realistic reliability of an x5 - coming from 325xi

[Quicksilver]

I bought a 2005 X5 4.4 new. Mine has 97K never had an extended warranty and some things have broken. Over all nothing that has cost thousands of dollars to fix has happened. However I have followed my own advice which I have offered others. I set up a savings account for repairs because I don't like surprises.

Reading all the comments i believe you have all the info to make a wise choice. Just remember that it is a BMW so it's gonna break and when it does don't expect to get it fixed by some fly by night mechanic who uses sub standard parts. If you do you'll be sorry and you will have to pay again to get it fixed properly. Wish you the best.

B&R

[mcurcio1989]

great info here guys. As far as the engine goes I have to say that it is kind of rare that I wish my car was a 330 but there are times. I guess I think the 4.4 would be a lot more fun and I'd feel better about towing with it. At the end of the day most of my driving is commute. I have altogether way to many toys for the road, sky, and water so I like my dd to be comfortable and not leave me stranded - to me its not much of a toy. I have decided that I am going with 04-06 for the reasons you mentioned.

Also I should say that most all of the towing will either be boats the largest of which is a 25ft. pontoon boat which on the trailer prly weighs 3-4k. and majority of the time its just towing 2 miles to the boat ramp.

At the end of the day the 4.4 would prly put a big smile on my face but if it is really going to be more problematic I should prly just settle with the 3.0. I do enjoy wrenching on my m54.

It seems to me that the biggest factor when it comes to satisfaction in owning a used bmw is your ability to wrench on it. As I know from owning a my 325xi they are great cars to drive but they have their quirks and if your paying for dealer service everytime your not going to be a happy camper. Most the time it seems if your willing and able to do the work yourself their easy cars to work on, parts are reasonable, and the issues are well documented.

In regards to options I was leaning against the nav anyways. The only option I really need is winter as I have grown very accustomed to heated seats. I do think the panoramic sunroof would be cool but their seems to be a lot of complaints about leaking.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by upallnight

Learn something new everyday.

Au Contraire, you must have missed this post when I tested a 540IT before buying the X.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...tml#post942793

Oopsee, I was incorrect, I checked the thread I was referencing and it wasn't you. I apologized.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by mcurcio1989

great info here guys. As far as the engine goes I have to say that it is kind of rare that I wish my car was a 330 but there are times. I guess I think the 4.4 would be a lot more fun and I'd feel better about towing with it. At the end of the day most of my driving is commute. I have altogether way to many toys for the road, sky, and water so I like my dd to be comfortable and not leave me stranded - to me its not much of a toy. I have decided that I am going with 04-06 for the reasons you mentioned.

Also I should say that most all of the towing will either be boats the largest of which is a 25ft. pontoon boat which on the trailer prly weighs 3-4k. and majority of the time its just towing 2 miles to the boat ramp.

At the end of the day the 4.4 would prly put a big smile on my face but if it is really going to be more problematic I should prly just settle with the 3.0. I do enjoy wrenching on my m54.

It seems to me that the biggest factor when it comes to satisfaction in owning a used bmw is your ability to wrench on it. As I know from owning a my 325xi they are great cars to drive but they have their quirks and if your paying for dealer service everytime your not going to be a happy camper. Most the time it seems if your willing and able to do the work yourself their easy cars to work on, parts are reasonable, and the issues are well documented.

In regards to options I was leaning against the nav anyways. The only option I really need is winter as I have grown very accustomed to heated seats. I do think the panoramic sunroof would be cool but their seems to be a lot of complaints about leaking.

For what you expect, are looking for, your conclusion makes great sense.

[bcredliner]

I tol that redneck redliner dat he shuwn tak mi mas wurd. Good way ta git the huff in hes mout desese.

