Hi everyone -
I’d like to re-introduce myself to the forum, and start this thread as a journal of my journey with an E39 M5 that I have recently acquired. A quick (or maybe not so quick) introduction and a history on how I ended up where I’m in my automotive journey…
I’m a long time BMW-guy and had many bimmers over the years, and currently have 4 M-cars and wife’s driving a 16’ 640GC. Of course it all started with staring at the pictures of nice BMWs in the magazines and a ride or two with adults in the ultimate driving machines. Once I was financially able to afford a nice car, there was no guessing to which brand it would be – had to be a BMW!
It all started back in 2003 when I picked up my first - a 2000 Impala Brown 2.3 liter Z3 Roadster with 30K miles on the clock. Impala Brown was a relatively rare color, and classic brown Dakota nicely complimented its exterior. Was a great car, have lots of great, top-down memories with it.
bmw02 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
bmw01 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
Next was a 2004 530i Sport, and it was a very different, but nonetheless excellent car. I've installed an M-Tech aero kit*to it, as I started to gravitate towards M-car design.
bmw04 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
Sadly, few days before Christmas 2007, my beloved Z was totaled – I got t-boned by a distracted driver in a Chevy truck. Even though the car was scrap, I was relatively unharmed.*
bmw03 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
By that time, I was a big time Z3 enthusiast, and as soon as I got insurance check, I bought me a 2002 2.5 Roadster, 37th to the last one off the assembly line!
bmw05 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
bmw06 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
Though, my affair with that car was short-lived - my son was starting daycare and I needed a vehicle with the back seat. Little Z had to make way for a 2004 645Ci Sport. Took me 3 months of nationwide searching to find this CPO 6er in Black Sapphire/Chateau Red with 27K miles on it. Flew to Chicago to pick it up and drove it back to Texas. Certainly was a worthy replacement and a beautiful car.
DSC_0231_2 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
DSC_0278_2 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
Meanwhile the lease on my wife’s 530i was up, and we decided that there was nothing else on the market that would come close to the size, performance, and practicality of the 5er – and we got her a 2005 545i M-Sport as a daily. The car was a monster and I still feel a bit sad that it is gone. It was a very, how to put this mildly... problematic car. After the CPO was over, sucked lots of $$ out of me. But it drove beautifully when it wasn’t in the shop!
01-6 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
DSC_3896 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
But after driving my 6er for a few months, I realized that I was missing the feel of a smaller, tossable car. So I decided to get another Z - and this time, I wanted a proper M-car - I wanted an M Coupe.*
M coupes are a rare breed, with only ~2200 S52-engined examples and ~690 S54-engined cars made for NA market. A search for the right car took a while, but finally I found a 2000 S52 in Wisconsin that I purchased and brought to Texas. The car went through some restoration work, complete overhaul of several areas, few mods, etc. Every bit on the car was brought back to 100%. This is how I got my first “keeper” car. Had it since 2008, and it is not going anywhere anytime soon. Truly an amazing car to drive.
coupe006 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
coupe024 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
coupe020 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
For a while, I had 3 black bimmers in the garage. The lineup looked something like this:
DSC_0031 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
But constant repairs that needed to keep 545i on the road took their toll and I sold the car. Replacement for the E60 was my first brand new BMW (special ordered from Dingolfing) – a 2014 F10 535i. Terrific mile-eater. Was primarily my wife’s car, but I enjoyed a few long-trips in it. She totaled it a month before lease-return…not her fault.
535i-01_zps2b04fa26 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
535i-02_zps7ce1cbdf by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
My 6er meanwhile was getting DD duty and soon I had a lot of miles on it and maintenance and repairs piled up. I drove the car for 7 years, but E63 M6’s were getting cheap, so I sold my 6er and I pulled a trigger on 2006 M6 Coupe in Indianapolis Red. That V10 under the hood sure is a screamer, and this body-style of the M6 is just soo great. Wonderful all around car with enormous power. Currently my DD.
IMG_7559 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
IMG_7560 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
After my wife totaled her F10, we needed a replacement soon (she can’t drive stick). Local dealer had pretty amazing deal on a 640i Gran Coupe lease in Alpine White and we pulled the trigger. One of the few modern BMWs that I like. Very confident cruiser, with all the creature comforts and technology that you can imagine. Probably not a keeper, but all around great car.
IMG_2665 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
IMG_2666 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
About two years ago I decided to switch jobs, and my new work location was about 50 miles from home one-way. The prospect of putting 500+ miles a week on my then low-mileage M6 didn’t sit well with me. I needed a driver car, and I decided to pick up a high-mileage E46 M3 Coupe to do the duty… and what a car it was!
Got a car in Philly and drove it to Texas. In a very short time, E46 M3 became one of my favorite cars to drive. Nimble, powerful, torquey, tossable, and very quick – I absolutely loved every mile I drove in that car. And I drove 37K miles in 16 months. One of the best BMW cars hands down, and even though I have sold the car, I will 100% own an E46 M3 Coupe again. Unbelievable car.
