I really enjoy working on my E46 and E31 as well, but not every weekend haha and I fully agree with preventative maintenance and NOT letting anything slide once it HAS broken or starts too. I am anal on how maintained my cars are and will be over this X5 too
As I said, my E46 has been flawless from day 1 that I bought her used.
the E31 has been a nightmare, and probably spent $20,000 in upgrades/maintenance.
I'm just hoping to avoid having to do that with the E53, so knowing its history is worth its weight in gold.
I am thinking the best bet will to be buying the '04 4.4i since the owner has allll service records and said its been a flawless vehicle for him, to date.
it just came off warranty 1 year ago and has not had a single issue (to date).
I will admit though, I LOVE the look/sound of the 4.6is.
tough decision. old technology and hot looks or new technology but more subtle looks