If it is becoming or has been a money pit, just sell now to avoid future spending. It will only get worse because Its getting older and older. $3K this time, it could be $5K next time. If you dont have a good indy shop, i recommend you to trade it in or sell it.

disagree completely. i would have bought the lexus if i agreed with that statement. (seriously, i got in a X5 and was blown away!)

and with nova
you can say this about any car. if he skipped the work and sold, the guy who buys his X would find this forum and be just as upset.

like alpac was saying, a little bit of elbow grease...

but are there universal cats that are bolt on or will I have to weld and cut?

Not everyone is DIY type. I would recommend anybody who is without DYI expertise to sell this crumbling X in a heartbeat.

I'm picking up the Z4 today, so the X5 will become a garage queen until next winter. I'll drive it on rainy days, too. Once this front end work is done, that should be it for quite some time. I own it outright, so even at a few grand a year, it'll be ok.

I have found a decent indy. He specializes in German cars. He's still not cheap, though. Replacing the upper and lower control arms and bushings still ran me $750 or so. Not too bad, I guess, considering how much the stealer wanted just for the parts. This indy will be doing the tie rods, too. The tough part is getting an appointment. He's very busy. Lots of folks in our area bring their BMWs and MBs to him.