[Vikram Arya]

Prologue

I was finding it hard to decide if it is a ownership thread or a travelogue and eventually I realized that it is a bit of both not just because I bought the car and drove it home covering a distance of over 1,100 kms over one of most beautiful highways in the world but because it is indeed a journey from the inception of the dream to own something special to bring that idea eventually to fruition.

During my school days I used to spend a large part of my pocket money on Car & Driver magazine and would gaze at the lovely cars and read about their specs & wonder how it must feel to drive those beauties. This was an era when we had the Maruti 800, Contessa Classic, Standard 2000 & of course the quintessential Hindustan Ambassador & Premier Padmini on our roads.



In one of the issues of Car & Driver I came across an article on BMW E30 320i. The tagline was “BMW- The Ultimate Driving Machine”. And that line stayed with me..


Circa 2006

After having worked for one of the oil majors in India for more than 12 years post acquiring my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, I took a sabbatical and decided to pursue higher education abroad.

The year was 2006 and I was at the University attending my class that was being taken by our brilliant Marketing Professor (he was adjudged at the 2nd place in 2013 in a global competition conducted by The Economist).

The case being discussed was BMW Films*, a Harvard Business School case study authored by Youngme E. Moon and Kerry Herman. The synopsis of the case study was: By the end of 2000, the vice president of the marketing department at BMW US Jim McDowell decided to make short films on the product of the company. At that time, the company was leading in terms of its brand equity in the American market. The management of the company was now thinking about creating relationships and making these stronger with their existing consumers and to grab the attention of new ones.

One of the short films featuring Madonna & Clive Owen was shown to us in the lecture hall by the professor. For those interested, here’s the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrLYQnjzH7w

.

The professor put forth his argument that all this money was a waste as these films were exclusively hosted on internet and shown in places such as restaurants, sports bars etc. places that were frequented by youngsters in 20s or early 30s and these guys could not afford a BMW anyway. I looked around the class of 100 and almost everyone seemed to be agreeing with the professor; I took a deep breath and raised my hand, the professor raised his brow and said, yes, do you want to add anything; I said, professor I would like to disagree and went on to put forth my argument that all that money was not wasted for when a young man in his 20s saw that film he was filled with a desire to own that car one day. It may take that young lad a few years to earn enough to be able to afford that car but he nursed that desire deep within him while silently admiring the beauties that drove past him when he is taking that stroll down the street. And then I said with pride and that I’m one such example. The professor smiled and grudgingly admitted that all this money might not have been wasted after all.

The long and short of it is that I was quite fascinated by the brand and went to the library to find more books & I came across a book “Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World” by David Kiley. It made fascinating reading & I finished reading in two days flat. We did one more case study on BMW as a part of our Marketing curriculum.

I graduated in 2008 & started working with one of the Fortune 10 companies & during the course of my work came into contact with some distinguished auto majors such as Ferrari Maserati, Mercedes Benz, BMW, General Motors, Suzuki & FCA. In last 13 years I got to own a Manual Civic, a Dodge Charger, a Hyundai Santa Fe, a Ford Edge & the most recent addition a 2019 Kia Sorento. All of these cars were bought brand new & we still have the Santa Fe, Edge & most recently acquired Kia. The cars that were the most exciting to drive were the Civic & the Charger (in that order). The obligation to pay off the massive student loan and purchase of a house in 2009 ensured that the desire to own a special car of any kind was put to rest for the time being at least. And therefore somehow all these years I never got around to own a car with some serious credentials however that itch to acquire a special sport/luxury sedan never really went away.

*Citation: Moon, Youngme E., and Kerry Herman. "BMWFilms." Harvard Business School Case 502-046, February 2002. (Revised October 2005.)

[Vikram Arya]

Late last year my daughter turned 18 & I gave her the key to my Ford Edge & was left without a car.

