Wow, thank you for the thoughtful opinions and calculations!

I should have detailed the proposed repairs better. But yeah, even if the bill comes to 3-4k it is amortized easily into the long term use of a what has been a good truck. And we have towed with this truck too, part of the reason for it's longevity is that when I bought it in 2006 it cost me about $1200 to install the tow hitch and even more for the brake controller. It has been a real brick!

UPDATE: I found an uncertified 2011 X5 35d today at a Honda dealership nearby. The Used car manager buys cars from a local (Montreal) leasing company that leases a variety of luxury brands. The X5 (not X3) we drove tonight has about 55,000kms and is selling for $38,000. Which, here in Canada seems pretty competitive. Prices on CPO 35ds are higher than this Canada-wide, and availability isn't that great.

I LOVE my X5 Diesel that I bought last March (CPO). it's a tank and it is perfect on our third-world roads in Montreal. So we are considering a second 35d for our house!

I should also point out that my wife is a busy professional who drives about 30,000 kms a year, as I do. So time in the garage for her is expensive.

Did I mention that the X3 doesn't really "feel" like a BMW? You know what I mean, that "on rails" tracking, that weighted, hefty steering, that engine growl, and that built like a brick s**thouse overall feel? At least the 35d X5 does!

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2012 X5 3.0 and 2011 X5 35d