New owner

Bdc101 · #1 09-19-2016, 10:44 PM

Hi all,

I picked up my new to me E53 about three weeks ago. It's also my first German car.

This one that I found is a one-owner, 94k-mile 2003 model with the inline six and the 5-speed manual. I was excited to find one with four wheel coil springs. From what I've learned they are very rare and I won't ever have to worry about air springs failing. It also has an OE hitch installed, but the wiring harness is aftermarket and I am going to have to spend some time on it, as the trailer module is available but the wiring harness has been discontinued, unfortunately. That will be my first project as this will be used to tow a camping trailer.

I found the original window sticker and this car cost $44,995 new in Dec 2002. It had the premium package, power lumbar, and xenons. I got a lifetime of receipts from the dealership where it was maintained as well. Which is somewhat unsettling. I might have been more comfortable not knowing how much this car cost to drive over the first 94,000 miles.

So far I'm really impressed with how fun it is to drive. I really wasn't expecting it to be this fun. It doesn't feel truckish at all, and it's faster than any 4500lb vehicle with 225 h-pees should feel. The short gears should make towing a breeze too, though I still haven't taken the trailer for a spin. My mileage over two tanks is right around 21, which is excellent for this sort of vehicle.

I'm a bit of a cheapskate which is part of why I've avoided BMWs in the past, but I'm excited about this experiment -- I think I can drive this car for a reasonable cost, but I'll be keeping track of the hassle of ownership and how much trouble this is beyond just the dollars I have to spend. I can see it going either way based on some reports, but I'm gonna give it my best shot, mostly because it's so fun and so nice! I was so happy to find an SUV that is fun to drive, gets decent mileage, and has a manual transmission. I also have been doing a lot of reading and appreciate how many write-ups there are for common problems and maintenance jobs. This forum seems to have a lot of great users and resources and that definitely factored into my decision to go for it.

Ben

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lo_jack · #2 09-19-2016, 10:57 PM

The transmission makes the difference with a 3.0. Not nearly as much fun with an auto....especially a Gen 1 auto which had a tendency to blow up.

The secret is the dif gearing. 4.10s make it get up and go, but even with 5 speeds it pushes 3 grand on the highway and you will wish they had realized 6 speeds were better sooner.

They are good cars. Not technically German per se...built in Spartanburg in South Carolina.

Welcome to the board.

upallnight · #3 09-20-2016, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bdc101

Hi all,

I picked up my new to me E53 about three weeks ago. It's also my first German car.

This one that I found is a one-owner, 94k-mile 2003 model with the inline six and the 5-speed manual. I was excited to find one with four wheel coil springs. From what I've learned they are very rare and I won't ever have to worry about air springs failing. It also has an OE hitch installed, but the wiring harness is aftermarket and I am going to have to spend some time on it, as the trailer module is available but the wiring harness has been discontinued, unfortunately. That will be my first project as this will be used to tow a camping trailer.

I found the original window sticker and this car cost $44,995 new in Dec 2002. It had the premium package, power lumbar, and xenons. I got a lifetime of receipts from the dealership where it was maintained as well. Which is somewhat unsettling. I might have been more comfortable not knowing how much this car cost to drive over the first 94,000 miles.

So far I'm really impressed with how fun it is to drive. I really wasn't expecting it to be this fun. It doesn't feel truckish at all, and it's faster than any 4500lb vehicle with 225 h-pees should feel. The short gears should make towing a breeze too, though I still haven't taken the trailer for a spin. My mileage over two tanks is right around 21, which is excellent for this sort of vehicle.

I'm a bit of a cheapskate which is part of why I've avoided BMWs in the past, but I'm excited about this experiment -- I think I can drive this car for a reasonable cost, but I'll be keeping track of the hassle of ownership and how much trouble this is beyond just the dollars I have to spend. I can see it going either way based on some reports, but I'm gonna give it my best shot, mostly because it's so fun and so nice! I was so happy to find an SUV that is fun to drive, gets decent mileage, and has a manual transmission. I also have been doing a lot of reading and appreciate how many write-ups there are for common problems and maintenance jobs. This forum seems to have a lot of great users and resources and that definitely factored into my decision to go for it.

Ben

Being a cheapskate and owning a BMW is not a match made in heaven. My advice is to avoid buying the cheapest parts for the BMW. It will only come back to bite you.

X53Jay4.8is · #4 09-20-2016, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upallnight

Being a cheapskate and owning a BMW is not a match made in heaven. My advice is to avoid buying the cheapest parts for the BMW. It will only come back to bite you.

Very sound advice

tmv · #5 09-20-2016, 09:54 AM

Congrats. It reminds me of the first bimmer I have too, except mine was an AT.
I thought all MT E53 comes with sport pkg, maybe it's just for E39. The amber signal and side marker indicates no sport pkg on your E53.

As advised, do not put the cheapest parts on your bimmer. They won't last.

Ricky Bobby · #6 09-20-2016, 10:01 AM

^Yes I've seen non Sport Pkg E53's with 4 spoke steering wheel often, Sport Package was still an option -

Welcome to the MT club - its one of the most fun BMW's to drive, yes its not fast in the least but considering its a 2.5 ton truck you actually feel like the M54 is sufficient with hp to get around

Looking good on the Topaz, mine has 5k miles less than yours -

Good to hear the previous owner maintained it well, buy good, genuine or OEM parts, and keep on top of maintenance - for me the first year was about 2k worth of "catching up" on neglected items from the PO, but since then I've had about 2 years of virtually nothing, until my alternator took a dump this year -

Its a ton of BMW value for the money, you probably can get it for under 5k but the asking price is based on the one owner, maintenance records, and the lower-ish mileage considering the age.

You may pay a few bucks more than some other examples but yours seems to be well sorted.

upallnight · #7 09-20-2016, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmv

Congrats. It reminds me of the first bimmer I have too, except mine was an AT.
I thought all MT E53 comes with sport pkg, maybe it's just for E39. The amber signal and side marker indicates no sport pkg on your E53.

As advised, do not put the cheapest parts on your bimmer. They won't last.

The 17" wheels and the 4 spokes wheel is a dead giveaway that it's a non sport MT X5. This is what would be considered as the "Low Budget" X5 when the Original Owner purchased the X5.

O3X5 · #8 09-20-2016, 11:33 AM

you can be cheap but not on parts that you know for fact should be OEM (mechanical/suspension) but like lights or panels/trims, it's a waste to get them oem.

just my opinion

Bdc101 · #9 09-20-2016, 02:45 PM

Thanks all. Dont worry, I'm a stickler for OEM parts. I've only purchased non-oem parts a couple of times in my life. I've wrenched long enough to know to stay away from OEM replacement garbage. I just meant that my cheapness has kept me in Japanese cars for my life up until now. So this will be an experiment of sorts to see if the cost of ownership and reliability will end up outweighing the fun of driving.

Yes, this one has no sport package. I test drove one just like this with the sport package, but it had twice the miles and cost more. I got a great deal on this one, probably well under market value. I wouldn't argue with the sport package, but this one drives great for an SUV and it's not like I'm gonna put sticky tires on it anyways. It's a tow car slash family hauler and I'm convinced it's the most fun possible that can also do both of those things.

I'll try to upload the window sticker later. And the maintenance log from the PO if anyone is interested in seeing such a thing.

Anhelenuk · #10 09-20-2016, 04:06 PM

I have a feeling that this will be a love hate relationship just like mine. You love it when it's operational and absolutely hate it when it breaks. If you can't wrench yourself I'd never buy an out of warranty BMW. On a positive side it does drive great on the interstate when everything sorted encouraging fast driving.

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