My introduction - PICTURES UP!
 

Hey guys, i found this forum through some searching, seems to be the best dedicated place to x5s and i DIY everything 100% on my other cars and probably same on this one.

So heres my story, i looked at fast sedans at first, but then i decided i wanted another suv. My main thing was it had to be powerful.

I first looked at the ml55amg but decided it looked more like a womans car, with some more searching i found the 4.6is was pretty quick, then i found they had a 4.8is and i was set. Didnt want anything less.

So 2 days ago i got a 2006 x5 4.8is fully loaded, 1 owner, clean carfax, maintaince records, and 63.4k on the clock in great condition. New continental dws's on the 20s and came with style 99 18"s with half worn continetal 4x4 wintercontacts, brakes done last 10k.

I absolutly love it so far.

Now im only 18, yes 18. I paid for all my cars including this one, but i did borrow some money from my father which i will be paying him off.

Other cars i own are

2001 Audi A4 Quattro 1.8t Sport package, fully loaded and some mods

2002 Nissan Pathfinder SE, moderatly to heavy modified in terms of some aspects.

My taste in cars isnt that of your normal 18 year old, and cars is mostly my hobby anyways.

I wont be doing anything to the x5 anytime soon other than some minor things like deep gold foglights, change the angel eyes to the newer bmw blue color and thats about it.

Ill post up pictures of my x and the other cars later on tonight.

Questions/Comments welcome.


Okay, picture time.

I got it Saturday night, got home around 11pm, took it to the auto carwash, clay-bar'ed, and waxed it, cleaned and protected the leather, vacuum, and interior plastics cleaned.

These are from Sunday morning:

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4627.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4626.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4625.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4624.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4623.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4622.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4621.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4620.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4619.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4618.jpg

Sorry for the dark interior pics, these were Saturday night in the garage,

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4629.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4630.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4631.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_4632.jpg

The Audi:

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...IMG_4160_e.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...IMG_4169_e.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...IMG_4170_e.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...G_4179_e_2.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...IMG_4208_e.jpg

The Pathfinder:

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...2/IMG_3597.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...2/IMG_2917.jpg

At one point had the 20"s plasti-dipped for a while, i also have a set of the stock 16"s with pirelli snow tires for the winter.

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...s/IMG_3702.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/W8xsPh.jpg

:xoutpost:

Post pictures, we are all dying to see!

So you're 18 and you need 3 cars? May I ask why?

That's a lot of truck for a kid your age. Keep it out of the ditch.

Welcome. Nice for an 18YO. Have fun. They are beastly trucks no?

Nice collection :D

4.8iS can land in hot water real fast - be easy on that lead foot, kiddo... lol... I-78 is the road number, not the speed limit - you will be going 80 MPH before you even have a chance to turn the radio on... do not test it, but these trucks can go easily at 140...

post some pics, so we all look at what you have...
visit bmwvin.com to see your factory options (not many were ever available on the 4.8iS - nav, rear airbags, sliding floor, towing package, running boards)...
some colors were exclusive... only few thousand made for worldwide distribution...

congrats on your ride - i just wonder, when you'll be 30, what car you will get, and for your mid-life crisis, around 40-45, wife, kids, girlfriend (hey, generals have one, so why not you??), you paint yourself in a corner and out of available options - not even corvette will do... shoot for Ferrari... lol...

@TwinturboGTR - They are up now!

@epdarks- Yeah i hear that all the time, and basically because i like cars. They also have all been ones i know that im keeping forever, and im very anal about certain year body styles, engines offered, options etc. Just like i got the 4.8is, i dont like the 2007+ x5's to me it looks like trash compared to this beast. Also i got pretty great deals on all of them. And i DIY it all myself and i do professional work, i hate stuff thats rigged or halfway good. Everything must be done right in my eyes.

Another reason is well, ill admit it i like some attention, i work hard, ive been working since i was 15, and worked probably 30-35hrs a week all through highschool. I also made a more then your average teenager, but yeah i guess i like the attention and i like the fact when people look at me im only 18 years old, but i paid for it myself, not my parents bought it for me. I like to be that one out of the crowd.

