Need some advice from the E53 owners...

[Kam850]

Hi all,

Im all over the place with keeping my E53 3.0. I owned about 12+ BMWs at this point, so owning BMWs isnt anything new to me.

My question is more related to "what makes sense to do?" not really related to anything to do with money.

I got the X5 for pretty cheap, I dumped a bunch of money into it (maybe around 10k with the purchase of the car) and its pretty much bulletproofed, everything has been taken care of on it (mechanically). It only has 73.5k miles. The car is in really nice shape. Its pretty loaded. That being said from a reliability/cost/practically the X5 is worth keeping.

On the flip side iv been itching for a station wagon or for a coupe since I do not need a SUV anymore. While under 100k miles, I think that's a another factor to try to at least recoup more of my money that I have in this car.

I dont have any real issues with the X5. If I had to pick one, it would be fuel economy. I get around 17.5-18 MPG feathering the gas pedal around the city/highway (about a 50/50 split). I know its a brick on wheels. Iv yet to do a fuel filter on it and I was going to add some injector cleaner to possibly "help". And my "fun car" gets about 15-16 on a good day. I towed U-haul motorcycle trailer with it, and it was a unique experience. I felt every jerk of the trailer in my seat lol. I never towed a car with it, although I had that on my mind. I figured It would be able to tow a car, not like the V8, but it would do the job.

Iv only did a few upgrades like better bulbs outside and inside the car, and I installed a complete OEM hitch assembly. The mod bug is itching bad still.

Future mods id like to do is a M-sport interior (seats, steering wheel, headliner (mine started to sag) etc), nicer wheels, maybe the msport appearance package and a better headunit.

So what do you guys think? Keep it? Sell it while its "in its prime"? I dont really have a car picked out to replace the X5, so im in no rush. Hence I figured maybe some X5 veterans could sway me in either direction.

Here are some noteworthy features of my X5:
-black interior/grey exterior (i forget the paint code/color)
-74.5k miles currently
-OEM Nav, non-DSP.
-full moon roof
-window shades (I guess all X5s have that?)
-Xenon headlights with washers
-Everything works on the interior, no major wear and tear, no dead pixels anywhere.


P.S. - Been trying to find new head unit. Iv been told to go AVIN AVANT 4 or Xtrons or Dynavin. But I hear mixed things about each. Not a huge fan that these are like $500-$800 range. But I get it, good ol can-bus system. Mainly looking for apple car play and being able to charge my phone through the unit as well (if im doing wired car play). I got spoiled with apple car play before I got the X5. I installed a Alpine unit in my Subaru, and that was the best $400 iv spent for that car. Looking forward to any advice on this. I am doing my own research as well, looking on the forum.

[stiubhartach]

Your X5 isn’t worth very much money if you sell it. But you’ve taken care of it and worked out all the issues so it’s reliable and you have knowledge of its history. It doesn’t make financial sense to get rid of a reliable high performing car, especially with the wretched state of the supply chain and the crap cars coming off assembly lines right now.

If you’re itching for something new, just park it and see how the new car works out. If after a few months you find yourself over the X5 then you can sell it to some worthy person. Or you might decide you want to keep both. I own several cars.

[Kam850]

Originally Posted by stiubhartach

Your X5 isn’t worth very much money if you sell it. But you’ve taken care of it and worked out all the issues so it’s reliable and you have knowledge of its history. It doesn’t make financial sense to get rid of a reliable high performing car, especially with the wretched state of the supply chain and the crap cars coming off assembly lines right now.

If you’re itching for something new, just park it and see how the new car works out. If after a few months you find yourself over the X5 then you can sell it to some worthy person. Or you might decide you want to keep both. I own several cars.

Good advice and well explained. That was sort of what I was trying to convey. Even with what's for sale on CL or FB Marketplace, its hard to find anything worth the $$$. Especially BMWs.

The E53 isnt a hot vehicle either. Although I feel like its a little underrated. For a SUV this thing is nice.

[Effduration]

I see from another post of yours, that you have an '06 X5 3.0 w/76k miles and you have owned this since April 2021.

Give your descriptions, I don't think you typically own a car, any car, very long.
If that's true, you should probably sell this one and move on.

BTW, It wasn't clear to me which car you were towing with where "you felt every jerk of the trailer". But whatever it was, check the size of your tow ball and the size of the trailer coupler. What you describe sounds like towing a 2-inch trailer coupler with a 1 7/8" ball on your trailer hitch.

[Kam850]

Originally Posted by Effduration

I see from another post of yours, that you have an '06 X5 3.0 w/76k miles and you have owned this since April 21.

Give your descriptions, I don't think you typically own a car, any car, very long.
If that's true, you should probably sell this one and move on.

BTW, It wasn't clear to me which car you were towing with where "you felt every jerk of the trailer". But whatever it was, check the size of your tow ball and the size of the trailer coupler. What you describe sounds towing a 2-inch trailer coupler with a 1 7/8" ball on your trailer hitch.

