If you're like us, you prefer to actually drive the cars that you own and not go through inconveniences to keep miles off of them. There are many collector cars out there with nothing more than dealership miles in order to keep the valuations high. But then there is this E39 BMW M5, a sports sedan that already has lofty collector values, but can also be driven hard. And apparently driven far, as evidenced by this 500,000-mile survivor. We wonder if the complex, new BMW M5 could ever reach that odometer milestone.

Spotted at a BMW event in Texas, this 2002 BMW M5 appears to be in relatively decent condition and has a staggering 542,500 miles on the odometer! With no burnt pixels we might add.

Since this E39 chassis BMW M5 is over 20 years old, it comes as no big surprise that the legendary sedan has hit that number. Basic math says if the in-service date was around July 2002, the car has averaged 27,125 miles per year. But compare that to the national average according to the US Department of Transportation, and it's just over double the 13,476 miles driven by average adult drivers.

Since this quick peek at the car has only an M5 fan giving an overview with the owner nowhere to be found, only the basic top-level info was relayed. Being a car from Texas, we know this BMW M5 can be driven all year round in the mostly one-season climate. Many northern M5s are stored for winters, but this one has forged through all 80 seasons running much of its original equipment.

Sure we reported on a million-mile Tesla Model S from Switzerland, but it had loads of components replaced over the run. This Sterling Gray M5, by contrast, is claimed to have an all original block and internals along with OEM timing chain guides, which are notoriously problematic on the BMW S62 4.9-liter V8.

But the E39 M5 is a certified legend commanding up to $176,000 in pristine museum condition and is often regarded as the best sports sedan ever made. The E39 M5 certainly has the reliability to back it up now too.

"I think it might be the highest mileage E39 M5 in the world," claims the narrator of E39 Source. "I would love to be proven wrong, so if someone out there has a higher mileage E39 M5, please let me know."