@SlickGT1 - Yeah i love it so far.

@X5X- Thanks

@Terminator X5- I understand where you are coming from about whipping the X5 hard. But dont worry, for example my pathfinder has about 2-3 grand of suspension work, and i can outrun the X5 with it, its dropped 2 inches on coilovers and a bunch of other stuff. I was actually one of the first people to lower one and take the handling aspect of it to a whole new level, and im very well known on the Pathfinder forums, it has a bunch of other work done to it also, but im not new to whipping cars around. I know what the X5 can do and i also like to test all my cars limits so i know what i can do with them in the Rain/Snow/Dry, and know where my limits are. Whoever gets in my pathfinder and they never drove it is basically a death trap to them, in the rain i have wide tires on it, and rwd and open diff, you randomly start drifting through intersections and stuff, along with the coilovers are race spring stiffness you go over the wrong bump wrong, youll be sorry. Alot of people ask why i did suspension work to it and lowering, well because im not going to offroad it. For that id just get an old GM pickup and lift it.

Also, I just dont want you to think im some kid who got an X5 and doesnt know what hes doing or what its capable of. I very well know what it can do, which is the reason i bought it, and i dont take things for granted as i pay for it and its not someone elses money like the kids you do see wrecking bimmers.

Im also very anal about keeping my cars mint and clean, i get pissed even at some pebbles on the carpets from getting in and out, but thats why i get deep groove mats.

Yes i agree with you about how smooth the ride is, and yeah on the way home i was messing with the nav unit, sometimes id fall behind my following my dad, and yeah you adjust your foot a little and your going, let alone all the way is freight train status.

And lastly, i dont like many american made cars, just a certain few like some of the SRTs, and stuff. Personally dislike corvettes cause people driving them think they are the best thing on the road when they are far from it.

Oh and do i take the title of being the youngest owner on this forum of one of these? Let me know haha.:thumbup:


Also heres the vin checker if you guys are interested. Again im pretty sure i have everything there was to offer on it.

Link:
BMWVin.com


Edit: One last thing i forgot to add, the previous owner had a remote start installed professionally, i have an extra remote, but it is pretty slick anyways so i dont mind, but its nice to have it in the cold, and i should say is pretty badass when your walking to your car from the store and when your walking to it, start it and hear the exhaust tone, then get in :cool:

Heres a pic, actually of all them:

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...v1130124AM.jpg

Also can anyone answer or link me to these couple of questions:

1. Operate foglights independently? Do i need to code it with DIS, or is there a relay to modify or some wiring? I have this done on my other cars.

2. Clear corners? As you can see on my other cars i have it done, the pathfinder are 2 peice so i just replaced the ends, on the audi i drilled the tabs out from the rear, sealed up holes with silicone, and broke the amber peice out through the turn signal bulb hole. Can something like this be done on the X5? Or do i need aftermarket lights?

3. Front corner amber parking lights, can i code them to stay off and just have the "coronas" on or is this more of wiring/relays. Or to have just the coronas with foglights on.

4. Lowering, ive read some about coding it lower, but will it stay that way or somehow drive on the lowest setting at any speeds? Or does this require that expensive module or the links?

hey, Good to see you went german and got an X5
Im Alex, also 18.... well 19 in march. I have an X5 3.0 and love it.
congrats and welcome to the forum.

Welcome, you're doing good for 18YO.

clear corners - either aftermarket (choose carefully, some of them are hideous), OE euro version (will cost $1500-2500), or bake lights off to break the ambers (even though "they" say 2004+ is not bakeable, it has been recently done, search the forum)

turn off corners - NCSExpert
fogs together with highbeams - NCSExpert
Angel Eyes alone - aftemarket units
AE with fog lights - somewhere in programming, I have not found it yet
bi-xenon with halogen high beams - somewhere in programming

turn off gong for key in ignition and seat belt for driver and pass - NCSExpert
clock synch with GPS - NCSExpert

read up about the NCSExpert before using it, otherwise you will brick the truck...

