well they arent going to just change the engine, they would have to redesign the assembly line for it. the m62tu came out in 9/98 the m54 came out in 9/00. they did change engine managment systems from MS43 to MS45 midlife. n62 does have problems, but most occur under the warranty period.

Killcrap, I want to belive you if you are a tech or something, but I have been a BMW nut for 20 years and from personal experience, just about every single thing I have read in Roundel, online, etc. and conversations with my other BMW crazy friends and even my Indy mechanic lead me to believe that the BMW inline 6 is basically bulletproof and is BMW's bread and butter. I do know that BMW V8's have been notorious for oil leaks and other issues on the other hand. I put neary 300k on the last two 6 cylinders I have had with no internal issues what so ever. I love the engine in my 4.4i, but I have a hard time believing it is going to be as reliable/maintenance friendly as my 6'es were.

On a side note, my friends engine in his 2002 540i just went to hell a few months ago and all BMW could tell them was that there was water in the engine. Car was totalled. He was up to date on all maintenance and didn't have any leaking seals. He didn't drive through any significant puddles either.

By the way, I know that the pre-face lift, V8, e53 X5's do have water cooled alternators. Other post 1999 BMW V8's do as well such as the 540i and 740i. Not sure about the face-lifted e53 or the e70 though.

these are just my observations, nothing is concrete, different things happen in different climates. whether you drive 5k miles annually or 18k miles. and i say IMO the x5 should only be driven in a 8cyl or diesel. My cousin has a 2002 3.0 and hes now hit 100k miles, hasnt had any real problems, except that is burns 2 quarts of oil every 2 weeks. compression and leakage were good too. Its just something he has to live with. Thats one reason i took the 8, most 3.0's burn alot of oil.

My experience with a 3.0 05 X5 has been very positive. The non-sport suspension and seats are excellent. While big wheels and tires are attractive to me, in actual driving they don't really matter.

My X can stay with most anything on freeway ramps and the curvy grade where I live.

The standard non-sport seats are very comfortable and supportive. I can drive until the gas runs out. (The rocking and air-flowed comfort seats on the E70s sound nice!).

Nav is as bad as what people say, although the computer function is nice. An aftermart unit is far better and is a good investment if you actually need and use GPS.

A nav X might be easier to sell later.

My X has the option that features the nav, panoramic roof, memory, lumbar support, rear climate control and roll-up rear door sunshades. This is a nice option, great for traveling, especially with kids.

Do get CPO. The cost of repairs is not reasonable. The other options are just that, options. The basic X is just fine, but now that they are getting old and the prices are so much lower, a fully optioned X is hardly more expensive, so just go for what you like.

I've had both the 3.0 and the 4.4. The 3.0 was very reliable and around town was spunky enough. On the freeway when you needed power it really wasn't there. I tow a boat so I really needed the V8. The 4.4 is a fast engine and the mileage is basically the same as the 3.0. I had to replace brakes on both, CV boots on both, window regulators on the 3.0 and I'm waiting for them to blow on this one. I bought my 4.4 with balance of orig warranty and then got a 5 year extended warranty for it. Right now my transmission is doing the old bump stop bang (what ever it's called) in 4th gear and I'll need to have that looked at.

I knew this car would require more maintenance than say a Toyota, but the driving satisfaction makes up for that. I have the Truffle interior and I really like it. I had sand beige before and there was more to cleaning it up. The black carpet with Truffle does show the dirt a bit more however.

I narrowed down to a 2004 year, price was right and I knew of the updates. I think if you can find 3.0 or 4.4 in 2004 to 2006 year you'd have a great car if it's been maintained. Good luck!