New guy looking to buy an e53
 

New guy here looking to buy an E53 with manual transmission, for my daughter to learn to drive on on.

Is there a combined list of common problems listed anywhere?

I previously owned an e46, so I''m aware of window regulators and water pumps. What else should I be looking at prior to purchase?

Any help would be much appreciated.

I saw a thread last year with the context of "I just bought what did I get myself into" which answers most of the maintenance questions. Search xo for that thread.

Good luck finding a manual shift though might as well be searching for a diesel in the USA. (It can be done though I'm not being sarcastic just actual luck)


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The CCV failing if not being driven regularly at highway speed can be a huge issue if you are living in a cold climate. Can at best, hydrolock your engine, or at worst, like me....detonate your engine causing me to install a new one. HUGE money! Another issue can be the yaw sensor..not hugely expensive but required a removal of half the interior to replace. Another issue is the sensor pad for the passenger airbag can fail. Some were under recall, some we're not. Mine was not but I found a emulator system that was cheap and easy to install that still allows the bag to deploy but will also deploy if nobody is in the seat. I've heard of cooling system issues here and there. Have not had any other major issues otherwise. Great car, safe and comfortable..a huge gas hog, however. Taught my boys on a 2004 Saab 9-3 manual. Good luck.

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Im in Alabama too and I spent a year hunting for a manual version and ended up settling for an automatic. No regrets. In all honesty I think the automatic was a better fit seeing as I wanted to creep up my driveway which was in bad condition and the automatic was much better suited for that. Plus when we had that ice/snow storm last year the automatic was definitely better suited for that vs the manual.

Last plus for the automatic is the odds on finding a manual trans x5 at ALL are slim so you will have to take what you find.

Going with an automatic allows you to find one that has all the other options you want and to focus more on the overall condition since you wont be settling for what few if any manual ones you may find.

All good info above...I would find some other brand of manual trans car/semi-beater, for your D to learn on.

E53 manuals are like unicorns, though I have our '01 since new.

Other than the higher up seating position, they are heavy, lumbering cars esp for a new driver/slow speed steering/learning the pedals situ, imo.

I am going to teach our 16+ yr old Grand D to drive our VetteVert 6 Spd, so I get your goal.
GL, mD

Still looking for that thread, but I appreciate path to follow.

If you are looking for a manual SAV, consider the E83 as well. They came in manuals too

https://www.bmwcca.org/ads/207991

That one is overpriced by a lot but you get the idea.

I'd consider the E83 maintenance woes to be less than E53. Having owned both, the E83 was very reliable! Same motor as the E53 3.0i as well (up until 2006 I believe)

Much appreciated with the CCV and sensors info. That's the type of things I'm looking for. In hindsight, I wished I had kept my e46...

As far as a gas hog, my wife's AWD 5.7l Durango and my S/C'd Tacoma 4x4 are just as bad. That's the price we pay for wrapping our kids in plenty of steel and having enough room for several sets of golf clubs.

I'm insistent of a manual for several reasons and may end up with a X3 or e90. She's not 15 yet, so I have time to look.

There are a few around and I'm going to look at one in Phoenix next week. I just have to weigh the shipping cost into the purchase price.

Bottom line, if I don't like the way it drives, I'll look into a different vehicle. With that said, if she can learn on a X5 MT, she can probably drive anything in the future. Plus, I don't have to worry about any of her friends asking to borrow her car... :D

I'm looking at the e83 as well, just have to find the right one. The goal is to have something by this summer.

EDIT: This is awesome. I've been a member here for over 10 years and now have 6 posts, all in the same thread... :lurking:

I have a nice 5MT e46 I'd sell in Colorado. Although maintained well, it's a 20 y.o. car with 251K miles, so that may be older than you're looking to put your daughter in.

An X3 with MT will likely be easier to find, and frankly, I bet she'd like it more. Especially if you can find an LCI (07+) version with the N52. The 06 pre-LCI is desirable over the older ones mostly due to BMW FINALLY painting the bumpers instead of adorning the vehicle with big ugly black plastic!

Good hunting,

AM.

Thanks, but I can find an e46 much closer, if not buy my old car back if it's still alive. Her golf clubs will fit in an e46, but it's still a little tight. Most likely she'll have other teammates traveling with her to practice as well.

I can 100% verify that statement! ;-)

AM.

For argument sake, which is the preferred of the following options?

A) 2003 X5 5MT 200k @$4k

B) 2006 X3 6MT 146k @ $6k

C) 2008 X3 6MT 110k @ $6.5k

All vehicles seem in good shape for their age and taken care of, but tbd...

Without knowing anything else besides what you provided.

