E39 M5s are a thing of beauty. I have a Techno Violet 1 of 4 produced and possibly 1 of 2 remaining RHD models. It is my prize possession, and every time I turn that key and hear that V8 fire up, I smile. Mechanically, stock and just the headunit upgraded to a modern Kenwood for phone connectivity. I love BMW from that era and still today they are aesthetically pleasing and don't look out of place. Great video and great motor there Ben. 👏 ❤

This was BMW’s best era for quality of build and sophistication of design. 1999-2003 prime years. The M5 gets a lot of the headlines, but if you don’t want to spend £20k, consider the standard e39 straight 6. If you choose well you’ll pay a fraction of the £20k, and still have a car that’s great to drive, looks fab, and will last you a lifetime if you maintain it. Absolutely love mine!

The exhaust is a pair of Hayward and Scott back boxes 😎👌

E39 M5 & B7 RS4 are my favourites around that era... manual & natural aspirated V8 monsters

I would love to drive around the kids in this E39 M5, what a legend 🙌🏼

Driving my dream and a dad myself now , I think it’s time . Great video and really love your set up . Big up from Ireland 🇮🇪

Hi Ben. Hope your doing good. That BMW sounds so good. I love the color too. That car looks brand new to me. One great video.

Thanks for filling the perfect and lost spot in automotive content on KZfaq that are for petrolheads that also wants to care for what’s good for the family. Love your heart and energy that really goes through the screen! I’m Definitely a subscriber for sure. Been looking into e39 lately for all the mentioned reasons. However my budget and goal is to find a 5k car, which means not an M5 ofcourse but a 530i manual, which comes in TOURING 🤩👌🏼 Looking forward to future content. Cheers

Absolutely the best saloon ever made

My US spec 2001 E39 M5 without fold down rear seats had car seat anchors. It was the perfect Dad Car and it served me well for 170k miles with regular maintenance, although shame on BMW for fitting the M5 with a plastic radiator.

Brilliant video,love your enthusiasm

Ben is doing a fantastic job keeping this beauty on the roads. It was great to meet him and photo the car at your meet. Looking forward to seeing it again soon!

Amazing video Ben ! Hands down the best DadCar ! Can’t wait to have you onboard 👀👌🏾👌🏾

Great work, man! Liked and subscribed. Got an E39 for the birth of my first son in 2020, because I was raised on the backseat of E34 and E39 and wanted to show my son, what it is like to drive in a real car, naturally aspirated and non-synthetic. Thought of it as a second car for weekend and so, because I had a modern skoda as business-car. One year later: sold the skoda and rockin E39 as daily with meanwhile 2 kids! Its "only" a straight-six, but that 200hp are more than enough and my older son hates the modern ford from his mother and loves my E39. Parenting done right. :) Keep up the good job, mate! Regards from germany

Great Review. At you 15:57 you are talking about the first gen 5-series, the E12, but the photo you have is an E3. The "7 series" grand dad. :)

She's a beauty right there, Ben!

It's crazy how far cars have come on in the last 20 years. I've got a modern 540 and it's almost a second quicker to 60 than this M5 and gets nearer 30 on a mixed run. That said, this is so much cooler and sounds unbelievable. Newer cars are getting faster all the time but the driving experience is going the opposite way. Id be tempted to change mine for a modern classic any day

My two boys and their mates love our E39 M5 and E46 M3 Convertible…..educating the next generation of petrol heads has never been so much fun. Keep up the great work!!!

What. A. Car. Great video with it too.

