2000 X5 4.4 Would you buy it?

[markwoodlief]

First post.. Currently have a Series II discovery, and a C320 Mercedes and would like to combine those into an X5 Searched and searched for information about reliability, etc. Looks like decent vehicles.

http://www.carfax.com/viewEmailRepor...i3&language=en

there is the carfax on the vehicle in question
2000 X5 4.4i with 88k on it. 70k service it had a brand new transmission put in. One owner local car. Any issues I should be aware of on these things?

Plan on getting an after market warranty on it as well..

[TrickerZ]

Things that commonly go wrong: self leveling suspension, window regulators, PCV causing blown valve cover gaskets (if you live up north and a lot of short trips), gauge cluster and stereo LCD screens lose pixels, water gets in from sunroof drains and causes havoc for electrical systems, side view mirrors have issues with not going back to normal operating state after tilting down in reverse, and other misc electrical issues. If you can get a warranty, maybe it's worth it. All I could find was a drivetrain warranty for my 2000 which does no good since that's the part that's the least likely to fail.

[motordavid]

Could be a decent car, could be an expensive nightmare next week, next month or...
impossible to know. There are several cars of the '00/'01 vintage on here, and many
with much higher mileage. But, none of us can predict that car's life/maintenance
costs in future.

Aftermkt warranties are "good", if one gets it from a legit operation with few excluded items and,
some good claims history. Cars with 70k and that "old", tend to be pricey in terms of an extended
warranty plan cost.

You never mentioned price, so the pricing mavens here have no clue to offer an opin on that deal.

With the plethora of used Xs on BMW dlr lots and Indie lots, of slightly newer MYs, I would think a
search for a less old car might be more amenable. My 50Cts...
GL, mD

[markwoodlief]

Thanks for the info guys. The pixel issues are being fixed first. This car did have some dead pixels but I asked them to fix it before I even come close to signing on the dotted line. Supposed to get the gauges back and coded next week. I have the receipts for the mirrors, and misc electrical stuff being fixed on it, but the self leveling suspension has never been touched.

Price is going to be about 10k for this thing..

[TheKingSim0n]

Look at it this way, As long as it is well maintained you shouldn't really have to much flaws within the X.

I own an 01 X5 4.4i with 122k and thank gd shes still out there roaring fine. I mean it all depends on how well the car was maintianed, no one can really answer if it will last or not, you just need to go with the flow and try your best with the X as problems may come up.

[markwoodlief]

Originally Posted by TheKingSim0n

Look at it this way, As long as it is well maintained you shouldn't really have to much flaws within the X.

I own an 01 X5 4.4i with 122k and thank gd shes still out there roaring fine. I mean it all depends on how well the car was maintianed, no one can really answer if it will last or not, you just need to go with the flow and try your best with the X as problems may come up.

After owning a plethora of vehicles I'm also not opposed to DIY stuff either.. obviously coming from Land Rover, a bit of mechanical skills are a must. I'd really like to roll with this one.. I like the blue color.. 1 owner, seems well taken care of, my land rover experiences have got me gun shy though.. .. especially after reading that bmw owned rover during this time and 'borrowed' some ideas from the Discos.. my nemesis..

[markwoodlief]

Originally Posted by TrickerZ

Things that commonly go wrong: self leveling suspension

does this era, 2000 4.4i, have the self leveling suspension? Also on my disco it had the air suspension in the rear, but replaced that with a spring system, any mods to do that with the x5's that do have air suspension?

[Spdu4ia]

I also used to own a discovery and the X is WAY better in every aspect except offroad. That being said... I still take the X offroad

Sounds like you've found a nice low mileage X with a good history. I've got a 02 with 165k (Knock on wood). At 70k keep an eye on the cooling system and the self leveling sys (if you have it... don't know if the non sport package ones have it or not). Sounds like a good buy if you can get it under 10k. why was the tranny replaced?

[markwoodlief]

Originally Posted by Spdu4ia

why was the tranny replaced?

Not sure on that.. I called Bmw of Seattle, about it, they could only tell me that they replaced it, not exactly why.

Yeah, i've had it with disco's.. owned 3 of them.. love/hate relationship.. Dont offroad as much as I used to, but my mutts still need a place to play while i'm doing errands. ,

[vegasX5]

I have had pretty decent luck with mine for 5 years now, but I would be leary to pick up anything that old in terms of years. After 10+ years of being in service, there will be a lot of little thing that will fail. Commonly failed items at that age are window regulators, door actuators, cooling system, rear air suspension (self leveling only in rear on the non sport 4.4i), CV boots, and a few other common things. The good thing is that the transmission was replaced which is by far my biggest fear in mine. I am keeping mine right now because I already own it, however, if I needed to replace it, I would buy one no older that 4 or 5 years old (or go with a different vehicle altogether). Just my $.02.