Ferrari Mailing List: Re: [NFC] 2003 BMW M5?

[Jim's Email (jimshadow]

Steve,

I wouldn't call myself an expert per se, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn
last night!  :)

Typically the M5's are known to be bulletproof, especially the later models.
2003 is the last year of that body style(E39) so most of the bugs should be
worked out.  If he has had it serviced at the same dealer, they should give
you the service history on it. I've done that with the Bimmers that I've
owned. That way you can get a gauge of how its been serviced and treated.
You're in a good position with the 1yr/10K warranty.  That way you can run
the hell out of the car and see what breaks and fix it on BMW's dime.

Price on the M5's seem fluctuate wildly.  An '03 is going to be in the
$45K-$52K range for asking prices.  A quick check of all the '03 M5's on
Autotrader shows $49K as the average asking price.

I owned an E39 528i sportwagon and it was a helluva car.  I would expect
nothing less from this M5 as long as the PPI checks out.
Let us know if you do it!
FWIW, YMMV

JIM