Prospective Le Mans EditionsOwner - UK

[sit]

Morning,

Thought I would post in here as UK forum is dead with no recent activity at all, assume they have all moved onto FB

Anyway I hope to become the new owner of a 2006 X5 Le Mans Edition on Thurs this week, currently running a VW Amarok pickup but downscaling my motoring spend each month and needing a UK winter hack with the ability to tow saw me stumble upon this particular car.

Always loved the E53 and think time has been very kind to it, I owned an E70 a few years back which was a great car and served us well through a couple of tough (tough for the UK I should add!) winters.

So when the Amarok sold I started my hunt for a suitable replacement, we needed a 'family' car for trips to see family as my wife runs a Fiat 500 which is cosy at best. My daughter also has a horse and although we are currently in a no transport phase due to mysterious injury, there may be a point next year that I need to tow a horse trailer. We also live quite rural and most Autumn/Winters we get hit with water/snow which can make getting in and out quite tricky. I also like something I can do a bit of work on myself, swap stuff out and generally improve and restore to OEM glory.

Scoured the market for options and couldn't find much that ticked those boxes and started to consider an E53.

I love the Le Mans Edition for its 4.8is looks, would love a 4.8is however with petrol at £1.95 a litre its simply not an option. Friend of mine used to have a Le Mans in almost this exact spec and colour scheme and I know the 3.0D of this generation is pretty bombproof and takes the miles well.

Couple of questions -

Do all X5's have the 'hole' for the tow hitch if you pop out the plastic cover? If thats the case I assume that I would need to buy the hitch itself and have the electrics sorted?

The webasto diesel heater is such an amazing invention, I had it on a couple of previous LR and it was a joy in Winter. One of my cars had the heater fitted but no 'timed climate' option or remote fob, it was just there to support the engine when it got cold. Do all X5 have the heater fitted as standard and is it just a case of having the timed climate activated on the headunit?

Here is a quick seller pic -



Keep you posted on whether it all goes to plan.

Si