Shopping for an E70 - Panic Sets In !

[thefys]

Hi Folks,

We are about to start shopping for a used 2008-2011 X5 3.0L (gas/diesel but not a 4.8L) with roughly 100,000kms. We have owned a 1995 318ti, ,2002 325xi and an 2006 X3, all bought used with 100,000kms. We do some of our own work DYI, have a local shop that treats us very well and generally avoid the dealership.

The 325xi has been pretty great for 8 years now, and we were always able to fix stuff on the cheap with aftermarket parts or via Pelican parts [$8,000 of repairs for 8 years], ditto with the X3 although I did find the X3 more expensive to fix and slightly more troublesome. Mind you that $8k of repairs would probably cost $18,000 at the dealership !

Like any good consumer, I starter researching the X5 prior to purchase on this forum and Bimmerfest, XBimmer and this one BMW X5 Forum » Topix

I was blown away by the number of issues that seem to pop up ( I understand that problems are always magnified on the forums) but holy cowabanga batman From the Driveshaft recall to the rear air shocks, to so many seeming major expensive issues I am getting very cold feet (aka panic). It also seems like there may be some lemon X5s out there.

I've always taken used BMWs to the dealership for a pre-purchase inspection, but since that costs around $350, I try to do my due diligence prior so I don't blow money on the inspection costs if a vehicle isn't looking great.

So here is my question (without making this post ridiculously long) for those that have owned X5s older than 100,000kms:

What are the major pitfalls in ownership you wished you inspected more carefully before purchasing?
Are there known failure points that are common and worth inspecting further?
What is your average yearly X5 repair cost (state year and kms)

A thousand thanks in advance!