Soon to be a New E53 Owner

[bmrboi2]

Hi Guys,

I am a long time BMW Owner and current owner of an E70 X5 that was totalled the other day. I'm still crying about it. I decided rather then running off to BMW and buying a brand new one....I'd take a step back and look at the first X5 that I fell in love with. (My Husband was doing cartwheels when I told him that) I found a manual 2003 some 300 miles away from me and called the dealership and put a deposit on it before even seeing it. Ill hopefully be able to take the trip out there after Christmas.

The truck is nicely equipped 2 owner and dealership serviced, sport pack, damper suspension, hi-fi audio, navi, rear climate and most importantly a manual transmission. I know the typical BMW things to look for, valve cover, oil pan, oil cooler etc. I can handle most of the stuff myself but I am just curious if there is anything in particular that I need to look for. I have spent hours on this thread. I just don't want to hit any surprises.

I know the truck is 13 years old so it wont be perfect. It'll be a fun project for me but I don't want to hear the typical used car lecture that I always get whenever something outside of normal maintenance happens to a car that I buy. My husband never owned a BMW outside of factory warranty and is awful with the mechanical side of things...he just has me fix it or trades it in.

Thanks in advance. I have a feeling Ill be using this forum a lot more than with my E70 but look forward to getting into a less techy BMW and a more driver oriented car again.