E60 M5 - Thinking of selling

[Bazza]

Hi everyone. I'm thinking of selling my 2005 E60 M5. It's silverstone with black interior. It's in excellent condition both interior and exterior, never been in any accidents. The only non-factory fitted option is 35% smash and grab fitted by BMW, other than that it's 100% as it came from its mother in Germany. No issues with the car at all and has 57k on the clock and never been launched. Lived in a closed garage under a car cover connected to a smart charger and driven intermittently.

Any ideas as to what I should ask for it in this market?

Any advice on price will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Pulled this from the VIN decoder:

Vehicle Information​

Type​	Value​
VIN
Prod. Date	2005-07-11
Service History	!! CHECK HISTORY !!
Type	M5
Series	E60 (M Series)
Body Type	Sedan
Steering	-
Engine	S85
Displacement	0
Power	0kw / 0hp
Drive	rwd
Colour	silverstone 2 metallic
Upholstery	Leather "Merino"/schwarz
Check mileage	!! CHECK HISTORY !!

​

Editions And Packages​

S737​	Interior Mouldings, Alu Shadow, Brushed​
S785​	White Direction Indicator Lights​

Comfort And Interior Equipment​

S403​	Glass Roof, Electrical​
S415​	Sun-Blind, Rear​
S416​	Roller Sun Visor, Rear Lateral​
S423​	Floor Mats Velours​
S428​	Warning Triangle And First Aid Kit​
S430​	Interior/Outside Mirror With Auto Dip​
S431​	Interior Mirror With Automatic-Dip​
S441​	Smoker Package​
S442​	Drink Holder​
S459​	Seat Adjustment, Electric, With Memory​
S473​	Armrest Front​
S488​	Lumbar Support, Driver And Passenger​
S494​	Seat Heating Driver/Passenger​

​

Multimedia​

S601​	TV Function​
S609​	Navigation System Professional​
S610​	Head-Up Display​
S620​	Voice Control​
S644​	Preparation F Mobile Phone W Bluetooth​
S672​	CD Changer For 6 CDs​
S677​	HiFi System Professional DSP​
S698​	Area-Code 2 For DVD​

Driver Assistance And Lightning​

S502​	Headlight Cleaning System​
S508​	Park Distance Control (PDC)​
S522​	Xenon Light​
S524​	Adaptive Headlights​
S534​	Automatic Air Conditioning​
S540​	Cruise Control​
S548​	Kilometre Speedo​
S563​	Light Package​

Wheels And Drive​

S216​	Hydro Steering-Servotronic​
S261​	Side Airbags For Rear Passengers​

Environment And Safety​

S302​	Alarm System​
S356​	Climate Comfort Laminated Glass​
S818​	Battery Master Switch​
S824​	National Version South Africa​
S850​	Dummy-SALAPA​
S853​	Language Version, English​
S858​	Low Compression Engine​
S864​	Dealer List Overseas​
S877​	Omission Of Non-Combined Operation​
S880​	On-Board Literature, English​
S8SA​	Navigation Access Request,Country-Spec.​
S8SC​	Telematics Access Request,Country-Spec.​
S8SL​	Trailer Coupling Preparation​
S8SM​	Car Ident. Number Visible From Outside​

Individual Equipment​

S775​

Headlining Anthracite​

Other Equipment​

S925​	Dummy-SALAPA​
S9AA​	Outer Skin Protection​
SA090​	90 Ah AGM Battery​

 

[jayaynikkal]

Pics please, meneer 🙏

 

[Eust]

An E60 M5 with 57K KM on the clock, assuming it's in good condition, will demand a fairly decent price.

 

[Bazza]

Pics please, meneer 🙏

I've updated my original post with pix.

 

[TBP88]

Given the stupid asking prices we see popping up here probably an asking price over R600k won't be that outrageous (if a 328i is an R300k car then?!)
But I think anything north of R450k-500k would be pretty decent to actually get. Anyone getting one of these at this point knows that even the best examples are going to cost an arm and a leg to keep running well. The silver over black is the most common colour combination as well.

 

[TBP88]

Unless you need the dosh, it's hard to justify selling what looks like a pretty clean car and getting out 80%-90% of the price of a new GTI.

 

[modocrat]

I've updated my original post with pix.

Wait a minute... is that an E39 M5 under the red cover 👀

 

[Riaad]

Wait a minute... is that an E39 M5 under the red cover 👀

proper tease 🥹

 

[Bugger]

There are some ridiculous values on Autotrader at the moment with regards E60 M5's. Cheapest is at R280k with 160k kms on the clock. Then one for R430k with 102k kms on the clock, R450k with 43k kms on the clock, R500k with 65k kms on the clock. So you'd need to find some parity among those amounts I'd think. If the big ticket items have been done, bearings, throttle actuators etc. then you could be in the region of R500k-R600k. Remembering whoever buys it would need to do a cash deal on this, so you'd be putting your feelers out to the collectors out there. Unfortunately these are not valuable in the sense of them being valuable, if that makes sense (in other words book values are really low versus what people are asking, so insurance cover is going to be terribly skewed), and most people won't understand the nuances of keeping these magnificent machines on the road, or that they cost an arm and a leg in fuel and to run. I've always wanted one, had two E63 M6s but yeah, this was always the one I really lusted after.

