Thinking of selling E90 M3 for F85 X5M

Hello all,

I own a 2008 E90 M3 6MT in Silverstone Metallic. It is mostly stock, but has a full titanium catless exhaust and a tune. Not many other mods outside of small aesthetic bits, and Future Classic spacers on gloss black 220 wheels. I love it to pieces.

My family was recently blessed with a baby 3 months ago. While I love my E90, it's a little tight for 3 boys(2 older and one newborn), and my wife and I. I've always wanted an X5M, and found one that is immaculate. 2015 with 49k miles for 46.5k. The extra room would be really helpful. Can I make the E90 work...yes. Is it a good idea to let go of this beautiful car for an F85 X5M that looks to be in perfect condition, low-ish miles, and could likely fit my family better at this point...I don't know!

Please chime in with any and all opinions on either vehicle, and your personal preferences.

Thanks!

you can make 3 kids work in a sedan? impressive.

when our first was born i swapped my F80 for an F97 (+ an E93 a week ago, but that's another story) and surprisingly couldn't be happier.

do it. they're stupid fun and when you need to just get to the grocery store they're just an SUV...

.. that can go 0-60 in under 4 seconds.

I’d buy the SUV. It’s much better for your family and it is about as entertaining as an SUV can be (Cayenne Turbo would be better but costs a lot more and has less room)

Thank you for your input! I agree that I am leaning toward purchasing the F85. it just makes the most sense. it's very hard to let go of the wail from the S65 though...

Dfetz69 wrote

Thank you for your input! I agree that I am leaning toward purchasing the F85. it just makes the most sense. it's very hard to let go of the wail from the S65 though...

I was in your shoes. I sold my e90 m3 for a bigger car cause we had our second son. and what happened ? I'm back in an e90 m3.

The x5m rear seat isn't that much larger. Wider by 3 inches. I've done my research (data from caranddriver)and compared numbers. But because of the tall ceiling and more roomy atmosphere, it might be the better option.

So the plan is now to get my wife the x5M to replace her Mazda cx5

Problem solved lol.

Dfetz69 wrote

Thank you for your input! I agree that I am leaning toward purchasing the F85. it just makes the most sense. it's very hard to let go of the wail from the S65 though...

The SUV legit makes more sense for your situation. By the time you can buy a car like the e90 m3 again there won't be any left and all new cars will be electric and drive themselves.

This^^^^

I agree it's the best choice, but I'll likely not get another opportunity to get back to the E90.... especially a 6MT. The other thing I'm questioning.....I've owned an automatic only once in my life, and couldn't wait to get back into manual with my next vehicle. I'm not sure how difficult this will be, but with the MT becoming a dying breed...well. Man, this car is so fun to drive. Will I get the same amount of pleasure out of the F85?

I have read the X3 and X5 M ride pretty roughly, but have not experienced it.

No, you won’t get the same pleasure from the F85. Totally different car. Much less connected and less of a driver’s feel. But still entertaining and fast so you might get enough pleasure.

Buy the x5m for your wife, keep e90 for yourself. But I don't think even x5m is big enough for 3 kids esp when they are older. So, buy minivan for your wife and keep e90.

My wife has wanted an X5 since basically forever. I have driven the most current gen and previous gen (3.5xdrive). We have three kids; 8, 6, and 3. They are not fitting in that back seat at all. MAYBE if I took my 8 year old out of a booster and stuck them in the middle but they would be miserable. So we have kept the current family hauler Ecoboost Flex. It is annoyingly the best option that is not a minivan right now. The X5 barely is a bigger back seat than my E90. I thought I would have been able to make it work with it being more of a flat bench but nope.

The way to fit three across a middle row is a full size SUV. At this point the thing that will replace the Flex will be a 200 series Land Cruiser (to go with my 100 series daily/winter beater)

SLC Steve wrote

My wife has wanted an X5 since basically forever. I have driven the most current gen and previous gen (3.5xdrive). We have three kids; 8, 6, and 3. They are not fitting in that back seat at all. MAYBE if I took my 8 year old out of a booster and stuck them in the middle but they would be miserable. So we have kept the current family hauler Ecoboost Flex. It is annoyingly the best option that is not a minivan right now. The X5 barely is a bigger back seat than my E90. I thought I would have been able to make it work with it being more of a flat bench but nope.

