Interested in buying a 2004 X5? Pros? Cons?

[killcrap]

Originally Posted by D ROCK

Well, there are basically only 3 models to choose from, depending on how sporty and fast you want to get and also how much money you want to spend. Although each year that goes by, prices go down for the good ol' E53. We have had ours for 2 years now and love it, but if we had to do it again, I would look for a 4.4. We chose the 3.0 for economy (my wife's car so she didn't really care about more power and speed and sport, etc) but the 4.4 actually gets similar mileage to the 3.0 with a huge bump in power. As far as everything else, interiors are identical with different cosmetic differences (wood, etc) and we don't feel like we're lacking anything in our 3.0. I love the looks of the 4.8, especially in Imola Red, but the wife thought it was too flashy, plus at the time the price jump to the 4.8 was pretty significant. I would go for a black or truffle interior as the leather is hard to keep clean with a light color. We also live in Vegas so cold weather package was unnecessary. We also do not have nav but I wished we'd gotten it to add the dvd/tv playback on it and better display for our ipod and sirius, not sure how the actual nav operation is but we use a portable Garmin anyways. Everything else is personal preference, sport package adds better steering wheel and suspension. There's a lot of E53's out there, just research exactly what you want and look, used ones seem to be taken care of pretty well by their owners. We also got ours in the Southwest region, as well as an X3 my mom bought because they're less beat up by the snow/rain/terrain of east coast. Ours had 25k miles when we bought it but looked brand new, that's one of the reasons we bought it. Good luck with your search!

lol, 3.0 for economy? the 4.4 gets better gas milage than the 3.0. And the only difference maintance wise is 2 spark plugs, 1.5 quarts of oil. The 3.0 also has more engine problems than the 4.4, IMO, there should only be a 3.0d, 4.4i, 4.6is, and a 4.8is avaiable

[sprocket1200]

killcrap, u got a 4.4? ever worked on the 3.0/2.5 engines?

sure 2 spark plugs and abit more oil, but getting to them is more difficult. 4.4 is easy DIY, but 3.0 is DIY while sleeping easy. open the hood sometime, the first thing that almost bites you is the oil filter. and those sparkplugs? one cover, all in a row. damn, could have changed them already in the same time as writing this...

you can't do those things on a 4.4 that fast. heck, you wouldn't even have the 4.4 on jackstands yet...

as for engine issues, the 4.4 has been rated relatively poor (consumers reports, etc) in the earlier years. the 3.0?? engine of the year, again and again and again...

you are correct with mpg, 4.4 better with double vanos (04 and newer). more power for free, who wouldn't want that??

[dsm2925]

Originally Posted by killcrap

lol, 3.0 for economy? the 4.4 gets better gas milage than the 3.0. And the only difference maintance wise is 2 spark plugs, 1.5 quarts of oil. The 3.0 also has more engine problems than the 4.4, IMO, there should only be a 3.0d, 4.4i, 4.6is, and a 4.8is avaiable

No its not just 2 spark plugs more and 1.5 quarts of oil more...

there are so many more things that can go wrong on a 4.4 then the 3.0..

i know quite a few BMW Service techs and they say 3.0 give so less headache.

2 fast examples.

1. air suspension (love to fail and throw error codes) Not cheap to fix...
2. alternator fix for a 4.4 is 2k (its water cooled) the 3.0 alternator is the same as any our car(not water cooled)

[sprocket1200]

yup, 3.0 forever...

with the gearing they put in those things it goes well. no need for the 4.4 unless you are towing, and if you are towing, then you need a real truck

[D ROCK]

Originally Posted by killcrap

lol, 3.0 for economy? the 4.4 gets better gas milage than the 3.0. And the only difference maintance wise is 2 spark plugs, 1.5 quarts of oil. The 3.0 also has more engine problems than the 4.4, IMO, there should only be a 3.0d, 4.4i, 4.6is, and a 4.8is avaiable

I know, I guess economy is a relative thing, but like I said, I wished I did more research before we bought even though we don't regret our 3.0. It is a sweet engine, and I'm amazed at how smooth it is at idle and that there's just enough power overall. I thought both models got similar economy, what's the real world mpg of the 4.4? According to our trip computer we're getting just under 17.

[sprocket1200]

for 04 and newer it is similar, just more HP for free. easier to gain mpg on the 3.0 though. heavy foot on 4.4 will cost u more.

our computer reads 24.5mpg....with OEM roof racks installed all the time and a/c on. slow down if mpg is a concern...

[killcrap]

I make a living working on these things the 3.0 has more problems than the 4.4. The 3.0 is scary especially if the pin in the disa valve let's loose and drops into the combustion chamber. Or if the vapor crank case vent valve freezes shut and dumps oil into the combustion chamber and bends a rod. Oh and don't forget vanos issues and engine wiring harness failures too. The 4.4 suffers from intermediate levers and failure of the intake manifold. Both of which are simple to replace. No x5 n62 4.4 Ive worked on has a water cooled alternator. 3.0 is legendary but so are the problems.

[dsm2925]

the bottom line is it cost more to repair a 4.4............

4.4 has a water cooled alternator- im surprise you dont know that if you making a living on these things - make me question your sentences above.

[killcrap]

Originally Posted by dsm2925

the bottom line is it cost more to repair a 4.4............

4.4 has a water cooled alternator- im surprise you dont know that if you making a living on these things - make me question your sentences above.

question all you want, 4.4 does not have a water cooled alternator. maybe your reffering to the old m62tu engine which does have a water cooled alternator, but if you work on your reading abilities, you can re-read what i posted about the n62.

[sprocket1200]

sounds like maybe the n62 is more reliable than the m62tu....

but they had the 3.0 (M54) in the x5 up to 2006, doesn't sound to me like they were concerned about problems...let alone all the other models this engine was in (6 other platforms)