I started to do a bit of research for the car and was veering towards the 2019 G20 330i x Drive that was launched a few weeks ago however the fact that it is the first model year was a bit of a deterrent (I have penned down my experience of driving the 2019 BMW 330i & 2020 340i in a separate thread; https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...i-m-sport.html (Driven: The BMW 3-Series G20 M340i xDrive & 330i M Sport)). The day I was at the dealership I saw a gleaming black 528i x Dive M Sport parked in the used car lot and that image stayed with me. Meanwhile my research veered towards the 2019 Honda Accord, Toyota Camry etc.; these cars were summarily dismissed as their quirky design was too much for me to handle (no offence intended to Accord/Camry owners). I didn’t even bother to go for a test drive of any of these cars. I must also mention that one car that really impressed me was the 2019 Lexus ES 350. However I felt that I am still a few years away from owing that luxo barge.

I decided to take a break and put my car buying endeavor on hold. Meanwhile for my daily driving needs I bought a 2019 Kia Sorento with a 3 ltr. Gasoline direct injection turbocharged V6 putting out 290 BHP (an impressive SUV in its own right). I thought that now that I have a daily driver, I should forget about the sport/luxury sedan however that image of the gleaming black 528i refused to go away. I called up the dealership and was told that the car was sold a few days ago.

I started frequenting the online forums learning about the F10 5 Series and a few red lines were drawn:

1. It would have to have the 3ltr. Inline turbocharged straight 6 (N55) and so a 535i x-Drive

a. 528i was ruled out (240 bhp seemed measly for such a large car)

2. It would have to be a M Sport
3. The model year would have to be post LCI (2015/2016)
4. The mileage would have to be less than 60,000 kms.
5. It should have a clean Carfax record (no mishaps)
6. It would have to be car from the West coast. Local cars are exposed to salt, snow and all such stuff which is not particularly healthy for the automobiles.
7. In terms of equipment levels

a. Comfort seats
b. Head up display
c. Harman Kardon Sound System
d. M Power Performance pack would be a bonus

In terms of equipment levels I was fairly flexible; I would have preferred a premium package and the driver assistance package however if it was the right car and came without these features then that would not be deal breaker.

This search went on for a few months. Unfortunately a couple of cars that became available in Calgary were well, let’s just say not that appealing. I decided to increase the search radius and was soon looking at the cars in Vancouver, British Columbia which is 1,200 kms away from where I’m located.

During the course of 4 odd months a couple of cars did come up and I went back and forth with the sales guys however we could not come to an agreement and so nothing much came out of those tele conversations.

[Vikram Arya]

In June earlier this year, I came upon a 2016 535i x Drive M Sport with clean Carfax report, black leather interiors and best of all very low mileage (27,197 kms). This car was located at at a BMW dealer in Richmond, BC, 1,100 kms away. I enquired a little more and was told that the car was a lease return and came from a wealthy house old that has 4 luxury cars and only 2 drivers.

It was Carbon Black Metallic (the name probably drew inspiration from old school carbon paper; the car looks deep Blue in bright Sun light but Black in the evening or under the street light at night), equipped with Executive edition & an in service date of June 2016 and it meant that the car had manufacturer’s warranty till June 2020. I knew that I could get an extended warranty for another 3 years as long as the manufacturer’s warranty is valid. The car came with comfort seats, heads up display, leather seats and Harmon Kardon sound system (I’m bit of an audiophile so a good sound system was important).

The car has the fabled 3 ltr. inline 6 cylinder N55 engine that has a twin scroll turbocharger and in its normal state of tune puts out a healthy 300 bhp & 300 ft.lb. of torque. This engine incidentally has won three straight Ward's 10 Best Engines awards in 2011-2013.



And the most important part; the car was equipped with M Power Performance pack and that meant that the car was developing 320 BHP and 332 ft.lb of torque (447 Nm) instead of stock 300 BHP and 300 ft. lb.



The car was equipped with M434 style wheels those looked beautiful. The tire set up was staggered with Bridgestone Potenza 245/35R20 in the front and 275/30R20 in the rear. I requested the mechanical/safety inspection report which was clear. The car had 7 mm of tread on the front tires & 6 mm of tread left on the rear tires.

I decided to forgo the 3rd party inspection as the car was still under warranty and there was no incentive for the dealer to hide anything.

