This car's return to the channel makes me delighted! It's absurd to believe that you have owned this vehicle for more than half of my existence. It is so classic, in excellent condition, and quite modern-aside from the infotainment system, lol. A very vintage vehicle as well as First! Awesome automobile with arguably the best balance of proportions ever.

Been dailying my 2000 M5 for coming up on a year. I've spent countless dollars (actually I just refuse to count them) and hours fixing/bettering/fussing with it only to the have the list of things it needs grow and grow. I still adore it. I can't really explain it. There are faster cars, there are louder cars, there are better drivers cars, there are flashier cars but..I will only sell this car for another E39 M5. It's the size and accessible performance. The limits of the car are perfectly suited for stretching out on public roads without endangering an entire city block. I just love it. More M5 content please.

Being in my 50s I wholeheartedly appreciate this nostalgia. Thanks for driving it, and keeping it alive.

haha mischief dvds....man that just brought me back.

I love the spec of this car! I had a 2003 that I bought in 2005 in Le Mans blue with aluminum trim. I think you are right though, the wood has aged really well. Loved and still love the styling and my personal opinion is that the M5 wheels from this era are the best looking wheels that have ever been produced. By far my favorite car that I owned and sadly, one of the most frustrating ownership experiences that I've had. Something was always breaking and it became insanely expensive to maintain and keep running. Still, I loved driving it so much that I kept throwing money at it until I couldn't do it anymore and sold it around 2009. I still miss that car.

One of the best small upgrades i've done is the e60 shifter, ZHP knob, and DSSR rod. If you want to maintain the illumination of the knob, there is an F series boot and knob that is an illuminated ZHP knob. Fells like butter!

i love love it when people love their cars. I get it. I truly get it: when you love something, then you pay the price(s). Even if it makes no sense. I own a Saddleback chestnut briefcase ($800) for the last 8 years. It's 7lbs empty and not enough pockets, but I smile EVERY time I look at it, pick it up, catch a whiff of the (still going strong) leather smell. The 1990s BMW 840 and the 1967 Corvette Stingray are the first 2 cars to ever steal my heart, back in 1989. I'm middle-aged now and able to afford both, but i'm all "grown up" now and drive a sensible lexus es350. The "grown up" in me says a comfy retirement is more important than a thrilling second and third car. The Peter Pan part of me thats never grown up wants FOUR cars (1996 Defender). Between my constant struggle between brain and heart, I love seeing your video, because it's clearly ALL heart. As one man truly happy for another man's happiness: well played, sir.

I love when you review your own cars! Another great video.

I'm happy to see this car back on the channel! It's insane to think that you've owned this car for more than half of my lifetime 🤣This car is so timeless and I think this car could last for quite a while and it's in amazing condition and pretty modern besides the infotainment lmao

The last true 5 Series, the E39, E46 and E38 are the representation of what BMW used to be, not the plastic cars you see today, but the timeless design cars that were build like tanks and made to be driven, quality automobiles.

Great to see your M5 on the channel again. As the autobahn machine it is, I can now by experience say that the car really comes alive at the autobahn 😍 Me and my family took our M5 (2000/04 LMB over Caramel) from Sweden for two days in Munich together with the European M5 Owners Club, BMW M and BMW Classic. We were 50 E39 M5’s parked outside the headquarters/Museum. All of us also went for a visit to the place where the cars were born, at the Dingolfing factory. It was an epic trip…

Always nice to see a e39 on the road in a good condition. A rare sight nowadays...

The word “BMW” and the E39 M5 are synonymous to me. This car is a black and white tuxedo. Never out of style.

Nothing more relaxing after work than popping open a cold one and watching some Tedward POV drives

13:42 "I don't wanna bother people, I just want to hear my engine once in a while" - I LOVE you and AutotopNL for that. This kind of chivalry is dead, unfortunately.

Great video brotha🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 lovely car! Own an E39 540i currently, and aspire for an m5 someday. Great to see clean models of these cars still roam!

