BMW youve "blown it"

[Quicksilver]

Good call? Right..... How much are they? and what will you pay for fuel?
Kinda strips away any cost savings imho......

[JCL]

Originally Posted by motordavid

Hey, unique Spare Wheel and tire setup on the pic of that X5, JCL.
Looks like the rear of V's ol' Honda CR-V pos. Must be a GWN option.
GL, mD

No, not the Great White North in this case. It was posted by another member here. It is a BMW Australia option, for those owners who want to head out into the bush/outback, days from any dealer. I understand the concept of a spare tire in those cases; I have driven from Perth in Western Australia out to Kalgoorlie/Cue/Meekatharra, and there were some long lonely stretches of road. Of course, if I wanted to be several days from a dealer in the outback, I wouldn't start with choosing a BMW. Landcruisers worked very well in those cases. Similar story in the GWN, when I regularly drove for a full day into the bush off the Alaska Highway, I chose a Ford 4wd. Horses for courses.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Daka

OK, I see that I am not the only one who feels this way. Sure, I am a crusty old (75) curmudgeon, and like to bitch...mainly only about things I think are NOT RIGHT....

All kidding aside, Daka, I don't think you are correct at all in saying that BMW blew it. There is nothing wrong with their direction IMO, which includes improved fuel economy and cutting costs, and that is evidenced by their sales success.

What you are really saying is that the current vehicle that BMW is building, in response to market pressures, no longer fits your personal requirements. Nothing wrong with that, that is when you buy something else. You seem to have a very large emotional stake in buying another in a long line of BMW vehicles, and are expressing that they should design one for you. You need to get over that and move on. Life is too short, especially at 75....

[Quicksilver]

OMG.... Hey MD....... There's someone older than the 2 of us round these parts.....

[Lookin4Trouble]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Good call? Right..... How much are they? and what will you pay for fuel?
Kinda strips away any cost savings imho......

Methinks your sarcasmeter is broken...

[bigwave2255]

hey DAKA at 75 i doubt you could GET a full size spare out of the trunk area. man i struggle at 57, as for jacking it up and swapping out a flat, i think you are probably relying on a good samaritan to help.

as for off road your kidding, right, no low range and independent suspension, pretty much cancels out off road usage unless its been seriously modified.

personally thats why i kept my XJ cherokee as well as my X5 , 4 inch lift big wheels and re geared diffs

personally as suggested i think you would do better moving on

oh the last time i changed a flat tyre was about 9 years ago and on my jeep, i tore a hole in the side wall on a rocky outcrop, had to continue driving it for about 1/2 mile to find somewhere safe to change it, and even with the jeep, stowing the dirty road tyre was tight.

i really struggle to see where the added weight of a spare is justified, especially for me with BMW 24 hour assist

[faz]

When we got my wife's 07 328i, we didn't even ask for or look for a spare, and imagine my surprise when I noticed it doesn't come with one? WHAT? WTF?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?

oh well, can't back out of that now (nor would I, given the wife wanted a 3 series for a long time.)

Guess what? We picked up our first nail going to a party on saturday night about 2000 miles into the ownership, on the left-rear tire. At about 85 mph, I noticed the car is not handling like it should, it 'floats' a little, and the navigation screen came up with the low tire pressure warning.

Pulled out at the gas station, checked, huge nail inside. I was pretty pissed since I knew this is not repairable (already drove on it for god knows how many miles), it is going to cost more to buy, etc.

I just drove to the destination, attended the party, drove back home, and asked the wife to drive to the nearby tire store (favorite) the next day to have it changed. $270 or so later all was good again.

I was still pissed.

Then my wife brought up a good point: she would prefer to be able to drive home whenever she gets a flat, especially with the baby in the car, instead of waiting on the road (like she had a couple of times) for AAA to arrive.

Then I thought to myself: for the number of times that I will get a flat, and buy the more expensive tire, the difference in dollars is not much (for the peace of mind of driving home, and not having to wait/change wheels on the road.)

Mind you, I still am afraid of going on long trips with run flats only, but I think even then, with chances of getting a flat being as low as they are these days, I would be ok to drive to a nearby tire place and waste a couple of hundred more bucks than I should in the long run.

And I also agree with what JCL is saying below: if what BMW is offering (including options like small spare or tail mounting of full size spare) is not good enough for you or your purposes... well, don't buy the next one. (I guess that is what the OP is saying anyway, so why am I rambling? ))

Originally Posted by JCL

All kidding aside, Daka, I don't think you are correct at all in saying that BMW blew it. There is nothing wrong with their direction IMO, which includes improved fuel economy and cutting costs, and that is evidenced by their sales success.

What you are really saying is that the current vehicle that BMW is building, in response to market pressures, no longer fits your personal requirements. Nothing wrong with that, that is when you buy something else. You seem to have a very large emotional stake in buying another in a long line of BMW vehicles, and are expressing that they should design one for you. You need to get over that and move on. Life is too short, especially at 75....

[Quicksilver]

Hold on there;

I'm right behind him in age and I know i can pull it out with one hand j/k so don't be doubting us senior citizens.......

You're right about one thing though. I don't change tires period. AAA is my friend...

Originally Posted by bigwave2255

hey DAKA at 75 i doubt you could GET a full size spare out of the trunk area. man i struggle at 57, as for jacking it up and swapping out a flat, i think you are probably relying on a good samaritan to help.

[Quicksilver]

Not really: Consider this

With an annual Maintenance costs of $3900 and an oil change for $650. The RR is phenomenal but may not be the best option after its 4 year warranty is up. The umbrellas in the doors cost $600 a piece so imagine what the cost of repairs is on a transmission job. The cost of ownership for the RR Phantom is in a word high. Don't forget some RR's cost about $450.000.

Originally Posted by Lookin4Trouble

Methinks your sarcasmeter is broken...

[Meiac09]

I've been screwed by run-flats going on my E90 more than once on a friday afternoon and getting shredded, but not enough to lug another one around. I think about it before I get on the road to head from Upstate SC to FL then remember that I pass and can easily limp on the side roads to one of two Tire Rack warehouses or 12 BMW dealers along the way. The E70 comes with one if you order it, and a space saver is better than the one my mom's old VW Touareg and neighbor's Cayenne came with: flat, and space saver.

Get a Tahoe and you're gonna be lugging around a whole Parts Department with you after the first 10,000 miles are up.

I'm with Quicksilver, I'm frickin 20 and still call AAA.