Looking to buy a X5 but needs some work

[dannyzabolotny]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

I like to get a PPI, just in case I might miss something, a second opinion, little better comfort level that what I know about is all of the iceberg.

If it's cheap enough I don't bother with a PPI. I bought my 4.6 sight unseen in Seattle and had it shipped to me in Phoenix, no inspections or anything. I like to take risks, haha.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny

If it's cheap enough I don't bother with a PPI. I bought my 4.6 sight unseen in Seattle and had it shipped to me in Phoenix, no inspections or anything. I like to take risks, haha.

Yeah PPI on a $2500 X5 no need. Just let it role and begin the investment.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by X53Jay4.8is

Yeah PPI on a $2500 X5 no need. Just let it role and begin the investment.

A decent PPI will be $500.00+ or you can paid a mobile mechanic a couple of Benjamins to do a quick look at it. Just getting the X scanned at a dealer is close to $200.00 these days.

Since the OP has worked on cars and knows what he is getting into and the cost is under 2 grands, skipping the PPI is probably a good idea.

If a new owner was buying the car and didn't work on cars, buying a use BMW is probably not the smartest move.

[smokeyyank]

Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny

If it's cheap enough I don't bother with a PPI. I bought my 4.6 sight unseen in Seattle and had it shipped to me in Phoenix, no inspections or anything. I like to take risks, haha.

Is your middle name danger?! Depending on what the vehicle is most times I dont bother, not that its a bad idea. I bought and wrenched on more cars than I can count on hands and toes.

So went and took a look, suprise, suprise battery was dead. -1 yesterday and just been sitting for a few days so couldnt start it. Didnt have the jumpers with me but was able to get a good look at it. Guys had it since 09, serviced at bmw, didnt have all the service records. Guess he was driving and all of f a sudden started acting funny. Had it towed to the dealer they wanted 8500 for a new tranny, indy shop wanted 3k to fix it. Guy didnt want to fix it, so craigslist. Brakes and shocks are practically new. Interior is in overall decent shape along with the body. Couldnt check any of the creature features, but want to go back with cabels and see. Even at 1500 pretty sure i could part it out worst case

[Bmwtvboy]

It reminds me of the old "lost in space", Danger Will... these V8 beamers are problematic from the get go. As they age they have more problems than the 3.0's. That being said, I agree with finding a younger, healthier model. This also have mulitple owners. BUT, if you can pull the engine and tranny and do a rebuild, go for it. Like they say, you get what you pay for and beamers can be expensive; even for DIY.

[smokeyyank]

Originally Posted by Bmwtvboy

It reminds me of the old "lost in space", Danger Will... these V8 beamers are problematic from the get go. As they age they have more problems than the 3.0's. That being said, I agree with finding a younger, healthier model. This also have mulitple owners. BUT, if you can pull the engine and tranny and do a rebuild, go for it. Like they say, you get what you pay for and beamers can be expensive; even for DIY.

IIRC, other than the timing chain guides there isnt a major difference between the 3.0 and 4.4 for issues. I think the 3.0 is more prone to VANOS problems, but still can have tranny and cooling issues. I think a large part is knowing what problems to expect from the get go. Any car can have problems, I guess i would rather work on certain cars I know I can fix vs others. I priced out parts yesterday and for all the timing chain stuff, tune up and gasket seals for tranny was about 1,500.

[jcp240z]

I would insist on hearing it run first. But at that price a $500 PPI is a quarter of the cost. I'd rather assume I'm putting that into servicing it.

[bcredliner]

Some things to note: The price has not been determined so unless $1,500 is the walkaway price it may cost more. Lets say it is $1,500. There are plans to rebuild the transmission and do the timing guides. We all know it is very likely there will be other expenses associated with both jobs, at least the "while you have it all apart" stuff so a good share of the remaining budget will be gone. In the this area a 2003 with less miles runs from $5-6000. Smokeyyank asked for advice, seemed like a reasonable assumption that he has some level of concern he might miss something. Very little room for error. That's where I was coming from. Personally, I also put a dollar value on my time even though I really enjoy the work.

The Dallas area must be cheap. The cost of a PPI is labor cost. The range is $100 to $200 including a scan. Might get it to $250 if they have to do some troubleshooting but never heard of anyone paying $500. Based on DFW if you pay $500 it's time to find another shop.

Obviously, Smokeyyank knows what he is doing and has made the best decision for him. If I were in his position I would find an X5 that is on the road and the potential major problems check out fine even if I had to increase my all in budget another $1,500.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Some things to note: The price has not been determined so unless $1,500 is the walkaway price it may cost more. Lets say it is $1,500. There are plans to rebuild the transmission and do the timing guides. We all know it is very likely there will be other expenses associated with both jobs, at least the "while you have it all apart" stuff so a good share of the remaining budget will be gone. In the this area a 2003 with less miles runs from $5-6000. Smokeyyank asked for advice, seemed like a reasonable assumption that he has some level of concern he might miss something. Very little room for error. That's where I was coming from. Personally, I also put a dollar value on my time even though I really enjoy the work.

The Dallas area must be cheap. The cost of a PPI is labor cost. The range is $100 to $200 including a scan. Might get it to $250 if they have to do some troubleshooting but never heard of anyone paying $500. Based on DFW if you pay $500 it's time to find another shop.

Obviously, Smokeyyank knows what he is doing and has made the best decision for him. If I were in his position I would find an X5 that is on the road and the potential major problems check out fine even if I had to increase my all in budget another $1,500.

Depends on what you consider a decent PPI to be. A quick walk around and less than an hour spent on the PPI is at the low end. A test drive and lift time adds to the cost. A leak down/compression test to determine the health of an engine adds additional cost. It all depends on what you want to be inspected.

My cousin in law is selling his PORSCHE 996 with the Turbo appearance package. Most of the buyers want a PPI at their expense. He's been quoted 400 to 800 from some Indys and dealers, no one ever quoted him a 100 - 200 cost for a PPI. The most expensive one included a compression test, but not a leak down test.

Here's a video on a PPI (Post Purchase Inspection) In the video the time spent on doing the PPI was 2-3 hours plus the lift time and a test drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10tlnACEhqw

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by upallnight

Depends on what you consider a decent PPI to be. A quick walk around and less than an hour spent on the PPI is at the low end. A test drive and lift time adds to the cost. A leak down/compression test to determine the health of an engine adds additional cost. It all depends on what you want to be inspected.

My cousin in law is selling his PORSCHE 996 with the Turbo appearance package. Most of the buyers want a PPI at their expense. He's been quoted 400 to 800 from some Indys and dealers, no one ever quoted him a 100 - 200 cost for a PPI. The most expensive one included a compression test, but not a leak down test.

Here's a video on a PPI (Post Purchase Inspection) In the video the time spent on doing the PPI was 2-3 hours plus the lift time and a test drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10tlnACEhqw

I am certain you know by now I would not suggest anything other than a thorough and competent PPI and that was the basis for the DFW cost. I'm certain you can find a place that charges $500 plus for a PPI on an X5 but that doesn't have to be the case. The cost of 996 PPI isn't apples to apples.