Thinking about buying an X5
 

First post.....

We are looking at purchasing either an 05 or 06 X5 and had a few questions. I’ve heard the NAV unit is not very good at all so I was originally looking for vehicles that did NOT have it included. However, I have realized that we will want to have XM and an Ipod controller into the sound system. I found BSW and it looks like these may be the guys to purchase the equipment for the integration. In spite of the poor NAV, it might be more beneficial to have one mainly for easier display of the XM and Ipod information. Is this true? Will the steering wheel controls still work for this aftermarket integration?

Also, the steering wheel looks different…..depending on the specific vehicle. I don’t really know the difference. One had a more round center and the other one is more rectangular.

I’m pretty convinced we should go with the 4.4 engine. Anything to look out for? I would like to find one with the 100k warranty if possible. Would this be advisable considering the cost of repairs?

Any other obvious things to look for before pulling the trigger on the purchase?

Thanks for all the help!

The three spoke wheel is with sport package. I recently had the same dilemna with the NAV system -- decided to go with it due to the resale value it will add for the car. Like it or not, if you have the NAV in there, you will likely be able to sell the car faster in the future (just my personal experience with BMWs).

I purchased the 4.4i a little over 2 months ago and really enjoy it. The gas mileage sucks in the 4.4i as opposed to the 3.0i, but the extra power goes a long way. I also purchased the extended maintenance package that goes along with the CPO warranty just for the piece of mind. Keep in mind there are quite a few things the CPO wont cover so you may want to purchase an aftermarket warranty -- there are plenty of threads in the search feature on this issue. If you are buying 2005 or 2006, make sure you know when the in-service date started so you'll know how long the factory warranty is valid for.

If you are purchasing from a private party, take it to a respected BMW mechanic who can look it over with a fine tooth comb -- if from a dealer, make sure they show you the CPO checklist. My car has already spent about 10 days at the dealership where I purchased (Rusnak in Thousand Oaks, CA) due to oversights from the CPO inspection team.

Good luck -- it is worth every penny (IMO)...:thumbup:

I've read that the mileage is close (almost identical) to the 3.0L. I've seen highway mileage on the 4.4 to be around 19-20 and the city driving around 16 or so. Does this sound accurate?

Is the sport model the nicer of the two?

Sorry about my general lack of knowledge on the BMW's. We came from a Volvo XC90 and it was in the shop a lot! I know the BMW is suppose to be a better build quality but I still don't know too much.

My wife had the XC90 prior to our purchasing the X as well. The X5 with sports package (depending on size of the wheels and tires) will ride a lot stiffer that the XC90 -- some like it and some don't. It will take some getting used to in comparison to the XC90, but you can always get an X without sport package and it should ride smoother.

My family does a lot of city driving and the 16mpg the sticker states in pretty much a marketing ploy and complete BS (IMO) -- we get around 14 or so city driving and roughly 19 - 22mpg on the highway (depending on LA traffic it can be as bad as city driving -- but on long trips it has been able to squeeze out nearly 20mpg). You'll pretty much forget the mpg when you need to pass someone or just want to put the pedal down and enjoy the horses under the hood. The XC90 is a slug in comparison...

The BMW will have its days in the shop too. Think of it this way -- if you are married to a hot wife, you have to treat her nicely to get the most out of her, right? Treat the X5 with respect and buy her some upgrades and make sure she has the best nourishment, keep her in shape and she'll treat you great too! Treat her like shit, let her eat 87 octane, never wash her or change the fluids and you'll get what you deserve -- another whale on the couch who'd rather watch Oprah than exercise in bed with you !!! :rofl:

lmaooo ^ good point =P

my $.02 after owning many BMW's

1. V8 vs. I6. Both are great motors and essentially bulletproof. I6 is smoother and quieter and will be very capable as a daily driver and will cruise without stress on the highway at 80-90mph all day long. The 4.4 gives you the torque many desire for around-town sprints and better towing capacity. Mileage is about the same between both. Maintenance can be slightly higher on the V8.

