My open rant to (some) used BMW owners

[PropellerHead]

This may not be for everyone, but it is for those who it's for. I bet the reader will know if it's for them...

It always makes me laugh when people come around espousing that these are $80k cars and that they expect some sort of reliability bc of that. It's like they've forgotten what *they* paid for the very *used* BMW! Here are my questions to those folks:

Q: What did *you* pay for your X5? Was it less than sticker when new?
A: Then you must accept you will not get the same experience as the person who did. Duh.

Q: Did *you* get 4 years of free maintenance and BMW new car warranty included in the purchase price of your X5?
A: Then you must expect to pay for things that break after that time.

Q: Did you pick up, maintain, and drive your X5 from zero miles until the day you got a huge repair bill?
A: Then by purchasing the vehicle used, without warranty, and with zero input to how it was maintained, *you*- not BMW, your dealer, or your trusted indy mechanic are responsible for the costs. No one else. YOU.

Q: Can you make sense out of this?: "WHAT!!?? An $8,000 repair bill!!!?? But the car is only *worth* $19k!! I can't believe this is happening on an $80k car!!"
A: Neither can I

Aaaand finally, this:

Now take the responsibility that YOU signed up for when YOU decided to buy a used BMW and pay the damn price for what you drive. You say you love the drive? Well, pay for the drive. You say you love the look? Well, pay for the look. Just because you thought you could step in after years (and miles) of depreciation to own a nice car with zero responsibility to maintain and fix what breaks doesn't mean it's true. That's a fairy tale, Princess.

The reality is that you've paid for a badge. You thought you could step in with some value statement about how you're driving an $80k car for less than 1/2, (1/3, or even 1/5) that without responsibility or even the expectation of things that simply will break. You incorrectly correlated the reliability after years use, misuse, and resulting depreciation to your experience. I really don't care if you think that these things shouldn't break in your fairy tale land. Here in reality world, they do. Either fix it or flip it. The choice, just like the one you made to buy the thing... is yours.

/rant

Now many of us- especially in the E53 forums- understand all of the above. I think it's totally fine to come around looking for a shoulder to cry on when the maintenance fund takes a hit. Pain like that is never fun. It makes sense to come around and expect a little love or sympathy every now and then. You know who you are. You've accepted responsibility and you're keeping your used BMW on the road. Lord knows, you're not about to spend $80k on a new one.

And neither am I. At least not all at once.