I've had mine for about 2 years now and already put close to 50,000km on it. Just love driving it everywhere.

this generation looks so gun and a stock and well kept one like yours is just absolutely DELIGHTFUL!!

Very similar ownership experience to my ‘97 540i M-Sport. Not quite an M5 but bought it at a similar time in my life and feeling the same way about it now. I drive it very carefully and just enjoy the fast limo-ness of the old girl!

This car is in good shape. Congrats on owning this. I remember when I was in high school there was a guy down the street from me with a red one that had a DINAN badge on the trunk lid

Best car ever made with no doubt!

Great car!! Nothing to be ashamed of there!!! Hang on to it.

I don’t know even know how to drive manual (ik, i should learn). But I like seeing your enthusiasm for these cars because it gives me a better appreciation for cars and car history! I’ve also become a much more relaxed driver due to your videos. I dont get angry at people as much when they cut me off or tailgate me. Thanks Tedward 😃

This car and the NSX were 2 of my favorites at the time. Impressive condition sir!

Bro…this is such a trip. I’m relaxing and watching you drive this gorgeous car around and then all of a sudden you drive past DANIELS FARM and take that split right in the road and I’m like WHAT. My fiancé lives 4 minutes away from there and we go on summer walks on all those streets for the past 4 years. Didn’t know my favorite car KZfaqr drives his BMW around in MILLVILLE 😂

Honestly when a car is this old, I could care less about the numbers. This generation of M5 will always be iconic. If a Camry ever makes 400 hp, I'll still take this car over it.

Hi, I‘m from Germany and drive a 540 6-speed Touring m-sport. As they also are known for weak brakes a upgraded for a set of Stoptech ST40. Makes all the difference. A friend who was also driving an E39 540 immediatly confirmed that those brakes are a different league to the OEM. There are even cheaper brake disk available from Girodisc as I know. So ST40 is totally fine. I don’t think you need anymore as your driving style seem to be the same as mine. I even once had 2 hour Autobahn sprint with > 200km/h and the brakes didn’t seem to care. I even bought used ST41 and ST22 calipers to fit it with adapters with E46 M3s brake discs on my E30 Touring S50 build.

Apparenlty not having a cracked leather dash (plastic under the dash) is rare now. Yours and mind looks good still.

Keeping this car for 9 year's is just an easy give away that this is an amazing car. It's a great car if you want power and a loud screaming V8 but you wanna be in disguise. I remember when you were daily driving this car before the E92 M3, 😅. And yes that infotainment system is a reason to buy this car back in 2001 as it was one of the first cars to actually have an infotainment screen, 😂. BMW were really ahead of everyone else at the time. Please continue to look after this car. Great video as always Ted, 👍.

Man when you talked about car sizes it brings me back to knowing that I love having a compact 90's C43 AMG. I once measured it next to a modern C Class and it was much bigger than mine! Small car with a big engine. Thats the classic AMG I remember. The original C43 AMG still feels raw and bonkers to this day. You aren't wrong about "Soft boy with a ton of torque."

First! Awesome car - probably the most balanced design ever produced.

new bmws might be bigger, badder, bolder, but the E39 will forever be an icon the m5 to end all m5s

Healthy car, healthy attitude. Love it.

I love e39 and e38 from the childhood, now im looking for one to buy

God just when I decided on an evo 8/9 over this, you post this. Now I’m back in the dilemma

This probably my favourite channel on KZfaq.

That’s kinda crazy. I drove my 1981 celica gt 20k miles in my first year of ownership and that was after resurrecting it from sitting in the AZ sun for 20 years lol. Guess that’s why your car is just a little bit nicer than mine lmao.

Knock on wood trim lol! I've got a Titanium Silver 2001 330i Sedan, which also has wood trim. It's got the M sport package, pre-facelift.. with a little over 230,000 miles on it. My mother passed when I was 10 y/o (I'm 25 now) and she taught my father how to drive stick & I watched from the backseat for years as she drove it, my dad drove it. It's what got me into cars, and got me confident enough to perform most DiY maintenance. Today I still have the car & I recently picked up a 2013 E92 M3 6MT dressed in Melbourne Red. I do still enjoy the interior of the early 2000s BMWs I think inside & out they are timeless. I feel like I can relate to your ownership having owned an E92 & your E39 M5. They're great cars! I myself go for therapeutic drives & it calms me watching yours too.