I'd consider B and C. Just because they are less miles, minimal price difference and later model years. 04-06 will be LCI for X5, so better headlights and option for aux retrofit.

Good to know, thanks!

For my ignorance and ol' timers:

LCI = Facelift years?

If you do decide on a e46 I have one of those I'd sell. 5 Speed manual and new clutch and suspension.

Gets 41 mpg :)

Only flaw is the clear coats starting to come off. Paint guy keeps giving me the brush off on getting it repainted.

http://crowz.narmir.com/wp-content/u...g-1024x576.jpg

Former E46fanatic, new E53 owner
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sha...8&share_type=t

I appreciate it, but the only e46 I'd consider is a 330xi or ZHP.

I moved from e46fanatics to TacomaWorld and ended up spending a lot more $$.

EDIT: thanks for the link to your project thread.

I wouldn't pay $4k for that

I learned how to drive using a manual transmission vehicle. It was the most difficult and dangerous way of learning to drive. One tends to be absorbed on changing the gears instead of focusing on the road. The transmission took a real beating. I remember the stink of the clutch. I didn't enjoy driving because of that manual.

How much is it worth?

I didn't plan on paying $4k though, that's just what he's asking.

My wife and I both learned on a manual and we don't see it as an issue. Plus, it makes it much more difficult to text...

The latest one I bought was $1000.

Back when I leant to drive, everyone learnt on a manual - automatics were as rare as rocking horse s**t and usually in high-end luxury models.

My first car didn't even have synchro-mesh between 2nd and 1st, so you had to stop to change down to first or double-clutch the change.

Ironically, 40 years later I drive a car that has a ZF 6HP26 auto, which doesn't like changing from 2nd to 1st while moving... Dunno what that says about progress... :rofl:

Somebody else's thread I just remembered a lot of tips on that thread

Cool, when the time comes, join me in the negotiations. :stickpoke

In all seriousness though, I will spend as little $$ as possible on which vehicle I buy. As others have said, X5 MT's are hard to come by, so who knows what he'll negotiate to. I always plan to walk away from every deal out there.

Bad part now is a new clutch and pressure plate for a bmw cost the same as a replacement automatic transmission and requires the same effort to swap them :)

Not to mention the banjo lever action on a bmw's shifter isn't going to hold up well to a newbie learning to shift gears for the first time. Expect a few wrecker trips or a call from the kid where they are stranded from the shifter not doing anything when moved :)

My first was a celica manual but like anyone else with stories of learning to drive a manual on Japanese cars they were top loader transmissions. You could grind on them all day with no damage and the shifters are practically indestructible within reason.

You can pop the shifter linkage off a bmw if you are rough with them.

My mistake, I didn't notice that while multitasking at work.

Cars are so cheap in Alabama I didn't negotiate. The asked what I would give and I said a $1000 and they said sold.

I did end up giving them $200 extra for the new battery they had to put in it to bring it to me. Only seemed fair.

Well going thru all the car search engines I have it looks like $4000 is the average lowest price for any x5's with a manual transmission currently for sale at the moment.

The above said the only ones I found that were in decent enough shape Id consider buying personally were in the $7000 range. Way to much for the average E53 in these parts. But its the manual trans I guess that's running the price up.

How much is a transmission?

I can't argue with you on the Celica, as I learned on '80 Datsun 210 and 310's. Driver's Ed the year before got to drive '79 T/A's.

Any of those for sale close to us?

You can get a wrecker yard auto trans around here for $500 to 750 with a guarantee. I have bought them $250.

Clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing oe is over $300 from looking just now. I paid over $400 for the last one I bought so they have come down some. Aftermarket quality you can get down to $200 now it seems.

That said you will be doing this every 100k miles or so vs may never have to change the auto trans.

Hard to know for sure. Expect the first learner clutch to fail fast of course.

Not really I had to come out to 400 miles range from here to get a good one to pop. Let me look again real quick.

I appreciate all the advice/assistance. :thumbup:

I'm not in a huge hurry to buy and may end up with an x3 or e90. :dunno:

I'll do a bit of looking later tonight and see what I can find closer by.

Of the three you listed, the 08 X3 is the one I'd be interested in. The LCI E83 is just a nice vehicle. I love driving it and considered getting a second one for myself to drive daily. Alas, I need the towing capacity of the E53 and seating postion fits my long legs better.

AM.

I don't need the leg room, but want to keep costs as low as possible.

Right now I have someone trying to scam me on CarGurus. :rolleyes:

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=234094727

The seller refuses to provide additional pics or information....

Too bad, the questionable vehicle looks really nice.

That x5 on cargurus is an automatic anyway.

The original listing said 6 speed manual.

