View Single Post
Old 01-24-2019, 10:18 AM   #49
Josh (PA)
Hello.
 
Josh (PA)'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Carmudgeonly Ride: '09 X3, '11 328xiT, '11 135i C, '17 c2, '19 X5
Location: Downingtown, PA
Posts: 5,514
Well, I turned in the GT yesterday. The lease inspection and turn in was very painless (shockingly painless) and consisted of the lease manager at Ottos BMW walking around the car (and not noticing the cheap touch up work I had done to a couple of scratches), checking the I-Drive vehicle check to ensure no issues and reading the odometer. No charges. Signed the docs, handed in the keys and walked away with only the $350 re-stocking fee out of pocket. I was very happy.

As for my thoughts on the car... As time went on I enjoyed it less and less. The engine was really the only redeeming quality and that developed a weird mis-fire that wouldn't throw any codes. If it was my car I would have had it addressed, but since it was going back to BMW anyway I just tried to ignore it. The steering was as awful as the car mags have made it out to be. WAAY too light, Waayy too numb, but still super quick, so slight movements of the -unweighted- wheel would cause the car to jerk. The ride was fine, but uninteresting. The back seat was a great size for 2 people, but tight in width for 3. The sloping hatch design provided no benefits over a standard trunk. I think I mentioned it elsewhere, but it made me appreciate the x5 much more than I did previously.

We did put 17,000 miles on it between the middle of May and end of January, and it cost us almost no money so it served my desired purpose perfectly. The only things I did to it during my ownership was 2 oil changes, put a 'used' set of run-flats w/ 11/32 of tread left on them for $250 on the front and $175 for touch up work.

The swap-a-lease type experience was great, I'd definitely consider doing it again.
__________________
Josh (PA) -
'19 X5
'17 991.2 C2 Cab
'11 135i Convertible
'11 328xiT
'09 X3
Josh (PA) is offline   Reply With Quote