This is my dream sport sedan. Beautiful engine, timeless looks, modern enough without having tech that gets in the way, etc. Give me it in that beautiful dark green with a biscuit tan leather interior, and I'd be a VERY happy man. It's my favourite BMW as well. The E46 M3 is legendary for a reason, but the E39 M5 just strikes me as more special.

I've got one, same year. I have a different philosophy though. I can't stress about what other people do, especially in the Hollywood hills and through LA city traffic daily-ing this thing. Use it, care for it, but drive it as often as possible

This is such an underrated channel. Your inputs are amazing!! :) Cheers

You do a great job of capturing why these cars are so so special.

Man I never thought much of the E39 M5 until recently but lately it’s probably my favourite one. I love the aggressive look of the front end with the circular headlights and it’s low rumble just adds to it. I have one as my phone wallpaper now for the past couple of months too. I’ve gone the opposite direction from you, I went from loving the E46 M3 to now liking the E39 way more. Truly a brute in a suit

This car is amazing, and it is the reason I started watching your channel. Keep up the good work and if possible, please turn the daytime running lights, so we can see the gorgeous dash with the revs. Cheers, mate!

The car's a keeper obviously. It's a beautiful piece of German engineering, drives really well and looks seriously amazing. Thumbs up.

Great angles, nice video. True photography. Been fond of older BMW

Favorite BMW of all time, I'd cherish It forever!

Back in 2011 I saw a 1997 E39 540i (Also equipped with the oem Basketweave Wheels, omg) at a Toyota dealership and was offered only $5K for it at the time, but was still financing my first car (Which was a Mazda Protege 5). Also I was talked out of owning a BMW so I a year later after my finance was up I ended up getting an Infiniti G35 Sedan 6mt (Which I still have right now, garage kept). Now I see your video of you owning your E39 M5 for 9 years and it amazes me, because besides the older BMWs, I never knew anyone that kept their Bimmers that long.

Absolutely Gorgeous BMW 🤍💙🖤 Lovely ❤

I had a 2002 525i about 7-8 years ago now. It was an absolute joy to drive however in all honesty she was a dog on maintenance. I still think the E39 is the best designed BMW of all time.

12:24 begins one minute discourse in check engine lights and oil leaks 13:21 (M5 serves up throaty growl) Tedward "I Love this thing" BMW mystique explained in 60 seconds 😂😉

This type of cars have souls

and another M5 video:), now I'm waiting for the next M5 video. I don't know if you can tell but I love when you film and drive your M5

I am amazed to see American channels mentioning low horsepower vehicles when they have less than 200hp. Nowadays in Europe, mundane cars won’t even get close to those numbers. I think that the V6 Camry engine is insanely overpowered, as it is meant to be a daily car not a twisty road car. My ‘98 Wagon R+ has 69 horses. It does not need any more power, even if it is not fast at all. Fun little car to dash around traffic.

Such a beautiful car ❤ I am thinking about getting one, but a bit scared about buying a 20+ year sports sedan.

What a dream car! Beautifully kept and loved the video!

Last of the BMW's. Very nice.

I hope you still hang it out there sometimes, man. I'm 37 and still sideways in the 951 and 330ci whenever there's a prime opportunity. You'll need wheel bearings and axles a little more often, oh well.

Can’t wait to see you drive this in a snow storm. Why? It was interesting to see how it would handle the harsh, you taught us how to drive in the snow, the therapy that you gave was the definition of serenity. Plus, you got so many views, I believe it was 2 million views in a year so it was impressive!

Oh man, totally forgot about streetfire lol. Thanks for the nostalgia.

You have great taste my friend! Awesome body/wheel style.

Cool channel dude. Simple and straight to the point. I just found you.

I totally agree, I thought this car was beautiful in the circa 2002 Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 era, and thanks to new crash regulations and some questionable design directions, it's even more beautiful relative to the car market as a whole!

