There’s a lot of M5s for sale, as of late. We’ve spoken about both an E28 M5 and E34 M5 being up for sale, lately, and the trend is going to continue. Except, this time, it’s the best BMW M5 of all time that’s for sale. This 2001 E39-generation BMW M5 is currently for sale in the UK for what we think is a good price.

At the moment, this E39 M5 is only $27,742, which we think is actually a good price. Admittedly, the mileage isn’t ideal, at around 82,000 miles. However, that’s not bad for a car that’s 16 years old and it shows that the car has been driven and not just kept in a garage. So it means its next buyer can drive it without worry of wearing it down or increasing the mileage.

Also, for 82,000 miles, it looks really quite good. There are not major blemishes on the exterior that can be seen in the pictures. I looks really good and even the paint still has its factory shine, with no noticeable sun fade.

As for the inside, it also seems pristine. There are no blemishes in the leather, nor any of the plastics or trim pieces. It seems incredibly clean and well-maintained. Whoever owned this car took care of it, even on the inside.

What makes this car extra worth it, though, what it is, not how it is. Firstly, it’s the E39-generation BMW M5, which is largely considered to be the best BMW sedan ever made and possibly the best sport sedan, of any kind, ever made. It’s absolutely brilliant to drive. The steering is pure and uncorrupted

Under the hood lies a 4.9 liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine, which made 400 hp. That screaming V8 was mated to a six-speed manual, which helped it get from 0-60 mph in just over five seconds. While that may seem slow by today’s standards, considering that the new M5 has 600 hp and can hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, but it’s more than enough to be fun. Plus, it’s more of the way it gets to 60 mph, not how fast it does. It’s powerband is smooth and linear, with a sonorous soundtrack and spine-tingling intake noise. It’s fantastic.

What’s more, this specific M5 is in the most ideal color scheme. Wearing Le Mans Blue paint, which is the best possible color for an E39 M5, it looks gorgeous. While normally I’m most partial to silver E39 M5s, thanks to “Star”, Le Mans Blue is the prettiest color. Its interior is also two-tone Silverstone and Black Nappa leather, which looks great still.

While this E39 M5 might have slightly high mileage and it’s certainly not new but it’s the best M5 of all time in the best possible color scheme. At $28,000, it isn’t exactly cheap for a 16 year old car but it’s now bad at all for such an icon. Plus, it’s cheaper than literally any brand-new BMW, even the lowly BMW 320i, while being more enjoyable to drive than basically any new BMW, regardless of price. So when you look at it that way, it’s a downright steal.

[Source: Classic Driver]