ride height - INPA, you will need to supply new values for the ride height. I have the factory values in mm somewhere on the forum, I will copy and paste once i find them... I've heard the lower ride is not as nice... other option, get rid of air ride, go for coils, you will program out the air suspension, so the car does not go biserk, looking for an option that is deleted...

try not edit your older post as a lot of folks just skim for the new posts and your old ones that had been read (but got edited with new info!!) might get overlooked... or, do a new post, saying that the original post got edited - handy when you plan meets, or gatherings, and have post #1 with all the info, constantly updated...

here is the ride heights in mm as prescribed from the factory:

_______________ 17"____18"____19"____20"___these are wheel sizes
front axle_______685____697____710____722
rear axle________687____699____712____724
sport fr_________670____682____695____707
sport rr_________672____684____697____709

You can use DIS to calibrate the suspension and lower it too. When you get to the point where is asks for the current values, just add to the value. For instance, if you want to lower 10mm, add 10 mm to your measured value. This will trick it into calibrating 10mm lower. When you want to go back to stock, just run the calibration again using actual values...:thumbup:

VERY NICE MAN......the X really is a different breed of Animal......good luck on your future mods..

Didn't you say you got a loan from your Dad for the X5? If you live in his house and eat his food, you aren't as "on your own" as you are pretending to be.

At 18, you should expect to take a few handouts from your parents. Don't feel bad about it, but don't brag that you're "self made".

Having 3 cars at 18 shows you are completely disconnected with reality as no 18 year old needs more than one car. It reeks of excess and wastefulness.

Your insurance premiums alone would be enough to rocket yourself into retirement. Or are you on Daddys policy?

I challenge you to think about your long term financial picture and make smarter decisions with your expendable income. When you have that mortgage, student loans, wife and kid.... expenses become much more "real".

At 18, I assume you are going to college next year? Have you ever parked on a college campus?

Best of luck with the X. You'll need it.

Hit the nail on the head. I was once young dumb and full of.... fun. I had two/three cars when I was 18 because I would grab my parents or friends pay them dirt for them and keep them while my mom paid my insurance on all of them. Shortly after, I realized that it was dumb and cars are a terrible investment. I wanted to downgrade to a summer and a winter car then also realized that I now have to pay for and maintain two vehicles in MN and store one of them. Shortly after that I sold everything and started over again and just picked up a manual X5. At this point in my life I would much rather enjoy being young and go on fun trips with my friends and be able to have the liquidity to call up a few grand if I need to without thinking twice about it.

If I were you I would keep the X, sell the other two and build a cheap e36 monster for some summer fun and spend a week in Miami with some friends.

c'mon guys, he is 18, give him some break... he has to come to those conclusions on his own...

Helluva stable, and fine pics/titz cars... :thumbup:
I'm SixtyFookinFive and I sometimes think our 3 cars/3 m'cycles are slightly redundant. ;)

When I was 18 I was walking around campus. :D
GL, mD

yeah three cars is a bit much.
i have the X as a daily driver. But im saving up for another car...fun car... like a z3 or z4 maybe for the summer.

epdarks-

I understand where your coming from about having different expenses and stuff. Yeah thats the whole reason i can afford it is cause i still live with my parents, i also go to community college at the moment, and while i do still eat my parents food and all of that, its not like i dont do anything for it. I basically take care of maintenance and detailing for my parents cars also, and a few other things.

Yeah, i am on my fathers policy, otherwise it would be skyrocketed, but i pay him the difference every month that it costs to have my stuff added, so its not like im freeloading and hes paying. He's not really paying a dime for that stuff, and i've borrowed money from him before which i paid of.. Rather borrow money from the family then pay banks interest.

I also know what you mean about "expenses become more real". But as of now, i dont have to worry about those things, so i rather spoil myself now. In the future its a different story when i pay for it all on my own.

And 3 cars, well thats peoples opinions, i MAY get rid of my Audi after new years but im not sure yet. Saying 3 cars is excessive is like saying why do you buy so many tools?, you dont need them, but then again if you DIY or its your hobby like woodworking, you do.