I usually own a car somewhere between 2.5-4 years. There was years where I owned a car for a year or so only because either a family member or a friend needed a car that's "Good to go" so I sold it to them or I found something for a good deal. I had a 2014 435i Coupe that I bought in 2017 and sold it mid 2020. I told myself I would keep that car for 5-6 years, loved it. But the pandemic happened and I sold it so I can have more $$$ in my emergency fund, just in case. Glad I did because I lost my job due the pandemic and it took a while to find another job. I drove my 850i as my daily driver and when winter hit, I bought a cheap Subaru, which my dad ended up liking and he bought from me which is how I ended up with my X5.

About the towing, It was towing with the X5. Every bump felt like a jerk, which now that you mention it could be the issue with the ball and coupler. My brother used his own ball/receiver, not sure what size it was. We just towed an empty uhaul trailer, there was no weight on it.

I'm starting to like the idea of just keeping the X5, and maybe buy something in between and make my decision then. On average I only put around 10,000 - 12,000 miles a year on a daily driver. Plus I noticed a pattern where if I have NO practical car, I end up needing one...and once I do get a practical car....I end up doing very little "practical" things with it.

[Henn28]

Sounds like a nice X5, that you’ve already put a chunk of money into so what’s the harm in keeping it for a while. At least through the winter where you’ll want something like it for your weather, and then evaluate in the spring or summer. Mine was my wife’s daily driver from 2002 until 2015, and then my kids thrashed it for five years. I repatriated it during the pandemic as I needed a project so I wouldn’t go nuts not working much. By far my favorite car I’ve owned now. It has taken a pile of money to get there though, and like any older sophisticated car, it’s a beggar - always wants something. And that stuff is on top of the mods I still have on my list. Sounds like you are no stranger to keeping up middle and older age cars though.

I’m not sure what the 3.0 gets normally, but I’d kill for that MPG! If it’s on the low side though you could do the 02 sensors. I’ve read here that they can affect MPG as they fail/age. I think you will need to reset the adaptations after replacing them.

No DSP makes it much easier to replace the head unit. I put a Kenwood into mine that I’ve been pretty happy with, and just added a 10” kicker powered sub to the right rear cubbie. The angle of the dash makes me wish the kenwood was a bit brighter, and I wasn’t smart enough to go to the next model up to get HD radio, but it’s light years ahead of the stock system. I’m going to fab an MDF surround for it and learn how to cover it in matching burl veneer.

Have you checked the front drive shaft transfer case splines? If not I’d recommend doing so if you hang onto the car. Depending on your AWD model it can be an absolute showstopper if they fail. In some molds the AC drain line(s) drip onto the splines and corrode them, and/or cars that live in places with bad winter, salted roads, etc. might have problems. Mine were were showing plenty of wear though and my car has only ever been down south and in California, and my AC lines were offset from the t case from the factory. At some point BMW used a longer shaft, and moved the AC drain lines a bit so they wouldn’t drip on the drive shaft end. You may have the OE longer shaft already though, or adding longer splines isn’t a tough job.

[nick325xit 5spd]

Originally Posted by Kam850

About the towing, It was towing with the X5. Every bump felt like a jerk, which now that you mention it could be the issue with the ball and coupler. My brother used his own ball/receiver, not sure what size it was. We just towed an empty uhaul trailer, there was no weight on it.

Empty trailers frequently feel absolutely awful.

FWIW, I was very pleasantly surprised by the X5's towing when I had to relocate my race car. The 3.0 6MT pulled not quite 5,000lbs. very nicely. No, it wasn't as good a tow vehicle as my diesel 3/4 ton, but it was very stable and could comfortably maintain speed in 6th gear on level road.

[bcredliner]

Rear shades were an option. There are several options for units with apple play. I have a Sicane unit. Unfortunately it was one generation before apple play. I think the Avin and Dynavin units are more popular. There are several threads about installation here that might help, I have DSP so install wasn't much fun. IMO Quicksilver is the resident go to for which unit to buy.

When towing an empty trailer it helps if you add some weight to front of trailer to get some tongue weight and reduce amount of trailer bounce. The trailer is also less likely to start whipping around.

I agree with those suggesting you keep your X5 for the time being. I subscribe to the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. If you already had something that you go to sleep thinking about I probably would move forward, however, still keeping the X5 protects you from buyers remorse and you will find out which one sits and which one you drive. You are almost done with what you want to do to the X5, it is low miles and is fine for towing.

[X5chemist]

154000 vs 74,000 miles. I would keep yours. Chicago? I would keep it just for bad weather days! Mine was going to be a temporary vehicle while doing timing chains on a GMC 3.6 Acadia. Now, the Acadia has been passed on my folks. The X5 will be wifey's daily driver. She has a heavy foot compared to mine.

Can't beat dependability! Keep it!

[Explorerlyon]

The car you know is always better than the one you don't know.