.: The E46 is Gone, AND Forgotten. Here's Why ;) :. *Imola Red M5 Build Thread*
 

I wanted to change things up.

With the E46, I was about to undertake a project of nearly 10K for some serious HP upgrades, but I figured why not sell it and jump into something else?! I was growing tired of the E46 anyways after four years... And it had to be something special, something wild and something I've wanted since being a teenager: an E39 M5.

Having owned only silver and black BMWs in the past I refused to settle for anything less than extraordinary for an M5. It had to be Imola Red. No exceptions. Ideally, an Imola Red interior too, along with being clean, well maintained, pampered, no accident history, and not winter driven - but that's like looking for a unicorn!

So I outlined my budget to factor import costs (an annoying 6% duty of the purchase price in addition to the 13% in taxes upon registration, plus shipping and flight costs... this was adding up VERY fast) and the hunt was on for the replacement. I told myself if I am going to make this jump, I am going to get EXACTLY what I want and not settling for anything else. And luck struck twice: not only did I manage to find the ideal M5, I also sold my E46 days before flying out to west to buy the new car.

I had been scouring all the major auto resale websites for weeks and low-and-behold found the perfect car through a listing on M5Board. A found a few, but both had Caramel interiors. One of them was extremely clean and priced ridiculously well. Unfortunately (or fortunately, now that I look at it. Lol.) it was sold before I could place a deposit. And then a scant listing popped up on M5B an hour before I logged on: a 2002 Imola on Imola M5 with all the pedigree one could ask for. I didn't waste a second. This car HAD to be mine! Only one problem: it was a few thousand beyond my budget and out on the west coast... Eventually, I convinced myself to pony up the extra bucks for this perfect car. I would have been furious had I lost out on an immaculate, rare, IR on IR M5 to another buyer simply because I was too stubborn to pay a justified premium.

So, I booked the ticket and jumped on a plane from Buffalo, NY to Portland, OR and made it happen. The seller was a hardcore M5 enthusiast - he had TWO mint E39 M5s and the Imola one was the garage queen! He spoke in great length about the car's history during his tenure as it's owner and we grabbed a few pints and talked cars for a few hours as fellow enthusiasts.

Oh, the best part: I asked where we could go for a drive. Imagine my shock to see the ridiculously scenic mountain roads near the city! I just bought an M5 in my dream specifications and now for the first drive, I was headed to some of the best roads imaginable! It's like doing European Delivery, except on the west coast! Despite having done amazing, long roadtrips through Tennessee and Virginia, and being well acquainted with scenic roads that were built for cars like these, I was still blown away. Life doesn't get better than driving a BMW Motorsports V8 singing at high revs through some incredible roads in the Cascade mountains.


Fast forward a week or so and today she FINALLY arrived! The shipper was fantastic. Kept me appraised throughout the journey and delivered her in the same condition she was loaded. I've been driving around all afternoon. This car is NUTS! So much torque, what a monster. I can't believe it made me forget about my E46 so fast and I loved that car! Merry early Christmas to me! :thumbsup:

Stay tuned. She won't be stock for long ;)

• 2002 Imola Red M5
• Imola Red Interior
• Titan Shadow Trim
• M-Audio Package (this thing has SERIOUS bass for a stock car!)
• Black Alcantara Headliner
• Power Sunshades

Bone stock except for a Dice kit.

EDIT: More pictures as per Post 28.

Here are some pics after a 3.5hr winter time detail from this morning. The temperatures were far too cold for using real waxes and polish, so I had to settle for spray on stuff from my stash. Not a bad outcome IMO. Can't wait to hit this gorgeous Imola paint with a buffer in the spring :excited:

That is GORGEOUS! Congratulations

Meh I like the 330 A LOT more...

Congratulations!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Bimmer App

This is beautiful I loveee the e39 m5 one of my favorites. And the color combo is fantastic, congrats!

:drool::drool::drool:

Congrats!
Looking forward to seeing this at the opening cruise!

beautiful car...What are your plans for it?

Siiick!!!! Congrats man

wooooooowwww awesome color

wish i could could have one lol

NICE! E39 M5 is by far my FAVORITE BMW ever. Hands down. Keep us posted!

Congrats, e39 m5s are beasts and can sound insane with the right exhaust.

Gorgeous car. I am looking forward to seeing its evolution.

dat interior

Awesome!! I love it!

love it

Nice one Anuk. Knew you would get an M.

very nice

Congrats dude! That's badass.

Looks great!