The summary of options on the car in addition to the standard equipment:

ZFJ - Executive Edition
- Automatic Trunk
- Universal Remote Control
- M Sport Package
- Rear View Camera
- Lumbar Support
- Head-Up Display
- SiriusXM Satellite Radio Tuner
- M Leather Steering Wheel
- M Aerodynamics Package
- M Rear Spoiler
- High-Gloss Shadow Line
- Anthracite Roofliner
- Adaptive LED Headlights
- M Power Kit
- Sound System: 688 (Harman/Kardon Sound System)
- 20inch M Lt/Aly Wheel, Double-Spoke, Style 434M,
Mixed RFT (Offered From 3.1.2016)
- 20inch M Lt/Alloy Wheel, Double-Spoke, Mixed RFT

4CE - Fineline Anthracite Trim
688 - Harman/Kardon Sound System
4161 - Carbon Black Metallic
LCLZ - Black Dakota Leather w/ Exclusive Stitching



I was fairly confident that this is the one. The only problem was that I had not seen the car in flesh much less driven it. Incidentally this would be the first time in my life that I would be buying a used car so of course anxiety was getting the better of me.



There were a few rounds of negotiations but the dealer refused to budge knowing fully well that not a single car with such a low mileage was available in 3,000 km radius.



On the morning of June 14th, I flew to Vancouver; it was a 90 minute flight and I indulged in some very interesting conversation with a young Yoga teacher from San Francisco who was visiting Canada. My sales person from the BMW dealership received me at the airport in a brand new gleaming black X5 which though quite luxurious on the inside was well, not so impressive to look at (yes, the grill it is).



We reached the dealership at noon. The car was parked out in the front; the keys were handed over to me to take it for a drive. I peeked inside; the car was in a pristine condition, inside and out.



I told my sales guy that I will take her out for a drive alone as I wanted to listen closely to the car and not the salesman’s pitch. The understanding was that if I do not like it; I could walk away, no questions asked. I took her out for a spin and came back within 25 odd minutes; everything felt fine.



The car was then parked in the delivery area and we were to go in for the paperwork. I finished paperwork in an hour’s time. The tank was filled with 91 octane gas. As I had to take the car to the neighbouring state I needed the transit permit. That was arranged in another half an hour’s time. I called my insurance company and got the comprehensive coverage.

[Vikram Arya]

With a 2 day transit permit taped to my rear and front windshield, I drove off at 5:30 pm only to get stuck in Vancouver’s nightmarish office time rush hour with everyone scrambling to get out of the city. A large majority of folks who work in Vancouver stay in suburban towns (just as any other North American metropolis) as average house price in Vancouver is upwards of $1 million.

The route that I had decided to take passes through some of the most scenic locales in North America with Rocky Mountains, beautiful rivulets and lush green forests.



I had booked my hotel in Kamloops that was approx 400 kms from Vancouver. The second day I had planned to drive home that was a distance of another 690 kms.



After an excruciating 2 hour drive I reached Abbotsford, a small town in the Fraser Valley and then the traffic started to thin out a little. After reaching Hope (yes, that’s the name of the town), I decided to take a break for some hot, steaming tea.

Hope has some interesting history not from distant past though. “First Blood” or first movie of the Rambo series that went on to become a cult classic was entirely shot in and around this town and the surrounding mountains. I was in grade 10 when I watched "First Blood" and being of impressionable age it left a deep imprint on my mind.



After filling the car at a Shell gas station with some very expensive 91 octane fuel (BC has a 12% HST coupled with some carbon tax whereas we in Alberta pay 5% GST so there is a difference of 30% in gas prices between the two states) I drove off.

Hope incidentally is also the point where the famous (in this part of the world at least) Coquihalla highway starts that has a speed limit of 120 kmph (only for a stretch of 203 kms between Hope and Kamloops).



Now was the time for putting pedal to the metal; well I need to correct myself here for this car would accelerate to a top speed of 250 kmph if I did that. 120/130 kmph was achieved with a minimal throttle input.



Coquihalla is a beautiful highway with Coast Mountain range surrounding it from all sides with fur and pine trees on its slopes. The tarmac is smooth however, some sections are really tricky with fairly sharp curves and you need to watch your speed. With 275 section rear tires the car was taking the curves as if on rails. On a particularly straight section I engaged the Sports mode, dropped a gear and nudged the throttle and the car went on to do some serious speed quickly that I should not mention on a public forum. The wail of the straight six was oh so gratifying. All of 320 horses were put to work. However within a few seconds better sense prevailed and I went back to comfort mode, engaged the cruise control and started enjoying those curves at 130 kmph.



