Olaf

I've decided to go for a five this time on the basis I can't do an X5 the way I think I need to. A bit like (further back down the thread), I decided not to buy an LP12 the first time as I couldn't do it well (all I could do was buy a flogged out dodgy one from an odd character and rebuild it hoping it'd be good, and if it wasn't, I'd be over-capitalising and still no guarantee it'd 'sing')... so, in the same way, at this time an X5 is not out of the question, it's deferred. And may be a reality in a year or two.

now that is an interesting comparison. All broadly the same purpose (Diesel SUVs with vaying degrees of offload capability), and broadly varying fuel efficiency... and indeed, refinement. I think comparing a diesel e60 to a diesel X5 will still reveal around 1.8-2 litres/100 km advantage (lower Cd, lower weight, less drag on drivetrain). But then I'm not 100% on fuel at any rate.

ahhh! at least all is not lost. Wow, shotgun wedding pressures. Go hard, young man! We're all keen to see this project rolling. And scraping sump, I guess.

so you've put the e28/V8/rusty lorider on hold, robbed its body panels and added them - plus airbag lows - into another e28? you going back to the V8 project later?

thanks gents, all excellent input and I feel far more informed. I'm going to defer X5 acquisition until later in this calendar year, or this time next year (end of tax year) so that I can increase my sample size anf budget. I'm going to concentrate on e60/e61 options as a short-to-mid term solution. 545i? 550i? Is Motorsport a must for me? Do I need a touring? and what price/option factor along this continuum makes best sense for me right now? Answers will appear next few days, I'm checking some out today.

come on man, we're on the edge of our seats! how's about some words and pictures to tell us about your journey since last time?

looking sharp, and keenly priced. GLWS. as a matter of interest, which shocks?

sorry forgot to mention this earlier. You weren't expecting such a keen 'the money's burning a hole in my pocket and I've just gotta buy your car' approach to result in a test drive, surely? Ten points for honesty, though!

"say ahhhhhhhh"

Sam, to be fair ownership of an M car is a committment well beyond mere everyday BMWs... if you're concerned about e60 V8 costs don't even drive an M5, really. You need to be able to grin, roll a mouthful of single malt around your mouth, and casually toss over your platinum card when you've read the bill for your brake job. It's not that the rotors are made of unobtanium, but they are another hike up again (being floating rotors), and so it costs a bit more, everywhere. Oil Change, again, not just 7 litres of 5W40 Penrite from Supsacheap, it's Castrol BMW oil for the v10. If it's any consolation my scottish heritage has not allowed me to boldly stride into the ranks of M car owners, though it could happen in future. The Maximas are good long-termers, and *usually* don't cost too much... now you're gaining some of those memorable driving experiences for some of the attendant heartache that comes from having a '10' on your arm. I was just talking to our offspring earlier, and they were recalling some of our earlier family road trips in our old Maxima. HTH

yeah Supercheap and Repco are good for oil, car care, and running your Holden or Falcon. For your Euro, you'll need a specialist supplier. First stop should be the forum's supporters/sponsors. As you're in Dunedin, you should try Milland. http://www.milland.co.nz - and they're right there in Dunedin! Euro Itallian are also said to be very good. I've often used www.fcpeuro.com - started buying parts from them 12 years ago soon after buying my Volvo. Seriously though, give Milland a call. You may find they have what you need at good prices. Hope that helps.

it's the gehberhrenschitver valvugolpen. it's gefingerpokened kaputzezechtenarbened. Assume the position and open your wallet, buddy. /serious mode on Kyu's analysis seems reasonable place to start. What's a set of coils for the N62 worth? Oh, under USD200 for the new Bosch design, seems reasonable. Definitely no vacuum leaks? And your battery is strong and tests well yeah? cheers

Latest test: This morning I drove an '07 X5 4.8l 7 seater, 108kms on the clock. Nice donk. SUBLIME transmission. I was fine with the width of it, easy to place the car in the lane. Drove around typical suburban roads... what distrurbed me was how much it pitches around. Dive on the front under braking is huge. Active steering - excellent. Highway - excellent, though it still pitches around a bit. Easy to drive rapidly. Excellent cruise control. Brakes very good. Orbital sander marks in the chrome trim on the kidney grilles and black silicone sealer where it shouldn'be under the hood, bolstered with generally poorly-groomed appearance led me to beleive this was a sub-par example. 15l/100kms - not so keen on that. A 550i would do a few litres better, I think. John, what's (Mark) BoyT getting out of his 550i with his real-world daily drive these days? Conclusion: need to drive an X5 Diesel with sport suspension before X5 elimination. Status: e61 or e60 is looking most likely, must be Msport, and either 3.0l petrol, 4.8l petrol, or 3l diesel. X5D ///Msport remains a contender.