Is there any particular reason for selling though? If I were you, I'd keep it.

 

[Bazza]

There are some ridiculous values on Autotrader at the moment with regards E60 M5's. Cheapest is at R280k with 160k kms on the clock. Then one for R430k with 102k kms on the clock, R450k with 43k kms on the clock, R500k with 65k kms on the clock. So you'd need to find some parity among those amounts I'd think. If the big ticket items have been done, bearings, throttle actuators etc. then you could be in the region of R500k-R600k. Remembering whoever buys it would need to do a cash deal on this, so you'd be putting your feelers out to the collectors out there. Unfortunately these are not valuable in the sense of them being valuable, if that makes sense (in other words book values are really low versus what people are asking, so insurance cover is going to be terribly skewed), and most people won't understand the nuances of keeping these magnificent machines on the road, or that they cost an arm and a leg in fuel and to run. I've always wanted one, had two E63 M6s but yeah, this was always the one I really lusted after.

Is there any particular reason for selling though? If I were you, I'd keep it.

I'm selling it because I don't think it's a very special M car. Yes it's the only V10, yes it's fast and handles and in my onion a pretty car, but it's not going to be a valuable M car.

 

[TBP88]

I'm selling it because I don't think it's a very special M car. Yes it's the only V10, yes it's fast and handles and in my onion a pretty car, but it's not going to be a valuable M car.

The manuals in the US might end up worth something, but I agree. The gearbox is by all accounts horrendous and the reliability and maintaining costs make it frightful. Cool and interesting cars but I don't think they'll ever be much more than a tid bit (V10 family saloon, ironic that Audi made one at the same/similar time...) of history (as opposed to an E28 or E39 which are genre defining and clearly all time greats).

 

[modocrat]

(can we get some pics of that E39...) 🤤

 

[Bugger]

I'm selling it because I don't think it's a very special M car. Yes it's the only V10, yes it's fast and handles and in my onion a pretty car, but it's not going to be a valuable M car.

So I do agree with you, outside of the engine in that thing, it's not the prettiest car ever made, it's interior hasn't aged well, the materials that BMW used weren't the greatest for the plastics etc. I think they are horribly overpriced based on nostalgia. Which is bad. Because anyone buying one now must realise that the intrinsic value to the car is in what it means to them, not monetarily. Which is why, for argument's sake, the E61 M5 sitting on Autotrader has been there for a VERY long time, nobody is prepared to fork out that money and then spend endless amounts of cash servicing it, keeping it on the road etc. So your logic is sound.

 

[Benji]

I somehow think the E60 M5 will become very valuable purely based on how many one sees being scrapped for parts. That surely will make them very rare and therefore more "valuable"? Looking at YouTube shows like M539 where he says the E60 is his favorite car (granted in a manual) should increase demand for these no-doubt magnificent machines

 

[Bazza]

I somehow think the E60 M5 will become very valuable purely based on how many one sees being scrapped for parts. That surely will make them very rare and therefore more "valuable"? Looking at YouTube shows like M539 where he says the E60 is his favorite car (granted in a manual) should increase demand for these no-doubt magnificent machines

Yeah that makes sense to me too, but unfortunately, that theory is not what's happening in reality. An E39 or E36 with the same kms is worth double the E60 right now.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Please post pics of the E39

 

[///Avi]

I think the value in this car is that it is a 1 owner vehicle. You could get great money for it, the upper end of what’s available on the market now if you have all the necessary maintenance and preventative work done.

If the car no longer speaks to you then let it go. But I would also say if you are thinking appreciation in value, in 10 years, this car probably will be competing with the E36s and E39s you’ve mentioned.

Time always changes perception and desire as cars become more rare on the road later on.

 

[TurboLlew]

Agree this car is on the upper end of the market value wise being a 1 owner clean and low mileage car.

Disagree that it is going to make you money long term if you keep it. It will probably retain value, possibly grow in value, but you already know how much 10 years of maintenance on an E60 is likely to cost you... especially when the costs are increasing at the rates they are for us in SA... it might be worth maintaining in a market where it costs $1 this year and $1.10 next year - not so much where you can pay $1 this month and then your president says something that makes it $2 next month.

Any 'growth' in value is unlikely to actually be anything other than covering those costs (if it does happen).

I said before that people who wanted (and could afford) a V10 already probably have them. Rarity doesn't always translate into desirability.... and even desirability doesn't translate into rands and cents at the end of the day.

 

[///Avi]

Fully agree that it isn’t going to “make” you money, not many cars will. It will appreciate though.

 

[AceRally]

E60 vs. E39: Which BMW 5 Series is Better?

20 years ago, BMW shook up the 5 Series with the E60. Was it a success? Was it a flop? Read our article to find out and see if you should buy one today.

www.bmwblog.com