It was dark by then time I reached Kamloops, a sleepy little town nestled in the mountains. My room was booked at Sandman Signature hotel however when I drove in to park the car, I was dismayed to find that most of the parking spots close to the hotel were taken. I went up to the reception and spoke to the Manager who turned out to be a F10 fan and quickly vacated a spot close to the main entrance.

After a quick shower I headed to their in house restaurant, grabbed a beer and ordered some food. After a light meal I hit the sack at 11:45pm only to get up at 6:00am form excitement to drive my bay home. After a hot shower, grabbed a mug of steaming coffee & headed out the door at 7:15am.



From Kamloops, the highway becomes a two lane carriageway with a speed limit of 100 kmph and it was quite a challenge for me to keep the car leashed.



I tanked up at a small/sleepy town which goes by the name, Salmon Arm and decided to do some quick math to find out the mileage that I was getting . I was shocked to notice that the car had averaged 13.1 kmpl which was astonishing in light of the fact that I had done 95% of the stretch at 130 kmph. Now don’t get me wrong; I would have been happy even if the car had averaged 10kmpl; in fact that’s what I was anticipating however I also realized that I was the only one in the car with small tote bag and that also made some difference. Needless to say, I was impressed with the N55 engine.





After Salmon Arm the landscape starts to change with rolling hills giving way to majestic Rocky Mountains. I stopped at a few placed to click some pictures.





I also mounted my Gopro for some video footage. After stopping at Golden for a quick bite I hit the road again and the car came into its own on some of the curvy sections where I pushed it a little after making sure that there was no cop car around.



By 2:00pm I had crossed Banff, the famous hamlet nestled at the foothills of Rockies. I continued on and hit Calgary at 3:00pm. Before going home I gave her a wash as I wanted to show it to my better half in its pristine condition.



At 3:30pm I pulled into my driveway. I had covered close to 1,100 kms in less than 12 hours (driving). I was a little tired but once I parked her in the garage alongside my 2019 Kia Sorento (my daily drive) the fatigue just disappeared.



At night before going to bed I went into the garage to have a look at her and there she was taking some rest after the long drive but ready to pounce should I require her to. Next morning I left for Toronto for week long meetings. It was a little disappointing as I wanted to play with her a little but that would have to wait.



Once I was back on Friday night, took her out for a short drive on the highway. On Monday she was taken to a local shop that specializes in European cars for an out of province inspection (mandatory for getting the registration) and finally after spending half a day at the shop she finally had her registration.

September 1st

It’s been slightly more than two months since I got the car. I usually take her out on the weekends to go to the temple which is about 40 kms away or give her for a leisurely wash or fill her up just for the heck of it. The odometer reads 29,100 so she has done about 900 kms in 2 months which is not bad at all.

Some observations in the first two months of the ownership:

• This is one beautiful car and has those quintessential “BMW” looks that I have always liked. M Sport just kills it.
• This is one heavy car; it tips the scale at 4900 lbs.
• The N55 engine is one sweet motor with virtually no turbo lag and pulls like an electric train
• The ZF 8 speed transmission is one of the best in business with blindingly quick gear shifts with no hesitation while downshifting
• The Eco mode is good for the highway and Comfort mode good for the city drive. Sports mode if you are in the mood for some spirited driving and Sport Plus if you want to go to Jail (the car can get to some serious velocities very quickly in this mode)
• The car is equipped with iDrive Professional which is fairly intuitive as far as user interface is concerned
• N55 engine does not come with a dip stick and you have to check the engine oil level using iDrive
• The ride is somewhat harsh (though not unduly) and that is attributable to RFTs and those rubber band thin tyres
• The electronics in the car draw substantial secondary current even when parked. I did not start the car for a couple of weeks and the battery was down to 50%. I have a smart battery charger (NOCO Genius 7200) that I hook onto the terminals in the engine bay every 4 to 6 weeks to keep the battery in ship shape.
• The Harman Kardon sound system is good and those 16 speakers really come into their own if you have some hi fidelity music files on your flash drive
• The storage is somewhat restricted however the door pockets can accommodate one half litre water bottle (A BMW Engineer once told me that we Germans don’t believe in eating and drinking in the car, that is a purely North American trait)
• This car draws attention from cops as well as wannabe racers so I need to watch my speed all the time
• In a few months I would like to polish the car, wax it and park it for the winter so order has been placed for an orbital polisher, polishing pads, good quality polish (both fine and ultra- fine), detailer, wax and some waffle weave towels (thread will be updated if the result is anywhere close to my expectations)
• Eventually I plan to put the car onto a dynamometer to find out if BMW actually understates the horsepower figures

