Should I buy an older X5? Answer NO

[///Monster123]

Bought my 2000 4.4i with 105k miles 14 months ago. The transmission issue was known and I gave $1500 for the X5. The following service was performed by myself in the last 14 months:

Full Transmission rebuild. Very rewarding but a full 10/10 difficulty level
Timing chains, guides, water pipe, valley gasket. Also rewarding and 10/10 difficulty level
3.0 rear coil conversion, front and rear bushing/bearing replacement. 8/10 difficulty level
Brake line repair under the driver seat and replacement on rear RUCAs. 4/10 difficulty

I consider these to be all pretty major service items. I'm about $6000 in parts and special tools. This was not exactly "MY PLAN".

It does drive, shift, stop, and handle nice now. I can finally drive the X5 now! However I still have a list of annoying little things left to fix:
previous owner aftermarket radio does not work
passenger window slow operation
sunroof rattles and squeaks in the closed position. Felt tape does not seem to fix this.
windshield and headlight washers do not work (despite replacing the pumps)
rear passenger door lock actuator
air bag light on
O2 sensor code
AC is not exactly cold
rear hatch struts
possible sunroof drain line kink
Needs new tires
fabric on A pillars is loose
recover sunroof shade
passenger door handle broken
and some hail damage and poorly sprayed paint repair.

Maybe I should have started with a cleaner X5. I thought this would be a fun and cheap project. I like the X5 but I could not recommend an E53 to someone who isn't fully committed to servicing and repairing an older BMW. This would be a terrible vehicle for the casual DIY'er who thinks they can do anything with their basic popular mechanics tool set. Good luck getting your wife on board for an E53 project. Mine is begging for a minivan now haha.

Somehow I'm hooked though. I keep perusing FB market place and CL looking for project X5's so that I can justify my special tools purchases.

[computergui]

Originally Posted by ///Monster123

Somehow I'm hooked though. I keep perusing FB market place and CL looking for project X5's so that I can justify my special tools purchases.

This..in a nutshell. I'm right there with you.

My tranny rebuild is scheduled for next spring!

[bcredliner]

Humans can easily and are inclined to find negatives about anything and are very willing to voice them. Far less can focus on the positives and don't feel it worthwhile to be in the minority in a debate such as this by speaking up. IMO making a decision from the anecdotal evidence as is the forum or the number of positive verses negatives comments is no more than guessing.

There's plenty to worry about and get angry about without owning a vehicle you expect to breakdown every time you drive it or cost you a barrel full of money every year. I will never understand why X5 owners that trash X5s still own one. Seems to me that's like hitting your thumb with a hammer because it feels so good when you quit.

Once again, my experience, purchasing my X5 new, has been great. If one is a gluten for pain and suffering purchase any vehicle that is 10+ years old or has more than 100,000 miles, without ownership history, maintenance history, or a PPI and no DIY capability.

[///Monster123]

Originally Posted by computergui

This..in a nutshell. I'm right there with you.

My tranny rebuild is scheduled for next spring!

It's not too daunting. It does take a while to do and you will have to get inventive and make some of your own tooling in order to compress all of the belleville springs. Getting the Center carrier out of the housing and then back into the housing was the worst. I had to tap it in and out the whole distance. If your F-drum is fine it would be super easy and fast to just replace the failed o-ring and bearing and then just re-shim and skip the whole rebuild. This is something I would consider if I were to repair another 5HP24.

Cool garage signature. I used to have a SR20det powered 240sx. It was the perfect car for chasing down corvettes and porsches on a circuit. Sadly, I sold it to a young man when I was downsizing my fleet. Wish I had not let that one go. Also, that SR20det was dead on reliable. Never an issue.

I've been thinking that an SR powered Z32 might be my next project.

[crystalworks]

I agree with some of that, but personally, would never buy an X5 new (I have neither the financial means to spend money on depreciation or desire to do so). I'd much rather pay $7500-10000 for a well cared for used one and budget $2000/yr to maintain it. Some years will cost nothing after the first year or so of "catch up" has been done to the truck.

Through 20+ BMW's I have yet to find something I couldn't fix or didn't want to fix because it was too much work. That doesn't mean I don't get frustrated from time to time, but that's part of enjoying a BMW for 1/10th the original purchase price. I realize not everyone has that attitude or the ability/know-how to actually do a proper PPI when purchasing a used vehicle, let alone a BMW. But the number of these still on the road indicate they are no less reliable than any other brand out there. Yes, some of the technologies dictate more complexity (and cost) in some cases. People get shell-shocked because the "BMW tax" gets implemented when they visit the independent, or worse, the dealer.

People complain, because it feels good to vent. And that's fine, but an enthusiast platform specializing in the product is probably not going to be the place you'll get much sympathy or support. People want to drive a BMW, but not pay full price, not learn how to work on them, not pay someone else to work on them. That's what confuses me. Not many times in life where you can have your cake and eat it too. BMW ownership is no different.

