I thought you said you wanted "FEWER" repairs, not double what you had.
If you thought your X5 gave you headaches...just wait

Let's see, SUV for $40K max? Not sure what you're aiming for size-wise, but a friend of mine is thrilled with his Acura RDX. Quick 4x4, turbo boost, lots of gadgets, much faster than the bigger and heavier MDX. Not for towing obviously.

Also, I know Toyota is taking a beating right now for their recalls, but the Rav4 6-CYLINDER is another one with both muscle and reliability. Got top grades in a recent Car and Driver mini-ute comparo. Both of the above will get you a 6.4-second 0-to-60 sprint which is equivalent to the current X5 4.8i. And I hear that Toyota dealers are ready and willing to give large and substantial discounts right now. Anyway, Ford's STELLAR safety record has buried a lot more Americans over the decades than Toyota could ever aspire to. Everything from exploding gas tanks to Explorer rollovers. Yet they're still doing just fine.

If you aren't going American made (FORD) then I'd say Acura is definitely the safe play. Why go German if you're watching cost? There is very little cost effective about German vehicles

And as for Stan (j/k) you can either look to last decades deaths in vehicles or this years..hahaha

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An unwavering defender of those I see worth protecting.

"promote the general welfare, not provide the general welfare"

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Heading to Tahoe? Get a Tahoe!

Wag, Toyota wins for this year, but I hear the Ford execs are getting jealous about losing their vaunted status as the premier undertakers of middle America. I'm sure they'll be back strong for next year.

Apparently the Secy of Transportation did warn Toyota owners to stop driving the recalled models. To which the Toyota owners said "We're Trying!"

Total side bar, did you see the latest where a few Fed officials are asking the media to take it easy on Toyota? Funny didn't see that in the late 90's when Ford/Firestone were blowing up left and right...

__________________

An unwavering defender of those I see worth protecting.

"promote the general welfare, not provide the general welfare"

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

For an SUV under $40k, my first choice would be a Tahoe/Avalanche or one of the similar GM SUV's.

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2011 ///X5 M (On Order)

2009 X5 4.8 M Sport Space Gray/Black Fully Loaded

2007 GMC Yukon XL Denali Loaded and Customised

Does it have to be new? I'd vote for a 2004-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser or a 2005+ Lexus GX470.

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2001 X5 4.4i
2002 Honda S2000

Ford and GM make a handful of decent midsize SUVs that fit into that price range.

if youre looking at something as small as the GLK why dont u go get a year old X3 loaded with sport package and running boards etc. they actually look really nice

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BMWCCA