2000 X5 4.4 Would you buy it?
 

First post.. Currently have a Series II discovery, and a C320 Mercedes and would like to combine those into an X5 :thumbup: Searched and searched for information about reliability, etc. Looks like decent vehicles.

http://www.carfax.com/viewEmailRepor...i3&language=en

there is the carfax on the vehicle in question
2000 X5 4.4i with 88k on it. 70k service it had a brand new transmission put in. One owner local car. Any issues I should be aware of on these things?

Plan on getting an after market warranty on it as well..

Things that commonly go wrong: self leveling suspension, window regulators, PCV causing blown valve cover gaskets (if you live up north and a lot of short trips), gauge cluster and stereo LCD screens lose pixels, water gets in from sunroof drains and causes havoc for electrical systems, side view mirrors have issues with not going back to normal operating state after tilting down in reverse, and other misc electrical issues. If you can get a warranty, maybe it's worth it. All I could find was a drivetrain warranty for my 2000 which does no good since that's the part that's the least likely to fail.

Could be a decent car, could be an expensive nightmare next week, next month or...
impossible to know. There are several cars of the '00/'01 vintage on here, and many
with much higher mileage. But, none of us can predict that car's life/maintenance
costs in future.

Aftermkt warranties are "good", if one gets it from a legit operation with few excluded items and,
some good claims history. Cars with 70k and that "old", tend to be pricey in terms of an extended
warranty plan cost.

You never mentioned price, so the pricing mavens here have no clue to offer an opin on that deal.

With the plethora of used Xs on BMW dlr lots and Indie lots, of slightly newer MYs, I would think a
search for a less old car might be more amenable. My 50Cts...
GL, mD

Thanks for the info guys. The pixel issues are being fixed first. This car did have some dead pixels but I asked them to fix it before I even come close to signing on the dotted line. Supposed to get the gauges back and coded next week. I have the receipts for the mirrors, and misc electrical stuff being fixed on it, but the self leveling suspension has never been touched.

Price is going to be about 10k for this thing..

http://marxbrain.homeserver.com/x/x5.jpg

Look at it this way, As long as it is well maintained you shouldn't really have to much flaws within the X.

I own an 01 X5 4.4i with 122k and thank gd shes still out there roaring fine. I mean it all depends on how well the car was maintianed, no one can really answer if it will last or not, you just need to go with the flow and try your best with the X as problems may come up.

After owning a plethora of vehicles I'm also not opposed to DIY stuff either.. obviously coming from Land Rover, a bit of mechanical skills are a must. I'd really like to roll with this one.. I like the blue color.. 1 owner, seems well taken care of, my land rover experiences have got me gun shy though.. :dunno:.. especially after reading that bmw owned rover during this time and 'borrowed' some ideas from the Discos.. my nemesis..

does this era, 2000 4.4i, have the self leveling suspension? Also on my disco it had the air suspension in the rear, but replaced that with a spring system, any mods to do that with the x5's that do have air suspension?

I also used to own a discovery and the X is WAY better in every aspect except offroad. That being said... I still take the X offroad :D

Sounds like you've found a nice low mileage X with a good history. I've got a 02 with 165k (Knock on wood). At 70k keep an eye on the cooling system and the self leveling sys (if you have it... don't know if the non sport package ones have it or not). Sounds like a good buy if you can get it under 10k. why was the tranny replaced?

Not sure on that.. I called Bmw of Seattle, about it, they could only tell me that they replaced it, not exactly why.

Yeah, i've had it with disco's.. owned 3 of them.. love/hate relationship.. Dont offroad as much as I used to, but my mutts still need a place to play while i'm doing errands. :D,

I have had pretty decent luck with mine for 5 years now, but I would be leary to pick up anything that old in terms of years. After 10+ years of being in service, there will be a lot of little thing that will fail. Commonly failed items at that age are window regulators, door actuators, cooling system, rear air suspension (self leveling only in rear on the non sport 4.4i), CV boots, and a few other common things. The good thing is that the transmission was replaced which is by far my biggest fear in mine. I am keeping mine right now because I already own it, however, if I needed to replace it, I would buy one no older that 4 or 5 years old (or go with a different vehicle altogether). Just my $.02.