An awesome sports sedan!

Love the video - stunning high def of this beautiful example of an E39. Very rare combo. I know it's cliche to say you have a superior attitude about how rare a car's trim is but IMO without seeing any numbers I'd say there aren't many Black/Black extended leather/Woodgrain trim optioned M5s. Definitely would say you are the first person to film an E39 M5 without the aluminum "Sport" trim. So awesome you didn't paint over and give it a faux metal look as it seems quite a few people of the few people who had woodgrain painted over it. I've never been a fan of the Ostrich print sport seats of the E39 M5 Sport trim, and not really a fan of the two tone interiors or any single tone exterior matching colors. OTOH with the extended leather package, I absolutely love the stitching pattern of the leather seats, really gives it an oldschool sports car vibe and my favorite color would be Carmel after seeing it in person, but the black extended leather is gorgeous too! Definitely feel your pain about worrying about a bank breaking repair. I think it comes from loving them so much while they are running properly, you loathe the day it leaves you stranded. But from what I've seen so far is that there's usually good indicators right before any major issue with these cars, they will throw codes and the drive often alone lets you know something is up. Now having a 540i it may lack a couple of the same parts maintenance costs seem to be fairly on par with each other. Given you know where to get parts. While someday I will find the M5 for me, the first one I wanted was the 540i until they came with the M5. I didn't buy the 540i just because I can't get an M5, but rather because I find the E39 as a whole to be the most beautiful car design ever, and there's just something special about a 540i/6 - especially the 97/98 pre-VANOS, and the torque just moves the car so effortlessly. So for me, I absolutely love my run of the mill corporate sedan from the 90s still has 300 Crank HP and a 6 speed. And of their time, these cars while not made for straight line performance, would still walk many of it's contemporaries of the time. Cheers!

I luv your car man ...i luv bmws in general. ..mainly 3 series..but this is a legend ..still holds its value and soo mint...im still begging my father for his '90 525!!!!...enjoy!!!!

I have the same love for my car. I live in Europe, and it's not really a thing in America, but I own a 2007 Alfa Romeo Brera with the civilized 2.2 JTS petrol engine from GM. Just like you I had great luck finding out about this particular vehicle, through an acquintance of mine. I am the 3rd owner, the car is well preserved. I do most of the times drive with very much mechanical sympathy, rarely do I just absolutely floor it or drive bonkers through the corners. Of course there will always be something to upgrade on or replace (just like you I am currently looking to upgrade the brakes for better stopping and, more importantly, aesthetics), but isn't that the case with all the cars in existence? It's something that eventually will have to be done, no moving part lasts a human lifetime. I am very much happy spending reasonable amounts of money on parts and repairs, because it's money invested in a car that I actually LOVE, not one that I am just stuck with or bought out of the need to impress people. Actually speaking about it, for a 15 year old affordable 'sports' car it turns quite the number of heads on the streets, which is pretty nice :D It's got all the features a daily driver car needs, has only 2 and a half seats (there's really only room behind the passenger seat, when it's moved a bit forward), but most of the times I ride alone, so it makes perfect sense. I'm really looking forward to keeping it and maybe document it in some form other than pictures :)

I totally agree. I see people on their phones all the time. When I am riding my motorcycles, I just about almost get hit every time I am out. It is ridiculous.

Woke up feeling good after this:)

a classic!

16:14 cute squirrel greeted you!

E39s are so special thinking of buying a 535i V8 Manual not quite a M5 but the closest thing I can get lol

Okay well 400hp might be more common on paper but most people don't drive cars with more than 250hp. So that is still a beast today

That 4.9 V8 roaring away

E39 my favourite m5 of all time

I bought mine new but sold it after 17,000 miles because I never drove it. The Suburban was needed 90% of the time because of the kids. This car is really heav, and in track use I cooked the rotors after 1800 miles. What also drove me nuts was the US spec dual-mass flywheel which slipped under hard acceleration and felt like a slipping clutch. I miss my M635CSi much more.

