This dream car is a V10 sports sedan…and you probably guessed it right there.
If you’re shopping for a “dream car”, odds are folks immediately turn to muscle cars, classic sports cars…maybe a big, burly off-roader. Most of the time, that car is not a midsize executive sedan, unless you’re talking about a select few. Roman just bought one of those cars, and if you’re thinking around the mid-2000s with a 5.0-liter V10 under the hood, congratulations — you have the right idea.
See, what we have here is a 2008 BMW M5. After three generations of M5s under its belt with the immediately preceding E39 model packing V8 power, BMW went one further for the E60 generation. The S85 is a special engine in BMW’s lineup, as it’s the first (and so far, only) production V10 engine, and it only saw the light of day in this generation M5.
That said, while 507 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque made this a seriously potent super sedan at the time, the E60 generation was a little contentious, both for its styling…and one of the potential transmissions. This generation uses an automated manual transmission, called SMG-III in this application: a widely criticized (fairly or not, depending on who you asked) hallmark of this M5’s 20,589-unit production run.
Fortunately, of the 8,800 or so M5s that shipped to the US, this is not one equipped with the SMG. Instead, American buyers actually have the option of a proper 6-speed manual, and that’s how this car is equipped. So, what we have here is a 500+ horsepower four-door car with three pedals and an awesome sound.
That’s not the part that is scary. Instead, this BMW has some well-documented issues…and that can turn what is otherwise a dream car into a maintenance nightmare. Of course, the key word there is could, and whether other key words in the equation are “rod bearings” or “VANOS” — we’ll just have to see.
Roman goes into more detail on this M5 and why we bought it in the video below. Check it out, and expect more with it soon!
