Hey everyone, thanks so much for the great info!

My budget is the mid to high teens, so I'm not so sure I can get into an 05 or newer... Having said that, it seems that there are some decent looking 4.4's in my price range.

I talked to a mechanic buddy of mine, and he told me that although the 4.4 is a great motor, it does require significantly more expensive maintenance... Would you all agree? That was actually my initial reason for looking at the 3.0's, but I certainly am not against the 4.4 option.

He also mentioned to me a list of typical problem issues that would need to be addressed on a 4.4 if I wanted to keep it tip-top:

-Valley pan gasket replacement
-Intake manifold gasket replacements (4.2 hours labor because of location???)
-Typical cooling system component replacement (water pump, radiator, etc)

Has this been your experience, as well, on a 4.4?

Thanks again for all the help. I'm becoming even more confident now that this could make for a really cool tow vehicle.

EDIT: I called the local BMW dealer and they are quoting between $1000 and $1200 plus tax for the hitch install... Does this sound in line with the prices you've seen?