E39 is a special car, well built and solid cars. This always was my favourite M5. V8 NA engine with manual box and only rear wheel drive. I hope one day I will get one. Well done Ben, great video. Now get some E38 750 to test 🤣 I'm sure it'll be a good dad car

I've just subscribed today after the video with Alex s4 popped up on my you tube. Like what I've seen so far. Keep the older cars coming. I'll watch some that u have up that look like newer / super cars but I'm here for the older stuff. I'm also a petrol head dad of 2 young kids. Got an escort rs cosworth and a subaru sti type r, daily a merc c350 cdi

Another quality review, just the parts you want to hear about and non of the woffle that you don`t. Totally agree about that exhaust as well. Totally in keeping with the car. Notice your subs seems to be rising exponentially 😎😎

Damn what a lineup between parents, an STi and an E39 M5. Those are 2 of my favorites, performance 4 door sedans that can be daily driven heroes without breaking the bank (assuming they don’t break, head gaskets and timing chain guides respectively lol)

Really loved this one keep on going mate you doing great

Mate if only you know how much joy your videos bring to a fellow petrol head dad. I’ve only got the 1 little one to contend with but the things you go into are exactly the same as I’d want to know, even if I’d probably never going to own the cars you talk about, but it’s still super interesting! Thank you for your hard work bringing such great content 🙏

Damn I so regret selling my Oxford green '02 M5. Sold it for 19k EUR years ago, because green wasn't trendy and it was an 'old man's color'.

Got one for my dad car recently and I love driving it daily! 2003 had the isofix :)

Loved mine - but too old for me now. Keep up the great work mate! Loving the channel.

Yes, yes and yes! Would definitely daily an E39 M5 without hesitation. Superb videos by the way, even though I don't have kids, I still enjoy watching your content - cheers!!

Gone up by another 1 ! Subscribed.

Great review!😁

A very good review and that's an amazing car!

Subscribed! Didn't know dad cars was a thing. I been looking at tHe E39 as my potential next thing. My past 4 cars were: 1. 1999 Gmc Yukon SLT 2. 2003 Cadillac DHS 3. Nissan Pathfinder LE 4. Cadillac DTS luxury lll (current)

Great video. Best car I've ever bought. Mine is undergoing a full nut and bolt, including engine rebuild and now, after watching this, I'm thinking of getting one of those H&S exhausts. 🤤

Excellent car all around, and definitely a sweet dad car! Just recently joined the dad crew and have shifted my focus to these types of cars. Right now it's an e34 touring but this may be a good next stop once I'm done with that one! And to your last point, I don't know anyone with a 1st gen 5 series as a daily, but my e28 was my daily up till my daughter was about 10mo. :)

I just bought a 2004 e46 touring 318i for 2.5k With 80k on clock full service history Looking at coming to your next show with my little girl hopefully people don't get us mixed up both bald heads n all

Just before my daughter was born I had a 996. I then bought a Jag xjr6 which I’ve had ever since. Probably the cheapest performance saloon that you can buy

Brilliant review. I just hope I can buy one before they get impossible to afford!

Love that e39🔥 down to earth bloke too and beautiful daughter. I've a four year old myself. She's my world ❤️

If well maintained, this is a special car to use for many, many years to come. Glad you showcased it.

Fantastic video Ben and Channel! kicking myself as I had the chance to buy an E39 M5 9 years ago for under 6k, bought a CL500 instead which I still have as my now Teenage daughter won't let me sell, so all worked out in the end! 😂 Keep up the good work!

Great video of a monster of a car Bens car is lovely!! He has loved it from the moment he got it and done sooooo much to it . Really is a credit to him. I'm also lucky enough to have driven it 😂.. He convinced me to get my own v8

Ive had one of these (also in Silverstone) for a week now and I love it! Perfect, as you said, to compliment a wagon (Alpina D3 F31 in my case!)

Love your videos man, you put in a lot of work and love into them and it shows. It will take off soon :) Did we find out the exhaust setup on this in the end haha

I have owned my e39 M5 since 2006. It’s been a family car and has been (and still is) fantastic. I’ve used it for kids taxi duties and holidays etc. over the years. Doesn’t get as much use now but still feels special. I put a Tubi exhaust on it which sounds very nice but otherwise it’s stock. If they are looked after they are reliable and great to drive.

