[kurtural]

I am still very happy with the car. So, I will break it down to subheadings that matter to me. We bought a X3 and another 2006 5 series after this e90.

I have the bare bones 2006 E90. Arctic metallic, 6 spd with the ZSP, xenon headlamps, and heated, black Dakota seats. That is it. I was so sick of things breaking down in my S4 then in my Volvo S60, I said no more extra buttons to push, and $8k twin turbo repair bill on a glorified VW.

1) Economy: Other than the purchase, on the road fees and the fuel cost this car has cost me nothing to operate so far in 4 yrs. The fuel economy is great. We moved from the lower Midwest to Fresno, Cal., a 2600 mile journey through many square states and I averaged 33 mpg during that journey averaging 70 mph. I travel up and down the San Joaquin Valley and this car is just a joy.

2) Comfort: The sport seats are very comfortable, in either city or freeway driving. The air conditioner auto button, and the center console flow wheel are very clever additions. In the central CA heat I can cool down the cabin in about 90 seconds to a comfortable 73F. I do like the 4 door utility of the car. Recently my parents, my sister etc. have visited and we were very comfortable in this car and did not have to take the wife's X3. I spend quite a bit of time on the road in this car and I can take my computer bag, LCD projector and two 26" upright luggage bags, throw them in the trunk, no problems.

3) Driving dynamics: I knew exactly what to expect with the sports package. Given the crappy roads in and around Fresno I knew the RFTs would provide a very jarring ride for city driving. However, nothing has driven like this stripper BMW. The S4 I had was a very powerful car. However, the driving feel that I have from this car will never be matched.
It is a 200+HP car and that is plenty peppy for me.

We have 3 BMWs now and we think we will keep the 3er for a DD for another 3 years. It has been worth every penny I think, and a real driving pleasure in the last 4 yrs.

[Alexander]

Cool review! You picked wisely with your 325. ZSP, Xenons, and Leather are the only options that you need.

[smallseafishie]

That's not stripped down.

You have metallic paint, ZSP, xenons, and leather! $500 + $1200 + $1000 + $1600 in options!

[Wake27]

Damn, wish mine had the mileage of yours. I'm over 72,000 . Not that its really made any difference, just sad.

[DarkRider23]

Originally Posted by Wake27

Damn, wish mine had the mileage of yours. I'm over 72,000 . Not that its really made any difference, just sad.

Does it still run fine? If so, then who cares :P.

I'm just about to hit 40k. I don't care how many miles are on my car as long as it runs fine.

[ChaosBroker]

Great write up. . Were there any issues that while it cost you nothing, would have if you were out of warranty/maintenance contract?

[Saintor]

It is a 200+HP car and that is plenty peppy for me

That's wisdom. Most people are unconsciously pressurized to feel otherwise.

[JulieDriving]

Thanks for the review. Good to hear the car has been great and that you've enjoyed it so. Perfect options for a car you want to keep for the long term.

[kurtural]

The door lock actuators were fixed twice, the steering wheel lock was updated during the new vehicle warranty. Other than that it has been rock solid. I did not feel compelled to extend the maintenance package but did extend the BMW limited warranty.

The running costs are really minimal compared to the S4 or the Volvo.
I had to replace the following on my own dime on the S4:
-Driver's seat
-Twin turbos that literally blew up
-Stereo
and I had to replace the following on the Volvo S60 (most of these parts were stamped FoMoCo!)
-Engine mounts
-Rear sway bars
-Steering rack
-Alternator
-Stereo
-Various light bulbs every other week

[carrot]

Originally Posted by kurtural

The door lock actuators were fixed twice, the steering wheel lock was updated during the new vehicle warranty. Other than that it has been rock solid. I did not feel compelled to extend the maintenance package but did extend the BMW limited warranty.

The running costs are really minimal compared to the S4 or the Volvo.
I had to replace the following on my own dime on the S4:
-Driver's seat
-Twin turbos that literally blew up
-Stereo
and I had to replace the following on the Volvo S60 (most of these parts were stamped FoMoCo!)
-Engine mounts
-Rear sway bars
-Steering rack
-Alternator
-Stereo
-Various light bulbs every other week

Yea my central locking fuse and the door actuators were fixed just before 50K mark too. Seems to be a common problem. No biggy though.

It was only inconvenient because I had passengers in the car and none of the passenger doors worked. So people had to climb out of the driver door. Talk about stupid on BMW's part. It would seem to me to be a safety issue. A fuse shouldn't stop you from physically unlocking/opening the passenger doors.

[Wake27]

Originally Posted by DarkRider23

Does it still run fine? If so, then who cares :P.

I'm just about to hit 40k. I don't care how many miles are on my car as long as it runs fine.

It does, so far, little things here and there but its been a champ. I just don't know if it'll be worth throwing money into mods for it at this stage.

Originally Posted by carrot

Yea my central locking fuse and the door actuators were fixed just before 50K mark too. Seems to be a common problem. No biggy though.

It was only inconvenient because I had passengers in the car and none of the passenger doors worked. So people had to climb out of the driver door. Talk about stupid on BMW's part. It would seem to me to be a safety issue. A fuse shouldn't stop you from physically unlocking/opening the passenger doors.

That doesn't sound unsafe at all...

[jrobwitt05]

Originally Posted by Saintor

That's wisdom. Most people are unconsciously pressurized to feel otherwise.

+++