This was the last hot 5 Series to be powered by a normally aspirated engine – a manic 500bhp 5.0-litre V10
The E60-generation BMW M5 may well be a car that you buy for the engine and nothing else – and for good reason.The Formula 1-inspired, naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V10 makes an enormous 500bhp at a euphoric 7750rpm – a rev figure that might sound more likely for 1990s Honda Type R screamer than an 1830kg executive saloon (and indeed one that’s often seen in black, looking more like a bank manager’s 520d than a supercar-scaring monster). This particular 5 Series isn’t a car that you buy because of its ability to get to 62mph in 4.1sec – a frankly ridiculous figure for the time, but because of how it gets there. The intoxicating noise will encourage a heavy right foot and a delve into the iDrive system to find a route with more tunnels. The earliest cars are from 2005, and at £61,750 17 years ago, they came with almost all the bells and whistles possible: 19in alloy wheels (you can get those on a Volkswagen Golf these days…), head-up display and sat-nav, 11 shift modes for the SMG gearbox and even launch control. In 2007, the M5 was facelifted, and the easiest way to tell is by the LED running lights and tail-lights (but beware that some early cars have had them fitted retrospectively).These are probably the ones you want, thanks to the uprated gearbox with upgraded pumps and hardware. Also note that the facelift was released in batches, so there could very well be pre-facelift cars registered late into 2007.Alternatively, the easiest way to tell if the one you’re looking at is a facelifted car could be to look at the boot, as BMW didn’t release the E61-generation M5 Touring until 2007. From the factory, the M5 was fitted with what at the time we called “The Gimmick of 2004”. When you initially start it, the ECU reverts to a 400bhp default setting, and to access all 500bhp, you must press a button marked ‘Power’ on the steering wheel.BMW said this was to “help in wet conditions”, but in practice it’s the ultimate show-off function for the delectation of your mates. Or children. Or dog.Because, of course, the M5 Touring has 500 litres of boot space to match its 500bhp and, in this guise, is one of only two such cars ever fitted with a 10-cylinder engine (the C6-generation Audi RS6 Avant is the other). Only 222 right-hand drive M5 Tourings were made over just three years.Sure, there’s now a new M5 Touring to make this one seem less exclusive, but if you’re not bowled over by the asking price (likely to be over £100,000), this one can be had from around £30,000.You may need another £30k for repair bills, because the high-revving V10 has plenty of documented issues. But generally speaking, if you avoid buying a car that has been run on a tight budget, you should end up with something more dependable than you might think.Behind the wheel, the M5’s balance and accessible performance helped to earn it a five-star Autocar road test verdict, and with the dampers set to soft, it has ample compliance to ride expansion joints pretty well.In line with the supple ride, the cabin exudes 2000s German super-exec in being almost completely bereft of anything overtly sporty.The only clues to the car’s potential are some strategically placed M badges, the shifters for the automated manual seven-speed SMG gearbox, body-hugging sports seats and a speedo that doesn’t stop until 200mph.Running costs are, as you can imagine for a F1-derived V10, astronomically hiigh. A gentle cruise yields around 22mpg, but push it hard and expect the read out to be no higher than 10mpg. The small fuel tank doesn’t help matters. But this isn’t a car you buy for economy. With regulations, taxation, small-capacity engines and electric motors strangling enthusiasts’ efforts to buy cars of this ilk, now is a perfect time to buy an a used M5, whether it’s a saloon or an estate.