deleted.

thanks, John! F*#k me, that Mercedes V8 was just brilliant. not power. THRUST. It's true, I've never owned a V8 before. Smooooooooth. And almost as good as a good turbo. But ohhhhh, THRUST. 550i next.

so I was out today and looked around at a car yard. salesman convinced me to drive e61 525i MSport LCI. Not enough power. Handling and active steering good. "Elimination". We looked at other options. Their X5 3.0D was too pricey for me. No 530 in Motorsport trim, no 550i's. Wildcard: Mercedes E550 AMG. I drove it. I luuuuuuuuuved the V8, it was exceptional. The brakes were pretty good. What I couldn't get past, despite playing with electronic damping control, was it was floaty, like a boat. I couldn't get past that. But hell, what a car. 60k kms, brand new rotors and pads, Michelin PS3's, clean and tidy. Nope, can't go there. So, I continue on. It's starting to polarise: looking at 530i touring, 550i touring, or X5 3.0D - examining the tipping points between lower mileage and lower c of g, vs SAV and higher miles, higher price. Interesting journey. Sorry if this is boring of frustrating for you guys, I don't buy new cars often.

Well I did have a couple of business suits that were green, back in the 90's. It was latin america, so an olive suit is not outrageous, and the other was a very unusual perry ellis number. However, on finding that uber low-mileage X5 V8 I was confronted with it being green. I don't object to the colour per se,... though I think it would approach sales-proof when time came to quit it.

I've fixed that for you!

PS - here's the 777 now - tonight it's going south so there's a minor bass rumble down evans bay and 25 seconds later it's gone.

I've given up spruiking Hataitai. I think it's super, it'd under-valued and its proximity to the CBD, Airport, Motorways, Green Belt is brilliant, you can still have million dollar sea views at 50 cents in the dollar compared with Roseneath, and its well serviced by busses. Garages aren't a given here (I'd love one but by the time it was finished I'd have no coin for toys), walking to town is easy and free, and if your too pissed to walk home your Uber will cost you about eleven bucks. I recommend it to immigrants and returning kiwis, they buy in Khandallah, Whitby, or foolishly put their money into apartment buildings in town where a sub-par office building has been converted into apartments, and your fees are rouletted by under-skilled body corporates, Yes, you should definitely move you and your GF to Hataitai, I'll bring beer on occasions as rent to spanner in your nice dry garage. Easy. It's a great suburb and I've called it home on and off since 1989. Airport noise is very dependent on wind conditions and direction. The only one I really notice is due any minute now as I type this, the Singapore Airlines nightly service to Canberra, the 777 makes a bit of noise as it climbs.

yeah it was at Capital Mazda, they moved it to Kapiti as it hadn't sold down here. The salesman was keen-ish: "I can have it here tomorrow". Without next month's billing confirmed, I didn't want to waste his time. May head up to Auckland next week. I think I'd do a 550i rather than an X5 4.8

just four of us, William, though perhaps touring later in the year with my octogenerian mother on board as well. Mrs Olaf likes the idea of a seven seater, though in the case of the X5 that means no spare wheel and inflates the price.... unlikely we'd really be carrying the additional gymnasts with us to a comp... so it's a 'possibility' rather than a solid 'must have' or even 'nice to have'. The e46 Touring is too small these days for our crap for a week or more away plus my son is nearly taller than me at thirteen, so he's going to need a larger space as he grows. the e60/61 should be fine, but the lounge-room of the X5 appeals. It just seems so civilised.

Yep, can't argue that. It is a bus, though a surprisingly refined one. In diesel terms with the same power plant (comparing a 2008 535D touring with a 2008 X5 Msport - You've got 6.9l per 100km, vs 8.7l per 100. Thus we're paying 1.8 additional litres of diesel per 100kms. Interestingly, the Co2 grammes per km figure isn't significanty higher for the X5. it's got to be a cool DD, that one #8 ) looks good. I need to drive a few to either embrace or eliminate.

that's actually kind of tempting! High mileage and complex high-end German certainly has risks. What's to be aware of on something like this?

I've a mate who ended up with an X5 3.0Si and regrets it, horrified at round town consumption, disappointed at trip consumption. Seems to me you made the right choice, though the DD V8 for me (personally) scares me I admire your bravery! Got photos of yours somewhere on here, Nathan?