Used car heroes: revisiting the BMW M5 E39 Car News

Unlike so many exaggerated modern equivalents, the M5’s chassis and steering work in most settings. It’s big but not huge; the suspension adapts to narrower single tracks with great fluidity, provided the surface does not become too rough or the entrances are not too sharp. The steering, on the other hand, is quite subdued and measured but well-weighted and consistent. There is just a hint of squidginess to the grip of the ball’s recirculation setup which is detectable when you load it for a corner, but afterwards it’s impossible to blame. The fairly relaxed but super intuitive gearing it has suits the slightly lazy, classic front-engine, rear-drive, and long-wheelbase character of the car like a glove.

But as good as that handling balance is, it’s the M5’s wonderfully taut, stable and composed highway driving that is its crowning glory. The suspension filters a bit at speed and is still comfortable and supple, but it keeps the mass of the car under effortless and eerily tight control all the time. This car must have looked like the Concorde when it hit our roads in 1999. For it to feel as balanced as it does, as it turns 20, it’s just remarkable.

Now, of course, the only thing that worries me is how different the average 20-year-old BMW M5 can feel from one that has been so little used and, at the same time, maintained regardless of cost. of the company. that he has done. I suspect the answer to this question is “a lot”. Someday, I certainly hope to find out, so here’s the unleaded again in gas pumps, and mountain goats in the Cheddar Gorge, when I do.

Have you been convinced to buy one?

The cheapest E39 M5s currently offer an entry point for property at around £ 15,000, while the most expensive order values ​​are £ 40,000 and up. The cheapest are always likely to stay cheap, but if you get a cleaner one now and take care of it, chances are it will take care of you and be worth more than what you paid for. in the years to come.

Facelifted cars, which arrived in 2000, brought those “corona ring” headlights, front parking sensors, a thinner steering wheel, and white-on-gray instruments, but they are also popular for under-the-hood revisions that beefed up the look. reliability of the car.