BMW has managed to gather over the years a lot of fans thanks to its quality products. The connection formed between the car and the enthusiast is a deep and often misunderstood one.

One such fan, Randy from San Diego, just reached the 400.000 miles mark on his 1989 BMW M5. Since day one and until now, the owner only drove this car, hence the huge number he clocked on it. And he wasn’t soft on it either, but instead he has driven it “like it was stolen”, as he puts it.

Yet through the long life and the hard drives, the BMW M5 has never had any major issues. Over time, the owner modified the car a bit, mainly for power gains to keep up with modern cars. Not that the BMW M5 was under-powered. For its time, the Bimmer was a powerful car, even if the exterior didn’t really show it.

That is exactly what pushed Randy towards what was going to become his car for life. A shy guy, he wanted the power of premium car without attracting too much attention. Now, after the 400.000 miles (643.738 km), many modifications and a lot of year, Randy decided to get the BMW M5 in a more original state.

In 1989, Randy Balingit-Hartmann bought the first BMW M5 brought to San Diego and has owned it ever since. As someone on the shy side, Randy wanted a car that fit his personality—one that was fast and powerful yet unassuming. In all its unassuming four-door glory the E28 M5 is often overlooked, but this sedan packs the same amount of power as Ferrari 308 GT and if not respected will surprise you in the turns of your favorite road. Randy has had this car through the ups and downs of life and has put over 400,000 miles on it with no major problems. Dedicated to the M5 for life, Randy will continue driving it the way it was meant to be driven with its detuned racing engine—like he stole it.