Should I buy an older X5? Answer NO

[semcoinc]

Several times in the past few years I have pulled about 4,000# of trailer and load on 1200 mile trips without issue.

IMHO, the keys to reliability are:

Don't buy a trashed out, beat on vehicle with mega miles on it that has been neglected in parts maintenance/replacement. Stuff wears out! I bought my X5 at about 78K miles and I believe that is the sweet spot of mileage to buy a used vehicle of almost any brand. If you're buying a 200K mile X5 that has not had good care, you're just asking for reliability issues right off the bat.

Replace components BEFORE they leave you stranded (bottom end of engine and other major engine parts notwithstanding). How much does a 110K mile ball joint owe you? How much does a 110K mile fuel pump owe you? How much do 110K mile heater solenoid valves owe you?

If I'm replacing something and I have to touch/remove other high mileage things to get at the item I am replacing, I simply replace the other aging pieces.

I don't necessarily buy all or many OE parts, and that is my personal choice on how I manage my maintenance costs and I have been satisfied with my choices.

Yes, achieving high reliability of older high mileage vehicles costs money, but in my view, far less than the $30K or so that a newer vehicle would cost me.



Mike

[crystalworks]

^ All of that. So many complain about reliability on these (or any BMW) after buying a 100,000 mile neglected unit for $3500 that they don't want to put money into but it needs a cooling system refresh, battery, and front suspension.

Fine by me though, keeps the value of decent used ones down. Good examples like those owned/maintained on this forum usually fetch a premium.

Originally Posted by Crowz

Everyones doing great ! ...

Ive got to call the eye doctor monday to find out if I should use the special antibiotic eye drops they want me to take starting 3 days before the surgery after having this reaction to the other antibiotic.


Fun fun

Good to see you check in Crowz. Glad the family is doing well and best wishes for the eye surgery.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by semcoinc

Several times in the past few years I have pulled about 4,000# of trailer and load on 1200 mile trips without issue.

IMHO, the keys to reliability are:

Don't buy a trashed out, beat on vehicle with mega miles on it that has been neglected in parts maintenance/replacement. Stuff wears out! I bought my X5 at about 78K miles and I believe that is the sweet spot of mileage to buy a used vehicle of almost any brand. If you're buying a 200K mile X5 that has not had good care, you're just asking for reliability issues right off the bat.

Replace components BEFORE they leave you stranded (bottom end of engine and other major engine parts notwithstanding). How much does a 110K mile ball joint owe you? How much does a 110K mile fuel pump owe you? How much do 110K mile heater solenoid valves owe you?


If I'm replacing something and I have to touch/remove other high mileage things to get at the item I am replacing, I simply replace the other aging pieces.

I don't necessarily buy all or many OE parts, and that is my personal choice on how I manage my maintenance costs and I have been satisfied with my choices.

Yes, achieving high reliability of older high mileage vehicles costs money, but in my view, far less than the $30K or so that a newer vehicle would cost me.



Mike

[alberniken]

HI all


After 8 months of being rode hard and put away wet, my 2001 X5 3.0 is still running strong and reliable.


My regular commute is 200km, 160 of which is active logging road.


I switch between vehicles, but my X5 has had the last 20,000km put on it doing this commute.


I have also owned and used on this commute a 2006 Acura MDX and 2 different 2000/2001 RX300, giving me a like-for-like comparison.


While the RX300 and the MDX rode softer (RX300 has nicest ride), both suffered more mechanical failures than the X5 despite being similar overall mileage and actually less Km's driven on this commute.


MDX cracked a lower control arm; fortunately caught before catastrophic failure


1 of RX300 suffered the infamous torque-converter failure that make even a very good condition car a write-off.


The X5 was purchased knowing it needed rear sub-frame bushings and ball joints & tie-rod ends. The only non-wear or routine items I have had to replace was driver door handle (easy job compared to many others I have done) HVAC Fan controller; easy once you know where it is, and Cam position sensor. None of these would have left me stranded and as a matter of fact, 2 months back, my wife used the X5 for a 2000+km road trip to northern BC. No glitches, no worries.


She has her own 99 RX300 which she was scared to take for trips due to stalling problem dealers and independents have NOT been able to diagnose.