IMG_4702 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
IMG_4704 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
IMG_5229 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
Few months ago, I noticed that prices on E36 M3s started to climb up, and good examples were disappearing. I always wanted to get an E36, and after driving E46 for a while, I started looking for a clean example, but this time I wanted only one color – it had to be Dakar Yellow! After several months searching, one popped up on Craigslist in San Francisco – I bought the car unseen via text message/Paypal 2 hours after it was posted. Flew out to CA and drove it back.
IMG_5910 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
IMG_5936 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
E36 is everything you expect and then some. Great car, very old school. Possibly another keeper. The car is currently undergoing restoration; I will post a link to M3 forum thread later on if anyone is interested.
In May I switched jobs again and no longer commuted 100+ miles a day, and decided that I had too many cars and no longer needed E46, especially with new E36 being restored and eating up my car budget! So I sold my E46 M3 (which was completely restored and looked like new by that point) to a good dude from Iowa, hopefully it serves him well and continues to be trouble free monster for long time. Probably the first car I regret selling.
Money from sale of my E46 were supposed to be used to install a lift in the garage, new workbench, some tools, and couple new sets of wheels. But I couldn’t help browsing classifieds and car sites to see what “else” was out there... I always lusted over E39 M5 and almost bought one about 8 years ago, but they were still a bit out of my price range and still depreciating back then… But now…
Now the time was right. I decided that I want either a low mileage 6-speed E46 M3 Coupe or and E39 M5. So after couple of weeks looking, I had a car lined up to go see in Chicago (again), and I already had the plane ticket purchased… but instead I accidentally saw a post here on M5Board from a member here in Fort Worth about him possibly selling his car.
Oh. I had to see it. I mean, it was Imola Red and it was right in my backyard! So I pestered Steve (Hi Steve!) to meet up with me so I could see the car. He called me, we agreed on the time and I drove up to his place after work to see the beast.
IMG_6606 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
IMG_6600 by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
It was…honestly it was a bit underwhelming. Granted, I have never drove E39 M5 before, so maybe I had my expectations high? I thought of E39 M5 as this absolutely perfectly balanced car that was amazing to drive and after driving it for a few minutes (on the tiny neighborhood streets of course) I was thinking to myself - is that it? Hmm… It felt heavy, a bit clunky, not composed. I was surprised and disappointed at the same time. On the way home I thought to myself - never drive your heroes?
The car was overall in good shape, with few areas needing attention, but appeared mechanically sound, with lots of maintenance records and clean carfax, so I decided to give it a shot. So we agreed on the price, and I went to pick it up next day. Steve was the best seller you could possibly have - gave me all the maintenance records, all keys and manuals, even replacement windshield cowl with some rivets he purchased for the car! We chatted a bit about cars, and I headed home.
It was getting late and tollway home was absolutely empty. And this is where I realized what I just got. Christ! The car completely changes once you start pushing it hard on the highway. By the time I made it home I was totally in love with the car. Now I totally get what everyone is raving about – E39 M5 is such a jewel or a car. Drove it for the next two days and its amazing how good it is. Still can’t believe my first impression of the car was soo wrong.
And this is how my journey (and this thread) gets its start. My plan is to have the car fully restored to its original (yes, 2000 MY) condition and keep it long term. So far, I have been going over the car with a fine toothed comb and putting together lists of all the big and little things that need to be replaced, fixed, changed, restored, etc. Ordering bunch of parts and boxes are arriving every day!
The plan is to use this thread as a journal for the restoration for the car. Cheers, and sorry for the long read (if you really read all of the above you are crazy), I like to ramble.
So far it has been given a good bath inside and out so I could crawl everywhere and check everything. Updates to come hopefully soon!
Untitled by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
Untitled by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
Untitled by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
Alex
I’d like to re-introduce myself to the forum, and start this thread as a journal of my journey with an E39 M5 that I have recently acquired. A quick (or maybe not so quick) introduction and a history on how I ended up where I’m in my automotive journey…
I’m a long time BMW-guy and had many bimmers over the years, and currently have 4 M-cars and wife’s driving a 16’ 640GC. Of course it all started with staring at the pictures of nice BMWs in the magazines and a ride or two with adults in the ultimate driving machines. Once I was financially able to afford a nice car, there was no guessing to which brand it would be – had to be a BMW!
It all started back in 2003 when I picked up my first - a 2000 Impala Brown 2.3 liter Z3 Roadster with 30K miles on the clock. Impala Brown was a relatively rare color, and classic brown Dakota nicely complimented its exterior. Was a great car, have lots of great, top-down memories with it.


