Good evening! Can I ask for some advice?

[Mafian]

Good evening everyone.

It has been a while since I have been on this site and it has reminded me once again on the risks you take purchasing an X5! Unfortunately my love of BMWs (owned an E36 325i coupe for a few years, was an awesome car and reliable too) is pushing me back to my idea from a year or so ago of wanting an E53 (family you see)! However reading the international section again has started to make me doubt my decision. (There appears to be more complaints etc from US owners than pretty much anywhere else, maybe we Aussies don't expect as much?)

The reason is I have been able to find an 04 3.0d Sport with around 90k with a full BMW service history and pretty much all of the options that I like/want. I am seriously considering having a look at it as over the period I have been looking (quite a while) it is one of a small handful with the main options I wanted in a nice colour/trim combination that the wife likes, less than 100k on the clock and at a reasonable price compared to others I have seen ie too good NOT to look at least look at it.

If I do decide to have a look/consider purchase, is there anything specific that I should concentrate on? I know about the things like window regulators and tyre wear along with ensuring the transmission changes gears smoothly, however are there any other 'gotchas' I should look for that could end up with an expensive repair/replacement bill? I am reasonably mechanically minded and am not scared/afraid on doing DIY repairs/preventative maintenance etc. However I am still a bit hesitant to spend a reasonable amount of money on what is a 9 year old car, even if the kms are well below average. I still don't know whether to keep looking or just move on to something else ie different type of car/brand.

Any advice will be appreciated to put my mind at ease either way! I like my BMWs and had a great experience with my last one, but I don't want to get something that will turn into a money pit and make me hate the brand!

Kind Regards.