The way to fit three across a middle row is a full size SUV. At this point the thing that will replace the Flex will be a 200 series Land Cruiser (to go with my 100 series daily/winter beater)

out of curiosity, have you looked at the x7?

SLC Steve wrote

The X5 barely is a bigger back seat than my E90. I thought I would have been able to make it work with it being more of a flat bench but nope.

right? x5 rear seat is not that much roomier than the e90. These people ask for help/opinions, we give it to them, and just over look it, lol. What's the point?

Go buy a used Tahoe or something for when you all need to be in the same vehicle.

Just figure out the price difference in your car and the X5M and that's your budget.

kolosy wrote

out of curiosity, have you looked at the x7?

Yeah. super nice and actually a pretty handsome car but if I am dropping that much $$$ I would rather spend it on a Land Cruiser (because I love Land Cruisers). Tons of luxury, built to last, and great off road prowess which I enjoy doing when not carving pavement with the M.

I have a similar car, a 2011 Cayenne Turbo, next to my E92. 5 months in, and I genuinely love the thing. It has plenty of room in the cabin, but the seats slide forward and aft unlike the X5. All the way back, it has plenty of room for 4 6+ footers, and still a good trunk space. I can see shoving 3 children in the back seat pretty easily. But if you need space for more than just 3 children and a large dog or two, you need a bigger car.

That said, it's a ton of fun to drive around. It's plenty quick post tune (~600 hp), makes a nice sound, is very comfortable, luxurious, handles remarkably competently (mine has active sway bars and a torque vectoring diff), can go off road pretty well (two lockers + air suspension handles most trails fine) and has remarkable road trip range (about 20-25mpg and a 26 gallon tank). But it doesn't replace the E92. It's fun to drive, and hilarious to chase down sporty cars with an elephant. But I wouldn't call it thrilling or precise. It's best to think of these things as the ultimate version of a regular car. Makes an excellent pairing with the E92, particularly for the $26k I paid for mine.

Keep the M3 and find another family car.

I would love an F85 X5 one day. But I wouldn't let go of my E90 for it.

I’ve been thinking about adding an SUV. Never considered an F85 X5M until I saw this thread and looked up some listings. Any particular reason why 2016s that retailed for $100k base are now going for $45k to $50k with reasonable mileage? They’re out of warranty obviously and my “if it looks too good to be true...” spider sense is kind of tingling. Just curious; hell in this market there are used Kias being marked up $10k.

highrevs wrote

I’ve been thinking about adding an SUV. Never considered an F85 X5M until I saw this thread and looked up some listings. Any particular reason why 2016s that retailed for $100k base are now going for $45k to $50k with reasonable mileage? They’re out of warranty obviously and my “if it looks too good to be true...” spider sense is kind of tingling. Just curious; hell in this market there are used Kias being marked up $10k.

just depreciation for $$ cars. typical lease residuals are around the high 50% mark for a 3 year lease. 45-50% for 5 year old car (6 in model years), is actually pretty good still.

kolosy wrote

just depreciation for $$ cars. typical lease residuals are around the high 50% mark for a 3 year lease. 45-50% for 5 year old car (6 in model years), is actually pretty good still.

Wow, that’s insane. Depending on the options and mileage it could be a lot of vehicle for the money (currently).

Used car prices are presently overpriced but that is what they are right now

X5m isnt that much bigger in the back its just the cargo space. if you need space sell your e90 and buy a normal X5 or a pallisade or something that actually benefits your kids. you really dont need a performance suv to lug your kids around. You can get an M car in a few years.

I'll be honest, I don't really get the whole "high performance SUV" thing. It's an X5. It still drives like an X5. The handling is still bad, and on top of that the ride quality is poor.

If you need an SUV, get an SUV that accepts that it's an SUV.