Awesomeness on four wheels: The M5

I have always wanted to experience an M5, so when I drove past a used car dealership the other day and saw that they had one in stock, I decided to take a look. It was a 2001 dark blue with black interior, in perfect condition. I told the salesman I was considering getting an M5 (which was not a complete lie), and asked for a test drive.

I slowly drove out the door and around the block. Then once the engine warmed up, I floored it. The traction control light flickered through all of first gear, and well into second.  Then I decided to lift off, as I didn’t want to upset the salesman and I was over 80km/h already in the middle of town. I’ve read that with traction control off it’s possible to get wheelspin into 3rd gear. I then drove out of the town, to feel what it can do on the open road. Once again, it did not disappoint. No matter what speed I was doing, or in what gear, flooring the throttle would generate a massive burst of acceleration. Shifting gears is a mechanical process, which provides a lot of feedback. It feels like you’re pulling and pushing a lever, that you’re actually moving stuff around in the gearbox. And then there’s the noise. Although it is very subdued due to the stock exhaust (a less restrictive one would do wonders), the sound at 7,000rpm is incredible.

When I returned to the dealership I was seriously considering buying the car. However, it has more than 175,000km on the clock, and although it’s been looked after, there are some problems. And it is way overpriced.

The E39 M5 is already a legend, even though it went out of production only 5 years ago. It has four doors and a big boot, and can do 0-100km/h in less than 5 seconds. It’s a supremely comfortable long-distance cruiser, but can be used at track days to destroy most new sportscars. Plus it’s extremely understated, which in my book makes it even more awesome. Most people would think it’s just another older 5 series, not the potent musclecar that it is.

What makes the E39 special is that it’s a relatively simple car. It has a normal clutch, with a normal manual gearbox. It has only two buttons to control the driving experience: traction control on/off and sports mode. The E60 M5 (which replaced the E39) is a computer on wheels, with a stupid SMG flappy-paddle gearbox, and millions of settings to set up the suspension, steering, gearbox, engine, etc etc.

So now I am seriously looking for a perfect E39 M5. The power is intoxicating. I’ve always wanted one of these, now I need one!

P.S. It’s so diverse, it can even kick Madonna’s ass: