2002 BMW M5

One of my favorite vehicle genres is the beefed up sports sedan. Cars such as the Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 and E28 BMW M5 were some of the originators of the breed, but I think many of us can agree that BMW reached a watershed moment with the E39 M5. This car was many things to many people, but for me, it represented exactly what a man’s car should be. A car with some size and heft to it, eight cylinders, six speeds and an aggressive stance with meaty rubber to lay all that horsepower down to the pavement. This M5 for sale in California looks great in Alpine White, an not often seen color for this brute. This one is a three owner car with a bit of tuning thrown in the mix. With 55k miles on the clock, it should have a few ///M car nuts salivating.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2002 BMW M5 on eBay

Year: 2002
Model: M5
Engine: 4.9 liter V8
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 55,100 mi
Price: No reserve auction

Up for bid is my 2002 Alpine White III E39 M5. 55,100miles, with approx 450hp.

Let me say, aside from a few easily fixable blemishes, this car is immaculate!! I am the 3rd and proud owner of this car. I am currently a Master Tech at my local BMW dealer. This M5 was traded in to our dealer in 2012. Once I saw I had to have it. Before that could happen, I had to thoroughly inspect this car in and out. I pulled the Carfax. There was one incident reported as the veh was in a minor rear end accident in 2006. I inspected and found that the damage was just limited to the rear bumper skin and bracket. The skin and bracket were professionally replaced. No airbags deployed and there was no structural damage. Just cosmetic. After all that, the carfax still values it $1,200 more than bluebook due to the great veh history. I wanted to disclose this before I got to the good stuff.

Maintenance and Repairs: New tstat, valve cover gaskets replaced (no fluid leaks), new power steering pump and steering box. Brake flush and cooling system flush have been performed. All oil changes done at 5k mile intervals and I recommend staying on that schedule. Front brakes at 6mm, rear at 8mm. Serviced transmission and differential. Transmission shifts as good and smooth as it did new. New instrument cluster (missing pixels). The veh is not in need of any repairs or maintenance at this time.

Mods: Supersprint headers, Supersprint track pipes (track setup), Supersprint X Pipe with resonators, Dinan Mufflers. Best sounding V8 IMO. It sounds beastly. I have the original catalytic converters but they have been cut to slip onto the SS pipes. Veh just passed smog.

Bilstein PSS adjustable coilover kit, Ground Control camber plates, Eibach swaybars (front not installed, not needed IMO), Beast Power rear sway bar brackets, Strong Strut strut brace, 18×10 Apex EC-7 wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires all around for a square setup (20lbs wheels). Tires have 6mm/ 8/32 tread on the front and 5mm/ 7/32 on the rear. Still a lot of life left. The handling is amazing and its surprisingly comfortable still. More comfortable than a stock e46 M3 and handles better so you have some reference.

New Clutch Assembly! JB lightweight single-mass aluminum flywheel with 850csi clutch assembly. 850csi clutch slave cylinder. This has been perhaps the best mod for the car. These are notoriously under-clutched. Clutch actuation feels OEM due to the use of the organic 850csi clutch material. This IMO is far better than a dual clutch setup for a street car. There is some clutch “chatter” when the veh is warm. This is normal. It sounds like a pilot bearing starting to become noisy more than a “chatter”. Pilot bearing was replaced when clutch was done.

AFE cold air intake, Jim Conforti Shark software with post O2 Sensor and secondary air delete (for track).

Interior is near perfect with some light wear on the drivers seat bolster. The Alcantara headliner is perfect. The leather is very supple. Floor mats recently replaced. I replaced all the ugly woodtrim with the factory Titan Line Shadow trim (not cheap!) The electrochromatic rearview mirror was internally leaking. I replaced it with a normal type from a 330i ZHP.

Body: Alpine White III very rare for an e39 M5. The body is extremely clean and the paint is near perfect with the following exceptions. Scratch in LF fender, one small stone chip in hood, big door ding in RF fender, big door ding in LR quarter panel, and about 3 minor door dings. All of these blemishes can be located in the pictures. No front license plate ever installed. Headlight covers very clean.

I can’t really express how great this car is. It needs to be seen and driven. I never got a chance to take it out to a track, but honestly it’s too clean, I’m glad I didn’t. Iv’e been a Master tech for 10 years and this is by far the one the best cars BMW has ever built IMO. No car is so raw yet refined at the same time. I was intending on keeping this car through its lifespan but my wife is going through career change, to real estate, and I want to be certain I can support her in her decision.

Feel free to email me for more pics.

Happy Bidding.

While an accident was disclosed in the history report, it seems like it was a rather minor incident that shouldn’t scare off the serious buyer. How this will affect value, however, remains to be seen. Lower mileage E39 M5s are starting to pull serious coin, and I tend to doubt that this car would be any different. Alpine White over black leather is a desirable and rather rare color combination, the mileage is very reasonable and the mods, while maybe not to everyone’s liking, are tasteful. The starting bid is perhaps a little bit optimistic, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this car might push close to the $30k mark.

-Paul