The car will be parked for the winter from November till May as I don’t want to expose her to the snow/ice and salt besides the fact that winter tire/wheels in 20 inch size will cost me a bomb. Realistically speaking I will be putting roughly 3,000 kms on her in a year.

There are a couple of action items earmarked for next year. Yes, you guessed it; the RFTs will be replaced by regular Ultra High Performance tire and I have already put in more than 100 hours of research on that. I have shortlisted Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06. There is quite a lot of difference in price so I have some thinking to do. In June next year the factory warranty get over and before that I have to decide if I really want to buy the extended warranty ($4,000) for another 3 years. I have discussed it on the BMW forum and the overwhelming advice was that it is waste of money in light of such a low mileage on the car however being a first time BMW owner makes me a little anxious.

I have no plans to modify the car in anyway or flash the ECU to enhance the power (some forum member are getting 450 plus BHP from N55 engine) as I feel this much power is more than enough for me beside I don’t have any plans to track the car.

Owning a sport/luxury sedan was a long cherished dream and 15 years ago I wouldn’t have even though that it will be become a reality someday and even now sometimes when I go into my garage I do a double take when I look at it.

Somebody once said; if you don’t turn back to look at it when you park your car, you have bought the wrong one.

To be contd...

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[amit73]

Hi Vikram! What a fascinating story and what a fascinating car!

To be honest, I was feeling jealous as I started reading your story but, in the end, all I feel is vicarious pleasure!!

Wish you many many happy miles and hope you would eventually decide to take the plunge and do whatever you need to do, in order to enjoy this beauty in winter as well and in which case, it might make sense to buy that extended warranty after all.

[roadie_swift]

Awesome, thank you so much for sharing your journey, literal as well as figurative!

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

I came across a book “Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World” by David Kiley. It made fascinating reading & I finished reading in two days flat.

Heck, even the books about BMW are expensive!

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

Somebody once said; if you don’t turn back to look at it when you park your car, you have bought the wrong one.

This right here is the absolute truth about car ownership. Many congratulations on your conquest, do share more of your trips as you take them in this beautiful machine!

Cheers,
R_S

[Lightning2]

HI Vikram

thanks for writing in detail the entire Auto related scenario divulging the personal thoughts, schedule and lot of Pics of course.

Your write up encourages that pre owned car purchase should also be respected and applauded by society in similar fashion as New car.


Also government should also sort of encourage, pre owned car purchase to help LOWER the carbon foot prints.

Auto Dealers should provide technical parameters of cars with them, Like Compression in cylinders, voltages generated by Alternator in idle and running, Any play in bearings and so forth.
Thanks

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

With a 2 day transit permit taped to my rear and front windshield, I drove off at 5:30 pm only to get stuck in Vancouver’s nightmarish office time rush hour with everyone scrambling to get out of the city. A large majority of folks who work in Vancouver stay in suburban towns (just as any other North American metropolis) as average house price in Vancouver is upwards of $1 million.
...
I have no plans to modify the car in anyway or flash the ECU to enhance the power (some forum member are getting 450 plus BHP from N55 engine) as I feel this much power is more than enough for me beside I don’t have any plans to track the car.

Owning a sport/luxury sedan was a long cherished dream and 15 years ago I wouldn’t have even though that it will be become a reality someday and even now sometimes when I go into my garage I do a double take when I look at it.

Somebody once said; if you don’t turn back to look at it when you park your car, you have bought the wrong one.

To be contd...

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by amit73

Hi Vikram! What a fascinating story and what a fascinating car!

To be honest, I was feeling jealous as I started reading your story but, in the end, all I feel is vicarious pleasure!!

