First time owner of BMW
 

Hi everyone,

I just bought a used 2004 X5 4.4i for $19K with 69K miles on it. I think it’s a fair deal right?
It has Nav with premium/cold weather package and panoramic roof.
The car looks clean in and out and runs great when I performed test drive.
Previous owner told me he has done all the routine maintenance work... but besides of that is there anything I should look in to for this age of X5?
The navigation screen displayed very yellowish orange and wondering if that is normal... which version of navigation computer unit do we have for this year of X5?
Any advice would be great.
Thank you in advance.
John

Welcome aboard! you got a great deal, I bought my 2004 x5 3.0, 59,000 miles for $18,500 NO NAV!

hopefully someone here can answer your question..

Welcome from a fellow 2004 4.4i owner. I bought mine a year ago with all the same options as you EXCEPT nav, same mileage and warranty for 20k. You def got a pretty good deal..

anyway about the nav, there is a way to change the color if u go into settings, but sometimes the navigation screen itself has problems, thus why u may be experiencing an odd yellowish orange color. Do u think it is possible to post a picture of it? I could then tell you whether it's a problem or not.

some problems that i have experienced with my 4.4 so far are the intermediate levers, i think this is more prevalent in the colder climates, but upon cold start up (around 30 degrees or less) the car will shake uncontrollably and the service engine soon light will flash, i doubt you will have this problem in California though.. THe other thing that u may want to watch out for is transmission, many of the BMW transmissions are not very reliable and some of them run forever. I feel like its luck of the draw!

Anyway, hope you enjoy your new X, post up pictures of the car if you can!

Thanks for the info Naz. I will try to upload some photos of my NAV screen once I taken photos.
knock on wood!! hope my transmission last forever.

Welcome and congrats! We bought our almost fully loaded (with Navi) '04 4.4 w/50k miles for $22k 3 months ago. I considered it an outstanding value. You did just fine. If you have any concerns, you should have it checked by a mechanic (hopefully you did it before you purchased the car). I would check the suspension and brakes and fluids. Did the seller have the service records? If so, it's a plus knowing what has been taken care of. Good Luck and enjoy your new ride.

The brake job was done recently and fluids were all filled up but no idea about the suspension nor how to check... when test driving the car it drove very nice and smooth.
I will take the vehicle to reputable BMW mechanic and have them do some thorough check up...

Thanks,
John

I would search around for a very good independent mechanic specializing in German Cars, if youre not under warranty the dealership can get very very very $$$$.

Yes, I did some research and "The M Shop" in Eagle Rock had very good ratings and good reviews. Thinking of taking the car there...

Welcome.

As Naz correctly pointed out, you are already ahead of the game being in southern Cal. You will avoid the dreaded cold weather engine misfire and rough idle issues.:thumbup:

As far as other problems: Most are not show-stoppers, just minor annoyances that can eventually put a nice dent in your wallet. Common items needing repair/replacement are the water pump, CV joints, thrust rod bushings, front control arms, window actuators, and headlight condensation. You are not guaranteed to have all these issues, but I would bet at least 1 or 2 from this list will eventually rear its head.:rolleyes:

But the engine is bulletproof. And there are lots of mods you can do to make it look and handle better than it already does.

Welcome aboard. You will come to find that this forum will be your best friend during your ownership. This great group of people has saved me thousands in repairs during my ownership. As for what to watch out for with an X of your age and mileage . . . several things but like StanF18 said hopefully you only experience a small part of the list. To give you an idea of the list . . . do a search on the phrase "prone to failure" and that should give you a good idea of what you might expect and how to prepare. Good luck with it!