[Law]

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The Smoking Tire's Matt Farah gets behind the wheel of yet another BMW E39 M5.
This M5, however, differs from the previous ones driven in the One-Take series in that it is a mint, like-new example.

Broken into two segments, the first, Just the Noise, details the pure noise from the driving experience while the latter, What It's Like to Drive, offers commentary and thoughts on the feel of the car.

Just the Noise:

What It's Like to Drive:

[stein_325i]

Such a beauty, the E39 really marks the end of a golden era.

[cesimeone]

Something about it. I still think it's the best M5 ever. Saw a similar example here in Florida recently....clean clean clean, bone stock, had to stop the guy and talk to him. Such a great car.

[palpatine_us]

The E39 5 series is the car that made me drool for BMWs. It looked years ahead of everything else on the road.

[gasmanR8]

Originally Posted by palpatine_us

The E39 5 series is the car that made me drool for BMWs. It looked years ahead of everything else on the road.

I had an 2000 in Imola Red. Had to sell it few years back because of kids tuition$$ and had to replace the Cat converters at 35k miles (5-6k). One of the Dumbest thing I have ever done car wise. I miss that car everyday. Should have made my kid go to community college

[Jason60051]

They don't make them like that anymore

[noushy]

Wonderful car loved driving it, love my E63 M6 coupe as well. I dont think they have lost everything its just they need to lose some weight which is very expensive and improve the feel. Porsche has shown You can do it with electric power steering and keep it light. No it wont be cheap but the new M5 F90 needed the carbon core and say 200lb weight loss and at 4000 lbs it would be a perfect modern car. Same for the M8. I did the carbon ceramics and will add a titanium exhaust and lighter wheels and altogether maybe 100lb drop. Sad...

[Teutonic]

This is a timeless design.
And this is what the whole BMW design team should drive every day until they get it...

[LemonOne]

Heck, I'm debating whether I should purchase a E39 M5 or a '12 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS
Love the V8 on both cars.

[Cortexiphan]

Originally Posted by Jason60051

They don't make them like that anymore

I agree. They do make them much much better these days.

[rjd598]

Gotta love EAG

[Jason60051]

Originally Posted by Cortexiphan

I agree. They do make them much much better these days.

Haha touché

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by GodfatherNiko

Shit, here I am checking the classifieds, again...

Bring a Trailer should be illegal

[positiveions]

Originally Posted by GodfatherNiko

Shit, here I am checking the classifieds, again...

I’ve been doing that for the past two years.

[AZ535i]

I have such a fond respect for the E39 platform. Although, not an M5, I still own a 2002 530i with over 200k and still running strong!

[Big boi m5]

Originally Posted by noushy

Wonderful car loved driving it, love my E63 M6 coupe as well. I dont think they have lost everything its just they need to lose some weight which is very expensive and improve the feel. Porsche has shown You can do it with electric power steering and keep it light. No it wont be cheap but the new M5 F90 needed the carbon core and say 200lb weight loss and at 4000 lbs it would be a perfect modern car. Same for the M8. I did the carbon ceramics and will add a titanium exhaust and lighter wheels and altogether maybe 100lb drop. Sad...

I mostly agree. I think the F90 was a vast improvement over the F10 in terms of weight management. At the end of the day it's a 5 series and that means you're going to see steel to reduce cost thrown in.

8 series has so much going for it in terms of CF you have to wonder where the heck the weight comes from.
Also, E63 was 3800 lbs or something which would be an ideal benchmark for the next 5 and 6/8.
Atleast bmw has Porsche and co best In the weight loss department.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by AZBMW535i

I have such a fond respect for the E39 platform. Although, not an M5, I still own a 2002 530i with over 200k and still running strong!

Lucky you, such a great car, my dad still regrets selling his E39 540i.

I'm surprised all of your pixels in the gauge cluster are still working!

[Obioban]

My wife has been DDing our e39 M5 for ~5 years now and loves it as much as the day we got it. It'll probably be rolling over 200,000 miles later this month. The last 100,000 really went by quickly.

It is funny to hear Matt talking about how much feel it has and how small it feels. I suppose that's true compared to modern cars, but compared to our similar vintage M3s... not so much.

Originally Posted by SleepingBMW

At the end of the day it's a 5 series and that means you're going to see steel to reduce cost thrown in.

I guess nobody told the e60

[schousehound]

Shameless plug. I have one for sale 2003 BMW M5 78,775 miles.[/IMG] $25k

[deemo319]

Originally Posted by cesimeone

Something about it. I still think it's the best M5 ever. Saw a similar example here in Florida recently....clean clean clean, bone stock, had to stop the guy and talk to him. Such a great car.

I concur with you. This car ended a time of BMWs history when car guys we're roaming the halls in Munich and Garching.

And it was really 2003 that ended an era that some look back upon as the Golden Age for BMW AG and really BMW

The last year of production of the E52 Z8 that was powered by the S62 V8.

2003 saw the last year of production of the E53 X5 4.6is that really showed the world what BMW engineering in regards to chassis tuning could do with a SAV (SUV).

MY2002 saw the end of production of the E38 7 Series and it was sent out with a bang with the 740i Sport. To me it is still a gorgeous car and Imola Red it's still stunning with close to perfect proportions.

And sadly, 2003 saw the last year of the E39 M5 that is called by some as the best performance sedan ever built.

At the time it was written in European Car Magazine that BMW was busy rolling sevens with the E46 M3 and E39 M5, with the M5 being referred to as the perfect performance sedan and stated for the record that all other manufacturers go back to the drawing board because the class was dismissed. That was the E39 M5, it's execution, style, proportions, S62 V8 engine, and performance is legendary.

When we see one on the road or parked somewhere we either say to ourselves or out loud "there goes an E39 M5!" It was and still stands as the unquestioned pinnacle of a BMW M that no longer exists.

[xander_g]

E39 5 series was great, and not just the m. Tight, nimble, responsive. It was almost like the car was demanding your involvement and asking to be driven, not the other way around - not sure if that made any sense.

[Tambohamilton]

Matt Farah really comes across as such a nice guy. Really pleasing to watch and listen to what he has to say, even if I don't agree with it all.

No doubt the e39 is a great car too...would happily own one, if I could afford it.