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HB Chris

HB Chris

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Thanks to my good friend Fred @flarimer I now own a pristine 2016 X3 S Drive 2.8i with only 38K miles. Some of you know I bought Fred’s 325i cab a few years ago for Shawn to drive and after three years I sold it (she claims I never asked for her permission) to John LaPorta’s father and now John @polaris68 owns it. Impeccably maintained which is Fred’s style. Thank You Fred!

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Congratulations!
Personally I do not own and have never driven a BMW from this century. Too new.
Yes, I count the 2000 e39 M5 as last century.
I will give the marque another 78 years to get their act together.
 
Arde said:
Congratulations!
Personally I do not own and have never driven a BMW from this century. Too new.
Yes, I count the 2000 e39 M5 as last century.
I will give the marque another 78 years to get their act together.
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Some of these non-antique BMW's are really amazing vehicles. Where I live, we need 4 season vehicles that can get thru pretty bad weather, transport 4 adults & gear to the beach or a ski resorts, haul entire dorm room loads of kids college stuff 4-6 times a year, move 20 bags of cement/pavers, piles of 2x4's, and tow a variety of things (up to 6000lbs trailers). Plus, we need to do this with pretty good fuel efficiency.

For this breadth of utility and needs, a recent model X5 or Mercedes GLE are really excellent solutions. Someday when I'm retired I could see myself with a pre-2000's BMW as a 3 season driver. But I hope that's still many years away.

John
 
I've driven a 2012 x5 and my legs started cramping bc there's legroom for the driver. Very odd.

Maybe newer ones are better in that dept.
 
JFENG said:
Some of these non-antique BMW's are really amazing vehicles. Where I live, we need 4 season vehicles that can get thru pretty bad weather, transport 4 adults & gear to the beach or a ski resorts, haul entire dorm room loads of kids college stuff 4-6 times a year, move 20 bags of cement/pavers, piles of 2x4's, and tow a variety of things (up to 6000lbs trailers). Plus, we need to do this with pretty good fuel efficiency.

For this breadth of utility and needs, a recent model X5 or Mercedes GLE are really excellent solutions. Someday when I'm retired I could see myself with a pre-2000's BMW as a 3 season driver. But I hope that's still many years away.

John
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I loved my 2013 650iX drive, AWD got me though the Philadelphia winters and up our steep driveway in challenging conditions. My wife's Audi Q7 was coming off lease with very low miles due to the pandemic so...I now drive a Q7.
 
HB Chris said:
Thanks to my good friend Fred @flarimer I now own a pristine 2016 X3 S Drive 2.8i with only 38K miles. Some of you know I bought Fred’s 325i cab a few years ago for Shawn to drive and after three years I sold it (she claims I never asked for her permission) to John LaPorta’s father and now John @polaris68 owns it. Impeccably maintained which is Fred’s style. Thank You Fred!

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Great car! My wife drives the same X3 model & color (hers is from 2014) and it is a terrific all-around car. We baby her car while my X5 gets all the dirty work of hauling the dog, surf & ski gear, etc. Enjoy!
 
Just wondering how many trouble free, loaded up with the latest tech, luxurious interior, A/C blowing cold, great fuel economy, all wheel drive and much more 2016 X3s one could purchase for the price of an average condion E9. I also wonder which one of the following would turn more heads, A real nice restored E9 sitting in the front of your house or 15 2016 X3s parked side by side in front of your house. FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
 
BMW lost me at the end of the 1976 model year. We have owned 11 pre-'76 BMWs and six Subarus. Couple of hundred thousand miles on three of the Subarus. Minor repairs only in addition to the usual. Dull, boring driving. A willing trade off for reliabily, duration and inexpensive to buy and own. The only X3 owner I know eventually turned hers in for a full refund under PA's Lemon Law. Spent more time at the dealer than on the road. I know, I know, statistically insignificant sample of one.
 
JFENG said:
... Where I live, we need 4 season vehicles that can get thru pretty bad weather, transport 4 adults & gear to the beach or a ski resorts, haul entire dorm room loads of kids college stuff 4-6 times a year, move 20 bags of cement/pavers, piles of 2x4's, and tow a variety of things (up to 6000lbs trailers). Plus, we need to do this with pretty good fuel efficiency.
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Oh, you need a Toyota, sure.
 
If only a 1976 Subaru GL could tow my 5000lbs race car setup and do all the other things I do with my X5, and do it as safely/cleanly/frugally … I wouldn’t have needed a modern BMW either.
 
Congrats, we keep a 2004 X3 manual in the Colorado mountains for our winter trips (saves on rental cars and much more fun to drive), 130k miles, great winter ride.
 
Arde said:
Oh, you need a Toyota, sure.
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I did look at a Highlander but it lacked utility. I looked at a Landcruiser (for about 2 seconds) and decided 18mpg on the highway was too big a carbon footprint compared to my 28 mpg. And I looked at a Tundra, but I’m just not a PU guy. Were it not for the heavy trailer, I think an X3 would suit my needs perfectly.
 
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My older x5 has 200k and just won’t stop, despite the typical oil consumption of a high mileage m54. Its proven a useful vehicle and great for putting jet skis in the water -no snow down here or on the coast
 
For years I’ve worked closely with multiple large Asian automakers. Years ago one of them was visiting me, and we got to talking about their design of an entry-premium mid-size SUV in development. They claimed it would be as good as the Germans. I shuttled them around all day in my new E70 X5d (LCI), and at the end of the day they admitted that the Germans were still better on fuel economy, handling, acceleration and payload/utility. But they said they would be cheaper, have better reliability, and that 4/5th of buyers would never notice the gaps. IOW, they were making a better Ford Explorer, not a better X5/M-class/Cayenne.

If performance and utility are high priorities, the German SUV’s are still the best. It cost and reliability were most important, we’d all be collecting old Acura Legends and NA Miata’s.

john
 
JFENG said:
I did look at a Highlander but it lacked utility. I looked at a Landcruiser (for about 2 seconds) and decided 18mpg on the highway was too big a carbon footprint compared to my 28 mpg. And I looked at a Tundra, but I’m just not a PU guy. Were it not for the heavy trailer, I think an X3 would suit my needs perfectly.
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FJ Cruiser?
 
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