Thinking of buying 2001 3.0I
 

I'm thinking about buying a 2001 3.0I with 98K miles. I'm not all that familiar with this vehicle, but when I purchased my '93 Landcruiser with 127K miles many years ago, I know forums were very helpful to point out the things I should check. Certain vehicles just always have specific items that go wrong at certain times or certain miles.

So with that in mind. Can you help me out?

This is a one owner vehicle that has been well maintained and I plan to get it checked mechanically, but what else should I be concerned about.

Also how many years/miles can I expect before I would have to start spending money on repairs outside of normal maintenance?

Anything else helpful.

btw - that landcruiser I bought now has over 260k miles on it and running strong.

thanks for the help

Our '01 3.0 is still running very well, though it has only ~78K miles, not 98K miles...
Very few problems under orig warranty/maintenance, and only a handful of items after warranty expired, plus the usual maintenance stuff of brakes, brake fluid, oil changes, etc.

I assume the '01 you are looking at is an auto; ours is a 5 spd manual, so we don't wring hands over the potential auto trans issues that most X5 owners bump into, sooner or later. Some report no probs, some pull their hair with auto trans glitches.
A Search via the Search Tab will bring up pages on auto trans experiences.

Some common issues, from memory:
window regulators, battery, CCV system even in your warmer clime, interior cosmetic issues, water pump, belts, cooling system hoses, & reservoir, if orig.

Brakes, brake fluid, and usual maintenance stuff...

If you have a friendly BMW dlr, it might be worth trying to get that car key 'run', which will tell you all service, recalls, work done by any BMW dlr. And, that inspection by a good Indie that knows BMWs is absolutely a must.

Problem free? No...will it run well for you for another ___ miles? Hard to predict.
There are a few posters here with 200K+ miles and Wally with 300k+ miles.
There are also many posters that pull out their hair on glitches and repairs, and many who lease and toss 'em.

It is not a bulletproof, low cost, or no to low maintenance car, over time, unless one is very lucky, imo. My 50Cts...
GL, mD

PS: Search Tab is your freind; plug some topics in, and do some reading.
This link is merely an example:
Xoutpost.com - Search Results

Thanks for the info and heads up. Seems this might not be the vehicle I thought it "might" be and that I am better off just staying clear :(

I bought mine 2 years ago with 90k. Highly recommend a pre-purchase inspection if you are not familiar with the car. I did and they found that both front axles were bad (could hear the clunk in tight corners), leaking PS hose, recommended flushing the auto trans, and a few other small things. Worth the $135 I paid. Gives you room for negotiations.

After that, first 10k were pretty uneventful, but it seems right at 100k everything started to break, as follows:
- Entire cooling system had to be replaced (started with cracked expansion tank)
- both front axle boots
- drivers door handle broke inside door
- rear window regulator
- all coils and valve cover gasket
- several cracked vacuum hoses under intake manifold gave me engine codes
- secondary air pump and valve
- brake rotors and pads

So, if the X5 you are looking at still had the original cooling system, it will cost you at least $2k to have that done within the next year. Everything else I have done by myself, but parts alone cost quite a bit.

I love the car, but maintenance is not cheap. Keep that in mind, and you will be happy.

Dieter

To me owning these vehicle the advage is about 1500-2000$$ out of pocket
Per year for repair/ maintenance .

thanks for all the information and thoughts. I really like this one I'm looking at and I think I am getting a really good price if the vehicle checks out mechanically.

Should have the inspection in hand on wednesday.

At 252K miles some observations
 

You are entering the period of rebuild! I spent about $18,000 between
about 110K and now. Most was in a 20K window of 130K miles.

Most sensors, window regulators (5 in my case at $200/ea), rubber parts,
gaskets, transfer case, etc go. I was pretty unhappy with the car until
the last 100k miles.

My last go around was fuel pump ($700, part $405), rear wheel bearing (right, left went a while back, $350), lower rad hose, air pump line, etc.

I have become a DIY expert on this car. If I had of done this with dealer I think it would be north of $30K.

BMW has a clever strategy in my opinion - They sell their cars to lease and purchase customers who generally trade at end of 3 years. Little or no out of pocket costs. Then the next crew takes over and then bends over! Parts are way more expensive than std cars, but albeit high quality.

If you have the nerve to get into this machine and the tranny or motor don't die (mine have run great, no issues) then you might win. If that tranny dies look at $4K to 7K. Plenty of them do. DON't change tranny fluid as per BMW recommendation that this is a lifetime fluid. Those that do, well does "boom" make you feel good?

Like the car but I do think I'm heading back to Toyota land for reliability
and cost of repair. I bought the original Lexus LS400 when it came out in
1990. I drove it for 77K miles and only changed the tires and 1 light bulb!

My .02.

i have a 2001 X5 3.0 and it is running well. Window regulator design is awful, so expect to repair those. I do all my own maintenance and live in AZ so I have issues with heat and dry rot. Nothing crazy, just front upper control arms will need to be replaced $600. Since 26,000 mikes when I got it, I have had a new water pump, hoses, intake and exhaust sensors. The rear tail light connection design is very poorly designed, be prepared for them to go out. Other than that, I will need my oil spectator replaced soon, other than that just typical maintenance.

Toyota and Lexus are great cars...But their brakes doesn't works.:rofl:

BUY AN ACURA MDX OR LEXUS RX300!!!!!! DO NOT BUY AN x5!!!!!!

Have you own any of them? 90% have transmission failed around 80K - 110K mi.

Being another long-termer (206K), I will agree with most of the others - between 100-140K miles, this vehicle sucked about $12K out of my bank account. $4200 for tranny, $2200 for cat replacement, whole bunch of other things already mentioned. Believe it or not I have only replaced one window regulator and I use my windows all of the time (all of them). The only way I justified paying for all of this was (1) I still love driving the X and (2) it was paid for, so repairs were taking the place of monthly payments.

You can't go wrong with the 3.0i engine - not the fastest but probably the most reliable. Even with the mileage I have on mine, the thing still launches hard and I have not had any engine work done (knocking really hard on wood!!) But if you could find one of the rare 5-speeds out there, you will be better off with the manual. That or start saving now and find a good independent tranny mechanic.

The last thing I will mention is this is a great group of people who (for the most part) love their BMWs and will be an asset to you as a fellow owner.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!! :beerchug:

I have 113k on my 2001 3.0 and in addition to the usual maintenance (fluid changes, brakes, tires, etc) I have replaced:

Engine Aux Fan (three of them)
Multiple Window Regulators
Instrument Cluster
Climate Control Final Stage Unit
Oil Hose to Oil Separator
Rear Hatch Grip Gasket
Oil Separator
Camshaft Position sensor
Thermostat
Both Rear Light Assemblies
Both Front Outer CV Boots
Front Lower Control Arms
Rear Upper control Arms
Power Steering Suction & Pressure Hoses
Door Handle Carrier
MID LCD Replacement
Coolant Reservoir
Water Pump
Rear Main Seal
Torque Converter Seal
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
Valve Cover Gasket
Alternator Bearing/Drive Belt Tensioner
Hood Shocks

The car is now about ten years old and paid for many years ago. I don't have the stomach to shell out 45 grand for a new vehicle (although really would love to have a new MDX).

What do I have to look forward to besides a new tranny? Everytime I need something done, I'm told, "we do these all the time." So what's not on my list that's done "all the time"? Not complaining, just wondering what's next.....