Not necessarily. I have a 2006 with 265,000 miles. OP has 160,000. He's far from end of life. Properly cared for the M54 is practically bullet proof. Change the rest of the wear components as needed and properly care for the car and it will last a very long time. There have been people on here with over 350,000 miles on their X IIRC.

No question that a properly cared for X5 (or any BMW for that matter) will go a long long way. 89% will never get there as most drive 'em into the ground long before their time. As 4th and 5th owners seek the cheapest band aids as any preventative maintenance catch ups exceed the cost of ownership.

Personally I live on the fix it right the first time with quality parts and DIY skills island, but I also realize that our auto enthusiast island is quite a small fraction of the models left out there. My own X5 4.8is sits at 65K so it will outlive most of the daily drivers. No salt road, rain, or abuse. It sits nice and dry with a cover and a Battery tender humming away.

I agree. I'm of the same mind, fix it right the first time. If you don't you'll be fixing it again. Soon. Mine is a daily, but I live in California where rust and salt are not issues, so that part of it sort of takes care of itself. That said, BMW sure seems to use really cheap steel as, even in this climate, it sure rusts. I'm shooting to get 300,000 miles out of my X. I think I'll make it.

I decided to reuse. Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge. It is much appreciated.
Have a great new year ahead!

Yea!

Multiple posts, metallurgy discussions, micro view discussions on pros and cons and we are completed!