I've owned two X5's but not long enough to provide any meaningful insight into their reliability. Here's what I can tell you about the two I've owned:

- A 2000 4.4i I bought with 80K miles. During the six months I owned it I had to replace the MAF and the transmission valve body. Total cost was approximately $1,500. I got rid of it because the gas mileage wasn't what I was used to (the X5 replaced a Subaru Outback as my daily driver).

- I currently own a 2001 4.4i which I bought with 108K. When I purchased the vehicle the Service Engine Light (SEL) was on. Problem turned out to be the oil separator hoses which cost approximatly $350 to troubleshoot and replace. I also replaced the axles (at a cost of approximately $600) as the CV boot was torn (mechanic said it was approximately $50 more to replace the entire axle instead of just the boot). Though the dealer I bought the vehicle from deducted $500 from the sales price to offset the axle replacement cost.

I've put more money into these two vehicles than the numbers above would indicate. But much of that has been things which I wouldn't attribute to the reliability of the vehicles. For example I paid $1,300 on the 2000 X5 to have one of the control arms replaced due to a loose bolt backing out causing the arm to come out and get bent. I also had them put in new bushings at the time they did that work. I've also done preventative maintenance such as having the brake and transmission fluids flushed as well as the bushings (since they were already working on the axles) in the 2001.

In the end I've spent a sizeable amount of money repairing and maintaining these two vehicles. Nothing that I probably wouldn't do for any other vehicle with this amount of mileage. I even lost a considerable amount of money by getting rid of the 2000 X5 and then three months later buying the 2001 X5. So why did I spend this kind of money? Because I love it. It's a great vehicle and I was willing to spend the money...no matter how foolish it was financially.

So what am I trying to say with this post? X5's can be expensive to repair and maintain. But, IMO, they're worth it.

Just recently picked up my first x...couldn't be happier. always wanted one...was going to get an 04 and up...but came across my 02...1 owner, clean carfax, clean autocheck, all receipts, maintenance records, 2 sets of tires, and only 40,000miles...yes really low...i questioned it too...but all papers proved correct...just picked up a set of 20's...couldn't be more in love!!!
only issue now...my driver side carpet gets wet when it rains...bringing it in tomorrow....i hear it can be a nightmare....

was at the dealer today asking about when the gauge cluster will be done, and they also have an 02 3.0i with 71k on it.. one owner, really really clean car..

am i better of with the newer 3.0? Or stick with the 4.x cars?

thanks for all the info by the way you guys are great :thumbup:

i think its a personal pref. i think the 6 is underpowered for the size of the vehicle...depending on needs i guess, gas isn't too bad for the 4.4 engine...recently spoke to another e90 member, he said he wished he had gotten the 4.4 engine....
documents, history of the vehicle will help, i wouldn't buy any bmw without some history of it.

the 2000 4.4i has the more complete history for sure, the other one is a bit obscure, not enough maintenance records, etc. But 2 years newer and a bit lower miles.. Likely end up with the 4.4i... as I also like to haul my dirt bikes around sometimes.. figured be a bit easier with the bigger motor.

If you have a disco series II this X5 is going to be WAY better, my bloody Land Rover has endless oil leaks from various misc, super expensive wheel bearings ($100 on the X5 vs. $900 on the Land Rover), the LR has worse fuel mileage than my 4.4 X5... need i go on... Be very diligent with the history of this vehicle and I'm certain you will be much happier with it than your LR, much like me =)

IMO the only reason to buy, at least used, the 3.0 over the 4.4 is fuel economy. However the EPA figures show the 3.0 doesn't get that much better fuel economy over the 4.4. IMO the extra grunt of the 4.4 outweighs the slight increase in fuel economy of the 3.0.

Did you just call the car THIS THING??... Iam offended if you really did!:(

Yes it has been done. mrbmwx5 has done it on his.

I am doing this also myself next week. Parts are on order.

