2005 BMW 5 Series, 525i SE (E60) 6-Speed Manual, 2005 (N52) ULEZ free - Rolling project

Very rare 6-speed manual petrol E60! 6-cyl petrol N52B25 (215bhp) early (best) version with the magnesium cam cover - No oil leaks! Engine 100% clean and dry. Running silky smooth, no dash lights. Sounds great and loves to rev, excellent open-road machine! Silver with full black leather, walnut dash, 4-way electric heated seats, sunroof, cruise control. Also has hands free kit fitted though I've never tested it. 132k miles. Lots of history including original service book and old invoices, x2 keys. Engine refreshed in 2024 with new spark plugs, coil packs, DISA valves, VANOS solenoids and PCV system. Has run like a dream since then and starts on the button first time every time. New battery Sept 2024. x4 new tyres summer 2025. Fresh MOT last month (to Sept 2027) - One advisory (front disks) Bodywork pretty good for age. Not mint, but no rust, clean underneath, good arches, sills, jacking points etc. Paint on bumpers and a little tired - Would benefit from a respray. Bonnet has some lacquer peel around the badge, but paint mostly good. Alloys in good condition but have been re-coated (cheaply) in the past. Power coat is starting to peel, would benefit from a refurb. Interior in great condition, no rips, tears or scuffs. All the important stuff works. Great drive, very smooth and quiet with very comfy seats, excellent on open road and long trips. Can manage 40+mpg on motorway runs. City economy not so good, but it is ULEZ exempt. Bad points: Sold as a rolling project as unfortunately the synchro on 3rd gear is worn - 3rd is still easy to select but will crunch if hurried or above 2500rpm. Gearbox oil change last year did improve it and you can drive around it to some extent but, fundamentally it will need a replacement gearbox to be all it could be. I do not currently have the facilities to undertake this work myself and having a second hand gearbox fitted (they are quite easy to obtain from a breakers for around £300) will be around £600-£800 at a garage, so more than I can justify spending on it at this time, given I have another car (335i) that also needs work doing. Otherwise it drives very nice and has been 100% reliable in the almost 3 years I have owned it. The E60 chassis is rock solid and the N52 engine is gem and surprisingly easy to work on. Minor faults that do not affect the drive: Sunroof will tilt but not slide. PDC works most of the time but glitches during wet weather. AC not working - suspect leak in the condenser (easy DIY job). Remote key has poor range - Currently investigating this to try and fix. Handbrake could do with adjusting if you regularly park on hills!.... Thats it really. It is fundamentally a solid, straight original and unmolested car that just needs a bit of love attention to make it all it can be. Perfectly useable as is, just starting to show its age in places. Anyone who knows these cars know what solid and well engineered cars they are and how refined they are to drive. Also more reliable and easier to work on than the newer BMWs. Manual E60s have always been rare, and most still around are diesels (mostly 520d). Manual straight 6 petrols are very rare to find now - Probably only a few dozen left in the UK! Based on how prices have gone for E39s in similar spec recently I think this car is a solid candidate for future classic status and very likely to appreciate in value soon. Being an SE it also has the more comfortable suspension setup and nice squishy tyres on 17" rims which avoid the kerbing/rim cracking issues of the larger M-sport items - Definitely a good thing given the current state of UK roads! Don't really want to sell if I'm honest but I can't afford to maintain 2 cars at once and the gearbox swap is beyond my scope to DIY so for financial reasons it has to go. £1995, open to sensible offers. Car is in regular use so mileage may go up. Located central Leeds.