Next was a 2004 530i Sport, and it was a very different, but nonetheless excellent car. I've installed an M-Tech aero kit*to it, as I started to gravitate towards M-car design.

Sadly, few days before Christmas 2007, my beloved Z was totaled – I got t-boned by a distracted driver in a Chevy truck. Even though the car was scrap, I was relatively unharmed.*

By that time, I was a big time Z3 enthusiast, and as soon as I got insurance check, I bought me a 2002 2.5 Roadster, 37th to the last one off the assembly line!


Though, my affair with that car was short-lived - my son was starting daycare and I needed a vehicle with the back seat. Little Z had to make way for a 2004 645Ci Sport. Took me 3 months of nationwide searching to find this CPO 6er in Black Sapphire/Chateau Red with 27K miles on it. Flew to Chicago to pick it up and drove it back to Texas. Certainly was a worthy replacement and a beautiful car.


Meanwhile the lease on my wife’s 530i was up, and we decided that there was nothing else on the market that would come close to the size, performance, and practicality of the 5er – and we got her a 2005 545i M-Sport as a daily. The car was a monster and I still feel a bit sad that it is gone. It was a very, how to put this mildly... problematic car. After the CPO was over, sucked lots of $$ out of me. But it drove beautifully when it wasn’t in the shop!


But after driving my 6er for a few months, I realized that I was missing the feel of a smaller, tossable car. So I decided to get another Z - and this time, I wanted a proper M-car - I wanted an M Coupe.*
M coupes are a rare breed, with only ~2200 S52-engined examples and ~690 S54-engined cars made for NA market. A search for the right car took a while, but finally I found a 2000 S52 in Wisconsin that I purchased and brought to Texas. The car went through some restoration work, complete overhaul of several areas, few mods, etc. Every bit on the car was brought back to 100%. This is how I got my first “keeper” car. Had it since 2008, and it is not going anywhere anytime soon. Truly an amazing car to drive.



For a while, I had 3 black bimmers in the garage. The lineup looked something like this:

But constant repairs that needed to keep 545i on the road took their toll and I sold the car. Replacement for the E60 was my first brand new BMW (special ordered from Dingolfing) – a 2014 F10 535i. Terrific mile-eater. Was primarily my wife’s car, but I enjoyed a few long-trips in it. She totaled it a month before lease-return…not her fault.


My 6er meanwhile was getting DD duty and soon I had a lot of miles on it and maintenance and repairs piled up. I drove the car for 7 years, but E63 M6’s were getting cheap, so I sold my 6er and I pulled a trigger on 2006 M6 Coupe in Indianapolis Red. That V10 under the hood sure is a screamer, and this body-style of the M6 is just soo great. Wonderful all around car with enormous power. Currently my DD.


After my wife totaled her F10, we needed a replacement soon (she can’t drive stick). Local dealer had pretty amazing deal on a 640i Gran Coupe lease in Alpine White and we pulled the trigger. One of the few modern BMWs that I like. Very confident cruiser, with all the creature comforts and technology that you can imagine. Probably not a keeper, but all around great car.


