Need some advice, keep it or part it out
 

Hi guys, I am new and very new to owning a BMW X5. I just bought a 2001 x5 with a little over 157000 miles on it. It is in pretty excellent condition estheticly and everything works.

Here is where things get sad. I had the SUVs 2 days and I was getting off the freeway and felt sputtering. I looked down and saw I was overheating (hose blew lost all coolant, no warnings). Long story short, I tried to get it to my mechanic who was right down the street..... You know the rest.... Blow head gasket possible cracked block.

So the question. Do I replace the engine or part the car out and cut my losses. :( I really liked this suv and it hurts to have thrown my money away :bawling:

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks guys... :(

Sorry to hear about your car. ItReally depends if it makes financial sense for you or not. I'm assuming it's a 3.0i. If so, you can pickup a used M54 for under a grand, but the labor $$ is going to suck. I'd ask your mechanic how much the engine job would be if you sourced a used engine, if he would let you do that. You should also do some shopping around to see if you can find an indy who might be cheeper.

They are quoting me $2500-3000 for everything. But because I just bought it, it stings a lot. It is a 3.0i. Is it worth it to keep it? I paid $2800 for her... Ugh this makes me so sad.

Thank you for helping me. Is there anything else I should look out for? My mechanic wants to do a head gasket replacement, but I called a bmw specialist today and he recommended replacing the whole engine to avoid problems down the road.

Sorry to hear that.

I suggest first getting a good idea of the damage. From there you can determine your options, price them out, and see which makes the most sense for you.

Besides the cost of getting her running, it looks like you need to add the cost of a cooling system overhaul. One hose fails, the rest of the system is not far behind on these motors.

I'm sorry. It must be very disappointing. The lesson here is that a $2800 X5 is not street worthy. They should be considered project cars in need of thousands of dollars in deferred maintenance. This repair will be the first of many. Don't kid yourself to think it will be the only repair.

Frankly, you can probably get $1500-$1700 from the people who buy non-running cars to part out (peddle.com, cashforcars, brokenvehicles.com). If you are not the DIY type, I suggest you unload it.

Spend a few more dollars and get a lower mileage engine to place in the X5. Those 6 cylinder engines are plentiful.

The price wasn't to far off from the blue book price for private sellers and I had it checked (mechanic test drove and checked codes). The seller was asking more. Should I just stay away from the bmw?

You are so right. I intended to have an overhaul of the cooling system if I keep it. I don't know why I am having so much trouble determining what makes sense :( my fear is that if I junk this one and buy another I could have a similar or worse problem.

I see you have "part out" as a possible option.

If you are not a DIYer, don't have garage space and/or a carport (in an area that allows for non-operational/torn down vehicles on private property), part out would not be an option.

Also, be aware that just selling a few "easy take offs" will sometimes increase removal costs significantly (sell the wheels for a few hundred, pay it AND MORE for vehicle removal).

Tools and assembly knowledge are both musts too.

Part outs are not for the meek!