Monkey off my back!!!
 

Had to make the decision and get rid of my 2002 X5 4.6IS. I'm going to miss the way this baby hauls ass. All the room it had. The mean aggressive look it had.I felt like an unstoppable tank on the road. I parted ways with it because of all the repairs it needed....gas was getting out of hand...was a nightmare....enjoyed it when it was good. Hated it when I had to continously come out the pocket....I will have much more money now because of it and save up for something else. Will I ever return to the X5 ??? Probably not......fellas enjoy your X's. They are a beauty...but as I can see from many of you on this forum...you rather do without....just can't get yourself to do it! I did whats best for me and my finances......GOODBYE!

I tell people all the time...
you bought a BMW and cant keep up with maintenance .....sell it

Couldn't agree more. But as to finding another SUV that drives the way an X5 does and costs less to repair .....good luck.

:iagree: High maintenance costs are part of the price to be paid when owning a 9 year old high performance luxury SUV. Lets face it, the 4.6is was pretty bad ass in 2002 with a fairly high price tag for the time. There is a reason when you can buy one for so cheap today and it is mainly maintenance costs.

How about the new X3 xDrive35 M sport?
 

Here's my next one... (perhaps in black)

3.0 liter 6-cylinder with TwinPower Turbo technology
300 horsepower ....0-60mph in a mere 5.5 seconds!!!
xDrive, intelligent all-wheel-drive
26 mpg hwy*

And the same size physically as the E53 pretty much.

That's why I buy new and get rid of them as soon as the warranty runs out.

Yeah, but you are still losing money. A vehicle is a depreciating asset. You either spend a lot of money upfront and have little to no maintenance costs or spend less on a used vehicle but have higher maintenance costs. 6 one half a dozen the other. Buying new and used are similar, you are just shifting the way you pay for it. Either way, BMW's are expensive to own. You have to find that mix of cost and pleasure. Hopefully the OP did just that.

I don't purchase cars as an investment. I buy them as what they are. A luxury. Frankly, a Kia Rio would get me from point A to B just as well. But I choose to buy something that does it with a bit more comfort and class. Since 1996, I've only kept one vehicle for more than 3 years. That's my Mustang GT which is more of a toy that I play with.

I'm running at a bit more than 400 a month for maintenance but since a new one with the right options is $70k or more, it's still worth it.