Buying first non toyata. what 2 xpexct from X5

[Ozer]

Basically what you said about a $70k when new German car and how it should be reliable is the complete opposite of how it really is. 110% positive that you will have to fix something with in a month or owning it, we all went through that. 2 weeks after i got my Diesel i had bunch of codes and such and took me a month to figure out it was a bad MAF sensor. Then the battery died, the chassis ground cable broke so it wouldnt start, then the Urea tank sensors went bad, then it wouldnt pass isnpection and i drive it like that for 5mo (no tickets thankfully) and so on.

Unless you find an x5 that recently have gotten everything changed and replaced and its in tip top shape, get ready to make some repairs.

And i think Not Today means he didnt have to fix something that day lol

[spacepanda]

Originally Posted by geauxktm

thanks for looking out seatle but i would be going with 214 wheels or id copy dohoolix4 because that thing is sharp. wow, i would think that any vehicle in the 07-08 range and up would not require the owner to worry about much more than normal maintenece because vehicles have gotten so nice these days and it seems like manufactures would make it a point to be competive in the reliability area. i am not claiming to know what I am talking about I am just surprised to hear this is still the case with German vehicles and the main reason it does not make sense to me is because I have an 04 toyota Sequoia I bought from my dad in 09 and it has 297,000 miles and has never missed a lick. It drives and rides tighter and better than the 2010 tahoe and 2012 suburban that my sister and friend have. I realize this is not the case and there is some luck involved**** So what does nothing today mean? Im still wanting to pose for about a year and a half in a clean X5. Ive ridden and raced dirtbikes, quads, and jet skis all my life so the buffing would be up to someone else and I already work on the RZRs I race to much.

BMWs or ANY luxury car for that matter is not a sensible/rational purchase. Answer these questions.

1. Do you have a daily driver other than the X5 you intend to purchase?
2. Would you be in a pinch if you had to spend $800 to get the car running again? What about $5000?
3. Would it break your heart if the power windows or the sunroof broke and you cannot use it?
4. Are you the type that would want to spend whatever it took to keep the car like it rolled out of the factory?
4. Would you be ok with obsessively listening for noises/hums/creaks etc. so you can identify and fix a problem before it becomes a big expensive mess?
5. Are you observant about how your vehicle performs/behaves? Are you ok with rattles?
6. Are you comfortable letting the car sit on your driveway while you look around to find salvage parts to make your $5000 repair cost $500?
7. Do you like messing with your cars? Or do you like having a ride that you don't care about?
8. Are you ok troubleshooting a problem that requires multiple diagnostic visits? The luxury cars require special computers to perform specific diagnostics and to clear codes.
9. Will you be ok driving the car knowing that it is impossible to find the root cause of some recurring electrical gremlins?
10. Will you be taking car on long road trips or will it be your commuter? Will you be ok if you had to call tow trucks/roadside assistance when you are in the middle of a long trip?

It is not about "Are the German cars, even newer ones not reliable?". Any car will be reliable to drive as long as you put the money, time and maintenance. But the German cars will require more of all 3 compared to the Japanese cars. Your Sequoia probably has less sensors and electrical gizmos that could fail than a 07-08 X5. Heck even a 2010 - 2012 sequoia doesn't have nearly the amount of sensors and gizmos. The more gizmos, the more stuff to fail/replace.

I had an X5 Diesel and answered all these questions and decided that I still wanted to buy the car and was happy for 3 years, until I knew I was going to have a baby. Then my priorities changed and I decided I did not want the car anymore. So it is all about you answering these questions and making peace with your decisions.

[bawareca]

Originally Posted by spacepanda

until I knew I was going to have a baby. Then my priorities changed and I decided I did not want the car anymore. So it is all about you answering these questions and making peace with your decisions.

Agree with all your points, but honestly, what could possibly be a safer place for a baby(and it's parents for that matter) than X5 ?

[cravin]

Originally Posted by geauxktm

thanks for looking out seatle but i would be going with 214 wheels or id copy dohoolix4 because that thing is sharp. wow, i would think that any vehicle in the 07-08 range and up would not require the owner to worry about much more than normal maintenece because vehicles have gotten so nice these days and it seems like manufactures would make it a point to be competive in the reliability area. i am not claiming to know what I am talking about I am just surprised to hear this is still the case with German vehicles and the main reason it does not make sense to me is because I have an 04 toyota Sequoia I bought from my dad in 09 and it has 297,000 miles and has never missed a lick. It drives and rides tighter and better than the 2010 tahoe and 2012 suburban that my sister and friend have. I realize this is not the case and there is some luck involved**** So what does nothing today mean? Im still wanting to pose for about a year and a half in a clean X5. Ive ridden and raced dirtbikes, quads, and jet skis all my life so the buffing would be up to someone else and I already work on the RZRs I race to much.

