Help needed about to Purchase 1st X5
 

Hello all. I have owned bmws but this will be my first X5. I am considering 3 X5s. 2 are local which i have driven. 1 is out of town which i haveny driven.
. 2001 x5 131k miles 2 owners. Near perfect condition. Local car. New tires brakes valve gaskets a/c fan suspension parts. Drives great. Has sports package with 18" wheels sport seats etc..
2. 2006 X5 3.0 134k miles. 3 owners. New brakes on front. New upper and lower control arms and bushing on front. Needs a new head liner. Tires have 20k miles. Non sport. Pano roof. Have driven this car.
3. 2004 x5 4.4 4 owners 154k miles. Minor accident i have been told on carfax. Havent driven. 90% on tires.

As I read 3.0 seems to be underpowered but maintenance is less than the 4.4 v8.

Please provide opinions as I am making a decision by this Friday July 29.

Which one do you like the best?

The 3.0 is generally cheaper to run and maintain.

I like the 01 over the 06 because of the sports package but in reading forums the 04 and newer has an xdrive system. Not sure is that an overall better system than the 01 or not. I'd prefer the v8 but the maintenance concerns me.

I like the V8.....and whatever options it came with it.

See if you can test drive it then let us know what you think.

Good luck and don't rush buying......there's always an X5 for sale!:D

[QUOTE=Mr_byers;1083920]I like the 01 over the 06 because of the sports package but in reading forums the 04 and newer has an xdrive system. Not sure is that an overall better system than the 01 or not. I'd prefer the v8 but the maintenance concerns me.[/QUOTE]

If you are not a DIYer and maintenance is a concern of your, a used X5 is probably not the right vehicle for you. The xdrive uses a plastic actuator gear that is known to strip out. A new actuator gear is around 30 bucks or less on Amazon, but most dealers will not repair the transfer case, they will sell you a new transfer case and the cost is around 2 grands plus labor.

Door handle carriers are a known problem on all X series. Cost at the dealer is around 200 bucks plus about 2 hours labor so depending on what the dealer's labor rates are it can be a 500 to 600 bucks repair. There are cheaper door carriers but that what they are cheap. They either don't fit correctly or they will break in a couple of months and you will need to replace them again.

The aux fan is another problem area. You can drive the X with a broken fan, but the AC won't work. It's a 4 hours job to replace the fan since you need to remove the front bumper cover in order to get it out.

On the I6 engines, the CCV is a problem if you do a bunch of short drives in the winter months. The CCV eventually become clogged with sludge and may leave to hydro locking the engine. You don't want to know what it will cost to repair or replace the engine.

If you do decide to buy an X5, make sure you get both sets of keys, since a new key is only available from the dealer. A new key is around 200 bucks.

on #2 if it has the pano roof similar to its v8 brethern better hope that stays functional or is functional. That cartridge to fix that if broken aint cheap...and Im not talking hundreds you need to add another "0" on there.

Again I agree dont rush. Not sure your search criteria or "must have" list but theres always tons of e53's for sale, these from the short descriptions and no pics or price dont sound like theyre anything unique IMHO.

good luck

I do appreciate the update here. I am replacing my 540i. I do minor diy but have a great indy shop. I have been car aearching for months and most x5s ive seen locally arent in good condition. If v8 is much more to maintain i will go with 6 cylinder. The 8 maybe more fun but if it stays in shop longer i will pass. Any specific thoughts on 8 vs 6 specifically


[QUOTE=upallnight;1083923]

One more thing...no matter what you decide on INSIST on a PPI by whomever you trust thats knows BMW's and even better if they know E53s

V8 engines have known problems.

1. Valve stem seals wear or become hard and are no longer able to seal oil from entering the cylinder. Blue smoke at idle.

2. timing chain guides. You'll know when the guides are starting to break and at that point you wish you brought the I6.

3. ZF transmissions (slow the car down as if coming to a stop, but before stopping give it some gas. Do the car feel as though it been rear ended?)

All of these repairs are in the couple of thousand dollars or the might as well buy another car since it's going to cost the same amount category.

[QUOTE=Mr_byers;1083928]I do appreciate the update here. I am replacing my 540i. I do minor diy but have a great indy shop. I have been car aearching for months and most x5s ive seen locally arent in good condition. If v8 is much more to maintain i will go with 6 cylinder. The 8 maybe more fun but if it stays in shop longer i will pass. Any specific thoughts on 8 vs 6 specifically


The 540i is a far more durable vehicle (made in germany vs made in South Carolina) than the X5. I have a 4.6is and love it but their are more things to deal with on the X5. Another know problem the AC evaporator is known to leak at some point. Big job to get to it

How did you find your 540i? E39 I assume? The pre-facelift 4.4 is pretty much the same engine, and have the timing chain guides that can break.

The later 04 4.4 has the possible valve seal problem mentioned above. There are ways to check for it on a test drive posted around the net.