2. You will want the Premium and Cold weather package at minimum (I see you are in CO). Sport package adds upgraded wheels, suspension and steering wheel. I prefer a tighter ride, thus I look for the Sport package. The standard suspension is fine if you want a softer ride.

3. NAV - it's outdated and DVD based. I personally would not want one because my Garmin is superior. NAV on resale of a 4 - 5 year old car does not effect the price or choice in my opinion. If you are a heavy iPod user, it might benefit you for the display. If it has NAV great!, if not, it's no big deal .....

4. CPO - if you are not good at turning wrenches or have a good BMW certified indy in your area, CPO is probably worth the money. There are many praises and dissapointments with CPO's and extended warranties on this sight. Do some research. I personally have never bought one and been just fine. Maybe luck has been on my side :thumbup:

5. Take your time, prices have dropped quite a bit in the last year and there are some good deals to be had.

6. Most important *** check the maintenance history *** and have the car inspected BEFORE you buy. These may be the ultimate driving machine, but poorly maintained, they can be the ultimate money pit. Expect 150K - 200K miles on a well maintained BMW.

Good luck and enjoy you BMW ............

:xoutpost:

I've got a 2006 4.4i (the model you're looking to buy). I'm sure you'll get some varied opinions on what to look out for. I actually looked at the Volvo XC90 back in 2006 as I was shopping for a mid-sized SUV, before eventually settling on the X5 4.4i. If your XC90 is a V8, you will not like the feel of trading down to a 6-cylinder, so I think the 4.4 V8 is a good choice for you.

As for mileage, 19 mpg highway is a stretch. I'm getting about 15.5 mpg with 70% highway driving. I have not heard of anyone getting 19 mpg in a face-lift (post-2004) 4.4i. Then again, gas prices are not as obscene as they were 8 months ago, so I don't feel the pinch at the pump.

Obviously with any used vehicle, get its' VIN and run a Carfax history report to check for any show-stoppers (flooding, mlutiple accidents).

Getting a CPO (Certified Pre-owned) from a BMW dealer will give you peace of mind, but you WILL pay a premium for that "CPO" designation. I don't know if that's really necessary. You can find plenty of great used X5s from private parties: e-bay, craiglist, etc. But try to get one that's been serviced exclusively at BMW. Not because BMW service is always superior to independent shops, but because it will be very EASY to check the service history that way. Every time the vehicle gets serviced at BMW, it gets recorded on the microchip inside the ignition key. So that way you can get a full service history at any BMW service facility. It will be easier to assure yourself that the vehicle has gotten the regular TLC that it needs.

As for warranties, chances are that an 05 or 06 will be almost at the end of its factory 4-year/50,000 mile warranty. I would not spend extra time looking for one that already has an extended warranty on it (100,000 miles). That's a decision you can make after you already purchase the vehicle. I wound up getting an extended warranty, but I recently dropped it (and got my money back) because they refused to pay for a failed suspension part. I wound up having to pay the dealer out-of-pocket. An extended warranty will not cover every single component, so read the fine print. You can wind up paying $3 to $4 k for an extended warranty, only to find out that you still have to foot the repair bill because it was not a show-stopper failure like engine or transmission. And therein lies the crux of the matter, as it relates to X5s. X5 engines (and BMW engines in general) take a lickin' and keep on ticking. BMW makes some of the finest engines of any production cars in the world today, so it's usually not the engine that hits you in the wallet, but minor, annoying crap, like: door handles, PDC sensors, headlight condensation, thermostat, A/C, etc.
Unless you are a DIY guy or gal (and there are plenty of Forum members that can help you with that) I think it's safe to say that you should expect to budget a cool $1K per year for repair and upkeep.

Just my $0.02. Overall, I'm very happy with my decision back in 2006. Minor headaches and all, it's still a very powerful V8 SUV, a blast to drive, and also a lot of fun to "mod". There are plenty of things you can do to "spice up" the X5 and make it look and drive even better than when you bought it. Good luck in your quest!:thumbup:

Thanks for the tips. We actually had the XC90 T6 (turbo 6 cylinder) but were only averaging around 16 mpg. We really felt that the 6 should have gotten better mileage. We also had to keep bringing it into service and was a headache (CPO to 100k.....but still a headache to keep bringing it down).

