[slpymnky]

So I am moving cross-country in a couple of months. Originally, I was going to sell my 06 330i but I love it so much that I am not considering driving it cross-country. Has anyone done this before? Is there anything to be worried about? Are there any precautions I should take beforehand?

I have driven my car to Minneapolis and back from ATL without issue so I wouldn't be too worried. I am just trying to figure out my best option at this point. What would you all do? Sell here and buy there or drive?

[JayKay335i]

Its a car. You are asking if its OK to drive it.

Honestly, what is our world coming to?

[slpymnky]

Well I had a friend drive his E46 cross-country and he had to get it towed twice during his trip so just trying to see if anyone has any experience with the E90s and really really long drives.

[Never-Enough]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

Its a car. You are asking if its OK to drive it.

Honestly, what is our world coming to?

/thread

[RBinDC]

Originally Posted by slpymnky

Well I had a friend drive his E46 cross-country and he had to get it towed twice during his trip so just trying to see if anyone has any experience with the E90s and really really long drives.

How reliable your car is depends on how you have maintained it. If you don't have enough confidence in it to drive across the country, then by all means, sell it! If you're going all the way to California the car will likely have a higher market value on the West coast, assuming it's in good condition.

If BMWs are not reliable enough to make it across the country with no problems 99% of the time then we shouldn't be buying them. With all the problems with HPFPs your question is not unreasonable but you don't have an HPFP.

[ejheverest]

If you have the extra time to drive then, drive cross country. I did it twice in 2008, had a passenger for the drive from Maine-Mass-Washington State. 4 months later I drove back from Washington State to Virginia, then up to Mass, no passengers.
Things to consider: you won't really save any $$ by driving vs. shipping your car so unless you plan on enjoying some of the historical sites or places you've always wanted to visit, it might not be that fun.
When I made the 3k mile trip, I did not have a spare tire with me and I had non-run flats on my E90 at the time. I recommend some type of run flat or a spare set up.
What month you plan on doing this? I did it late fall and ended up getting caught in a blizzard for the first 700 miles of the trip, highway closed down 1/2 after I left and 18 wheelers were all required to chain-up.
If you like your car too much to make the extended drive then, sell it and buy something you aren't scared to drive as much. In 2 years I put 40k on my 330, out of that time, I was only using my car a total of 12 months.
How many miles on your E90?

[07GraphiteXI]

I drove a '97 acura integra LS with >150k miles from MA to MN 2 years ago in the span of 2 days. May not be a good comparison because the integra is known for high reliability but I agree with above poster - it's all about how the car has been maintained.

[slpymnky]

My E90 has 50250 miles on it. I have owned it since 33500 miles and September 2009. It has only needed routine maintenance since I've owned it and I've done the maintenance at BMW. I bought 4 Michelin Pilot RFTs at 35500 miles so they should be ok. I would be driving solo from here to Texas and then caravanning through LA and then drive solo from LA to SF. This would happen in late June/early July.

My car is in great shape but at the same time I would be putting around 2800 miles on it because of the route I would take plus I'll be commuting 50 miles each day once I am there. Decisions decisions. It took me so long to find a 6MT with low miles and the options I wanted but at the same time I don't know if driving it is the right choice. Shipping makes me nervous and I am pretty sure I've ruled that out all together. The advantage of driving is I can take all my stuff with me rather than shipping some of it.

[nbkkvv5]

If your car is in good mechanical condition, the only thing you should be concerned about is the lack of a spare tire. I assume you will be traveling along I40 through New Mexico and that area is very remote with gas exits about every 70 to 90 miles.

While the odds of getting a flat are slim, it could happen and if it does, it will be a real pain in the ass. It’s up to you, but I personally would not make a cross country trip (in any car) unless I had a spare tire and a jack.

Think of it as insurance against lost travel time.
No spare and jack = many hours of cussing & inconvenience
Jack and spare = under 1 hour of cussing & inconvenience

Btw, my definition of a spare tire is a full size spare - not the donut type with limited range.

[JayKay335i]

I'd be much more worried about being skinned and eaten than a flat tire.

[Sara]

I did a 2,000 mile trip a couple months ago in my E90.. All went wonderful.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=436845

[BMWonderful]

I honestly can't believe you would try and figure out ways to not go on a cross country road trip in a car you love, some of the time alone and some with passengers. That's like the perfect road trip. Your car will be fine, and if it isn't you can deal with it then. Get a shit ton of the best music you can find, some good weed, and hit the road dude.

Road trips are where it's at.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by BMWonderful

I honestly can't believe you would try and figure out ways to not go on a cross country road trip in a car you love,
Road trips are where it's at.

+1. It's a BMW.

Have done it in a Z3, E46 328i, Z4, 128i. Biggest problem was sunburn in the 3 'verts.

Tom

[Antony_correia11]

Yep, it's fine. Did a drive from Rhode Island to San Diego in a 2007 335i about 9 months ago. Just make sure in the heat that you take breaks every few hours.

[s2k_335i]

My trip was in October. From NJ -> Charlotte -> Atlanta -> Memphis -> Dallas -> Las Vegas -> LA -> San Francisco. This is all around November - December time frame.
San Francisco -> LA -> Las Vegas -> Dallas -> NJ.
Than In January -> NJ - Dallas. Currently staying in Dallas and might to Miami than back to NJ again.
I already put close to 40,000 miles in 7 months.

[quantumx]

I drove from Santa Monica, CA to Boston, MA in a beat up, high mileage Ranger back in 2005 with a friend. If we can make it driving over 3,500 miles with the route we took, you should be good in a BMW! Enjoy the trip and best wishes during the move.