If I read your posts right you are tending towards reliability, and the 3.0 in general is better in that regard. Sort of like 530i vs 540i.

The 3.0's are also the only variant available with a manual transmission and standard coil and gas strut rear suspension in lieu of air suspension, in both standard and sport versions. A bit less to worry about with these.

I never noticed any major difference with the earlier 4wd system and the later Xdrive system, I wouldnt mind either IMO.

You'll be fine with an X5 if you're a DIYer.
I6 will have about the same gas mileage as the V8, as it has to work harder to move the E53. It's by no mean under power as the gearing ratio helps a lot.
Big maintennace ticket for I6 is the cooling system and DISA valve. For V8, it's the timing chain guide and valley pan gasket for pre-facelift and valve stem seal for facelift. Other stuffs are about the same for I6 and V8.

Good luck with your decision.

[QUOTE=Mr_byers;1083908]2001 x5 131k miles 2 owners. 2006 X5 3.0 134k miles. 3 owners. 2004 x5 4.4 4 owners 154k miles. Minor accident /QUOTE]

I would avoid #1 - At less than 800 miles per month, that's probably a lot of short trips which are murder on these engines because the oil does reach operating temperature often enough, contributing to serious CCV problems. Its total mileage is also at the point where the front drive shaft splines are prone to failure as well. I would also avoid #3 - 4 owners and an accident are two big red flags, V8 maintenance issues aside. Vehicle #2 would be the one I'd consider the most.

2002 X5 3.0 306,200 miles
2014 428i 20,200 miles

2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

1970 Firebird - under restoration

If I had to pick, probably #2...though, I might keep looking.
They pop up here on this Board, on occasion, and they often have a board history/known owner.

#2 does not have Sport, which imo makes the X more 'fun' in terms of handling vs non sport, and usually with 18's or 19's wheel wise, etc.

Our 2001 3.0 has run well for nearly 15 yrs/110,000 miles, but I have known it since day 1. It is Sport, 5 speed manual, 19s et al.

While reliable, (we get in ours and do a few 1300 mile trips per summer to NJ/NY from western NC), it is starting to niggle me a bit, and I know there are some items just waiting to go sideways. Not pushing my luck, but who knows...there a couple of Indies here in western NC, but both are jammed as in weeks out full, and their pricing has become dealer like as the mkt will bear it, and both pitch "you need this and that, and this" lately, and that parts chasing/labor margin game is wearing thin on me.

My DIY skills/energy/initiative were very good back in the days of rebuilding Holley and Carter 4 bbl carbs and putting in an Isky cam, etc, but these days I do oil changes and easy stuff, but not garage wrenching anymore. Your good Indie will be helpful, but I concur on the PPI before you spend a dime. If seller won't allow, walk away...

I would still keep looking as there must be hundreds/thousands of 3.0 E53s running around R-D area.

GL, mD

If you do decide to wait and keep looking and expand your search Id be happy to give anything in the DMV (DC, MD, and VA) a walk around for ya. Ive done it before on other boards.

Good luck

Keep looking.

I really don't see a point in getting the I6 (I have one) unless it has a manual transmission (I have one). At this point, they cost the same, get the same mileage and will both eventually break. You are going to be battling time and entropy either way, you might as well have more fun...more torque is more fun.

If I were looking for an X5, I would get a 4.4 with a bad trans and swap in a G420. Then it's a 540xi with an 8" fording depth. That's just me though, I guess.

BMW know how to make a good I6 - they have been at it for a while now! :D

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_IIIa

Any car you get will require some form of maint. - even a new one. Your call on how deep you want to climb into it or much you can afford to throw at it.

It's a real shame you folk don't get the TD over there - more torque than the V8, the simplicity of the I6 and better economy than either of them. :thumbup:

It's not that the I6 isn't a great engine-it is--but we are talking about ~$8000 or less 10+ year old X5s. The 4.4 has more juice, and at this stage you aren't buying them for ultimate dependability, gas mileage or any of that. At least, I hope not.

And yes, I know I6s are how BMW came to be. Fokker D.vii was the best plane of the war and everyone knew it...but only if it had the BMW engine in it. The MB engine was garbage.

Just picked up the 01 inline 6. Really glad with the decision

Thanks to the group. This 01 is in very good shape. Good maintenance and a few recent good repairs like valve cover gasket, a/c fans part of cooling system pushed it over the edge. Looking forward to a few trips and being a part of this forum

The 2nd one had a panoroof roof which needed atleast $400 repair. Needed tires as I checked.only had 1 key no xenons. That pano concerned me and interior wasnt as clean.

No PPI?

Absolutely. Had the 01 done 2 weeks ago. Car was in great shape. Needed 4 things and seller repaired them and did more.

Skip the pano. They usually break and are expensive to fix unless you want to close and deactivate them. Had to do that with mine vs. paying $6000 to fix it.