I had a Corrado VR6 with 100k on the clock as my dad car until my daughter was 3 years old. (She is 23 now) We even went on a summer holiday to the south of France in it and it was superb. No AC, but we coped. Only changed it when we had our 2nd child as it wouldn’t work for a family of 4. I miss that car 😊.

Another cracking vid 👌🏻 please when you can I'd love to see a vid of that subie being a huge subie fan 😁🔥

400bhp is still a substantial amount of power. I think we're a little desensitised to what power means these days and 5-ish seconds to 60 is damn quick. The exhaust sounds perfectly judged; it's happy to announce it's V8-ness but sounds pretty sensible at normal speeds. Because you don't give a rating and have championed the compact belt-secured seat and multimac system, the more interesting questions is this: what KIND of DadCar is it? Is it a full-blown alternate family wagon? Is it a second car? Is it a school-run Dad Car? Or is best as an occasional Memory-Maker (I suspect many older classics fit that last one)

Wow. We just don’t see rust in the chassis like that in Australia for cars of this ages.!

Love my E39 M sport auto 2.8I 5 series. Looks brand new and drives the same as it did in 1999. Great car and me 75 years old now hope it will see me out. 198000 miles. Best car ever owned. So lucky. Enjoyed the video and subscribed. Mine does not growl like the M5 but seeing it speeding on the road looks like mine otherwise. 30/40 miles to the gallon. In silver and where interior. Getting less to find now.

great car and one to consider for my future dadhood

Well done....a very sensible choice!

Phenomenal car and certainly the perfect dad car !

Just got a m5 e39 Love it

Gosh that exhaust sounds good! ❤

Fantastic video you have new subscriber

I daily my E39 M5 almost everyday with two kids in the back. Perfect dad mobile.

I loved my e39 M5. Mine was resplendent with screens in the headrests, and Bluetooth headphones for my kids, and a PlayStation 1 and DVD player. The kids loved it. But keep your traction control on- original owners seemed to boast that the TC was turned off. Drive like that on the regular, and you’ll have no rear tyres in 2k miles....

Great video mate you done the best car of all time proud 😂🍻😎

Sub 20k is a dream for us across the pond. I will own one within the next 5 years.

My dream car, Just earned a sub😌

A built in ski bag!? That is the most random extra I’ve ever seen fitted to a car haha. Beautiful car, and great video!

Great video 👍🏻 very useful information keep up the good work. Love the e39 in any shape but the manual M5 is a dream car for me…bit out of my price tag now at £18-£25k for a good one. Would like to see a dad car budget video of the ultimate dad car for £5-10k…just an idea though

What a sweet ride!!!🎉😂😅.seriously the last good bmw

I have same exact car - 2000 in Silverstone, it is fantastic. Sounds like a muffler delete. Mine arrived that way but I took the bypass pipes out in favor of Supersprint cans.

I bet the owner of this car is a big M539 you tube follower and if he isn’t he needs to be that man knows everything about these cars👍👍

Probably the best M car ever made. This was during a time when BMW could make cars that actually looked attractive and subtle. Maintenance won’t be any worse than most performance cars of that age really…. This era of 1990 design cars many of them suffered rust problems and you can throw in bmw vanos problems. Most of these animals are really high miles though it shows you they are generally pretty reliable and people drive them a lot.

You definitely should have used the sportbutton, it makes the car feel at least 30% faster, also yes the traction control may be a little keen but it was one of the first with dynamic stability control, which will keep the car straight on ice/ snow. In the previous gen E34, youd be toast. Ive had 2 m5s for 26 years, the E39 for 17 - thats how good it remains. Great vid. ❤

BMW were pretty innovative in that regard. E34 (very rare) and E36 also featured a built in booster seat even for the E36 compact if optioned.

Nice review, I'm looking for a v10 M5 or M6

just get a decent e39 530d manual for a couple of grand and spend a grand on it. proper dads car. 40mpg.