All you do is order the Coil Springs, upper and lower spring pads, and adapter from the X5 3.0 (without self leveling), and install those. Then take you X5 to the dealership so that they can reprogram the computer to think it does not have self-leveling suspension anymore.

soooo sorrryy.. accident..:D

LOL, i almost bought a land rover....thank god i didn't!!!! I couldn't be happier with hearing the rumble of the 4.4 engine....
i don't think you'll regret it, 2000 with 88k, and one owner....one owner vehicles are hard to come by, especially being a 2000.

well i bought a 2000 X 4.4l, Ran like crazy... but all of a sudden in three days the tranny broke, engine has some problems (they told me it was repaired before) self level suspension and some other scary things happened... i am selling this one, selling it because i think fixing these problems are going to be too much money and energy. but for sure i am getting another X5... Great car. Just can't wait before they sell this one so i can hop onto another one. So check it wisely, if it doesn't have problems, GET IT. It's really worthed.

I have fixed a fair amount of things on mine.

I trust this won't hijack this tread but what sort of Land Rover do you have?

Mines a Series II Discovery.. same prob as prev poster.. massive oil leaks, abs issues, head gasket every 60k, driveline issues.. yada yada yada.. Parts are ridiculous, but Disco's are super easy to work on if your a DIY'er, just getting tired of it, really love my C320, but doesnt haul the mutts around :D

I think I'll pull the trigger on the 00 4.4i. Seems all the kinks have been worked out as far as tranny, etc. The dash pixels were out, but I had them fix them which is whats taking so long. I actually did the research for them, and had them send it to this guy Bmw Pixel Restoration Gauges should be back next week and I can take delivery. :thumbup:

New tranny at 72k, which is a nice to know!

Series II Discovery was the last of what was once a good thing. It was a rehash of the original Discovery that dates back to 1989/1990. In turn the original Discovery was nothing more than a re-bodied Range Rover of the time which in turn dated back to 1970, 40 years ago this year. That's why the D2 has had its day.

wow, you're a glutten for punishment. Coming from a disco, the x5 might seem more reliable.

But truthfully, you're asking for a world of hurt. 1st year production in a new plant for BMW = issues.

Just being honest, GL

ah, just like anything some good, some bad...just like vw jetta with mk4 body styles, the first ones 99...alot of them had electrical issues...i got one, used even, never had any electical issues or burning oil issues...just do your homework i guess, and knowing the tranny was replaced recently helps, and all other service done...just like any used car, they're be kinks...

Yeah, im of course concerned... But is there any other options for a high end vehicle? Wont touch a ML with a 10 foot pole, obviously burned out on the Rovers, Cayenne is out of my budget.. Not opposed to turning a wrench, since my first love is bikes, and i have a shop full of KTM's so really used to expensive parts and DIY jobs..

Then this should be a walk in the park ;)

I have a Land Rover Disco Series II, that isn't going grab enough attention to hijack anything. lol

...and i have to say my X5 is better in the snow that my disco 2 hands down. exact same snow tires, exact same size....:cool:

I'm new and researching so don't mean to pull up an old thread, but
 

I too have a Land Rover--2004 Discovery SII-- 82k miles on it and am thinking seriously of trading its title for some cash to look for a 2001/02 X5 4.4.

This is my 2nd LR and though I love/hate them, I am getting worn out with the 'life signs' of the truck: oil leaks, etc... I do my own maintenance and work on it, but just getting tired of fix one leak, issue then another appears.

I was curious markwoodlief if you did buy the x5 4.4 and what your experience has been since owning it.

I'm looking at a one owner; maintenance documented 2001 x5 4.4 w/ the sport and towing package (<--the package combo is rare from what I am told) Mileage is in the 120k range.

I also own a 2000 Z3 (152k miles) and that has been one of THE best cars I have ever owned....easy to work on and very reliable.

Again, not meaning to disrupt by bringing up an old thread, but your's {markwoodlief} was the closest 'researched thread' to what I am currently experiencing and may want to change too.

Others comments are certainly welcome.

Thanks to all in advance,
-Mike

Land Rovers live forever .
most of the Land Rovers ever built are still running .

I went through of rough patch of stuff that needed to be fixed but now the truck has been really solid besides having to replace the water pump stuff last year.

78Kmi and kicking!