About to upgrade need input

[andrewwynn]

We have the funding arranged ready to pull the trigger.

2011 or newer under 100,000 miles

Three different trims we are most interested in and have tricky to decide pro and cons.

35d 35i and 50i are the trims we are aiming for but the 30i if a killer price and I can confirm the performance is notable improvement over the 3.0i e53 we would not outright reject the idea.

The 50i caught me by surprise for sure! Every time I looked into the performance models they were 10k over our budget but I'm finding them within our budget even with under 100,000 miles.

Less miles more important than newer year but I also really really want active suspension (roll control I forgot what BMW calls it): not sure how to confirm the car has buy I will be VIN decoding before purchase.

So: the practical math;

50i about 15¢ per mile or $150/mo in gas

35i worked out to 12.5¢ ($125)

35d worked out to 10¢ ($100)

Another hidden advantage of diesel model is that when I buy premium not at discount it is 17% more vs. 7% more for diesel.

That means that $150 becomes $175 while $100 becomes $107.

This will be wife's car so it won't be pushed very hard.

I'm very interested to find out "gotcha" parts like the electric water pimp; which engine has the stupid expensive one and which is easiest labor to replace.

I've done that repair on 328xi and no joke the most difficult car repair I've done. 9/10 difficulty to get the hose between the pump and Thermostat connected!

I'm a little anxious about going to FI, but I've been monitoring e70 forum for over a year to prepare and I didn't see any horror stories to scare me away from any of the three power plants listed above.

I won't have a lot of choice in the matter of panoramic roof, seems like most candidates have it and I'm not a big fan but I know of the method to disable the back if/when becomes a problem.

I used to have z28 Camaro and it wasn't inexpensive but through my entire ownership period I used these phrase "worth every penny". I have a feeling I would have that same feeling with the 50i

Wife likes fast acceleration but is "ok" with 3.0i 2001 (about 9 seconds 0-60) so we do not need to go for the 50i any of the models above will be more than needed.

I'm really really really hoping the intermediate lever disaster from around 2004 is permanently resolved. I will be planning to change the "lifetime" fluids fairly soon after taking delivery as we will be buying young enough it should be well before wear problems occur.

I haven't driven e70 so I'm not sure if the front axle engagement is as obvious as 328xi but I'm not a fan of being able to feel the power shift that doesn't exist on our cars with the open dif transfer case.

Give me feedback on which powerplant I should prioritize and what to look for when test driving and how to find if the car has active suspension.