Considering a 4.8i or 35d E70

[the_ulf]

You have to weigh up the savings in buying a reasonably well preserved N62 with low mileage vs the fuel savings you'd see in an N54/N55 or M57. N62s aren't exactly the crown jewel in BMW's history but you can be just as unlucky with any of the others. I'd have preferred to buy a 35i instead of the 4.8i but spending the extra $20k to buy (used) I'd probably never make that money back in fuel savings, bearing in mind that on a recent 2500km trip through BC & Alberta I achieved about 10l/100km, which isn't bad at all for a nearly 2.5t behemoth. 35i owners, I'm guessing N54 specifically, also complain about lag, which you won't get with the V8. valley pipe seal leak hasn't happened for me (yet) at almost 140,000km and all in all the car is very enjoyable to drive and absolutely crammed with options you often won't get in the "budget" 35d. It really depends on your priorities. I wouldn't want to swap mine for any of the others.