Looking to purchase a used '04 a couple of Qs

[sfx3]

Hello. New to the forum. I am in the process of purchasing a used '04 X3. I know that most of you would recommend an '05 or later but the price on this '04 2.5 with 35k miles, nav and panaromic roof is too good to ignore at $22k. I have test drove the car and my only complaints are the rattles produced on all 4 doors. Quiet loud and quite annoying. From reading this forum I know that this is a known problem with possible known solutions from the service dept. My questions are to the people who had this issue: what are the chances that the door/window rattles will be completely resolved? If not completely resolved, was the fix(s) satisfactory? I guess my last question is if there's anything else I should be aware of or looking out for when trest driving an '04? Thanks for any input.

[xnsf]

:xoutpost:

another san franciscan

since this car is at 35,000 miles, the warranty must still exist, and things like this are covered under it. 04 was the first year of the X3, so there probably are problems, but you can find all that out with the search feature in this forum.

[martz]

Originally Posted by sfx3

Hello. New to the forum. I am in the process of purchasing a used '04 X3.

Is it a 2.5 or 3.0 engine?

[stangmatt66]

Originally Posted by martz

Is it a 2.5 or 3.0 engine?

He already stated it's a 2.5.

Originally Posted by sfx3

...but the price on this '04 2.5 with 35k miles, nav and panaromic roof...

SFX3, Personally, I wouldn't buy a 2.5. There are many people on these forums who feel the 2.5 is perfectly adequete, but the X3 is a heavy 2-ton SAV. 184hp isn't enough power to have any fun with. I would try to look for a 3.0, there can't be too big of a price difference.

[martz]

Originally Posted by stangmatt66

He already stated it's a 2.5.

oops sorry..... Why did they discontinued the the x3 2.5? ...UNDERPOWERED?...I could very well be wrong.

[blondboinsd]

The 2.5i is VERY underpowered in my opinion and the 2004 did have alot of rattle issues (note the large amount of 2005 my changes they have made) If this is the ONLY BMW in your price range, get it, it's better then nothing, but I would consider the fact they have had a heavily subsidized lease and frequent dealer cash so you should be able to get more for your money

[martz]

SFX3, Personally, I wouldn't buy a 2.5. There are many people on these forums who feel the 2.5 is perfectly adequete, but the X3 is a heavy 2-ton SAV. 184hp isn't enough power to have any fun with. I would try to look for a 3.0, there can't be too big of a price difference.[/quote]


Unless of course he can steal it for under $20 K.... out the door.

[blondboinsd]

Originally Posted by martz

oops sorry..... Why did they discontinued the the x3 2.5? ...UNDERPOWERED?...I could very well be wrong.

They just discountined it in the US, it's still offered everywhere else

[B&DCalgary]

Originally Posted by martz

oops sorry..... Why did they discontinued the the x3 2.5? ...UNDERPOWERED?...I could very well be wrong.

They didn't discontinue it, they merely stopped selling it in the U.S. market because Americans like their engines as big as possible (and have the cheapest gas prices in the world - the two go hand in hand). The 2.5 sits in the middle of their range of available engines in most other markets. The U.S. gets only one of the eight or so possible X3 configurations offered elsewhere.

Is it underpowered? Not in my opinion, but if you like to drag race everyone off the line at every light then you'd probably prefer the bigger engine. The 2.5 will easily cruise at 100 mph and climb hills without the need to shift down in most cases. The 3.0 will be easier to resell in the future

[sfx3]

Thanks for the quick replies and the warm welcomes.
I would most def. purchase an '05 if I could find one for less than $25k but no luck so far for a couple of months. Dealers are asking too much and its rather difficult to find private sellers through newspapers, craigslist, and through any other online sites.
Im fine with the 2.5. Im not looking to beat anyone off a stop light nor planning on carrying too much weight in the car. Besides, the difference in insurance for the 3.0 is ample reason to go with the 2.5 at this time.
Although, the car in question comes with the bmw warranty and has a clean carfax report, Im planning on getting the car nspected by BMW prior to purchase. Therefore, Im not too worried about things being broken but rather possible specifics on the '04 that would possibly not be resolved through BMW.
Will keep posting and asking lots of questions.