Couldn't of said it better myself. . . .

:iagree:Hahahaha... Even in the 3.0 I blow past chevys... but it's not fair, a Suburban handles like a shopping cart on a curve ;)

Frustrating indeed, though it seems like you have a poorly maintained example with all of the problems you've encountered. Perhaps its from deferred maintenance by previous owners? Whats the stat sheet on yours (Year, Mileage, Etc.)?

Interesting thread, though I wouldn't wish those ailments on anyone...

If it were my car, I would drag it/toss it/off it in some manner, and chalk the loss up to shit happens in life.

Even for a backyard/driveway/garage knowledgeable DIY'er, the car has things needed to be done well beyond most people's patience, budget or time allowance, imo.

Every time I drive our '01, and then get out of it, I say to myself, 'if it began to be a maintenance nightmare, it would lose its luster'.

Move on, imo...
GL, mD

Agreed...
 

I agree with all of you, but having less than 140K miles on this vehicle, I find it hard to believe it is falling apart as much as it is. All my previous BMW sedans went well over 150K before requiring any major maintenance. My last car was a 1998 528i and I took it to 250,000 miles with only replacing the shocks, brakes, water pump, oil, trans fluid, and A/C compressor. I guess I should have stuck with the tried-and-true 6 cylinder sedans, but really needed the all-wheel drive for Kansas.

When everything is working properly, it's a great vehicle and is a beast in the snow. However, I can see now that I was fooling myself to think that this would be a good daily driver for my 1-mile commute to work, and it has now earned the status of "project car".

Will let you know what I find out once I tear into it, to give others a heads up on what to expect.

I still have my e39 and it's a tank, even in winter. Heck, I drive the e39 more than the X... although I can say the X in snow is happy as a pig in mud.

I've had my 3.0 for a month now, and though the expansion tank leak pissed me off, it's otherwise been a beast at 273,000 km (about 160k miles or so). But then it is to some degree a matter of luck in whether previous owners maintained it. Mine appears to have gone through a rebuild and has lots of new parts.

Maybe you should part that one out and get another one that's been better maintained?

You need a X5 because of 4 wheel drive for a 1 mile commute?

Is that 1 mile one way or 1 mile round trip?

when i lived in Costa Rica, I needed a 4x4, all-wheel or otherwise higher ground clearance vehicle for a couple mile commute... my e39 would not have survived there a week...