..."despise comfort seats"? That's the first I have hear of that. I tested both before I found mine and I loved the comfort seat adjustments SO MUCH that I waited over a year to find the right interior / exterior 4.8is color combo and the comfort seats was the deal breaker - wouldn't buy an X5 without them. Long trips are a breeze in these seats. Warmers / headrests / lumbar / etc. SOOOoooooo killer :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Right??

+1. Not that I don't like sport seats, just don't care for them in the truck.

I had them in my 335i, which was fine. They certainly suited most of my daily driving (generally short trips with some decent fun mixed in where appropriate). On the 6.5 hour trip down to see the in-laws, not so much. I'm looking forward to much more comfortable road trips now.

Perhaps despise was too strong of a word, but that doesn't change the fact that I have no interest in a 4.8is with the comfort seats. I like the support the sport seats provide. The comfort seats are just too flat for my taste, perhaps I have to put on a few more miles before I can appreciate the comfort seats :D. I do plan to take it on spirited drives now and again when I won't be driving my e30 318is and I believe the local CCA chapter will allow it on the track. I only intend to take it once, just to get a feel for it and where it's limits are and then use it to tow the 318is on typical track days.

Now onto my next question regarding the typical transmission problems. I'm looking at 2 different 4.8's both requiring a flight to pick up so I'll have to rely on a pre-purchase inspection prior to purchase and won't be able to test drive it myself to feel out the transmission. One has 106k and the other 81k, it doesn't appear either has had the transmission replaced (although I still have a couple more calls to make to verify for sure). What's the likelihood I'd be replacing the transmission in the very near future on either one? It looks like they both had maintenance conscious owners, but I want to know if I need to be planning to spend another several thousand if I decide to buy. From some research on here, it looks like either one should be due anytime now. Does that seem reasonable to assume even if they shift fine now?

Thanks for your insight

At either 81k or 106k, a transmission replacement should at least be on your mind. If either are showing signs of the trans slipping, you likely have a couple thousand miles until complete failure.

Tell your PPI place to give a lot of attention to the transmission. I would have them hammer on the car to really give it some torque input.

There are guys with 150+k on the original trans, so it's possible to have them hold on that long. I would think driving style has a lot to do with it. Any BMW with 100k in true highway miles should not need a new transmission.

Thank you, this is exactly the information I was looking for.

^ This gives me hope as I really don't want to go through dealing with transmission issues right after purchasing a car, but do understand it wouldn't be unlikely.

Thanks again.

14.77 in the 1/4 mile my first time on the track

xpipe and k&n filter only performance mods

Proud new member of the 4.8is owners club here - thanks to Xoutpost! After finding a couple duds I came across one on here listed by 525iT_Feen (an excellent person to deal with and a true automotive enthusiast). Although I wasn't initially interested in comfort seats I felt an enthusiast owned vehicle with a well documented and proactive maintenance history was much more important. After 3,000+ miles, the comfort seats are pretty nice and it's not like this is going to be a track rat, although I do wish there was a little more bolstering for the moments of spirited driving. The drive back was a blast with great weather for the majority of the trip from Boston to Seattle in 5 days. Here's a photo of it in my driveway after cleaning off the 3,000 miles worth of bugs and road grime.:D

I'm still learning the nuances of this vehicle, but it's been great so far. I'm looking forward to many miles of driving enjoyment in this X5.

Boston to Seattle... very nice!!! A lesser man would have had it shipped :)

Welcome and enjoy.