I have owned one of these since 2004, check all jacking points and inner sills like the man said, replace vanos oil pipes.

You did get a full leather wrapped upper and lower dash, including full leather door panel and B pillar as an extra for the E39 M5. And Alcantara headliner.

Amazing car !

Sure, it is fine as a daily driver if you can afford the worst case of engine failure. This is what happened to my M5 daily driver a few years ago, timing chain guides :C. Luckily I found another one for a good deal during the first year of the pandemic, and also a 540i touring which is slowly incorporating the parts from the dead one. The issues today are the same as they were 10+ years ago, as they are with any used car - unpredictable costs if things break. The safety features are pretty good - ABS, traction control, proximity sensors for parking. The only missing factory option is probably video in reverse. Those booster seats are sure sexy!!! I wish I hadn't seen them in the video - now I have to find a way to import a set for my E39 touring and make the heated rear seat elements fit properly.

Considered one of these bigger engined E39's in petrol - alas ULEZ reality saw that plan shot to pieces. Pity. Had a 330D several years ago, was one of the most memorable cars I owned.

Quite funny that this beauty E39 costs as much as the F10 M5 beauty

I got one as my dadcar for the past 3 years. Putting about 10.000km a year on the clock. It has cost me about 2k Euro's a year to keep up with the maintenance. I really love the way it drives and sounds. That being said: At the moment I am wondering if a F80 M3 would be a good follow up..😅

Subscribed :)

Peak M car…. cool, understated, comfy and 400BHP 👍

2002 e39 here. ISOFIX in the rear. They are welded in

Great video, very tidy for the amount of miles it’s done. Sub £20k: - V10 RS6 - V10 M5 - E63 AMG

I had one of these about 4 years ago. Fantastic cars and really really playful for a near on 2 ton car. Sadly the maintenance was too much for me and couldn't justify keeping it. Pity as actually now, I could see myself in one again

I daily one (M5). $2500 a year is about right. An occasional $4000 throw in. Very reliable though. Still they drive wonderfully. Much more analog than newer BMWs. So $3000/ yr avg. So I pay about $220 per month to own. Another $200 a month in gas. lol. Very inexpensive in relative terms.

the sport button stiffen the steering for more feel, and it makes the throttle linear instead of it being comfortable, non sport throttle is quite unresponsive and if you give about 25% throttle to accelerate you can feel it letting off without you doing it to make it more comfortable

This was new around the time I left high school. I remember reading magazine articles about it at the time and being in awe. Still a legendary car and great to see one that’s not only being loved but driven. Cars are for driving not keeping in museums

I always preferred SWB E38s for looks, space and comfort (especially the seats) but that's not to say thay 5 series wasn't a gorgeous design. And a manual S65 car is certainty the best drive train between the two.

E46 M3 is the next to review!

Great, now I’m browsing the the classified for an E39 M5… 😅

The ISO-Fix retrofit is not that easy. Is it possible you could help check with the dealer and get all the parts (with part number) for us?

I love these, always have, but they rot badly and for fun 😢😬

Hi there Dad! Just thought I'd let you know I've picked up a near stock 2003 Lexus GS 430 (rare) Sport! The earlier version of the one you reviewed recently. Just has SC430 alloy wheels (kinda look gangster) and a stainless exhaust giving it a fruity tone. If you're interested. Its a lovely comfy car.

Getting locked in the back had me laughing! 😂 Seems as though you liked it but didn't love it? Was it too understated for your personal preferences?

E39 m5 is my favourite m5 of all time but too high maintenance as a daily same with the generation after it e60. The f10 should be fine at least it's modern

What an amazing Dad car! I went for a Mercedes C63 S204 Wagon for my dad car. That I'd say is a good dad car as well, also sub £20k if you pick up a pre-face-lift.

👍

My kids love the e39 m5 more than the F10😅

Suede interior seating.

Please do the sti!

Such a nice car although I’d prefer the E60 M5