About two years ago I decided to switch jobs, and my new work location was about 50 miles from home one-way. The prospect of putting 500+ miles a week on my then low-mileage M6 didn’t sit well with me. I needed a driver car, and I decided to pick up a high-mileage E46 M3 Coupe to do the duty… and what a car it was!
Got a car in Philly and drove it to Texas. In a very short time, E46 M3 became one of my favorite cars to drive. Nimble, powerful, torquey, tossable, and very quick – I absolutely loved every mile I drove in that car. And I drove 37K miles in 16 months. One of the best BMW cars hands down, and even though I have sold the car, I will 100% own an E46 M3 Coupe again. Unbelievable car.



Few months ago, I noticed that prices on E36 M3s started to climb up, and good examples were disappearing. I always wanted to get an E36, and after driving E46 for a while, I started looking for a clean example, but this time I wanted only one color – it had to be Dakar Yellow! After several months searching, one popped up on Craigslist in San Francisco – I bought the car unseen via text message/Paypal 2 hours after it was posted. Flew out to CA and drove it back.


E36 is everything you expect and then some. Great car, very old school. Possibly another keeper. The car is currently undergoing restoration; I will post a link to M3 forum thread later on if anyone is interested.
In May I switched jobs again and no longer commuted 100+ miles a day, and decided that I had too many cars and no longer needed E46, especially with new E36 being restored and eating up my car budget! So I sold my E46 M3 (which was completely restored and looked like new by that point) to a good dude from Iowa, hopefully it serves him well and continues to be trouble free monster for long time. Probably the first car I regret selling.
Money from sale of my E46 were supposed to be used to install a lift in the garage, new workbench, some tools, and couple new sets of wheels. But I couldn’t help browsing classifieds and car sites to see what “else” was out there... I always lusted over E39 M5 and almost bought one about 8 years ago, but they were still a bit out of my price range and still depreciating back then… But now…
Now the time was right. I decided that I want either a low mileage 6-speed E46 M3 Coupe or and E39 M5. So after couple of weeks looking, I had a car lined up to go see in Chicago (again), and I already had the plane ticket purchased… but instead I accidentally saw a post here on M5Board from a member here in Fort Worth about him possibly selling his car.
Oh. I had to see it. I mean, it was Imola Red and it was right in my backyard! So I pestered Steve (Hi Steve!) to meet up with me so I could see the car. He called me, we agreed on the time and I drove up to his place after work to see the beast.


It was…honestly it was a bit underwhelming. Granted, I have never drove E39 M5 before, so maybe I had my expectations high? I thought of E39 M5 as this absolutely perfectly balanced car that was amazing to drive and after driving it for a few minutes (on the tiny neighborhood streets of course) I was thinking to myself - is that it? Hmm… It felt heavy, a bit clunky, not composed. I was surprised and disappointed at the same time. On the way home I thought to myself - never drive your heroes?
The car was overall in good shape, with few areas needing attention, but appeared mechanically sound, with lots of maintenance records and clean carfax, so I decided to give it a shot. So we agreed on the price, and I went to pick it up next day. Steve was the best seller you could possibly have - gave me all the maintenance records, all keys and manuals, even replacement windshield cowl with some rivets he purchased for the car! We chatted a bit about cars, and I headed home.
It was getting late and tollway home was absolutely empty. And this is where I realized what I just got. Christ! The car completely changes once you start pushing it hard on the highway. By the time I made it home I was totally in love with the car. Now I totally get what everyone is raving about – E39 M5 is such a jewel or a car. Drove it for the next two days and its amazing how good it is. Still can’t believe my first impression of the car was soo wrong.
And this is how my journey (and this thread) gets its start. My plan is to have the car fully restored to its original (yes, 2000 MY) condition and keep it long term. So far, I have been going over the car with a fine toothed comb and putting together lists of all the big and little things that need to be replaced, fixed, changed, restored, etc. Ordering bunch of parts and boxes are arriving every day!
The plan is to use this thread as a journal for the restoration for the car. Cheers, and sorry for the long read (if you really read all of the above you are crazy), I like to ramble.
So far it has been given a good bath inside and out so I could crawl everywhere and check everything. Updates to come hopefully soon!



Alex