP as the car is warming up and then at steady state to quickly see the condition of the tstat.

You'll find a boatload of info in the E39 section of the M5board. Many of us contributed for the past 20+ years there, so just about anything you have a question about is already answered there. The problem is the current owner who purchased the board from Gustav switched forum software making it harder to search and find information. If you click on the "Search Community" block at the top of the screen (on a browser), you can then click on Advanced Search where you can limit it to the E39 section, etc. However, a good place to start is the "sticky" section at the top of the E39 portion (it should have a link to how you put in the proper code based on the VIN to unlock the dash "secret menu" for example). There are still a good many long time experienced owners, amateur and professional mechanics, and of course Peter (outstanding S62, S54 engine builder) still monitoring the forum.

You'll love the car. Get ready to have a blast getting to know it.

[billings86er]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

I agree with Josh-PA. It's unknown what precisely happened with the A-pillar and fender repair and how intense the accident was in fact. No records are shown from the body shop and also no pictures...simply states: "An October 2003 Carfax entry lists damage to the right front and right front pillar."

The seller wasn't interested in getting pictures of the underside with the front cover removed (on a lift which he obviously has, it takes less than 1 minute to remove that cover -- I've done it a hundred times in the past). From the looks of it, I'd budget valve cover gasket replacement and also both power steering hoses -- pretty easy DIY, minimal parts cost.

I looked over the pictures, and frankly, the lighting was poor making it difficult to make any worthwhile judgement on the overall car, how well the a-pillar and fender repair was performed, how well the paint was blended, etc. The one close up of the VIN through the windshield shows that the rubber molding around the base of the windshield is cracking/rotting away, so the car has likely spent some time in the sun/elements. I'm using my old M5 as a comparison here -- it had 66k miles when I sold it, but it was garaged 24/7 since new and as of 2018 that molding still looked and felt new.

I've tried to be as critical as I could with what little info is available from the seller. If complete records since new had been available, complete body shop records (preferably with before/after pictures), better pictures (proper lighting, both shade and sunlight, detailed up close pics of areas of concern in the right front, etc)...all would have gone a long way to potentially encourage bidders who passed getting involved or who simply bailed at a given level.

All that said, congrats on getting the M5! Get it home, baseline the car to figure out its needs. I'd guess that includes valve cover gaskets and power steering hoses - if so, it gives the chance to flush the ps fluid! The coolant expansion tank has been replaced, so perhaps the coolant isn't too old, but with no significant records (it appears), I'd flush the coolant too. Also figure on an oil change (I'd do so since you have no idea what is actually in there), transmission and differential fluid changes, brake fluid flush. All are easy DIY jobs other than the coolant flush as the block drains are hard to reach and coolant splashes everywhere -- best to use a vacuum extraction/refill kit which is inexpensive.

One more thing that comes to mind is assume the thermostat needs replacement. The S62 tstat generally has a short life in my 15 year experience with the car. Once you get the car, you can unlock the "secret menu" in the dash, and follow KTEMP as the car is warming up and then at steady state to quickly see the condition of the tstat.

You'll find a boatload of info in the E39 section of the M5board. Many of us contributed for the past 20+ years there, so just about anything you have a question about is already answered there. The problem is the current owner who purchased the board from Gustav switched forum software making it harder to search and find information. If you click on the "Search Community" block at the top of the screen (on a browser), you can then click on Advanced Search where you can limit it to the E39 section, etc. However, a good place to start is the "sticky" section at the top of the E39 portion (it should have a link to how you put in the proper code based on the VIN to unlock the dash "secret menu" for example). There are still a good many long time experienced owners, amateur and professional mechanics, and of course Peter (outstanding S62, S54 engine builder) still monitoring the forum.

You'll love the car. Get ready to have a blast getting to know it.

Wow! I appreciate the thorough response and suggestions. The guys on this Bimmer forum have proved to be an amazing asset and I really appreciate all the help!!! It means alot to have the support of knowledgable owners/past owners. THANKS A TON GUYS!!

[E39M5CC894]

Originally Posted by billings86er

Hello all,

I have always wanted an E39 M5. I just won auction on Bring a Trailer for far less than I expected the car would sell for. Chiaretto Red/Caramel interior. Absolutely gorgeous car. 37k original miles. I am dumbfounded I got the car for the price I did based on the market for low mileage/good condition E39 M5s I have been slobbering over for almost a decade. I have never owned an E39 M5, and wondering if anyone on here reads this and has any input on the car. You can find it on bring a trailer under recently sold M5s. Feel free to comment any input.

thanks

Hey man! I’ve looked at that BAT listing in awe since the date of sale just ran across this thread though and I just had to make an account to check in! How’s the car been do you still own it?its absolutely insane the condition and price you picked it up for really lucked out big time! Still a shocker

[E39M5CC894]

Originally Posted by E39M5CC894

Hey man! I’ve looked at that BAT listing in awe since the date of sale just ran across this thread though and I just had to make an account to check in! How’s the car been do you still own it?its absolutely insane the condition and price you picked it up for really lucked out big time! Still a shocker

Please contact me if you are thinking of selling it by chance you do still have this beauty, not sure how many more ways I can try to get in contact haha