[Alan l.]

You bought a stroller too large for your needs. I'll bet the specs list and features list looked good on the box(they got me with it too) but your kids will not realize any difference to a smaller portable stroller. The body baby harness is a much better carrier than a stroller. It also keeps the kid happier too with more interaction.

You are right about this one. After a few weeks with it we really didn't need this big of a stroller but the wife wanted it so we could carry two kids in it at some point. Most strollers that are able to hold two kids will be atleast this size. We had the harness and used it quite a lot but as they get heavier your chiropractor bill goes up too

Your kids are not tall so the headroom only affects you and you are not in the backseat. Changing diapers in an X5 or a 5 is both difficult. But that doesn't happen quite often to warrant the thousands of dollars difference. Unless you are on the interstate, there's plenty of places you can stop to change diapers. You would have to stop the vehicle to change diapers anyways since doing it while moving is dangerous.

The extra headroom benefit is for my wife or I when we are back there either changing the diapers, holding them up for a bit because they are cranky being stuck in a car seat for too long and while trying to feed them milk/food. In the F10 you feel more claustrophobic because your head is pretty much right up against the ceiling if you are sitting upright facing a forward facing child in a car seat. I had a E70 X5 loaner for a week so we know first hand how much of a difference this made. Also its nice being able to fold down one section of the rear seats from inside and lay the baby there to change diapers. Sure you can always find a rest stop/store with a changing table but its not always convenient and have you seen how disgusting some of those things are?

I also understand people love to bring all their kids' toys with them but I can promise you that's not a good idea. You went on vacation to experience a different place and a different lifestyle. What's the point of bringing all that extra stuff when they can have it at home? they spend 95% of their time there anyways. I think most parents think giving kids more toys, gadgets, and digital content will make them happy but it doesn't. Just about every study out there shows the opposite. People seems to be happier with less thing and more interactions. Instead of your daughter riding her bike or pulling around a wagon, there's a ton of other things she could do at VA beach. You went to a different place, experience something different. Giving your kids gadgets to distract them will only yield psychological and behavioral problems in the future. I was a teacher for a bit, I know this.

This is a interesting point that I haven't come across before. I will keep this in mind for sure. The tricycle / wagon was just offering her a more "fun" experience instead of sitting in the uncomfortable umbrella stroller.

Alan

[bake]

Alan I see your point and agree that for your situation, the X5 seems warranted. In the case of my family, we have always had two cars and we tend not to take the kids when we need to do "big" shopping (one of us will go and the other stays home with the kids). So I rarely had a case when my trunk space wasn't adequate. The only situations now when we absolutely need to take the SUV (my wife has a Toyota Venza AWD) is when we are going to a park and want to bring both of the kids bicycles). But even that won't work in another few years once my daughter has a larger bike and I will need to get a bike rack for them at that point anyway. But that is going on my wife's car, not mine!

[Alan l.]

Yeah ideally for me would be M3 for me and some sort of crossover for the wife but we are a one car family (only drive on the weekends since we both work in the city) so that won't work at the moment.

[493263]

Alan,

I'm just saying you can be much better off if you were more practical instead of buying more things. You can get a bigger vehicle or you change the way you do things. I can only tell you that I've tried the buying more method for years(extended Escalade) and it only made things more complicated. It's not even about the money. It was just not practical in the end and i was better off after I learned to become more practical and do things efficiently. The perception of buying an SUV to be more practical at transporting your kids is just false. Being practical depends on you more than any tool you own. Your tool, the F10, is more than capable of handling 2 kids.

My girlfriend and I(divorced) have our fair share of dealing with kids. She still teaches 1st graders everyday. Being a parent also, I learned to do things easier/smarter/more practical ways than just throwing more money at it.

BTW Alan, you don't need to just sit around at the beach. Go play around, build sand castles, catch hermit crabs, buy a small foam pad and ride waves. Fly a kite, go fishing, crabbing, photography, dig water trenches with your kids, play volleyball, etc... There's a million and a half things you can do at VA beach. You are out there in nature so stop feeling bounded by the confines of our society and materialistic worlds. If you really want to bring bikes, use a rack like me . I promise you it won't cost you 10s of thousands extra to "upgrade" to an X5.

[GIANITALY]

i have a 535 2012 I'm going for more power. 550 2015 of course

[spyroz]

a Porsche 911 turbo

[BavariaExclusive]

Porsche is not an everyday car though

Originally Posted by spyroz

a Porsche 911 turbo

[bimmer man]

I went from 2012 535d xDrive to the 335i GT xDrive, that was wrong for me 5 series is much better. So I sold it only after 3 months, bought 640I convertible.

[BimmerGuyFL78]

2015 Mercedes-Benz C400 with Airmatic and all other options.

[lsturbointeg]

I'm definitely going with an M5! The wife will have the 535i which by than will already be modified and than I get to again modify the M5...can't wait!

[RMcoolX]

I had a 2010 535i. Traded it in for a 2012 Vette. I love the Vette a lot, but still miss the 535i more than I thought I would.

Wife recently purchased a 2014 528i, so that helps ease the longing to get back into a Bimmer.

[bkM3]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

In response to your post to bKM3...