We then sold that vehicle and got a Camry hybrid. Yea, it get's great mileage but the thrill is just not there. The only excitement is the gas and my wife has now decided she is not a sedan person.

I have a 3/4 ton suburban that gets around 10-12 so with the X5 our gas bill is certainly going to go up. (Camry gets 34......29 with studded tires :dunno: ).

I have been trying to stick with the CPO's and dealers but could also look around for 3rd party ones. Just a little nervious after the Volvo and a now a german vehicle. Love driving these things as a kid (dad's 533, 535, 535) but never had to pay the repair/maint. on them. I even visited the BMW museum while in Germany as a kid. Fell in love with the 2002tii.

Anyways, thanks for the tips and if any more ideas come to mind, please let me know. Thanks!

FYI.. Gas mileage on the 4.4 and 3.0 are identical.

Gas mileage is pretty much the same between the 3.0i and 4.4i. In my 05 4.4i I can easily get 16 mpg in the city. On the highway I found the x5 to get around 20 mpg on all of our trips. It got 20 mpg with the x5 being driven very hard.

This basically confirms what I have read. On the fueleconomy.gov both engines have the identical rating. For more zip and fun, the 4.4 is my choice pretty easily.

The suburban has the 8.1 and compared to the 6.0, it's way more fun to drive. With the 6.0, the truck had to work more to get everything moving....similar situation I assume.

Can I tow my MC boat behind it very well? Weight is somewhere around 5,000 lbs. I know it won't be like the suburban but if necessary, it would be nice.

Yea that is why I think the 3.0i and the 4.4i would get similar gas mileage because the 3.0i has to do more work to get it moving.

Hmm, I got 22.8 mpg driving from Long Island to Connecticut. I did reset the mpg as soon as I jumped on the parkway though.

I checked mine the old fashioned way by dividing the distance driven by the amount of fuel put in. I got 20mpg driving really hard so I'm guessing if I were to take it easy on the X5 then I would've gotten a lot higher.

Just my two cents as well:

We bought our X5 in September '08. It's a 2005, 3.0i, sport package, CPO. Nice vehicle, fun to drive.

Highs:
1. Loads of fun to drive, very sporty. Love the Imola Red color.
2. Feels very heavy, safe.

Lows:
1. Concerned about future expenses for maintenance items not covered by CPO.
2. Squeaks and rattles.
3. Frozen door locks in winter.

Would I buy one again? Tough question. Maybe, maybe not. It's a great driving car. But I keep asking myself if I wouldn't have been better off with the Acura MDX and it's better reliability and larger cargo/passenger space...? On the other hand I see MDX's all the time where I live, not too many X5's. And I've never seen another Imola red one, :)

Another High I think is that the e53 04-06 will never look old. If well maintained it will always keep looking new especially to people who don't know much about cars. They will always think you just bought it from a dealer.

From my experience with a 3.0 non-sport:

The standard suspension is more than fine. It would be the "sport" suspension on most other carts. In real-world situations (bumpy roads), the std suspension will more than hold its own even in the unlikely event of an actual on-the-edge race. You get more exciting wheels and tires on sports models, and maybe more squeaks and rattles. Either way is fine, just don't think you need the sport.

GPS probably isn't much of a factor in resale value, but it might make it easier to sell. There are modern pop-up, "big screen" GPS units that have superior potential for sound systems, have touch screens (hugely better than the computer-in-a-museum controls of the std unit), have bluetooth capability, can accept a back-up camera without a huge investment in video modules and there are iPod solutions as well.

My X has nav and I think it is a negative, despite all the updates.

As for the gas mileage issue, there are a lot of widely varying reports. My 3.0 gets 20 overall, which is very good for an almost 2.5 ton, all-wheel drive, unaereodynamic vehicle.