Anyways i understand your concerns and trying to make me look at the bigger picture, i know what the bigger picture is out there and if i can live good now why not.

But i dont feel like getting attacked 24/7 about that, so this should answer those questions and close the case.

Hatters gunna hate...

haha, similar story here. on dads policy paying the differnce. And giving them money every month to make it easier on bills. All while going to community college and paying that off as I work full time.

Audi is a tough choice... those cars are nice but often break. I would keep the cars until you need money or before the new law in 2014 comes out about the MPG on new cars.

good luck.

My Audi i bought with a folder of every single maintenance record since it left the lot, thing is pretty much showroom condition inside, the x5's leather is more worn, its 64k and my audi is currently at 136k and looks like no one ever sat in it. Mechanically its fine also, im ridiculous about maintenance in all my cars some people say,, synthetics in everything, change fluids more often, but then again you treat your car right, it treats you right as its been with my 2 others.

And about the MPG, i never cared about that. Reason being, i want a car thats refined, has character to it, has performance, and some nice features, and you can connect with the road with it and enjoy driving it everyday as i do with the other cars and now the X5.

I dont want to buy a 30-40mpg econobox, and not enjoy driving it everyday. No go for me.

well than keep the audi if your so sure of it lasting long.
and its not about mpg on your car. just saying that i believe in 2014 the US govt is enforcing a new regulation that all new cars must be fuel effiecent. so than everyone starts buying these new cars and yours becomes a clunker.

I'll see but im not to worried, all my cars i plan on running for a long time. The pathfinder used to be my dads since new, i half worked it off, half paid for it from him. It has some sentimental value to me cause i grew up with it and took it a long way, along with also my first car i modded, diy'ed, etc. I did so much on it that i know it like second nature, the factory service manual is my brain lol.

i know what you mean. you get attached to it when you spend so much time on it.

Nice X5. Congrats!

By the way, I would pretend it snows every day of the year where you live and leave the 16's on the Pathfinder year round.

The EPA et al have a 2014 rule for med-heavy duty trucks.
The car rule(s) is for MY 2017, effective 2016, and beyond.

Someone's well running car, regardless of its age, miles or mpg, is not going to become a 'clunker' in '14, or '16, or... :rolleyes:

:iagree:

Very nice and clean looking X. Paint looks to be in very good condition and the rims are clean. Looks like no one really kissed the curb with it. I see the tags say NJ. Just curious where in NJ you got the truck from. Otherwise, all looks good.

Not sure what you mean the Pathfinder can outrun the X??? I'm pretty sure the X can win hands down, handling and all. If I were to make a guess on the Pathfinder, looks like a late 90's early 2000. Those V6 motors weren't all that great. Granted I had a 94 XE, and yes the motor was garbage in the power category, but got the job done. I've whipped around a slight bend in the 4.8is going flat out and the handling was superb.

Audi's are great, I had an A6 '06, but what a PITA to work on. Every single little thing I wanted to do required it to be hooked up to VagCom. I had enough and bought another X5.

After a while driving the X, you will dump the Pathfinder.

Looks good, and congrats

Nice X, dont take the comments too personal. People are trying to help you by providing an advice. I'm confident that after driving this X, you won't want to get into the other two. After they sit for a while, you will want to sell them. I will bet money on that?

The X is addicting, I can't wait to get in it to drive. It's like no other car I've driven before and I had newer models and other brands!

Congrats!

Oh yeah i love the X so far, but i still love the other 2. And in terms of me saying my pathfinder can take the X, i was talking from a handling perspective and not performance. Even though for that car with nissans 3.5 VQ, it isnt slow for an suv from 2002 either.

Also, the rims have no curb rash, some spots have paint chips which i will touch up, paint is almost immaculate for an 06, front doesnt have rock chips either.

I got it from a nissan dealer in jersey and thats just my temporary tag, i live in PA, car was registered in the wealthier areas of Conneticut so i know it was taken care of.

Bump bump bump++++++

Hey Man...i give you credit for having all these cars..its good to see a young one strive for what they want and make it happen....goodluck on your future mods just show us some MOD pics and ill be happy..lol..