Oh man, where to start. BMW makes massive amount of revenue off of the service and parts on their vehicles. If you are strapped for cash, this is not the brand for you. At a good independent shop, almost any repair will cost nearly $1k. Then take into account that there are many of them. There are parts that fail on an X5 on a schedule just like routine maintenance. Cracked radiators every 50k miles, water pump every 60k miles, rear suspension air bags every 60k miles. With a car over 100k, who knows what else will be waiting for you.

If you're heart is set on making this purchase (notice heart and not head), then I would STRONGLY recommend your paying for a personal inspection of the car before you purchase it. Take it to a mechanic that knows BMWs well, and that you can trust, and have them look it over completely. They should be able to tell you a good amount after they have it for a couple hours, but even then, you may just be 2 or 3 drives away from something massive that will cost you $6k+

[spacepanda]

Originally Posted by bawareca

Agree with all your points, but honestly, what could possibly be a safer place for a baby(and it's parents for that matter) than X5 ?

Ha Ha, true that. It wasn't just about safety though. The X5 was my daily commuter and I was putting about 20-22k miles on it a year. Wasn't going to work out with the amount of miles I'd have when still making car payments and I have this thing about only keeping 2 cars. Managing 3 cars with a 2 car garage is a pain. Plus I was enticed by downsizing to a family sedan now with the hopes of picking up an in-warranty F15 Inline 6 once the baby arrived

[jfoj]

Personally I would skip the 2007, 2008 is pretty solid.

I would skip the Diesel.

With any German car, they can be a PITA and expensive and hard to get repaired correctly if you are not doing the work.

With any German vehicle, suspension bushings need a lot of maintenance.

Even an oil change on the 4.8l can be expensive, 9 quarts of synthetic oil and filter, you could be looking at over $100 in parts if you do not get oil on sale.

Your dads 2009 Toyota with almost 300k miles is clearly a highway warrior. Highway warrior miles are far easier on a vehicle then on a city dweller.

Also be ready to get some OBDII tools and BMW specific software. You WILL need it. Even replacing the battery can be a PITA as the battery needs to be programmed to the car. Carly for BMW is a good compromise tool that runs on a tablet rather than a computer.

Lots of small niggling things to deal with. If you get a V8, consider the BimmerFix coolant stent and a replacement water pump along with a HamburgTech 90C thermostat.

Just trying to make sure you know what you are getting into!

[fast4d]

100k miles on our 2008 X5 4.8 now.

the handling and ride on this 5000lb vehicle is amazing.

as of today we have air spring issues and an oil slick under the engine.

so many things have had to be replaced (luckily under warranty).

we are getting a 3 or 5 series with inline 6 next week.

I really dont want to repeat all the work I had to so on our 2002 X5 4.4. I am tired.

[the_ulf]

i agree with ard: you get a skewed view on here of how reliable these cars are. if the E70s would perform as poorly as some on here would have you believe (and i appreciate that some models *are* duds, there's no question about it), no-one would buy one second hand. by and large you get what you pay for. my most expensive BMW was an E46 convertible and that was extremely low mileage, not even a fiddled odometer. they don't make 'em anymore like they used to, that's fair to say. both my E36s were bullet proof. i've not had the E70 (4.8) for long but so far it's been free from any headaches. only the usual wear & tear so far (brakes, oil, filters). having said that i'm not in the habit of driving it like i stole it and i also don't tend to use it for short distances, i.e. the engine always gets plenty chance to warm up properly. it's my only car and as a daily driver i see no problems with it (yet). the truth of the matter is that *any* expensive car you buy second hand comes with (optional) expensive repair bills once they do go wrong. but that's not to say that they definitely will go wrong if you look after them. just be prepared and/or able to do at least some of the work yourself. and have it checked thoroughly by a garage you trust, prior to parting with your money.

[seattle]

Originally Posted by bawareca

Agree with all your points, but honestly, what could possibly be a safer place for a baby(and it's parents for that matter) than X5 ?

Unless the X5 has you stranded..

[Racermp]

Originally Posted by seattle

Unless the X5 has you stranded..

EPIC!!!! hahaha

yea the stories of limp mode on the highway, water pump fails, etc. avg drivers freak out and just stop the car in the middle of the freeway. DRIVE OFF THE FREEWAY PEOPLE! lol.


but overall i think you'll be happy with the car, i'm on my 7'th bmw, and most were over 100k miles like e39's, e36's, e90's and stuff. just keep in-tune with the car, address any unusual abnormalities right away. such as noises, leaks, etc. i got the x5 for my wife and kid, but i drive it a few times a week for errands to make sure all is ok. every few months i catch some abnormalities that my wife wont' ever notice before everything goes haywire lol.