@bcredliner, well said. I have had grief from my X5 that I've never had with any other vehicle, and I absolutely keep on top of maintenance, but the "problem" I had was actually essentially bad luck, arguably an inherant design "fault", but for some reason not one that seems to affect many owners. Sh*t happens, I don't begrudge the car. It's never left me stranded at the side of the road. It has always started and gone when I needed it to. That alone is more than I can say for a few cars I've owned!

It's an old car. It's not depreciating any more. I pay less in maintenance than I would in depreciation on a new similar car ... much, much less.

I accept the penalties that come with an old, complicated car. Which is precisely why I kept it.

But at the same time my wife's E46 330iAT has cost just £90 in non-service-item maintenance ("repairs") -- a failed thermostat. That's two orders of magnitude (I kid you not) less than my X5 has cost to fix in the same period...

I know she hasn't forgotten about it yet! She keeps asking me if we can buy it back and if it's "still sitting there" on the lot...

"I miss the Beeeeemer". (Sniff-sniff)

"Can we buy it?"


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Your story is sweet and reminds me of my own daughter when I sold the green 3.0 '04 (to the next door neighbors). She was 6 when I sold it. The 'green one' was the car I'd brought her home at a few days old and under 4.5lbs. It was green with an easy to work around black interior. The 'new' 2004 was bright blue and daddy was newly concerned with dirty feet on very light interior leather. It was louder. :p:

Even many of my friends (not car people) were having trouble adjusting. "It's just soooo... BLUE!"

But I've relaxed on the interior over 5 years. She does the best she can even though I think the back seat is filthy. We've traversed the US a couple times and seen both oceans more than that. She's slept in the V8 more soundly (and likely more often) than she did in the 3.0.

She loves the heated rear seats.

And so while we both watch the neighbor's son wheel away in the 'old' one- for different reasons- I think she's gotten past the worry. My friends, too have come around.

But this kind of thing is exactly why we're not moving any time soon! :rofl:

Hah. :D I don't quite have your flair for the written word, but every now and then I pop out a gem. Every dog has their day and what not. ;)

Well said. Stuff will happen to an older car. But the good thing is you don't have a 600/mo car payments going out. I put less in maintenance and repairs into our 5 BMW's than I would spend on one car payment for a new one. So keep up with the maintenance to minimize self inflicted injuries and fix things as they come up. :thumbup:

This is definitely one of the reasons that I own the BMWs that I do because at the end of the day their maintenance still works out less than the aggregation of a monthly car payments. In addition to this the drive is so much more rewarding. My work/company vehicles are Ford's and whenever I come out of the company vehicle and go back into my BMWs I appreciate them even more. No matter how new and expressive my company cars are they just don't deliver the drive experience of my BMWs, yet the company cars range in price from $45k to $76k.

No doubt there. There is something BMW has done with the man/machine connection. I can't explain it other than its the ultimate driving machine! It's rather intoxicating for sure.


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I agree 100% on the fact that it is hard to get rid off something you have owned for 11 years. I bought a 2010 X6 50i and I am in love with this machine, but I cannot get around to sell the X5. It is seating next to the X6 all cleaned and asking me to take her out. I managed to convince my wife to give me a month or two before I consider selling her( :D I am just buying time to and try to keep her). I cannot see myself with out her, the X5, I know all her ins and outs ;).

Try 40 years. That's why I still have my two Lotus. First Exotic cars that I really wanted to buy. My daughter asked me if she will get the Red one or the Yellow one when she get her license.

Package received, sir! Thanks...

Sorry to see you go.

I bet your bank account is happy though.