Summer road trip: Texas -> Chicago

[Bottomfeeder]

Hey Everyone -

I don't often post pics here (don't think I ever have, actually), but just thought I'd post a quick one of my 2005 X5 3.0 after making a trip from the Austin TX area up to Chicago (my son is competing in the US Junior Open chess tournament and we had no particular desire to fly right about now, especially if we could drive it in a day).

Around 1200 miles each way. X5 did great on the way up. Heat was intense - saw 107º coming up through Texas into Arkansas. Didn't see a single E53 on the way here and have only seen one on the road in Chicago.

Oil use on the way up was negligible, and no coolant loss. Will recheck everything again before leaving.

Return trip starts early monday morning. Wish us luck!

Chris

[crystalworks]

Good luck! To you and your son.

Nice looking X5. Becoming a rare site to see them in such good condition out in the wild. I'm sure yours made some enthusiasts smile during the trip.

[X5chemist]

Sweet! Wow, does it have like 500 miles on it?

I can't wait to get mine back to being as road worthy as yours. Maybe we'll cross street paths in Austin some day. I know there is 1 X5 in my hood. 1 more out in WestLake. I see one every now and then. One on Mopac always waves "guns up" when he passes me.

How's your MPG?

Good luck with the tournament. Austin has a TetraTis game tournament this weekend.

[motordavid]

GL to your Son in the chess tournament!

We do 2-3 road trips a year from NC to NJ, to see our adult Kidz every Summer, for the past ~20 years. Our ol' 2001 E53 does not miss a beat, in the ~700 mile each way drive...

That 1200 mile trip in one day is hauling azz...we can't do that kind of daily distance anymore, as we are boomer/geezers.
GL, mD

[Bottomfeeder]

Originally Posted by X5chemist

Sweet! Wow, does it have like 500 miles on it?

I can't wait to get mine back to being as road worthy as yours. Maybe we'll cross street paths in Austin some day. I know there is 1 X5 in my hood. 1 more out in WestLake. I see one every now and then. One on Mopac always waves "guns up" when he passes me.

How's your MPG?

Good luck with the tournament. Austin has a TetraTis game tournament this weekend.

It'll turn 50,000 on this trip. Standing at about 49,200 right now. I've put a lot more miles on it the past couple of years as I've been driving more and flying less. I live out in Lockhart, but am in Austin all the time. Hope to cross paths with you there one of these days!

I haven't payed attention to mileage, but I think it has been pretty decent. I rarely go over 75 or so. Because I'm old. :-)

Chris

[Bottomfeeder]

Originally Posted by motordavid

GL to your Son in the chess tournament!

We do 2-3 road trips a year from NC to NJ, to see our adult Kidz every Summer, for the past ~20 years. Our ol' 2001 E53 does not miss a beat, in the ~700 mile each way drive...

That 1200 mile trip in one day is hauling azz...we can't do that kind of daily distance anymore, as we are boomer/geezers.
GL, mD

We've done two trips in this same car back and forth from Texas to Charlotte NC in the last six months. Aside from a flat tire on one trip, this car hasn't missed a beat either. I find it super comfortable on the road and enjoy driving it - doesn't feel like an "old car" at all.

I'm approaching geezerdom myself and I'll say that 1200 miles in a day is the absolute max I can handle anymore. Wasn't really hauling much a**, just slow and steady. :-)

Chris

[Bottomfeeder]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Good luck! To you and your son.

Nice looking X5. Becoming a rare site to see them in such good condition out in the wild. I'm sure yours made some enthusiasts smile during the trip.

Many thanks! BTW, I met you in San Antonio a couple of years ago - bought a trailer hitch for the X5 from you.

They are indeed a rare site these days, especially out on the open road.

Chris

[Henn28]

Nice work, and a very nice e53. I can go weeks here in New Orleans without seeing another one. I’ve been itching to get mine on the road lately for a trip, but my summer work schedule has been a nightmare. Need to get my new fuel pump and the new (to me…eBay) positive battery terminal in though before I take it out of town.

[haigha]

Thanks for posting about your trip. Safe travels on your return to TX.

Good luck to your son! Be careful around any robots at the tournament:

Chess robot breaks seven-year-old boy's finger during Moscow Open

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62286017

"The robot broke the child's finger," Sergey Lazarev, Moscow Chess Federation President, told Tass news agency. "This is of course bad."

[X5chemist]

Bottomfeeder and crystal works, once I get mine back let's meet up in New Braunfels for some grub and pics.