Wish you many many happy miles and hope you would eventually decide to take the plunge and do whatever you need to do, in order to enjoy this beauty in winter as well and in which case, it might make sense to buy that extended warranty after all.

Thank you Amit.

For many of us this really is a dilemma whether to plonk so much money on a car that you are not even going to drive on a regular basis but then I thought, well you only once (theory of rebirth notwithstanding) and there are not very many indulgences that give me so much inner peace & satisfaction.

Taking this car out in the winter is not worth it for the reasons mentioned in my post. Additionally, the winter temperature here dips to -30C and sometimes you're just fighting to gain traction when you're trying to come to a stop while doing 110 kmph, not good for your blood pressure. The harsh winter conditions take a toll on the vehicle with slush, salt and the occasional grit that can hit your windshield (the city uses a mix of grit, dirt & salt to improve traction on the roads in extreme cold conditions) and this stuff can get to those crevices in your vehicle that you can not hose it out.

I have a bit of OCD when it comes to cleanliness of my cars. Currently the car is in pristine condition and I would like it to keep that way.

Originally Posted by roadie_swift

Awesome, thank you so much for sharing your journey, literal as well as figurative!



Heck, even the books about BMW are expensive!



This right here is the absolute truth about car ownership. Many congratulations on your conquest, do share more of your trips as you take them in this beautiful machine!

Cheers,
R_S

Thank you R_S.

Yes, this book is expansive but it gives you very good insight about the business philosophy & practices that make BMW an exceptional player within the automotive industry.

There is some kind of mystique that surrounds the brand and a number of luxury car manufacturers have trying to solve that mystery without much success.

One thing that I realized in last six months while researching for this car that both the current & potential owners of the cars are very passionate about he brand while I found that missing to a great extent in BMW's contemporary brands. And this deduction is based upon the kind of response that I got from fellow forum members on one of global BMW forums & the kind of exchange of information between the forum members in addition to the amount of detailed information that is available on this forums.

I believe that part of the pride & satisfaction of ownership of a particular automotive brand is also derived from the bonhomie and camaraderie that the owners share and this particular aspect is absolutely without match in case of BMW. I think the only other brands that come anywhere close to it from that perspective are Jeep & Harley Davidson.

[HKap]

Hi Vikram,

Congratulations for this awesome car!! I am currently in the same situation as you were a few months ago. I'm going back and forth between a few options. I don't "need" a car but its too hard to resist getting one. I was considering getting the G20 M340i but the 70k before taxes price tag seems ridiculous for something that size. I don't necessarily need all that space right now but will in the next year or so. The used car option for the 540i seems too good. One can get a lightly used 2018/2019 540i for under 60k plus taxes. I was convinced that this was the best option till I saw the 2020 GLC.

I know it's ridiculous to compare the GLC 300 with the 540i but the idea is to get the GLC or something that size now and then get a lightly used 240i next year..... This conundrum is killing me.

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by HKap

Hi Vikram,

Congratulations for this awesome car!! I am currently in the same situation as you were a few months ago. I'm going back and forth between a few options. I don't "need" a car but its too hard to resist getting one. I was considering getting the G20 M340i but the 70k before taxes price tag seems ridiculous for something that size. I don't necessarily need all that space right now but will in the next year or so. The used car option for the 540i seems too good. One can get a lightly used 2018/2019 540i for under 60k plus taxes. I was convinced that this was the best option till I saw the 2020 GLC.

I know it's ridiculous to compare the GLC 300 with the 540i but the idea is to get the GLC or something that size now and then get a lightly used 240i next year..... This conundrum is killing me.

Thank you.

You're right, G20 M340i is a brilliant car; I test drove it a few months ago and I must say I was very much impressed. It's just that spending 75K which is almost in the M3 territory was a bit too much for me. As for the G30 540i; the looks just don't cut it for me. I believe that the car has mellowed down quite a bit and that aggression in the overall design language was missing for me (purely my opinion).

As far as comparing GLC 300 with 540i is concerned; I see nothing wrong in it. Most of us cross shop within segments & brands for we are trying to accomplish multiple objectives here.

