The Best
Car Ever
Made
Stewardship
At 121k miles this car was incredibly well maintained, but no 15 year old car is without some issues:
The Initial List:
Not Fixed
Rear diffuser valence
Quarter Sunshades Broken
Washer Fluid System
Wheels need reconditioning
Navigation Computer Corrupt
Fixed
Auto-Dim Mirror
Front Driver Fog Lamp Cracked
Park Distance Control
Rear Sunshade
Sunroof Control Arms
Thrust Arm Bushings
Center console door broken
Bubbled shift knob
2001 BMW E39 M5
After searching on and off for about 2 years at different M5s, I finally decided to pull the trigger mid November 2016. I had been searching on M5board.com and saw that a user from northern California had his up for sale. My cousin Todd, an M enthusiast, lives in the same area so I asked him to go check it out. Todd had the owner meet him at the dealer he works at and went over the car. The car was in excellent mechanical condition and appeared well cared for by enthusiasts it's entire life. The previous owner, a mechanic, did all the work himself so there weren't any maintenance records and he originally purchased it from a dealer, so the service history is a little cloudy, but that didn't stop me from diving headfirst into making my dreams become a reality.
Modifications
All of the modifications I've made to the car have been to restore original functionality of inoperable features. Things like the rear sunshade and the auto dimming mirror have little to do with the literal performance of the vehicle, but like most BMW enthusiasts I'd like everything to work on the car.
To get a more granular look at the car follow the build on wheelwell.
Coding
Having the car stock is fine, but to really personalize something and make it mine I needed to learn how to program with M GmbH software, written in German, and knowing very little about vehicle computer code. Using the resources available online I taught myself how to use the software to connect to my M5, configure cable drivers, read and write computer code files.
All that just to enable a few 'European Only' features like Convenience Close (roll the windows up by holding the lock button on the keyfob); fogs + highbeams; and enabled the windows to be rolled up or down after the door is open and the key is out of the ignition (literally no cars have that feature). Last but not least I changed the frequency of my hazard lights to double blink instead of simply flashing steadily.
Headlight Restoration
BMW INPA Scaning Software
Maintenance
My father taught me everything I know about cars, from the body work after my first car accident (not my fault!) to changing the oil and brake pads. I grew up knowing that working on cars is incredibly gratifying; best of all most, if not all, of the necessary information is available online if you know how to look.
Maintaining a 'Modern Classic' super car like this means keeping it not only in fantastic mechanical condition. But also fastidiously caring for the entire visual aesthetic of the car. One major contributor weighing my car down in that department were the foggy headlights.
Bimmerfest 2017 Parade Lap