I think people see E53s in general as old german cars with a cost of ownership that was high when new and only is worse at the 20-year mark. I think that goes for the V8 cars and especially the 4.6/4.8 cars more so than the 3.0s. That is my perception at least.



In my area, there are maybe a dozen for sale, and the highest prices are some nicer-kept 3.0s. There is only one iS car (a 4.8) which looks like a decent example, but just had its price dropped to $5k. This seems to be typical for my area, not a lot of people want to own them because they see them as money pits. And several of the cars for sale are really nasty, from people who don't want to pay to repair them. It's a little sad but I see it as a good opportunity for people like us, who know the cars well and want to take care of them.

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2003 3.0 5MT Topasblau
Purchased in 2016 and sold in 2024
2012 35d Platingrau