Can't jump to conclusions so quickly when you don't know the full situation. You packing light could be what others call not being prepared or vice versa. Every family/kid is different. My kid for example pukes if the wind blows on her the wrong way (so it seems) so in my situation I need to always carry extra clothes and stuff to clean up a mess if it happens. Also some people are more into doing outdoor stuff than others that will inevitably require you to bring more gear with you. I was fully on your side when I got my F10 a month before my daughter was born. Now two years later I know my situation would be much easier with something bigger. Just a friendly counterpoint from someone living through it at the moment lol

alan, i agree with you. i think this post was meant for somebody else, not me.

[f10inSD]

Toying with the idea of an X5..

[WilliCO]

In 2008, when the gas prices first shot up above $4, prices for SUVs tanked and I picked up a used Explorer for a song. Having that car has been a godsend - I use it for all my dirty duty, camping trips and ski trips up the hill, and any time I have lots of passengers. It's old now, but I've kept it nice enough such as not to have to apologize for it. I even drive it to client sites when a nice car would draw criticism.

It gives me tremendous flexibility for my personal car, which currently I have squandered by leasing an F10 535. I don't really need anything that large, and probably not anything with 4 doors. My wife has a Volvo wagon.

I've 2 more years on the lease, less if I pull forward. I plan to look at smaller, sportier options next time around. My current drive list includes:

• A 3-4 year old 911
• A 435 if I option it right
• An M3/M4 if the next couple years are good
• A Cadillac ATS coupe (yep, I'm going to drive one)
• An S5 in the upcoming next generation
• An M235i (maybe too small)
• An S3 (again, maybe too small)
• A CPO X6 (always liked them)
• A Lexus RC

Emotionally, I'm pulling for the 911. I owned a Boxster S briefly but had to sell it because of a new baby and a new business. I'd really like to get back into a Porsche again. I'm sure, as always, BMW's leasing program will be a strong temptation, to keep me in a brand new BMW at the same price as that 4-year old Porsche.

In any case - having the Explorer gives me lots of options I wouldn't have otherwise, and it was cheap. I have the garage space for it. For anyone who does, I recommend that kind of 3rd car indulgence.

I had an E53 X5 a long time ago, by the way. Loved it.

[krusir]

Same here... no more manual for 5 series. ( M5 is beyond my scope, feel it overkill for a daily drive )

I will keep my 2011 535i as long as I can until BMW change it mind to have manual transmission again in 5.

Originally Posted by Bbb34

Not that I'm looking at all, since I just got my 535i just over two months ago, but after spending some time in the car now, being absolutely thrilled with it , few times I caught myself thinking "uh oh, where does one go from here?" (especially since manuals aren't made anymore - sad fact for me personally).

Will be interesting to see what others have done and how they feel about "moving on".

[Noggie]

I see the stroller argument for family people.
Since you don't have the F11 the x5 makes sense.

I really love my F11, even if I don't have kids I just love that I never have to worry about room, whatever I need to get I can just throw in the back, much like an SUV .
I want an M5 next, if I can give up the wagon

[BavariaExclusive]

Audi A7 next or S5...Nuff said

[Axxlrod]

I drive my kids to school, and I do a 700 mile trip once per month. So the 535 has been perfect for both of those requirements.

But need more power/fun to drive factor. So was set on either an M5 or the new MB C63.

But now my thinking is to go with 2 cars instead of 1 super-sedan. I think I will lease a porsche 911 C2S and a 328. The porsche can fit my kids in the back seat, and will drive it a few days per week, then also have the 328 for the road trips and runs to the grocery store, etc...

[Ycoty]

I think i will go with the M5 or the XM5

[ONLY1F10]

Originally Posted by m_alnimah

The Glossy one.. But oh dont go for the White Interior (I did and i regret it) the seats turn black w usage so go for Brown or Black Interior...

I would deff take a look at the GC!!

[WilliCO]

Originally Posted by Axxlrod

I drive my kids to school, and I do a 700 mile trip once per month. So the 535 has been perfect for both of those requirements.

But need more power/fun to drive factor. So was set on either an M5 or the new MB C63.

But now my thinking is to go with 2 cars instead of 1 super-sedan. I think I will lease a porsche 911 C2S and a 328. The porsche can fit my kids in the back seat, and will drive it a few days per week, then also have the 328 for the road trips and runs to the grocery store, etc...

I had the exact same plan, or close - I already have a gracefully aging Ford Explorer in our third space that we use for a lot of weekend duty, trips to the ski hill, and stuff. It gives me some flexibility for my daily driver.

I learned last week that a neighbor of ours lost his sponsored visa, has to move back overseas quickly, and needed to get out of his 2009 911. It was not perfect but priced very interestingly. I once had a Boxster as a fun car and loved, loved it, so I took a look at the 911.

I was surprised at myself. We all want 911s, but coming out of my 535 this one felt a little too raw to be my daily driver. I didn't move on the purchase; I didn't know how much I would have liked arriving at the airport at 1 AM, exhausted, and driving that car 50 miles home. If I could have something like a 2014 Grand Cherokee in one space (rather than a 2004 Explorer) and a 911 in the other, I'd be all in.

The F10 is simply too posh for me. It's beautiful and fast, but it doesn't like to be whipped around any. Next I want something substantially more audacious. The 911, surprisingly, may have been a step too far in that direction. I will probably drive another one when my lease is up though, just to see if it was the particular day I drove this one that made me feel like I did.