Cruising along a level road at a constant reasonable speed will not show much difference because you are using the same amount of horsepower in either motor. However, if you start to accelerate that mass, feel the push in the back and hear the nifty exhaust sound then there will be a big drop in the V8's mileage.

You can cruise down a level road and play with the mileage meter and read-outs. It gets fabulous mileage, over 25, doing that, but as soon as it encounters even the slightest grade the mileage plummets way, way down. That is why you get 20 overall, even with the 3.0. The X is heavy.

A big V8, big sporty wheels and tires, sport seats and all are more than just fine. The 3.0 is an excellent option with some real advantages and is no disappointment at all. I still have wheel envy, though...

I just got an '05 4.4. x5 + sport. Gas mileage after 2 tanks is ~18.9mpg with 50/50 city/hwy. I think on the hwy, 21+ is probable at 65mph. So I'm pleased.

But I've been driving conservatively to see what kind of mileage is achievable. I think in town, driving move aggressively, I wouldn't be surprised if it is 15-16. I see a wide variation in hwy mpg, and I think how fast you cruise is a big factor. The X5 is not very aero - the most efficient (abit boring) speed is slower.

I forgot to mention that in my post. Yes, speed is huge with these vehicles. My first long distance trips were done at fairly legal speeds, lots of vehicles going by, and the mileage was over 22. When I went 75-80, and the speed crept up from there, oh, once or twice, the mileage is just over 20. So, almost 2.5 mpg less by going maybe an average of 8 mph more.

I think the aerodynamics must be terrible. Of course, all sorts of things get into play at higher speeds as well.

The mileage people are right about speed, but...

Yes, I think the aerodynamics are much worst than say a sedan.

The other piece, I believe, is engine speed. The 6 speed seems to shift to top gear rather quickly. At 60mph, I tach at less than 2000rpm and the engine is hardly working. At 80, tach is ~26-2700? Of course, going faster, but making more HP than really needed. I suppose the variable valve timing may have kicked too?

Some of the mercedes 7 sp trannys are really efficient in saving gas. Really tach low at cruising speed. So, If you want to drive economical - drive slower.

However, the faster you drive the quicker you get to your destination -- or does the tortoise really beat the hare ? :nanana:

Hey thanks guys for all the help. I've been sending PM's to a few of you and really appreciate your advice. My wife was able to drive a local Sport model and found the seats to be too stiff and uncomfortable however, the standard one felt great. The second (local) vehicle appears to fit the bill but we are still working on price with the dealer. My wife is very good and practical.....if it's not a good price, it's not worth it (thanks Dave Ramsey)!

2006, X5, 4.4, No NAV, White w/ tan interior. My wife said it drove really nice and now does like the V8. We'll see how the day goes. Thanks again.

If I wanted to add XM and I-Pod capabilities, is the BSW the way to go? I emailed Zach and he did mention the standard radio was easier to connect to than the NAV unit.

Well, we didn't get the 06' 4.4 X5. Dealer asking price was $33,900 (100k Warranty) with 29k miles and after a lot of back and forth, their end result was $33,500 plus dealer handling charges and taxes......I bet the dealer handling charges were close to $400:rolleyes:. Our offer was $32,000 cash.

Anyways, it was in great shape, no flaws but they really didn't want to sell it yet. It did just get certified the day we tested it so it's pretty fresh on the lot. I guess they weren't too anxious to get it sold yet. The sales lady said their cost was $32,500 and wanted at least a $1,000 profit. I find that profit margin pretty hard to believe.

Anyways, we'll keep looking and thanks again!

Just to chime in (being in Colorado and all :))...

There's no way they have $32K into a 2006 X5, especially if they've had it for less than a month. Was this at Murray Motors in Denver? They're notorious for way overinflating their used car prices.

As far as gas mileage is concerned on my 2005 4.4 sport: since November of last year and 7,000 miles, I'm right at 18.7 mpg overall. Current tank is at 21.6 mpg (300 miles into it), and that's running 85+ mph on the highway in high winds. I have double checked the OBC readout vs. calculating it manually, and it seems to be consistently within .3 to .5 mpg. And this is with altitude and snow driving as a huge factor; I think the 6 speed tranny must help a lot.

