[Cloud9...68]

Porschedude (on anyone else who has any experience with BMWs)-

We recently ran across a one-owner 2003 X5 4.4, with only 77,000 miles. The X5 has always been one of my wife's favorite cars, and she's been wanting a replacement for our minivan for some time. I know the X5 has never fared very well with Consumer Reports, and I've heard some anecdotal horror stories about BMW's earlier (though I'm not sure if 2003 qualifies as "earlier") V8's. Looking through the reviews on Edmunds, it's a very mixed bag, everything from "This is the most trouble-free car I've ever owned," to "I wouldn't wish this piece of junk on Osama Bin Laden" (OK, I made that last one up, but there were a few that rivaled that). I know you've owned several BMW's; do you have any experience with or knowledge of X5's? Of course, we're planning to have it checked out by a mechanic, and we're going to try to get the car's repair record from the local dealership, but I'm trying to gather as much information a possible on it.

They're only asking $18K for it, which is a lot less than I've budgeted, so if this car works out, it could push me a lot closer to the supercharger. But I don't want to let that influence my decision too much, so I'd apprecate any inputs anybody could give. Thanks.

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[PorscheDude]

Sorry!!!
Although I do like the X5 I really don't know much about them.
I do know they are based on the 5 series platform. I'd imagine it shares the same strengths and weaknesses driveline wise.
Here is a good starting point, I think in an hour or so, you could get pretty educated about them.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/for....php?f=101

Also, check there classified section, you may find an enthusiest's X5 in better overall shape.

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[Pauli]

For what it's worth - A friend of mine bought one new for the exact same reason you want to - His wife just had to have it. Fast forward 2yrs - They are getting rid of it - She knows it has been extremely problematic, and doesn't want anything to do with it. It has left her stranded at least 3 times that I know of, and has been in the shop countless times w/ very expensive repairs.

I'm sure there are people out there that swear by them - I'm just relaying my friend's experience. For similar size SUV's - my Brother has the Acura, and my Uncle has the Tourag - both are very happy w/ them for what it's worth.


Paul

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[Fox944]

they seem to be hit or miss. My friend owned a 4.4i for many years, trouble free with regular maintenance

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[Cloud9...68]

"they seem to be hit or miss. My friend owned a 4.4i for many years, trouble free with regular maintenance"

Yeah, based on the reviews in Edmunds, that's what I've gathered as well. From the Carfax report, the car seems to have spent its life (with a single owner) locally in Austin, so I'm hoping we can track down its service record from the dealer, at least during the time it was under warrantee. If this shows a relatively trouble-free life, and the mechanic we take it to (a BMW specialist) gives is a clean bill of health, we may just go for it. There isn't a ding or scratch on the body, no curb rash on any of the wheels, and the interior is in showroom condition. Basically, it looks like a new car. I figure if it had been a real troublesome vehicle, the owner would have ditched it a long time ago, and not held onto it for seven years. And it's only $17K, not $18K, per the inernet price. So we'll see...

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[Fox944]

Cloud, The 3.0i was available with a manual transmission if that would interest you.

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[Cloud9...68]

Fox,

Thanks, but my wife would be the primary driver, and her plantar fasciaitis (not sure I have the spelling right on that one) prevents from driving a stick anymore.

I just did some more research in Consumer Reports, and they have most years of the X5 (both the six and the V8) pegged as "Cars to avoid," including the one we're looking at. So, it comes down to whether we can track down the repair history on the car. If we can verify that it's been relatively trouble-free so far, we'll have a mechanic check it out. If he gives it a clean bill of health, we may get it. But given the model's repair record, we'd need to see a pretty unambiguously positive prognosis, so as to avoid stepping into a money pit.

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[Cloud9...68]

Well, we decided to get the X5. We found the maintenance and repair history, and it's a one-owner car that has been very well maintained at the local dealership. For an X5, it has a remarkably trouble-free record. Then we had a PPI done by a BMW specialist, and the only issues he found with it was leaking valve cover gaskets (very common in BMWs, for some reason), and worn thrust rod (aka upper/front control arm) bushings, which I think I can replace myself pretty easily. The car is a real gem, and has always been a favorite of my wife's, so, for $16,250, which is several thousand below either NADA or Edmunds, we couldn't pass it up.

Does anybody else here own an X5? Just wondering if there's any experience with the valve cover gasket and thrust rod bushing replacement. I've heard the valve cover gaskets are a pretty big pain, but I plan to tackle that one as well.

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[flash]

i always liked the looks, and the performance was no slouch - we almost bought one, up until we found out that it could not safely tow much of anything, which was a major concern to us (the wheelbase was too short, and the frame insufficient) - still, i like the car

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[Cloud9...68]

Yeah, it isn't bad for a big car. Not really my cup of tea, to be honest, but my wife loves it, which was my major ulterior motive. I knew the day was fast approaching when I would have to buy a replacement for the minivan, so I was planning on spending somewhere from the mid 20's to the low 30's. But when I saw this X5, which has always been one of my wife's favorite cars, I knew she would love it, and when we found how that it's in a good shape mechanically as it is cosmetically, it was an easy decision. So my wife gets a car she really enjoys, and it cost me half of what I was budgeting. This moves my long dreamed-of 968 mods closer to reality...

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[Fox944]

Congrats on the new car. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]

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[smshirk]

Great decision most of the time. I've bought several used BMWs, never an X5, but variations of the 5 series and 3 series... 6's and V8s, all with minimal issues. Dealers are notoriously expensive of course, but you can find good competent independents just as with Pcars. My latest one is an 03 E46 M3 manual. It had 25k on it when I bought it last year and so far at 34k, nothing but oil changes. Mileage varies with the weight of my foot, but on trips I get mid to upper 20s. I needed a trunk and backseat and was able to sell my 996 for about the same I paid for the M. I miss the 996, but the BMW is better for our travel car, two sets of clubs and luggage will go in the trunk. I was beating up the plastics in the back of the 996 with my clubs. With an X5 you could move a small apartment's worth of furniture. I have a buddy with an X5 for his wife, a Z4 for himself, and my old 530i for his teenage son. He has had no major issues with any of them. Another friend of mine has 270k on a mid 90s 5 series and has never had to tear it down. I don't like Bimmers as much as Porsches, but if you need more room it's THE choice to make. And an added plus, Roundrel is better than Panorama by far! Congrats!

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