Our X Turned '12'...
 

Years old, a couple of days ago. We got it way back in Sept 2001, a few days after 9-11.
88k+ miles on it, and still runs better than my Rolex.

Maybe the 2nd best car I have ever owned in terms of reliability, fun to drive, rock solid feel, built like a fookin tank, etc . :thumbup:

Barely a handful of non-maintenance repairs over the course of the 12+ years, and those miles. Something could go boom tomorrow, but I would get it repaired and keep it. Not perfect, but a very good car, imo.
GL, mD

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...REDUCE1024.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...REDUCE1024.jpg

Always good to see your photos MD, and nice to hear about another X5 that isn't a money-pit, likely due to the conscientious maintenance program. Congratulations!

:iagree:

Wow, i wish i can say the same thing about my car when it turns 12 5 years from now...I might be waaay over your mileage by that time though... as i am at 88K right now :D
Great to hear these kind of stories! :thumbup:

My X just turned 10 years old yesterday! And I love it more and more each day!

My wife drives an '11 Rav4 and is already bored of it after 2 years, she wants to cross over to Bimmers and hopefully in a couple years when her Rav is paid off we can "upgrade" her to an E70 late year LCI Diesel (the Rav is the daily driver and she cant drive stick so we take her car most places).

She says to me the other day "Well your car is 10 years old, I think you might need to get a newer car before I do", and I said "Why would I get rid of this car?"

She goes "Well something could break, its old". I say "Well besides the upcoming cooling system overhaul I will do next year preventatively, and doing some rear suspension work I'm basically up to date on any and all maintenance, the M54 is an engine that can go 200k-300k miles, I only have 69k on it now! The transmission will outlive the car, whats the worst that can happen, AC system stops working? Even if I have repairs that total a couple grand, its still cheaper to me than a $400-500 a month car payment (5-6k a year)


She kind of thought of it all for a minute, and tried to tell me something else, but it was obvious that she was stumped. The age is not a factor, and being that I am extremely anal about preventative maintenance, that is not a factor either. I tried to explain that "old cars die" because people let them. The long and short of it is that most people buy new cars because they want something new to drive, but when you love your X as much as we all do, what else is there to drive?

Don't even get me started on what other all wheel drive, German tough, ultimate drivers machine SUV I can drive nowadays that is newer/more reliable than my X and ALSO HAS 3 PEDALS! Impossible. I would have to go to an E90, E60 or something like that to keep my stick, and god knows those cars can have just as many problems as our X's. Porsche Cayenne manual? Good luck doing your own maintenance, and staying within the family budget. But I digress.


I bring this all up because mD has 2 extra years on my X and his looks like it came off the showroom floor, amazing. Another 8 years and you can get historic plates perhaps, either way, cheers to your X's birthday and I hope you keep it throughout your retirement :)

MD, my X just turned 12 as well. Although mine is about to turn over 225,000 miles, so you have some catching up to do!!

:happybirthday:

Congrats to you both, mD & Jeff, on an even dozen :thumbup:

Mine's going to be 10 in late October. Still under 33K miles so a *lot* of catching up to do.

Happy belated birthdays!

Congrats! I have a feeling the x's longevity is greatly due to the good care that it's received.

I guess I should have post that our 'ol 2001 X5 turned 12 back in March 2013. It only has 265K miles. Agree with all above...take good care of the X5 and it will treat you fine. Maybe I was lucky our X5 was not built on a Monday or a Friday... ;)

Our Titanium Silver/Black combo seems to be a popular color combo back in the days...

Wow, and I thought my 9 1/2 year old X3 was getting old......crossed the 260.450km (161.840mls) threshold and just got its second set of rotors/pads for the front. Expensive CCV replaced earlier this year, 2 ignition coils went bad, ATF change (maintenance), and replaced the driver's side electric mirror cuz some idiot in SC shoved it in ($900 repair bill alone). It hasn't been a good year for my X3.

Things are starting to wear out simply due to age. Still planning to retire it mid to late-next year. The fuel bill is heavy and it doesn't meet my environmental preference (291+ g/km CO² is worse than a X5 35d). That said, it still drives brilliantly and brings a nice chuckle on the mountain roads.

Still looking at the Mk7 Golf TDI. It will bring less joy for sure, but I have other priorities (I brought a 3.300€ bike back from Europe) and MTB is easier to get that adrenaline rush.

Very low mileage for 12 years old. Keep it up.

Happy 12th Anniv. How do you keep your headlights looking so new?

dkl,
It might be just the angle, or the cloudy bright lighting when I shot the pics...
I have never done anything to the hl lens covers, other than wash them.

There are a few scratches and pits on covers; just didn't show up in the pics.
And, 75% of the 89k miles is from road trips, so it has had its share of road blasts in the 'face'.
BR, mD

Don't you live in 'Murica?

Congrats on turning 12.

I took my parents' X5 to college this year and it has been going strong so far after nearly 11 years and 113k miles. It has an awful shimmy/pedal pulse under hard braking so it will need some repairs once it goes back next May.

Yes, but looking for an out. Thankfully I work for a company where going overseas for work is a very real possibility. And as a firm believer in spending money supporting the industries you support, I've put about $10k USD into the European Union this year.

I have a similar shuddering under moderate braking as well in my X3. Recently got back from the repair job with new rotors/pads up front ($540) but bringing it back in a couple days because it obviously didn't fix the problem. :(

Congrats, MD !!!
Like those wheels too. Mine is half life of yours with 98k+, hope to keep it as long as no major problems. So far been good.

Happy belated to a great looking e53. A clear reflection of its owner.