I was thinking about asking WHEN will we see the M5 again?! And here it is!

20 years ago, 400 HP with that suspension and all around everything was something. Now, this car looks in great shape. Tedward as a Hoonigan sounds entertaining.

I'm in central mass. Just finished building a s52 turbo e39 touring. I spent as much money as a m5 would cost. (Probably more ) I'm very happy with my choice tho. 600+ to the tire, great highway car for the weekly commute from central mass to my family in upstate n.y.

I've always loved the wood trim in the E39 and never understood the hate it got. I find the aluminium trim makes it look like a bland E60 interior.

4:08 Use some G-techniq C4 trim restorer on those faded seat belt release buttons - turns it back to red, lasts for years.

I was 28 when I bought my m5 for £20.000 in 2005 it was a 2002 with 50.000miles 0n it I was like you I hammered that car for 10 years all I replaced was clutch brakes and lampard sensor I was all over Ireland in it as i am from Belfast I would still have it only for a learner driver crashed into me and totalled it it was off the best cars I had it is a beast

my wish has been fulfilled

The way you talked about it made it seem like you bought it 20 years ago. 9 years wasn't that long ago, KZfaq was pretty much in the same shape as it is today, FaceBook was a thing, Reddit was a thing, you didn't have to jump through hoops to get car content haha! :D

Such a cool car!! I also think you made the right choice vs. an E46 M3. The difference in interior quality and overall solidity between an E46 and an E39 is very significant. It’s not like the E90 vs. E60, where the E90 was very close. Edit: One thing that seems to strand people in E39s and E46s is the fuel pump. People never replace the fuel filter and it seems like at this age it’s something that goes bad.

14:32 Ohhh how I know that. I bought a W211 E500 wich had a leaking valve cover gasket. For the life of mine it took 3 gaskets from 3 different manufacturers PLUS modding an original Mercedes Bez gasket to get the leak shut. That's our millenial car enthusiast experience, I guess.

Enjoyed this. Love my e60 m5

Having been one of those 8 owners of an E39 M5, back then this car was considered a total rocket ship with insane capabilities, now you can get the same performance out of a Camry 😂 I drove mine like I stole it and it really shows how much cars have evolved since then .

GANGSTA

Yeah we the og for e39🥺

Great car, mate

A quick comment about BMW leather.... I own an 07 328i wagon that has lived in CA from new. It's been daily driven and now has 136k miles. The leather on the seats is coming apart where there is stitching on the seat pan. It's happening on both front seats even though I've only had passengers about half of the time. This tells me it's less about actual use and more about a limited lifespan of the leather used in a climate like So. Cal. The dash has held up perfectly and the rear seats don't have this issue. All of the leather surfaces have not held up to age. This is clearly not the same quality of leather used in the M5 or 7 series. You can plainly see in the video the difference between the leather in Tedward's car and my wagon.

I feel BMWs don't get enough credit for being reliable when they become troublesome.

My friend's dad owns a sizeable collection of E39s from a 525i Wagon to multiple M5s. He seemed to voice a similar complaint to me regarding the brakes, and said that his solution was actually to buy OEM Fk8 Civic Type R brakes since it wasn't too difficult to fit them on the M5 supposedly. Maybe that would be appealing to you!

I agree so much, i love the E39M5 and i love how it looks good, but not agressive at all, so itlookslike an beutifull old bmw, i love low RPM torque, maybe i would tune ita bit, but nothing that would alter the sound too much. I hope some day i can own a car like that.

man i used it in nfs, this car is just bad ass

This video just made my entite day, was waiting for the M5 to return and boy was it worth the wait… Looks amazing and makes a sound to die for, thanks for bringing it out 😁 Also, that Jeep driver should return his licence, clearly not respecting the drive 🧐

after watching M539's restoration video of an Alpina B7, the glossy wood trim is about the only thing I feel that looks dated for this car. Slap some matt finish wood trim on this thing and it might refresh it up to at least 2011 :D

3:10 Kudos for not dry-steering it

that feeling when planning to buy e39 540 and tune it with eaton m112 from jaguar))