M240i is one sweet little ride; truly a wolf in sheep's clothing. There is no better value out there within European clan if you were to consider its value proposition in terms of BHP/dollar spent. I think GLC 300 combined with a M240i would be an ideal garage.

Please keep us posted & my best wishes for the car hunting!

[bhuvan_prasad]

Wow. The car is a stunner!! You can easily tell people you bought it new, it is that flawless. Congratulations.


Isn't keeping it garaged from November - May, an extreme measure? I can understand not taking it out when there is snow, but otherwise I'm sure a set of 18" snow tires and alloys should not cost much. I for one, would not be able to keep myself from not taking out such a beauty for so long. Also, no rat/rodent issues in Canada? If you are keeping it garaged for so long do start the car and move it around a little to keep the battery, fluids up and running and to prevent the tires from getting flat spots. Wishing you many many wonderful miles with the car.

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by bhuvan_prasad

Wow. The car is a stunner!! You can easily tell people you bought it new, it is that flawless. Congratulations.


Isn't keeping it garaged from November - May, an extreme measure? I can understand not taking it out when there is snow, but otherwise I'm sure a set of 18" snow tires and alloys should not cost much. I for one, would not be able to keep myself from not taking out such a beauty for so long. Also, no rat/rodent issues in Canada? If you are keeping it garaged for so long do start the car and move it around a little to keep the battery, fluids up and running and to prevent the tires from getting flat spots. Wishing you many many wonderful miles with the car.

Thank you Bhuvan.

The shop that I had taken the car to for out of province inspection also commented on the pristine condition of the car; I guess my patience has paid off.

I just realized that you too have recently acquired a white 530d & I must share with you that I almost pulled the trigger on a white 535i but unfortunately the deal fell through. In a way it was good because the car had 69,000 kms on the clock whereas this one only has 27K on it however given a choice I would have preferred a white car. Keeping a black car clean is a pain but it is what it is; it gives me a chance to take it to a car wash frequently (I never use the automatic car wash though). I also plan to polish and wax the car before the onset of winter & have ordered some supplies.

You're right an 18 winter tire/wheel combo will set me back by let's say anywhere between $2,500 to $3,000 which is still fair bit of a change .
Additionally, it is the salt that bothers me. I could probably take it out for a spin when there is no snow on the ground, problem is conventional tire compound starts to harden at 7C and even if there's no white stuff on the tarmac, I would be pushing my luck in case I get to some serious speeds. However you're correct; I wouldn't be keeping it parked but will move it once in a while. Thankfully there's no rodent problem out here .

Before the onset of the winter, I plan to Dyno the car to get a baseline and then a year or two down the road who knows...

How has been your ownership experience so far? I plan to go through your thread soon.

I'm hoping to keep the car for at least 4 to 5 years and though I change engine oil/engine/cabin air filter, spark plugs myself for all my other cars I plan to carry out all the preventive maintenance for this one at a shop that specializes in European sports/luxury vehicles. I will probably change the oil myself but not much else.

Drive safe & good luck with your ride as well!

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

The car was then parked in the delivery area and we were to go in for the paperwork. I finished paperwork in an hour’s time.

Congrats on your latest acquisition Vikram, and both you car and narrative are epic!!

This really portrays what a true auto enthusiast looks for and thrives towards. I have not really driven a BMW till date, but that is only coz I want to own the first BMW that I drive.

Wishing you a very happy and fuss free ownership, and many more scintillating drives to come.

At night before going to bed I went into the garage to have a look at her...

Somebody once said;

if you don’t turn back to look at it when you park your car, you have bought the wrong one.

Ah ha, you sort of missed this "Somebody's" point buddy, as it seems like you almost lost your sleep just to get a glimpse of this beauty!!

[KARR]

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

Late last year my daughter turned 18 & I gave her the key to my Ford Edge & was left without a car.
...

Hi Vikram, Congrats on your car and thanks for the great writeup as well as for sharing your buying journey! I have recently purchased a 535i Xdrive myself and its in the process of being shipped from Vancouver to Toronto.

I noticed that you had mentioned "Comfort Seats" as one of your requirements, is there any reason why you ended up purchasing one without? Also, does your car have the "High speed synchronization" option? If not then the vehicle's top speed in US and Canada are limited to 130MPH (209 Km/h) from factory.