One thing you will notice as you dig deeper into the BMW world is that there is a HUGE amount of DIY support out there. The X3 is a little new but by the time you will need to many repairs there will be a lot people out there to help. Bimmerfest seems to have a little more active X3 forum if you are looking for another good resource. Since the X3 is based on the E46 3 series a lot of the DIY info carries over. We leased our X3 but if I was to keep it maintaining most aspects myself wouldn't bother me a bit. I have a 97 Z3 that I maintain myself and the DIY support out there is just unbelievable. We replaced all the brakes on a friends 330 a year or so ago.......... piece of cake.........

As for the missing dipstick..... That started with the 3.0si in the '07+ X3. I am not a fan of the digital guage but I'm sure it's just fine.......... I'm more irritated that my new 525 doesn't have a temp guage yet I can get nice graphic on the screen showing me the oil level, tire pressures, and every service item........ oh well........

Go for the '05+ X3 and take pleasure in maintaining a great vehicle.....