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X5 purchase considerations and how to minimize risk

I would like to see if we can create a list of considerations and a reasonable process to follow to minimize the purchase risk of an E53-E70. Would be great if it ends up being summarized in one post.

Not sure how to sort bias from constructive contribution, seems impossible but would like to see where this goes.

It may be necessary to do by engine or other declinations but hopefully we can keep it more generalized than that.

At this point please add only one contribution per category so more forum members are alerted if someone has questions about thread info and more members can contribute.

And only one contribution to further clarify input, please.

Example follows:

Considerations

Do It Yourself capability important
Labor cost of most repairs high

Best practice buying process

Pre Purchase Inspection
Minimize risk of surprise repair costs

Walk in there with a scan tool of some sort. Carly for BMW and a bluetooth reader can get you a bunch of information about the vehicle, such as all its readiness monitors and live readings. A more advanced code reader can do the same for a more generalized used.

Check for paint work and prior body work. Bad repairs can hide rust that will break out in the future. Body work is not a normal DIY job, so I'd run away from any sort of rust.

Electrical drains are also not very fun to diagnose. If there is any drain issue that has been disclosed, or a lot of aftermarket electrical work done, I'd be wary. If harnesses and adapters weren't used, you could be chasing down a lot of cut wires and have to re-pin a lot of harnesses back to the factory plugs. No fun at all.

The mechanical stuff I'm sure everybody else will cover. But these are the things I look for first, as mechanic stuff is easier to fix than the stuff I listed.

Didn't take long for that idea to go off track. Oh well.

Owner History
Who and how many (and how long).

Best Practices:
Maintenance history (and failure vs preventative)
Accident history
Modifications and who installed

I don't fear high mileage if it has been well maintained. Low mileage with poor maintenance at the age (in years) of the E53 can be problematic, too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by semcoinc (Post 1104414)

My best practice for buying an E53 (as well as my other two BMWs - E46 and E90) is to have a respectable enough budget to buy a sub 85K mile vehicle (one or two owner) in the case of my E53 and E46 which were over 10 years old when I purchased them and buy sub 40K miles on a 3-4 year old vehicle in the case of my E90.

My approach is to buy and hold for a long time so this method works well for me and I don't get a vehicle that has been "rode hard and put away wet" with who knows how many AWD burnouts the teen driver did on the tranny clutches and transfer case.

PPI can only get you so far on what is failed and/or starting to fail.

Long in the tooth mileage E53s are going to need lots of basic wear components to insure high reliability:

cooling hoses
water pump
thermostat
heater control valve
fan clutch
alternator
belts
belt tensioners and idlers
front & rear suspension components and bushings
front struts
rear shocks
air bags
final stage resistor for blower motor
drive line fluids
brakes, rotors
window regulators
door handle carriers

Unless someone can substantiate that they have addressed and kept up with replacing these critical wear components, a buyer of a high mileage (>100K miles) E53 is just kidding themselves, IMHO, if they think they are going to step into a sub $5,000 E53 and have a great reliable and low cost experience. Excepting the E53 one might buy from a known family member or friend who knew the maintenance history and driving care the vehicle received.

The E53 is a great and robust vehicle. For a person with reasonable to moderate DIY capabilities it represents a great value in price/performance but there's only so much a ball joint, belt, hose, alternator, rotor, strut, air bag, door handle carrier and window regulator can give. :dunno: :dunno:

Owning older vehicles can be tough, its even tougher when you make poor purchase choices on vehicle budget or condition. :dunno:

Mike

Please stick with post #1 process. Your list is your experience (anecdotal). I don't want to start a process contest. One shortcoming of a forum is that none of us really know the expertise of members. The goal is consensus, a universal bullet point list. The final product is not intended to cover all details. Hopefully, potential new buyers will ask questions and details can be provided then if a member feels they are critical to an informed decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MINIz guy (Post 1104418)

Please stick to process explained in post #1. Your input represents your personal experience. I don't want to start a contest of individual methods. The goal is a universal process without what would be an endless list of details that may or not be applicable to a particular potential buyer. The responsibility of potential buyers is to ask for details of bullet points to which members can respond with personal experience if they feel it important to do so. I don't want potential buyers to be confused or spin into paralysis analysis when they have no way of knowing the expertise of individual input.

You are correct in this approach. Now that these models are at the end of their depreciation cycles all current owners are either long term owners or have moved on to another vehicle. The items you listed fall into "wear items" that need to be replaced during the life cycle of any BMW E53, or E39 as these two are joined at the engineering hip.
The only way to make an old car reliable is to go through it front to back and check replace every wear item to create a base line of dependability.

Considerations
Time
DIY investment - tools, shop Manual and the ability to read the forum articles before posting "how do I do xxxxx?" The total knowledge library on this forum is wonderful. Bottom line, someone at this point has experienced the issue before hand. Read first.

Final personal observation Notes:
The market is littered with vehicles looking for their 5th and final owner. The sub 5k prices will attract more seeking a $70k vehicle at the end of their life, packed with 100% deferred maintenance and bandaged repairs. Buying a well maintained vehicle with accurate maintenance history will bring higher prices but happier ownership.
If you do not DIY, have tools, a dry place to work, run from any Euro car with 90's, 2000 electronics as the cost to diagnose and repair will be 2x vehicle purchase price in the first year. Example: auto trans life is 100-140k on 80% of these vehicles. Look into replacement costs as it will need a replacement during your ownership.
Rule #1 for daily drivers- it must start, stop, run and get you there. Everything else is optional.

Hopefully I have NOT strayed from the boundaries of this post topic. If not mark them up and I will delete.

UPDATE

Considerations

Do It Yourself (DIY) capability important
Labor cost of most repairs high
Should have diagnostic software, OBC scanner
Parts are expensive

Best practice buying process

Have Pre Purchase Inspection done
Minimize risk of surprise repair costs
Extensive maintenance history Important
Verify preventative maintenance is current
Lower miles, lower risk
Target under 100,000 miles
Check accident history

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