Thoughts: 2004 X5 4.4. Link provided
 

Good day all,

Considering going to look at this dandy X...
2005 BMW X5 4.4i (A6) in TORONTO | autoTRADER.ca

Here is what I know about it...Arizona car, 1 owner, 86 000 original km...PPI is not an issue with the dealership...there are some good indy shops to take it to...I am just concerned because it came from AZ and it has been so bloody cold in Ontario this particular winter...-13 today...

Should I be looking at something not from the extreme heat? This just came up and I like the fact that it has a sport pack...

Cheers...:thumbup:

Super low miles, looks clean. Am I missing the price?

Mine is an AZ car, has all options but heated seats & steering wheel.

I'd think you need those.

Good luck!

E30...
Yeah, I agree...heated seats are a must in this climate...it has been a terribly cold winter this year...the price is $15 900...they did not list it in the ad. I do all highway driving so I am not too worried about issues related with short distance driving...

If you like it I would just check if everything is up to date service-wise.

I have a 3.0 so I cant tell you what specifically to watch out for on a V8, am sure our more experienced members will chime in shortly on that.

I would maybe look if it has the cold weather package and cold weather CCV (not sure about the V8's but the M54's have a cold weather insulated CCV avilable).

Ok, here is my question: What is CCV? It came up many times and I have no clue what it is...even if it does not have complete records, I may grab it since I am meticulous with maintenance...as long as it passes a thorough PPI

CCV use to be called PCV but like everything else by BM Trouble U they like to call it something else i.e. It's not a SUV, it's a SAV.

So taking something that has been proven to work and cost very little to maintain. BM Trouble engineers redesign it to cost 40 time more to buy the parts ($5.00 pcv valve vs 200 CCV hoses and CCV valve, a 15 minters job to replace a PCV valve to about a 4 hours labor charge to replace all the parts in a CCV system.

CCV is the crankcase ventilation system. Can clog and cause a variety of troubles up to hydrolocking the engine.

I notice in your sig you had an e46 330i. You're lucky to never have had to deal with that, it's quite common on the M54.

I guess I got lucky...I actually just emailed the sales rep to see if it comes with heated seats...Don't want cold buns on the way to work in the morning...

Hello, mine is from Arizona and imported here in Montreal. Very clean and i'm very happy with it. Paid 19k last year for a 2006 with 70miles.

There is some regularity process when it cross the border and the car need some upgrade at BMW dealers in my case. I did'nt pay (direct) for that since the re-seller took care of everything.

Most important thing is what is the condition of the car... You can get all the maintenance print at the dealer just ask them to put the key in there system.

Make inspection at the dealer i would reco.


Good luck...save some $$ on the side 3/4k...this is a 10year old car.

Good luck

Whitecat,

Thanks for the info. I am not importing it, it has already been imported. The one thing that I don't like is the fact that it does not have heated seats...It has been a cold winter as I am sure you know already...I need to think about it...this particular one does not have the winter pack.

I wouldn't let the missing cold weather pkg to be a determine factor, if I find a clean, good condition and low mileage X5 that I like. Heated seats and heated steering wheel can be retrofit if you want to, or just wear more pants and gloves :D
That's a good price for that X5. I don't think there would be much you would have to do to make it pretty close to new. Driving 95km/day highway is quite healthy for it too.
GL.

Thanks TMV...

Great points...I think that I'll just wear long johns...lol...I'm going to go have a look at it this weekend...I'll keep everyone posted...

On the plus side vehicles that have spent their life in warm climates have no rust and have not be exposed to extreme cold. On the other side of the coin, if the leather and vinyl are not treated often enough they will break down faster in a very warm climate. I wouldn't purchase an X that comes from a cold climate especially where they salt the roads.

Perhaps you can negotiate with the seller to install the heated seats and steering wheel as part of the asking price.

That is a beautiful color. I've never seen that on an X5 before.

You will want to do a thorough functionality test on that panoramic sunroof.

On the final test drive, before I bought mine, the seller wanted to show me all the functions of the sunroof. And when he wanted to close it again, we heard a loud *snap* and the sunroof was stuck.
No problem. He would of course have that fixed before I signed the papers. And it got 'fixed' (complete replacement of the entire sunroof), to the tune of $4500,- :yikes:
So make sure it is working flawlessly.

Also during the PPI, check the color of the coolant. (suck a little bit up from the expansion tank with a clear plastic hose). Any other color than clear blue índicates that the car has been serviced by someone who is not true to the BMW religion. -Meaning that other things on the car could also have been serviced with questionable non-OE parts.
And make sure to check for ANY sign of coolant leaks. Both fresh and dried up coolant. Especially from weep hole on front of engine and anywhere on the back of the engine (looking up on the back of the engine from under the car).

Drive it a bit agressively, if the circumstances permit it of course, and pull over and let it idle for a minute. Then look in the mirrors -or have someone step out and look behind the car as you rev the engine a couple of times.
-If visible smoke is coming from the exhausts, the engine is heading for a ridiculously expensive replacement of valve guide seals.

Also test the folding mirrors. Pushing the little square button on the drivers door should make the mirrors fold in -and stay in.
If they fold out again right away, they're broken inside.

Put the gear selector in reverse. If you hear a long *beeep* sound right away, one or more of your parking distance control sensors are not working.

Thats some of the things I would check if I was to buy another X5.

