Hey everyone! I did end up getting that '01 X5 after having my wife and FIL test drive it. Well, it got down here and as soon as I drove it I knew the front end was "gone". Bad shudder under braking, clunks, etc. So, I took it to a local mechanic with a good rating on Yelp, German Motor Works in Scottsdale, AZ.

He checked everything without me prompting and stated that everything except the tie rods needs to be replaced and gave me the quote below, and said it would take him a day.

Thrust arm bushing: $300 p/l
LCA: $320 p/l
Sway bar links/bushings: $300 p/l
Valve Cover Gaskets: $400 p/l
Fix banjo fitting on p/s line: No charge
Bleed brake system: No charge
A/C Charge: No charge (see story below)

Now for a quasi-funny story...the A/C was just "meh". He offered to recharge it for free while he looked at the components and everything else. While taking off the valve cap it was VERY tight and he needed pliers. Suddenly, it BLEW OFF into the hood, scared the crap out of both of us, and started venting freon. Apparently the valve didn't seat correctly so the previous tech just used the cap to keep pressure on the high side so it was leaking freon, hence the "meh" A/C. He was able to get the valve to re-seat, and then re-charged the A/C at no charge to me, and verified that it got down to 41* in the system.

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Nathan
01 4.4i Pearl Beige Metallic