Considering a 4.4i V8

[ispencer]

Just got home from looking at this 2003 X5 4.4i. It's not the car, so search continues.

Overall, it had some good things going for it. It has a new gearbox, or so the seller claims, and it ran very nice. Engine sounded good. The interior was nice, not perfect, but just some wear to the drivers seat and carpets were dirty. A good cleaning and detailing and the interior would come back to life nicely. IT didn't have any rattles in the rear hatch and was nice and quiet when driving.

Negatives were broken door handle carrier on the drivers side (he had a new part), damage to right front fender and door (he told me it had not been hit before on the phone), a nice dimple on the bonnet from slamming it down on a tool or something left sitting on the engine, and the steering didn't feel quite right. It was very hard to steer, mostly noticeable from a dead stop turning left or right, not as bad in motion. It was like it had a tight spot in it as you made a full rotation with the wheel. But what's more, it felt like maybe something in the suspension was not right either... definitely didn't drive as nice as my 3.0i. Oh yeah, It was also going to need a complete brake job and soon.

I just didn't love it. The brakes are no problem... I would most likely do that on anything I buy anyway... but the steering and suspension concern me. Not to mention the damage to the fender and door. I can buy one without any damage if I keep looking.