What would you do?

[sunny5280]

Originally Posted by JustDoIt6453

Thank you for all of the feedback! I appreciate it and I love the honesty. At this point in our lives (@24) I am extremely content with the 3.0i mainly because if this is a great experience I expect this to be the first of many BMWs. And after owning the 6.0 V8 Denali with custom suspension, I will look forward to a 4.8is in the future. Ha ha ha.

We currently live in Oregon but most likely will be headed to Denver, CO by June. And I love the idea of this E53 in denver.

The idea of Premium sucks, BUT we currently fill up every 6 days @ $70 a pop. So $55-70 every 12-16 days appeals to me very very very much.

I look forward to posting pictures of this beauty once we get it into our possession!

In one of the many discussion over at Bimmerfest about premium versus regular octane fuel someone posted some stats regarding fuel economy for both premium and regular fuel. From what I recall the premium had better fuel economy which essentially offset it's higher price. I'll see if I can find the link to it and post it if I can.

Hit me up when you get to Denver. I've got a great BMW indy mechanic who will treat you right.

[1stE53]

Originally Posted by sunny5280

In one of the many discussion over at Bimmerfest about premium versus regular octane fuel someone posted some stats regarding fuel economy for both premium and regular fuel. From what I recall the premium had better fuel economy which essentially offset it's higher price. I'll see if I can find the link to it and post it if I can.

Hit me up when you get to Denver. I've got a great BMW indy mechanic who will treat you right.

You will easily get better mileage with the premium. I experimented with a 2006 Altima (i will never put reg in my current cars since everything here has ethanol except prem) filled with reg 89 and got 24 to 26mpg hwy 70 mph for 5 days. then filled with 91 did the same commute for 5 days and got between 29 and 32 mpg.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by 1stE53

You will easily get better mileage with the premium. I experimented with a 2006 Altima (i will never put reg in my current cars since everything here has ethanol except prem) filled with reg 89 and got 24 to 26mpg hwy 70 mph for 5 days. then filled with 91 did the same commute for 5 days and got between 29 and 32 mpg.

You will not necessarily get better mileage with a BMW on premium. I did extensive testing with four BMW vehicles, one of which was a 3.0 X5 like the OP is looking at. I don't think Nissan results necessarily count in terms of BMW results.

The main issue is that gasoline varies widely across North America. There are huge regional differences in quality. So, BMW specifies 91 so as to provide a certain safety margin. If you have crap fuel locally, you very well may need 91 to get maximum performance from the engine, ie what it was designed for. On the other hand, if you have reasonable (average) fuel, 89 may be fine. The test is whether the engine needs to retard ignition timing to prevent knocking. If it doesn't, you won't see any power loss or mileage decrease. The butt dyno isn't very reliable, but multiple tanks and measuring fuel consumption from fill to fill are accurate.

My best mileage ever on my X5, and on my Z4, were on 89. It is safe to say that the timing was not being retarded, as mileage would have suffered. There was no decrease in drivability.

Our 325 was tested when we got it, and then it never saw 91 again for the rest of the five years we had it. The Z4 was often used on trips to locations where I didn't know the local fuel quality, so I used 91 half the time. The X5 only got 91 about 10% of the time. OTOH, my 535 gets 91 or 94.

Lots of previous posts on the subject for those that want to search.

[JustDoIt6453]

Originally Posted by sunny5280

In one of the many discussion over at Bimmerfest about premium versus regular octane fuel someone posted some stats regarding fuel economy for both premium and regular fuel. From what I recall the premium had better fuel economy which essentially offset it's higher price. I'll see if I can find the link to it and post it if I can.

Hit me up when you get to Denver. I've got a great BMW indy mechanic who will treat you right.

Sunny, thank you for the offer! I will keep you updated on whether we come that way! I am looking forward to the weather there and having a MLB team as my next door neighbor! (not to mention the Broncos, Nuggets and Avalanche) Although I don't think I will alienate my Blazers!

[sarb]

Good luck

one thing for sure if you get a BMW you will become a diyer lol.

[JustDoIt6453]

Wow that is impressive. So with a 22 gallon tank getting 3-6 miles per gallon more, it is 60-120 miles more per tank. That is impressive.

[xxxxxman]

I recently made that same buying decision (only mine is a 4.4i). I think that is an outstanding deal on an X5. I absolutely love driving mine and that is really what sold me. I doubt you find a more comfortable vehicle in that price range.

This is the first BMW I have ever owned and the only thing I wasn't prepared for is the maintenance / repair cost.

I have done most of the repairs on my other vehicles myself. I don't think that is going to work on the X5. I believe that BMW somewhat forces you to take it to a shop for repairs and maintenance. Seems like a lot of stuff requires them to reset the computer. Heck, I was surprised when I opened the hood and could not locate the alternator. I had never even heard of a $75 oil change before... Could be that I just need to learn how to do the repairs/maintenance on a BMW, but it definitely seems more complicated than other cars I have worked on.

The only other thing to think about is if you take a lot of short trips and live in a cold, humid climate. I was very disappointed to learn that this vehicle is not suited to that combination.

If that doesn't talk you out of it, then you might as well buy it.

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by xxxxxman

The only other thing to think about is if you take a lot of short trips and live in a cold, humid climate. I was very disappointed to learn that this vehicle is not suited to that combination.

Short trips in a cold, humid climate is not ideal for any vehicle.

[sedate_driver]

Originally Posted by xxxxxman

I have done most of the repairs on my other vehicles myself. I don't think that is going to work on the X5. I believe that BMW somewhat forces you to take it to a shop for repairs and maintenance. Seems like a lot of stuff requires them to reset the computer. Heck, I was surprised when I opened the hood and could not locate the alternator. I had never even heard of a $75 oil change before... Could be that I just need to learn how to do the repairs/maintenance on a BMW, but it definitely seems more complicated than other cars I have worked on.

These are considered premium vehicles and they'll generally cost more for parts and labour, the parts because they're imported, and the labour because BMW owners have higher than average expectations and can generally afford to pay. BMWs have also tended to go for cutting edge stuff over reliability so you won't get the affordable but boring Toyota. Having said that, much of the routine maintenance can be done in your own garage without special tools or computers. Pick up a Bentley manual and look through forums like this one. You'll find tons of information, good advice, and lots of encouragement. It'll lessen the cost of ownership and give you a sense of pride on a project well done.

[JustDoIt6453]

Ha ha that is for sure. We live in Oregon now and looking to move to Colorado possibly. So I think we should be good. Here in Oregon we are heading into warmer weather should stay above 40F from now on. Ha ha ha. I know that is super warm for some of you guys.

UPDATE: we are still pending on our Denali sale. Multiple interested parties all have flaked out once it was time to get serious. Looking to possibly just take it to the dealer for whatever they will pay so we can get in this Alpine White 2004 3.0i.