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#1
07-20-2009, 11:53 AM
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Trippin' USA: A testament to the X5 3.0i.....
Having recently bought (and coming into the world of) the X5 - '01 3.0i w/ approx 66k miles, the first stop was to put in a steel-propellered water pump, change the thermostat, drive belts, fan, plugs and coolant hoses before starting the vacation. I drove down to MRBMWX5's to get it all done (though I forgot to bring along the angel-eye converter kit  )The trip was a total of 9,500 miles (21 days) from Detroit, down through Nashville, Memphis, Jackson, MS, over to Birmingham AL, down to Montgomery, AL to Pensacola, FL, Mobile, New Orleans and Galveston then up through Amarillo and on to Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM and on to Flag Staff, Phoenix and then through the 110 dessert heat from Tucson to Yuma. We then drove along the breath taking CA coast via route 1 and 101 from San Diego through the Red Woods and on to Portland and Seattle where we swung through beautiful Montana to SD to see Mt Rushmore. We then swung up to Minneapolis-St. Paul and then took rte 90 to Chicago and then rte 94 back into Michigan. During 20 day trip, I drove only during the daytime and at mostly 70-73 mph (got 20.6 mpg). The only mechanical maintenance required was the 1/2 quart of oil I added after driving straight through the hot dessert! I saw a lot of X5s out west.....especially in CA! I want to give kudos to this (or at least my) 3.0i engine/trans. This car purrrred like a kitten and ran like a thoroughbred throughout the trip.....it took those tight Ca coastal mountain curves as well as those Santa Fe and Flag Staff elevations like a champ  Once again, kudos out to MRBMWX5 for prodding me for the pics and then uploading them and pretty much in chronological order.... I only wish I knew how to label each pic with a little narrative.....I'm clueless in using this Xoutpost format..I took we took the trip because both of our jobs became victims of the economic down turn and we were just sitting around in a daze... I hadn't been to the south or south west, Gulf or CA coast, so with the '01 X5 that I had just bought (not even 2 months before both our places of employment shut their doors), I decided to put the rubber to the road. Quote:
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 The 'Old Spanish Trail' road out of Tucson was just beautiful...... The California coastal views should qualify for the 8th wonder of the world.... Montana was truly beautiful country...... And there were several more noteworthy stand outs all along the trip..... July 22, 2009 7:17PM - I finally learned how to upload the remaining pics: These pics begin in San Diego (#33 on the map) and progress according to the highlighted route.      On Muholland Drive looking down over L.A.   Inside Universal Studios  A cool Universal Studio street  I dare you to go on this ride!!  ....entering San Francisco  Hillside houses in San Francisco  A cool San Franciscan street  The Golden Gate Bridge  Route 1 just north of the Golden Gate bridge  Route 1 - The view is beautiful but the curves are tight and treacherous!  A deserved dip in the Pacific after enduring the mountainous curves!  On to the Redwoods of California  Mesmerizing!   Who said size doesn't matter?  The local Redwoods park Grocer  Route 1 just north of the Redwoods - Beautiful!  Route 1 north of the Redwoods  Route 1 north of the Redwoods  Arriving in Seattle First visit to the Space Needle since I was a kid at 1962 World's Fair  In Chinatown in Seattle (Is that an X5 and a X3 parked back-to-back?)  A nice Gran Torino going E. on Rte. 90 in out-state WA  Going to a Folk music fest in Butte, MT - note the snow-capped mountain  Entering Wyoming At Mount Rushmore A national artifact Entering Minnesota....On the way to see Minneapolis-St. Paul  Entering Wisconsin....on to Madison.  Entering Illinois.....a stopover in Chicago: Some Pahd Thai (pehdt), then a cruise along Lake Shore Drive  Ahhh, Home - a couple more hours drive and I'll be home just in time to see O'Bama throw out the first pitch of the All-Star game! 
Last edited by X5-limo; 08-04-2009 at 06:43 PM. 
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#2
07-20-2009, 12:47 PM
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Awesome!! Road trips are great, and I have recently discovered just how good the X5 is for the task. I just bought a 2003 4.6is from Indiana. My buddy from CO went to pick it up and drove it to his place in Vail over 2 days. A week or so later I flew out to CO, and after spending a few days bumming around Vail with him, drove the X5 home to CA. I just got home yesterday. I started getting freaked out driving across HWY50 in UT - desolate desert with nothing around, almost no cars and 105deg temps. So I stopped at the first gas station I could find and stocked up on water just in case. That made me feel a bit more at ease. And then I was talking to my sister and she mentioned they have 240K miles on a '92 Honda Accord and just decided to get a few more years out of it. And I was thinking - hey, this BMW is barely broken in!! (it had 96K when I bought it) And then I also remembered that the radiator, hoses, coolant tank and water pump had been replaced within 20K miles as preventative maint. At which point I started dialing up the speeds!! They drive just as well at 95 as they do at 65 - exact same water and oil temps. Fuel mileage suffered, but it saved some time!!! haha.
I will do a write up soon, but was waiting until I get my pics uploaded. So do you have any pics you can share from your trip? Would love to see them. I really enjoyed my trip, even tho it was 2 days vs. your 20 and only 1200 miles.... It was a perfect introduction to my new X5, which I bought to be the road trip car mainly. It will not be my daily driver.
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#3
07-20-2009, 12:51 PM
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Must have been a nice vacation! I wish I had the extra time/money for a trip like that... Also glad to hear the X5 didn't give you any troubles. (we often forget how these things were built for the highway)
__________________
"When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all" (Bender, futurama) You make something idiotproof, they'll make a better idiot You think professional is expensive, just wait until you pay for amateur. Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right. Examine what is said, not who speaks. X5 pics RIP 4.6is..... 2003 4.6is 
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#5
07-20-2009, 02:49 PM
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#7
07-20-2009, 09:59 PM
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Well done..........Pics pics pics
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#8
07-20-2009, 10:19 PM
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Awesome!!
Nice to read a great story and happy owner. Sometimes it can get a little negative. BTW I think I saw you 2 weeks ago in downtown Santa Fe off Alameda. 
__________________
 2001 e53 4.4i Sport, Nieman Marcus Edition. Stealth One. 2013 e70 3.5d Stacked, Custom 
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#9
07-21-2009, 12:03 AM
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Wow, great trip. As a foreigner/alien here I love long road trips there is so much to see and I have done many of the Southern parts of your trip. I made the mistake once of driving Phoenix to Flagstaff at night and so missed some great views. This was my last roadtrip:
BABE Rally 2008 Which I highly recommend to anyone, and here is a picture of my car (on the trip) in Alabama:  And some of the cars on the Tail of the Dragon: PhotoReflect No X5s present, yet...
__________________
2003 X5 3.0i Manual 
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#10
07-21-2009, 07:27 AM
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X5-limo,
Excellent road trip...good to read your X ran so well. Nothing beats see the US going down the two lanes, imo. GL,mD
__________________
Ol'UncleMotor From the Home Base of Pro Bono Punditry and 50 Cent Opins... Our Mtn Scenes, Car Pics, and Road Trip Pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/4527537...7627297418250/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/4527537...7627332480833/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/45275375@N00/ My X Page 
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