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.: The E46 is Gone, AND Forgotten. Here's Why ;) :. *long*

26K views 83 replies 53 participants last post by  HyeWarrior 
#1 · (Edited)
.: 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 ;)










This photo was from the seller and a bit over-saturated. It's not that bright of a red interior, lol.​

  • 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:

Vaccumed the interior; wiped down: interior, door+trunk jambs/seals/linings, engine bay, wheel arches, sideskirt underbody. Took me 3.5hours but totally worth it. Ignore the messy garage, lol.









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Additional updates on posts: 52, 62, 68.


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#42 · (Edited)
The M3 costs just shy of twice as much to maintain as a non-M. Which is not so unreasonable.

An E39 M5 costs about twice as much as an E46 M3 to maintain. This is coming from one of the foremost experts on maintenance in the country on the E46 M3 and E39 M5 (not me).

And I hope you get something other than the original 3M clear bra... they own one of the companies that's much better than their original now.
 
#39 ·
That's because of the crappy photos. It's far from dull, the paint is 9/10 all around and all original. Hardly any chips. I'm going to 3M the entire front end before this car sees much road time.

Not much more to be honest. These are the most reliable out of any E39. M cars are very over-engineered compared to their non-M counterparts.[/QUOTE]

What do you mean 3m it?
I know 3m is a brand of tape
 
#40 ·
#50 ·
Congrats Anuk! Nice ride... looks like I was correct with my speculative assumption a few months back, eh?
 
#51 ·
Thanks, Randy! It would seem so, lol. You need to see her in person. I'd say she's a close second to Julian's in terms of the condition/cleanliness. Yeah. You read that right. :yikes:
 
#52 · (Edited)
It's been a painful winter with storing the M5, but I got some little mods here and there, gearing up for Spring.

Matte black kidneys and swapped the tail lights with OEM Hella clears. These look far better than the smoked ones, IMO.


A little matching key fob bling: red leather case and ///M keychain with red contrast stitching ;)


Also grabbed this custom illuminated 6spd ZHP shift knob :D

Coilovers are next followed by a custom exhaust. Wheels should be done by summer as they are also a custom one-off build :thumbup:
 
#53 ·
And could a mod please change the title so it now reads, ".: The E46 is Gone, AND Forgotten. Here's Why ;) :. *Imola Red M5 Build Thread*"? Please and thanks!
 
#56 ·
First thing I did. No longer works, I'm guessing because a long time has passed since the post was made.
I am chiming in here again to say I am jelly.
Lol! Thanks.
 
#58 ·
 
#61 ·
Thanks. They're honestly not that bad. I've never cheaped out on maintenance on any of my previous cars, so anything outside of a complete motor rebuild would be routine, lol.
I should have grabbed one of these - preferably one owner, low mile and well maintained...of course that's what we all want
You really should. Hell, after selling the mods off your E46 you're practically halfway to a clean, pampered one such as the one I found ;)
 
#62 ·
Random detail shot when I took the covers off for a sneak peek. Just a few more weeks to go until she comes out of hibernation!



Also installed the illuminated ZHP knob:



 
#67 ·
eBay. Search for BMW leather key cover (or case).
 
#68 ·
Exhaust installed!


  • Muffler Delete
  • X-Pipe
  • Dual Resonators
  • 3" Exhaust tips
  • Stock Cats
  • All TIG welded, V bands, all stainless steel and polished.

And what you actually want to see & hear:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulVUBnAubBU

Fly-by/driveby video coming soon.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EivAU954eiU

Driving video w/mic placed on rear bumper. Unfortunately, the mic doesn't record low frequencies very well. The sound is much more bassy and deeper than depicted. Compare this with the original video and you can hear the difference in tone lacking in the GoPro recording.


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Oh and, she's officially slammed and fitted. :woot:

 
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