Looking to buy a X5 but needs some work

[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.