You'll see that a lot while looking. About 3/4 of those listed as manual are autos. Just look up the vin on bmwvin.com or wherever it redirects to now, and it will show the transmissions and all options.

Took me a few months to find mine, but they're out there (moreso when you're not looking!)

I agree and it's frustrating.


Thanks for the vin info, it's been awhile since I've been in the bimmer market and forgot about doing that.

Try finding an x5-m ! Not one of 4 actually is!

If you're willing to travel or have it shipped, there are some decent ones to be had. Here's an example:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto...840893634.html

It's in the bay area, but west coast cars are soooo nice to work on - no rusty fasteners! I set up a craigslist search for bmw x5, car & truck category, titles only, max year 2006, manual trans. Then just change the city in the url to all the major ones around areas you're willing to buy from. Since the results will be slim, craigslist will show you results from surrounding areas, too.

I’ve looked in AZ, since i’ll Be there in 2 weeks. Not willing to make it to the coastline this year. I’ve scanned CL all over the southeast and TX.

That is a very nice ride.:thumbup:

The one in the ad is very close to my 01 with 20,000 less miles and tan vs black Inside.


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Here's a craigslist X3 6-speed for $2200
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto...843289816.html

I would be leery of that one. Salvage title and signs of a something coolant wise letting go under the hood at one time plus it is leaking/overheating from the description.

Unlike the E90 which prevents driving when overheating, X3 doesn't have that at least not that old of one so I'd agree with that.

^^ This

I decided to go after an e83 X3 w/ 6MT, instead of the e53. Every time I find one worth looking at it, it sells before I can get the time to look at it or the thing is a POS. :dunno:

Any chance you have the time to search through your contacts? I'm using Tempest and a few others, but not much is showing up w/o being an auto or way over priced.

Thanks,

They aren't overpriced as 6mt's. You pay a premium for that feature. It's an unfortunate reality of the market. Scarcity and desirability lead to an upcharge. I was looking for a 6MT e61 wagon. Cost was 120% (asking $18000) more than an auto unless with a salvage title (still asking $12000). The wife and I ended up just buying an auto. :(

Edit: Here is, what looks to be, a solid 5MT X5 with low miles.

https://xoutpost.com/classifieds/bmw...85k-miles.html

They are out there and reasonably priced, but get picked up fast.

I briefly looked at that add and yes it's a good looking car, but I decided not to go with an e53, based on availability and comments from here.

FWIW, there is 2004 e53 w/ 5MT in ATL, just like the one you posted for $4k.

Hey there I just posted mine for sale. Feel free to check it out I will soon post all the work
I've done to it so far. Only 85k miles on it. I just did the water pump.

I've posted it for sale here in the classifieds if you search for it. Price is negotiable of course.

Ive also posted the car for sale in the letgo app https://letgo.onelink.me/O2PG/654a54ba

Yeah, they are out there. If in no hurry you'll find something. I don't think there were nearly as many e83 X3 MT's but could be wrong about that. Don't seem to run across them nearly as much as X5.

But having owned an auto Mtech X3. They are great. Drive like a 330i but are way more practical. Good luck on your hunt. :thumbup:

If you can get an auto cheap enough just convert it to manual.

Cant be much harder than when I converted my 323i from auto to manual. I almost converted it to awd while I was at it. Probably should have.

That's an interesting thought. If my auto takes a crap I would definitely consider conversation to manual.


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Picking up an ‘06 X3 6MT this afternoon. Thanks for everyone’s opinion on here!

Congrats! Enjoy it. I bet an mt6 E83 is a blast. You got the last of the M54's too unless they switched to the N52 sometime in late '06.

Thanks!

It’s an m54 and in immaculate condition.

06's are a great model year for X3's. Last year of the M54. While it doesn't get all the enhancements of the LCI update for 07, it DOES get the color-matched bumper covers which looks like 1000% better than those giant (faded) black covers.

Congrats and enjoy,

AM.

Really? You must be a glutton for punishment. First, it's a waste because teaching manual on an all wheel drive with DSC defeats the purpose of manual driving. Second, it's over rated and very expensive to fix, unless you're teaching her that too. Finally, you're better off with a slick Toyota pickup, four wheel , manual, four banger. Beat that up and then toss the cash into a BMW. BTW, the manuals are hard to find and drive differently than an auto. Then again, just saying. I learned on Fiat 124's in the 70's. Winter driving in ME teaches respect real fast. And remember, the quickest way to teach manual clutch driving is the idle first gear engagement test. NO acceleration, first gear, remove foot from clutch slowly until the car engages and rolls forward under idle. Beyond that,it's smooth shifting..
Have fun, n be safe.

:rolleyes: