Sell my X5 or drive it into the ground?

[CharlieHustleX5]

Originally Posted by babyduke

2005 X5 3.0i sport 120K miles

I normally don't keep my cars for too long but something about my X5, I am not getting tired of it and want to keep it forever. FYI, I bought it new and it drove beautifully for about 7 years. Maintenance's done regularly and it's kept in the garage so still looks glossy. But in the last 3 years or so, mechanical problems started to appear.

- Had to get hoses, fittings, pcv replaced after serious oil leak during arctic winter

- Another minor oil leak, gasket replaced

- Coolant sensor and thermostat replaced

- Rear door carrier replaced

- Wear and tear items like CV boots, window regulator, wheel camber, etc... all corrected

What other costly problems may be knocking at my door soon? What to do prevent costly repairs? Many people have been telling me it's time to sell it while it still have some trade in value. Because of it, I'm kind of afraid to take it for a long trip.

What to do? Chicago winter scares me and this car isn't quite built to battle it IMHO.

Your list of problems aren't really anything extreme IMO. I replaced my first set of CV boots @ 75k miles and I live in Southern California. Most of my rear suspension arms were replaced just after 100k. Door handle ate it @ 104k. Expansion tank/Cooling Hoses/Water Pump done at 68k when the expansion tank cracked on me. I have about 182k now and its still moving along.

I'm not sure how great the trade in value would be on an e53. At this point, you could probably fetch 7k at most simply because its outdated in terms of technology and not the best on fuel. Nothing is made to last forever, so if you decide to keep your e53, repairs that aren't so typical should be expected. The suspension will probably need a complete makeover soon if it already hasn't been done. Transmission should have been serviced by now. Oil pan gasket will more than likely need replacement and its not exactly cheap regardless where you choose to have the work done.

It comes down to how much you like your car. If you're really worried about reliability, trade it in and get something newer. The only reasons I still own my e53 is because I do the work on it myself and I still enjoy the car. If I didn't service the car myself, I would've let it go a couple years ago.