I thought you said you wanted "FEWER" repairs, not double what you had.
If you thought your X5 gave you headaches...just wait

Let's see, SUV for $40K max? Not sure what you're aiming for size-wise, but a friend of mine is thrilled with his Acura RDX. Quick 4x4, turbo boost, lots of gadgets, much faster than the bigger and heavier MDX. Not for towing obviously.

Also, I know Toyota is taking a beating right now for their recalls, but the Rav4 6-CYLINDER is another one with both muscle and reliability. Got top grades in a recent Car and Driver mini-ute comparo. Both of the above will get you a 6.4-second 0-to-60 sprint which is equivalent to the current X5 4.8i. And I hear that Toyota dealers are ready and willing to give large and substantial discounts right now. Anyway, Ford's STELLAR safety record has buried a lot more Americans over the decades than Toyota could ever aspire to. Everything from exploding gas tanks to Explorer rollovers. Yet they're still doing just fine.