[computergui]

Originally Posted by ///Monster123

Cool garage signature. I used to have a SR20det powered 240sx. It was the perfect car for chasing down corvettes and porsches on a circuit. Sadly, I sold it to a young man when I was downsizing my fleet. Wish I had not let that one go. Also, that SR20det was dead on reliable. Never an issue.

I've been thinking that an SR powered Z32 might be my next project.

I think the Z32 with the SR turbo would be a perfect combination. While the roadster is a hoot to drive, that much power in a 1800lb car is a recipe for an ugly roadside grease spot

I've read the ZF manual and watched all the youtubes and ordered the tools to compress the springs. I've never cracked open a transmission, and the 5HP24 looks straight forward enough.

I got the X5 ridiculously cheap simply because I wanted something I could wrench on.

I had no idea how much wrenching that would turn out to be

[bcredliner]

Depreciation is always a hit and BMWs have high depreciation. I have been working from the same dealer for many years always get the max off of sticker price which helps some. I don't always buy new. In this case I wanted the fastest X5 offered at that time and wanted to do Dinan mods, that didn't void the warranty, as soon as it was broken in. Some of the offset of depreciation for me is the peace of mind warranty and extended warranty period. Sometimes I purchase certified vehicles that have under 30,000 miles to have the benefit of a warranty. Last year I purchased a used X5M for my wife that was out of warranty. The next vehicle will be new will be very fast off the floor with mods already in the aftermarket to decrease the 0-60 time at least 2 tenths.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Depreciation is always a hit and BMWs have high depreciation. I have been working from the same dealer for many years always get the max off of sticker price which helps some. I don't always buy new. In this case I wanted the fastest X5 offered at that time and wanted to do Dinan mods, that didn't void the warranty, as soon as it was broken in. Some of the offset of depreciation for me is the peace of mind warranty and extended warranty period. Sometimes I purchase certified vehicles that have under 30,000 miles to have the benefit of a warranty. Last year I purchased a used X5M for my wife that was out of warranty. The next vehicle will be new will be very fast off the floor with mods already in the aftermarket to decrease the 0-60 time at least 2 tenths.

Yes, I didn't mean to make it sound as if buying new is a "wrong" way to acquire a BMW. It's one of the best in terms of peace of mind as you say. There are just "better" ways financially if you are okay sacrificing the warranty. CPO is a good example and we all have our ways of purchasing that suit our taste/needs/situation. My wife and I tend to buy at the bottom of the depreciation curve (my e53 was the one exception to this), put money into the vehicle, and sell after it has become an "enthusiast" vehicle that can command a premium in a niche market. See the e30 tax (owned 4 of those). We rarely make money, but we even more rarely lose money on a car when we decide to sell. If we ever decided to sell the e53, barring some ridiculous upward swing in their desirability/value, we will lose money on it. The 4.8 was definitely a purchase of the heart and not the head.

Now, that does mean I sacrifice a fair amount of time to wrenching (at least a weekend a month)... but I don't mind that much, and married a car chick, so she doesn't mind either. Will be a good skill to instill in the children as well when they get a little older.

[Tonyfeb14]

I am an engineer and DIY, so not afraid to take on the repairs on my 2003 4.4 X5, but I have to agree with the original poster, these cars are higher maintenance than other cars I have owned, and I have a Jeep Wangler with 280,000 miles. Granted, the complexity of a lawnmower compared to the X5.

Now, you can also argue what do you expect of a 17 year old vehicle that has reached 140,000 miles. Well, my list of fixes is pretty long, and there is always something else failing. I think they are stylish, comfortable, great driving vehicles, but you need to be DIY, else you will spend a small fortune and know every mechanic at the dealership by name.

My list runs like this. The BMW X5 journey started with the purchase of a very clean used X5, 44756 miles from Florida, so no rust:

49990 right CV boot replace, didn't notice when I bought it
45560 replace oil separator hoses, to fix the new oil leak
54450 power steering suction hose replace
59250 Radiator replace
60500 upper radiator hose, new water pump
65175 front and rear brakes and discs
68736 alternator replace
71863 transmission neutral switch replace
75704 rear air springs, heater hose replace
78000 front sway bar links
110000 ABS controller, rebuilt unit
126746 replace radiator, again
135860 front axles, CV joints and boots
136703 front brakes, rebuild calipers, sensor
138560 thermostat
141131 water pump again, alternator again, valley pan M62 known issue, serpentine belts, front control arm bushings
141547 replace mass air flow sensor, control arms and ball joints

Today, waiting for a new Secondary Air Pump, and trying to decide if the sluggish power steering is a power steering pump or the rack and pinion. Something to ponder...

Plus all the usual tires, battery, wheel alignments, etc.

This car can keep you busy.

[onthefence]

Pretty small list, if you ask me.
Basic suspension and cooling system stuff.
A few hoses and sensors.
Any car will need that stuff after 100k miles of driving at 17 years.