Billie bob 5

[JCL]

Originally Posted by TerminatorX5

I agree with everything in that statement except for the "no factory tow package"... BMW, like many other manufacturers, does not make a lot of things, BOSCH, Siemens, Alpine, Nokia and whole bunch of other suppliers make things for BMW, including Westfalia, who makes the tow package.

the tow package is usually installed by a dealer as an aftersale accessory, like the footplate (S328A ALUMINIUM-TRITTBRETT Footplate, aluminium) however, it CAN be installed directly at the factory before the car is shipped to a dealer - in my research of the 4.8iS prior to my purchase last year, i saw only ONE car in several hundred built sheets that had the tow package installed directly by the spartanburg factory... It was truly so odd, that I even took a second look... yeap, it was a tow package... the 4.8is was built to US specs but had some "individual" things there, which makes me think, it was either a diplomatic or a military order by a US servicemember serving overseas.

this points out that there is a factory tow package... nevertheless, it is super rare to have it installed from the factory..

IMO, it doesn't matter who makes the part for BMW, Siemens or whoever, it matters if it is factory sourced, or sourced through the parts system as a dealer accessory. Factory sourced means different things in the parts system. They have to stock parts for a certain number of years after EOP, for example. Accessories such as roof racks, floor mats, and hitches are different. They aren't sourced by the factory, but by the parts department, only for aftersales. Factory parts are subject to end of line quality testing. Not so aftersales parts. There is another difference. If you buy a new vehicle with a four year warranty, your dealer accessories will typically have a shorter warranty, one year or two.

My definition of factory is that it is installed going down the assembly line, or in assembly bays, as the vehicle is built. In that sense, there is no factory tow package. And we shouldn't call it a tow package in any case; that implies things like extra transmission coolers and so on with most other makes. It is just a hitch and electrical interface. Once it is installed, it doesn't matter if it was put on by a dealer, an independent, or an individual. It is all the same, as long as it is installed properly.

At the X5 factory there is a delivery centre, where you can take delivery if arranged in advance, drive your vehicle on a track, and so on. It is called the Performance Centre. They can install a hitch, just like the dealer can. That doesn't make it a factory hitch, it just means that a dealer accessory was installed at a shop after the end of the assembly line. Maybe they do the military orders and diplomatic sales too, I don't know.

Your turn.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by mcurcio1989

In regards to options I was leaning against the nav anyways. The only option I really need is winter as I have grown very accustomed to heated seats. I do think the panoramic sunroof would be cool but their seems to be a lot of complaints about leaking.

We have a panoramic sunroof on the X3. I would have deleted it if I could, as we special-ordered the vehicle to get the manual transmission. The sunroof is fine, but we never open it, and I wouldn't miss it if it wasn't there. I'll never find out if it breaks, due to not using it.

With our 325xi, we wanted no sunroof, and manual seats. That creates the most headroom on an E46 (the electric seats were positioned higher). I am 6'4", so headroom was a factor. Problem is, we won't have a vehicle without heated seats, at least in the front. We had to do a special order on the 325xi to get the heated seats by themselves, as they were sold only as part of the electric memory seats and sunroof package. Dealer was happy to order it (although he thought we were strange). Point is, there are some configurations out there that don't fit the standard brochure information.

[bcredliner]

wats a factree?

Billy bob 7

[JCL]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

wats a factree?

Billy bob 7

Is this all going to end soon? Just wondering.

[TerminatorX5]

i understand about the spartanburg performance delivery, i understand about some factory listed option codes that are removed post-factory pre-delivery - but would a tow package be listed in the as-built sheet from the factory if the tow package is fitted post-factory at the performance center?

In diplomatic sales there are no premium package or sport package - everything is ordered a la carte, and you may create the equivalent of a package, of course, minus the mutually exclusive options, and the car is more-less part of Individual, even though it might bear the Individual markings... I know, that when i was looking at dip sales brochure, i could order from the factory many options, including the tow package - i need to find that particular car that i am talking about... i wonder, if it was ONLY car with tow package in the as-built sheet...