[greglepore]

At the risk of repeating myself, I had an E28 M5 for a long while and it was hands down the favorite car I've ever owned, even in relatively stock form (added Dinan camgear and chip but nothing else). The 300 hp seems lame now, but the car was relatively light, had a terrific suspension and very good brakes (but would warp oem rotors like no tomorrow). The interior, while dated today, was stunning with camel leather everywhere-dash, seats, console etc etc.It was the perfect Swiss Army knife of a car-truely sporting when you wanted, nimble with a short wheelbase, but a nice luxurious transport when you wanted that.

The later M5's are more potent, but they're somewhat ponderous. The E28 is more in the spirit of the E30 M# and they are handbuilt to boot.

Downsides? I had to redo my tranny at about 120k (I bought the car with 30k on it and didn't abuse it,but can't speak to PO). The trans is M5 unique, and a rebuild by the top BMW trans guy in the country at the time was really expensive. Other than that, it seemed bulletproof. Wouldn't want to do the head either, but they seem to hold up. I'd love one today as a dd. Sold mine to fund my 911 at the time, and as much as I love the 911, I'm not sure that it was a wise move.