To buy or not to buy?

[prl67]

This is somewhat of a random question, but why is there too different color taillights? Does it depend on if it's 3.0 & 4.4? If I got one with the orange (which I HATE!) could I buy the clear/white?

[PersonaNonGrata]

Originally Posted by prl67

I know someone who's good with cars and I know someone who owns a shop, but I always thought you should only go to BMW dealerships to get it done right.

There has been some great advice so far. I will add that ANYTHING with a motor and electronics can break/fail/need maintenance. All can cost you a bunch of money. Europeans will cost more to maintain but you can't look just at that and compare to what it would cost to fix a Toyota. If the A/C goes out in a Camry it's still going to cost a lot; maybe less than BMW but still, it ain't like it's free.

You do not have to go to the dealership for service. It's fine when you're under warranty or you want the peace of mind that you went to the dealer but the general advice is to find a good independent BMW mechanic. By having a knowledgeable and skilled friend with lots of tools or a friend who is a professional mechanic, you can save a lot of money having brakes, oil changes, coolant flushes, suspension work, etc, done much cheaper. For example, a BMW dealer will probably charge $1100 or more for pads and rotors all around. You can buy excellent parts for the job for about $400. Figure in some labor, maybe $200 or $300. You can see how you could save some money.

The one that scares me is the transmission. I've got 104,000 miles on mine and I always have that fear in the back of my mind that the transmission will go. Oh well. You can't live like that. Just driving it and hoping for the best.

Originally Posted by prl67

This is somewhat of a random question, but why is there too different color taillights? Does it depend on if it's 3.0 & 4.4? If I got one with the orange (which I HATE!) could I buy the clear/white?

Please check out the home page and articles. You will find much helpful information about the X5.

[Naz24]

Originally Posted by prl67

This is somewhat of a random question, but why is there too different color taillights? Does it depend on if it's 3.0 & 4.4? If I got one with the orange (which I HATE!) could I buy the clear/white?

Yes easy to replace. The clear tail lights came with 2004+ models and sport package models from 2000-2003.

[bigwave2255]

had mine nearly 18 months (2005 3.0d sport) 47,000 km in that time and its been great fantastic fuel economy for its size great performance and very little trouble

find a good independent and get it serviced every 10,000 km and you should be good

but dont forget you have to pay to play

so if you drive it hard its gonna cost you

actually that fairly well applies to anything you buy

[prl67]

I think an 04/05 XC90 would require maintenance less often, but I still don't know. I don't want to give up on the X5 dream quite yet.

[c4racer]

04+ MDX is something to consider.

Have you driven the XC90? I was not impressed at all. I am no big fan of the MDX, but I would take one over a XC90 and for sure it would be less trouble.

[aimtimes100]

Originally Posted by c4racer

04+ MDX is something to consider.

Have you driven the XC90? I was not impressed at all. I am no big fan of the MDX, but I would take one over a XC90 and for sure it would be less trouble.

but the MDX is so nice..im personaly going with the ZDX.kids=never so i dont give a f*** about the rear passengers.they seem to be rare in my area,only seen one compared to the hundreds of MDX's and the increasing numbers of E53s

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by aimtimes100

but the MDX is so nice..im personaly going with the ZDX.kids=never so i dont give a f*** about the rear passengers.they seem to be rare in my area,only seen one compared to the hundreds of MDX's and the increasing numbers of E53s

do you even need a SUV? 3 series or Audi A4 wagon is a better option, IMHO.

[aimtimes100]

Ive always hated wagons with a passion.as for the suv,here in new york if it snows and your behind the wheel of a real wheel drive sedan your getting no where.some people just say get X drive or quatro but sedans dont have the same clearence levels as SUVs, making SUVs better for me.i also like the feeling of knowing that i get into an accident,if the other person is in a sedan,chances are im not the one with a totaled car

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by aimtimes100

Ive always hated wagons with a passion.as for the suv,here in new york if it snows and your behind the wheel of a real wheel drive sedan your getting no where.some people just say get X drive or quatro but sedans dont have the same clearence levels as SUVs, making SUVs better for me.i also like the feeling of knowing that i get into an accident,if the other person is in a sedan,chances are im not the one with a totaled car

You would be amazed what an Audi Quattro with all of 4" of ground clearance and dedicated snows can get through...


I do miss that car... S4 - 340hp V8 w/ 6spd...
But if ya hate wagons, no sense pushing those on ya!!

Check out the Infiniti FX35 too - I really like those, and should be way more reliable than anything from Germany.