As far as nav vs. no nav... I specifically looked for one without it, largely due to the outdated interface and the significant cost to replace the display unit out of warranty should it fail... Any $300 handheld nav unit will outperform the E53 X5 one many times over at a fraction of the cost.

Good luck with your search!

P.S. Try to find one with a hitch. :)

That's funny....Yes, it was Murray Motors in Denver.:bustingup

I agree, unless the dealer says their price is a "no dicker" price, they have room to negotiate.

I did call Schomp BMW yesterday and asked what they had in stock. The lady was much more personable (non-sales talk type person) and said she would look and email me anything they might have or could possibly get from other sources. She also said their price is a no-dicker price. She told me this up front so I know now what to expect. We'll see if she is able to find anything.

Otherwise, the search goes on.

Thanks for the mileage confirmation. It's nice to hear you are getting decent mileage with the 4.4. Also, the hitch isn't crucial but it would be nice to have if she wanted to pull the boat up to Idaho for the summer or use our rear hitch bike rack.

Definitely keep looking. There are much better deals out there. Just my opinion on the whole thing. I absolutely love my fiance's X5 although I'm not much of a truck kind of guy. She went from a Pathfinder which we had when we first bought our house in 04' and it was great having an SUV. Then she got a Volvo S40 and I had to start asking friends and family to borrow they're SUV's to pick things up from Home Depot and such so we kinda realized that it was a great convenience having one. We have the 4.4i with sport package and the ride is a bit harsh. I personally don't mind it since I love the tighter and more confident handling. All my 3-series coupes have had sport package and my 02' 330 coupe had an aftermarket suspension as well. I like tight handling cars period. It may get a little too much for my fiance once in awhile but the 3.0 is definitely smoother and quieter. Only thing I will say is that driving the 4.4 with the window open even slightly gives me a hard on every time I accelerate. What a great engine and exhaust note! Barely touch the gas and she really moves where as you kinda have to mash the pedal on the 3.0 so I can see why the gas mileage is comparable. I think my fiance would have liked a 3.0 with sport package over the 4.4 alittle more. She could care less about performance but she does still love her truck. Very comfortable when cruising as well. What really made us go with the 4.4 was the fact that the gas mileage was similar and the 19" wheels on the 4.4 and exhaust note was the real decision maker. So far no problems with the X5 however this is my third BMW and I have not a single issue with any of them as of yet nor has anyone in my family. Then again I do feel that I have pretty good luck with cars. I'm 30 years old now and my BMW coupe is my 9th car and none have given me any problems whatsoever with the exception to my 69' Camaro which is pretty much expected. Good luck in your search and keep us posted! You will like whichever you choose regardless :D

You can get deals out there - mine was a single owner lease return from a doctor who leases every 2-3 years from the same dealer for over 15 years. I found the car on BMWUSA CPO search, where they got it 2 days prior and didn't even take pictures yet. they were surprised I knew about it.

Suggestion - search online and keep track on vehicles for sale. When you can determine quickly whether the car has been on sale for a long time, or if it was just posted, your deals can come from the new ones. The ones that don't sell - there's a reason behind it.

Same exact thing happened to me. I searched the CPO X5's on bmwusa and found one with a price that was too good to be true. I called the dealership and the salesman didn't even know they had it in. Got the truck for $24,900. Same deal. First 2 payments on BMW, 0.9%

Has navi, bluetooth, truffle two-tone interior, sport package, cold weather package, sliding rear load floor, and not really sure what else. Wish it had the adjustable suspension though. The lower the better in my book :D Funny though because the salesman pulled up the history on the car and it was registered to a Dr. James something from upstate NY.

Hey how about posting some photos. Sounds like you got a nice one!

If you want to tow anything you better find one with an OE BMW hitch ALREADY INSTALLED, because finding one right now is not virtually impossible, it LITERALLY IS IMPOSSIBLE. (Numerous threads on this subject)