So, speaking for my own experience...X5 has been a better vehicle for us than the "Scotty Approved" Lexus and Honda/Acura....


just my $0.02
K
BTW X5 currently at 249,000km/almost 155,000mi
Also BTW I am into the X5 for about $3,000USD TOTAL, including purchase, new tires, and repairs

[absolutezero273c]

Originally Posted by semcoinc

Several times in the past few years I have pulled about 4,000# of trailer and load on 1200 mile trips without issue.

IMHO, the keys to reliability are:

Don't buy a trashed out, beat on vehicle with mega miles on it that has been neglected in parts maintenance/replacement. Stuff wears out! I bought my X5 at about 78K miles and I believe that is the sweet spot of mileage to buy a used vehicle of almost any brand. If you're buying a 200K mile X5 that has not had good care, you're just asking for reliability issues right off the bat.

Replace components BEFORE they leave you stranded (bottom end of engine and other major engine parts notwithstanding). How much does a 110K mile ball joint owe you? How much does a 110K mile fuel pump owe you? How much do 110K mile heater solenoid valves owe you?

If I'm replacing something and I have to touch/remove other high mileage things to get at the item I am replacing, I simply replace the other aging pieces.

I don't necessarily buy all or many OE parts, and that is my personal choice on how I manage my maintenance costs and I have been satisfied with my choices.

Yes, achieving high reliability of older high mileage vehicles costs money, but in my view, far less than the $30K or so that a newer vehicle would cost me.



Mike

I agree as well. Buying older vehicles such as these it is wise to find the best specimen and stay on top of the preventative maintenance. As others have said, if I don't have a receipt for something such as a fuel pump from the PO, I will budget to replace it before it fails on me, as an example.


My 2001 Excursion, that I've owned for 15 years, has 241K miles and I'll be damned if I'm going to let that break down while on vacation. This spring I just replaced the power steering pump, alternator and A/C compressor among other things just so that won't happen. Some people look at me like I'm crazy for trusting an almost 20 year old vehicle to drive all over the country towing a camper. But if you research your vehicle's weak points and stay on top of it, as others on this forum do, you can have piece of mind.


My 01 750iL and 05 X5 4.8iS have 107K and 118K miles respectively. Relatively low compared to my Excursion, but I still find myself approaching those with the same level of care.

[thstone]

I just bought my 3rd e53. Its a 2003 3.0 with 137,000 miles (previous were 2001 and 2003 3.0's). I am a pretty decent DIY'er with a dedicated workshop and a four-post lift at my house.

This X5 belonged to a friend and I replaced all of the worn suspension about a year ago. It rides like a brand new e53 and he took outstanding care of it so its in good shape mechanically.

I intend to turn it into an Overland-style trail explorer and use it for towing. I plan to start a new thread for the build, trip summaries, and lessons learned (mostly the hard way!).

[alberniken]

Originally Posted by thstone

I just bought my 3rd e53. Its a 2003 3.0 with 137,000 miles (previous were 2001 and 2003 3.0's). I am a pretty decent DIY'er with a dedicated workshop and a four-post lift at my house.

This X5 belonged to a friend and I replaced all of the worn suspension about a year ago. It rides like a brand new e53 and he took outstanding care of it so its in good shape mechanically.

I intend to turn it into an Overland-style trail explorer and use it for towing. I plan to start a new thread for the build, trip summaries, and lessons learned (mostly the hard way!).

I was wanting to do same; not hard-core obviously, but good bush bar front end with tow hooks, external tire carrier on back, bit of a lift, safari rack maybe. Definitely need a snorkel to get cleaner air and save on filters

I daily commute on active gravel logging roads and in winter need to ford the occasional washout and pull fallen tree off of road.


Cheers
K

[crystalworks]

I thought this was pretty cool. Overlander X5

Sold on Cars and Bids for $12700.

[Overboost]

Crickey! $12.5K for a 2002 M54 with 183,000 miles???

I guess I know what to do when its time to sell mine! Anybody got a spare 1.5" Fluid Motor Union lift kit laying around?

[alberniken]

Originally Posted by Overboost

Crickey! $12.5K for a 2002 M54 with 183,000 miles???

I guess I know what to do when its time to sell mine! Anybody got a spare 1.5" Fluid Motor Union lift kit laying around?

Yes, very pricey, although here in Canukistan, I have seen folks asking $8k (CDN) for stock X5 just because manual transmission.


For what the auction pulled, I could get a Turbo Cayenne with low mileage. For much less, I could get a 4.8is.....


K