Looking at buying a X5....Need the experts opinions

[baoconnor]

I've been lurking on this forum for a few weeks now and am seriously considering an X5 purchase. I want a 4.4 motor. The 3.0 will probably be underpowered (IMO) and the 4.8 would be sweet to have, but I'm afraid it would kill me in maintenance costs. I also want to get an 06. At this point hopefully the majority of issues have been worked out and this should be the most reliable year.

So, here's one I found that I'm interested in:
2006 4.4 sport & premium package with 31K miles no nav asking $27,900 (clean title)
Trade in value is $26,525 in excellent cond and $25,225 in good cond

This is not at a $tealership, but a 3rd party lot, so it's not a CPO. It's an off lease vehicle and would still be under warranty for the next year or so. Unfortunately it's out of town and all I have to go off of is pictures right now and it appears to be in great condition.

Just to give you a little history of my auto experience, I've never owned a BMW before so some of the reliability issues concern me. Of course those that have had problems are always the most vocal and you rarely hear from those without problems so who knows what to make of that. I've always owned Honda/Toyota/Acura/Lexus and have been extremely satisfied with their reliability but of course gave up a true driving experience. My last 3 autos have been a Lexus ES300, Lexus IS300 and a Lexus LX470. I'm used to the more expensive luxury car maintenance costs, but I've found that if you can find a good mechanics shop you can make maintenance more affordable.

So, what do you think of the price of the x5 I'm looking at assuming it's in good shape?
Anything I sould look at in particular when inspecting it prior to purchase?
Do BMW dealerships have access to maintenance records to ALL BMW $tealerships or just their own?

For anyone in Omaha/Lincoln, NE, any thoughts on Markel BMW or BMW of Lincoln from a service perspective? How about the Sports Car garage in downtown Omaha?

I will say this forum is outstanding and I keep finding more and more information that I could use in x5 ownership.

Thanks for the advice in advance!

Brian