The only thing I wished the 3.0 had was more power. And maybe fewer miles. Oh, and if only it were LeMans Blue. I put a deposit down on a 2004 4.8is with just 11,000 miles on it - seven years old, essentially factory fresh. A BMW dealer. Full service records. Annual oil changes. A buddy swung by Thursday to verify it. The seat looked like no one had ever sat in it. I flew out Saturday morning.
The mileage raised eyebrows immediately on the forum. A seven-year-old 4.8is with 11K on it does that. But the records checked out: annual services, odometer matching state inspection records, full BMW network history. The roof was immaculate. Those things do not lie. Within fifteen minutes of getting it home, the first soak was already underway. Priorities.
14 Years. 194,000 Miles.
At the Performance Delivery Center picking up the 330ia. There in the Zentrum museum sits a LeMans Blue 4.8is. That was the moment. Not a passing thought - a certainty. One day.
Put a deposit down on a 2004 4.8is with 11,000 miles on it. Flew out Saturday morning to bring it home. It was a longshot lifetime buy in 2006 that became a reality. The title reveals I am the 2nd owner. Annual oil changes, not mileage-triggered ones. That tells you everything about how the car was used.
Daddy/daughter road trip to North Carolina with a stop through Spartanburg to say hello at the BMW PDC. The X5 had just 11,000 miles and had almost certainly never seen service like this. 317 curves in 11 miles on the Tail of the Dragon. XDrive pulling the big X5 through corners like it’s on a steel cable. Thirteen hours in the car. Three complaints in the closing hour. She exceeded every expectation. Full story →
We took it to the Southernmost point in the Keys. Seattle half a dozen times. Both borders. Once she was done with the 12 trips to Disney, road trips became our calling. Acadia in Maine. Mt. Washington in New Hampshire - she emerged to announce she had just gotten her period. We had just dropped her mother at Bangor for a flight home. She found a stranger who helped her through it. I went to the beer aisle. Ben and Jerry's in Vermont. The National Monument for Women's Rights in Ohio. The Corvette manufacturing facility and museum. Route 66 more times than I can count. Hour upon hour. The Southernmost Point. She came home in the 3.0 when she was 4 lbs 9 oz. She rode in the Blue one from car seat to front seat.
Did the seals and water pipe at 106,000 miles. A known service item on the N62. Hoped the water pipe would hold. It did for a while. Then it started smoking again.
Today I transferred the title and accepted the funds for my (not so) trusty N62 4.8is. The title confirms I was the 2nd owner, having picked it up in 2011 with just 11,000 miles.
The seals started smoking again. A trusted independent quoted the valve stem seals and leaking rear main at $16,000. The mirrors wiggle. The suede sunroof has separated. All the adoring things about a 21-year-old smoky beast had become more acutely present. I had already done the seals once, at 106,000 miles in 2016. I was not doing them again.
Letting it go was more of a relief than I expected. It helped enormously that the buyer — a kid from the local dealership — was so genuinely happy about it. He loves the uncatted tune and the torque. He is the kind of guy converting his E38 to a manual. His buddies at the dealer love that thing and he got his moment in the sun when he drove it to the back lot. That is the right kind of ending.
We transferred the money bank to bank. Same institution. I signed a title. Easiest transaction I have ever had.
I have so many pictures. Dozens of years ago I would have made a proper tribute. Maybe I will. She was a longshot lifetime buy in 2006 that became a reality in 2011. I think we did right after so long and so many miles, no matter how long or how much it cost to find the joy.
We took no fewer than 30 college campuses and 22 National Parks in the E53. Over 194k miles, we spent hour upon hour on RT66. She came home from the hospital in the 3.0 when she was 4lbs 9oz. She rode in the Blue one from car seat to front seat.
The 4.8is was one of the most fun BMWs I have ever owned. We will all miss it.
Up late in anticipation. The 4am wakeup was sooner than I would have liked. I just hoped I would not fall asleep on the plane and end up in another country. Flew out and came home with a 2012 X5 xDrive35d M57 diesel.
The ride home was all the torque the 4.8is had and much much more. After an on-ramp apex and full throttle, it was clear this thing was diesel powered. With that much torque underfoot — I giggled. I had LOVED the E53's loud exhaust and tune wiping the floor with little four-cylinders. Now I look forward to doing that with four bikes hanging off the back.
The 4.8is was one of the most fun BMWs I have ever owned. This one is a worthy replacement. Within minutes of hitting the driveway — the first soak was already underway.
It was a longshot lifetime buy in 2006 that became a reality in 2011. We hope we did right after so long and so many miles, no matter how long or how much it took to find the joy.