Originally Posted by dizmo

Thanks for the replies everyone! A lot of useful information. For some reason I didn't get any email updates about the thread, otherwise I would have replied sooner.

It was going to be a personal vehicle, not a flip, and I was looking at backyard BMW mechanics, hence the low price for labor. No real time limit. X5's are extremely common out here (an 06 with a blown head gasket just sold for $2200), so it wasn't like it was someone elses failed project; just something they didn't want to deal with.

Anyway! I've decided to pass, for now. If they're still there in a couple months I might consider it, but I've found a killer deal on an 06 Rabbit that needs a new power steering rack and I'll be getting that instead. Though the X5 would suit my needs a lot better.

Also, the multi reply doesn't work for me. Otherwise I would have been more specific with my thanks!