New to BMW. Few questions before I buy...

[rossmatt06]

As the title says I am 100% new to the BMW world. I currently drive a 03 Mustang GT and want something with alot more class as well as something more practical for daily driving. I drove a 2004 X3 and instantly fell in love with it. It's true what they say about the Ultimate Driving Experience. Now for my questions. I've been doing some research and have found horror stories about transmissions not going into reverse and coolant leaks that lead to blown engines. Is this a common problem with the X3s? Also, I am worried about the cost for repairs. Are BMWs a great deal more expensive to repair? Are the BMW dealerships in Harrisburg / State College good places to do business? Anything I should look for when buying a used X3 (used being around 40k miles)? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make an educated decision before I sell my perfectly fine daily driver for something better. Thank you in advance for any advice!

[xx3]

Alright let's get you up to speed!

BMW outsources it's auto transmissions to GM. The electricals of the transmission most often fail. The particular model BMW uses has only been used in one GM product, the Cadillac STS - which interestingly enough has several service bulletins outlining procedures to fix the transmissions. BMW has done and by the looks of it will do nothing about it. Your transmission will last approx 100,000 - 120,000 miles in most cases depending on your driving style and behavior. After that you will require either a new transmission or a rebuilt one. If you like manual's, go that route, those do not break. However I can totally understand you not wanting to go that route in an SAV (I didn't want my X3 to be a manual either!).

BMW 6 cylinder engines are very reliable. No problems here. I really abused my 04' for 40,000 miles with no problems. If you are a first time BMW owner on a limited budget stay away from the V8's!

BMW's are pretty expensive to repair. Mechanical faults aren't that great but electrical ones are. However with an X3 which is based on the previous generation 3 series platform you'll have a great deal less kinks than other newer BMW platforms.

Problems I had with my 04 X3 were (also note I had second month of production):
- Squeaky doorsills.
- Rough steering.

With that being said 2004 was the first year and you'll get a much better car if you get at least an 05'. There is a large batch of 2004 cars that suffered from squeaky door seals that had to be re-oiled every once in a while. Nothing wrong with them or anything that labor or cost intensive just a huge annoyance in a $40,000 car! My 04' also suffered from some squeaky plastics around the cabin. The 05' also come with a reduced option set and improved interior materials (all interiors no longer got grey carpeting, the top of the dash was black instead of grey, chrome interior door handles).

The 04' should also still be under it's original warranty of 50,000 miles or 4 years which basically = you having to pay for nothing except for gas & tires. Also you might want to consider buying the extended warranty that pushes this warranty to 100,000 miles - however note that you can only buy the extended warranty if you are still covered under the original 4 years or 50,000 miles.

I loved my X3 and certainly did not treat it like a SUV. Come to think of it I was much harder on it than I am on my ///M roadster. The things you call pull off in that vehicle thanks to the xDrive clutch is nothing short of amazing.

If you can, please point us to a specific car you are interested in. There are some 04's that in my opinion everyone should definitively stay away from!

Edit: You should check out the article I wrote on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_X3). You can see the changes 2005 & 2006 brought...

[AzNMpower32]

I have an '04 X3 with an automatic. At this point, AT failures on this model are hard to predict because the cars themselves have not gotten enough mileage (and aren't old enough) to detect reliability. However, I believe it shares the same GM 5-speed AT as the E46 3-series. Based on what we know of BMW's automatic transmissions, they tend to go bad anywhere from 100-120k miles. Some go before, some never break, and there's no surefire way to determine when/how it'll break. Heck, even an ATF fluid change at 50k may not stop it from failing at 100k. This is not unique to the X3; all BMWs are like this. Usually when you lose Reverse, that means you're gearbox is on its way out.

If you can, look for a manual transmission X3. They are a good drive, and you won't have anything to worry about. Otherwise, look for an '05 (smoother ride, returned suspension) or one with lower miles.

The X3 itself is a very reliable vehicle. Ours has been through sweltering humidity in the summer, to -5F cold/snow in Montreal, and everywhere in between, including off road. Our vehicle does not have the window creaking except during the summer when it's very humid. It starts the first time every time, despite the fact I'm a college student and I park it outside. It's terrific fun to drive, and sized just right. I plan on driving this one to the ground; they don't make BMWs like this one anymore and I have a hunch it'll take me past 100k miles.

Oh, and the transmission on mine is one of the best aspects. Shifts are imperceptible under light throttle, and it's always in the right gear when I need to do one-lane passing. The same can't be said about my mom's '06 325i.

[rossmatt06]

xx3 and AzNMpower32,

Thank you for your great replies! I originally wanted a 2003 or newer 330 Ci but could not justify taking out another loan and selling my mustang for another rear-wheel drive car. After test driving the X3, it seemed like a better option. It had all the class I wanted and with awd I could finally get rid of my current winter vehicle (83 F250... Yeah I know). After reading your responses I think I will start looking for a 2005 X3 with a manual transmission or an automatic with low miles. I'm still a little concerned with repairs though. For 8 years i've been doing my own repairs ranging from general maintenance to full engine/transmission rebuilds. Is it possible to do minor repairs such as brake service and water pump / starter replacement? Also, is it true that some BMWs don't come with dipsticks to check oil level? Sorry again for all the questions. Your comments are greatly appreciated!

[Derek]

One thing you will notice as you dig deeper into the BMW world is that there is a HUGE amount of DIY support out there. The X3 is a little new but by the time you will need to many repairs there will be a lot people out there to help. Bimmerfest seems to have a little more active X3 forum if you are looking for another good resource. Since the X3 is based on the E46 3 series a lot of the DIY info carries over. We leased our X3 but if I was to keep it maintaining most aspects myself wouldn't bother me a bit. I have a 97 Z3 that I maintain myself and the DIY support out there is just unbelievable. We replaced all the brakes on a friends 330 a year or so ago.......... piece of cake.........

As for the missing dipstick..... That started with the 3.0si in the '07+ X3. I am not a fan of the digital guage but I'm sure it's just fine.......... I'm more irritated that my new 525 doesn't have a temp guage yet I can get nice graphic on the screen showing me the oil level, tire pressures, and every service item........ oh well........

Go for the '05+ X3 and take pleasure in maintaining a great vehicle.....

[Bora20]

Yes, you can do your own general maintenance and repairs on your BMW. I do them on my Mercedes all the time. Brakes, shifter bushing, window regulators, inner and outer front CV boots, I have done it all on my Merc. I hope to have better luck with a BMW, but none of it is rocket science, the BMW mechanics do it all day long, you should be able to as well.