The rear wiper looks broken or misaligned...check that.

Check for coolant leaks from the overflow tank and the bottom of the trans and engine where they come together...valley pans leaks are very common.

Pull off the oil filler cap and look for white residue, if so don't buy it.

When first started listen to see if you hear any noises at all, should not hear anything. If you hear a rattle do not buy.

Check for leaking valve cover gaskets and vanos seals.

My guess no matter what they tell is at 85k the entire front end is worn. All control arms bushings...just the way these trucks eat up all front end parts.

Check and make sure the dash and radio pixels are working.

The most important thing you can do is BUY A EXTENEDED WARRTY, the best one that covers everything. I can promise you there is about 2-3k wrong with it as it sits...It may drive fine but trust me if an expert looks at it expect to pay that much. No one gets rid of there car in perfect condition and dealers only fix something that wont will go through inspection.

These X-5's are plagued with computer issues and check engine lights.

I hear you about heated seats...i'm not sure but maybe it is pre wired ...maybe somebody in the forum can anwer you on this...

Or i found this for you here in MTL : 56kil !!

J’ai vu cette 2006 BMW X5 sur l’app iPhone d’autoHEBDO.net
BMW X5 *NAVIGATION* $299 MOIS* 2006 pour 17*995 $ à MONTREAL | autoHEBDO.net

Guys... this is an N62.. CCV replacement takes 20 minutes, not 4 hours.

I'd buy it, price is decent and the mileage is great for the year. Check the service history and if it's good, grab it up.

I see in your sig you've owned quite a few BMW cars, well this pig (X5) is in a league of its own when it comes to maintenance and reliability. My advice is buy you a Japanese SUV, why stress yourself out, if you can afford it buy a newer X5 CPO 2012 or newer, believe me you're gonna need the warranty...lol! The technology in the newer cars today makes the E53 feel like a 1980's Buick, if you buy it you'll be sorry.

Nothing is as bad as an 80s GM product.

I didn't buy my e53 for the technology it provides although even what I have is too much for me.I bought it because it looks GOOD and no Japanese or newer x5 compares to it.simple as that .

Why do you own an E53?

Looks are subjective, to me the E70 and newer X5s are absolutely gorgeous and more modern looking, makes the E53 look outdated, as it should. You say no newer X5 compares to it...lol! Go drive an xDrive50i, that thing's a beast, it will smoke your 4.8, and the inside will make your E53 look like a Commodore C64 computer.

It's for sale if you want to buy it...lol!!:rofl:

Opinions are like assholes.

You're funny
Test drove a 2008 4.8i which was loaded and didn't impress me at all sorry..I settled for my 2006..some people including myself can actually afford newer cars but don't care for them.

We are going slightly off road into a debate..i'm still with the heated seat OP dilemma:D...


Anyways, OP, for sure that you won't be on a $80k 2014 V8 X5 for the price of $15k ... As for reliability everybody got there own experience some have no or minor problems other than maintenance and other got repetitive repars (they are all here in the forum :)....but at the end of the day you decide ... ..large majority can be fixed and you have here a great Forum to assist.

Me i paid the X cash but still putting $200 per month on the side for repairs or maintenance

Best of luck

romeokc, you are right

Owning a 3 is a piece of cake...drive and change the oil until the water pump goes...pretty simple...I don't mind repairs, but don't want major overhauls...I'm still going to take a look at it tomorrow and go from there...

I understand the repairs and maintenance of the X...my only concern is the major overhauls that I read about on this site...I need a car to get me back and forth everyday...

This site is 90% doom and gloom.

Usually when people have great experiences they don't go online to rave about it. When someone has a bad experience it's all over the web though. Don't get discouraged by reading posts about repairs.

My 2004 4.4i has 151,000 miles on the clock, it runs and drives beautifully. Sure it needs a few bits here and there due to minor oil leaks and some worn suspension parts. That's going to be the case with any 10 year old car though.

Mine always fired right up, even after sitting outside all night in -50F wind chills, it has never left me stranded in one of the worst winters of my lifetime. The only time I had a failure that left me stranded was when my alternator went and thankfully that went in my driveway.

:iagree:

I shoul have add that with the exception of the valve cover gasket's job ($1k) the rest was just normal maintenance. (Break, tires, plugs, battery, flush tranny,LCD creen..)
200 per months is really first year after acquisition...

Took a look at the X...I passed...they were hesitant on letting me take it to get a PPI...

Don't blame you, major red flag.

Yeah, I wasn't even gonna argue it...

There are other out there. Good decision to pass.

Well done.

So many shady dealers do that, tell you "PPI is not an issue with the dealership" (your quote from inital thread post), hoping it will put you at ease that the vehicle is in "top condition" and NOT getting one done.

When you set up the PPI, they got all nervous about issues the vehicle may have.

Good to see you called their bluff, got them worried, then walked.

We might see the future purchaser of the X you walked away from on here, may post a "BMWs are Crap" thread.

I bought my iS after a member on here decided to pass. :D :nanana:

I must have missed that post. I saw the one "X5 WORST BUILT CAR IN THE WORLD!!!!!!"

Tiag...

Yeah, oh well though...nobody has the time to set up a deposit indicating that the sale depends on a "successful" PPI, let alone take a day off (I was going to take a day off to get the PPI) only to have the possibility of a PPI withdrawn...

the X sold anyways