Buying an old BMW with a huge mileage is always a risky thing to do, particularly if the model in question is a full-blown M car.
However, this 409,000-mile E39 M5, bought by Alex Palmeri of LegitStreetCars, appears to be in a much better state that you might think, thanks to previous owners sticking to the maintenance schedule and fixing any issue that has come up.
In addition, the car is not on its original engine, which went kaput due to excessive oil consumption back in 2003. The actual mileage of the engine now is 319,000, which still remains pretty impressive for a car like this.
Also Read: Why The E39 M5 Is Still Considered The Sweetest BMW M
The E39 M5 remains as beautiful and as desirable as when it was new. This particular example wears its huge mileage rather well, benefiting from a full respray in its original Carbon Black color and having its leather interior swapped with a used one.
We all have heard horror stories about owning older German performance cars, and BMW M5s are included in lots of them, with the V10-powered E60 generation being the first to spring to mind.
The E39 M5 is a much more reliable car than its successor, but still requires an attentive owner. Issues like a whining differential and an airbag warning light seem minor for a car with so many miles, with Alex also finding out that it needs a new O2 sensor and a charcoal canister.
Last, but definitely not least, is the price: a fully working E39 M5 for $8,000 sounds like a pretty good deal to us, but only time will tell if that’s true or if it will cost many times its value in repairs.