Rob - I think a lot of BMW owners struggle with a love hate relationship with their cars. Over the past year my 2001 4.4 X5 with 70K miles needed a new transmission, front calipers, valve cover gaskets, valley pan gasket, intake gasket, waterpump, oil separator, etc. I have dumped in over 8K dollars in repairs alone. There are many days I think of selling the X5 but then I drive it for an hour and think this is the greatest car I have ever owned. Consider driving your X5 like dating a cheerleader when you were in highscool, sure it costs more to maintain but it is worth it.