New guy
 

Hey guys, I joined awhile back when I thought I was going to purchase an x5, a 4.6is. Ended up with another vehicle, but now I'm back in the market. I've never owned a BMW before so I've been trying to do lots of reading. Just thought I'd say hi as I'm sure I'll have a few questions.

Welcome back!!!:xoutpost2: If you have any questions dont hesitate.:thumbup:

Welcome, I have a 2002 4.6.

show us pics of the 4.6! its a beast!

Understated very well Brian!

Your post should have read.... Welcome, I have one of the cleanest, Dinan upgraded, nitrous/meth injected, IMSA race car sounding (with exhaust dumps open), low mile 2002 4.6is's in North America.

Thanks James, nice of you to say so.

Thanks for the welcome. I don't actually have a 4.6is yet. This is the one I'm looking at. I'm trying to do my due diligence before making the plunge.

2002 BMW X5 4.6is, $16,995 - Cars.com

Welcome! The 4.6is should be a beast. Make sure to post a picture when you find one.

That's a helluva find, a Dinan S3 Supercharge model, very rare indeed!

FYI, there's only 27 of them. (Actually one ate it in a wreck so I guess 26.) Get it! With proper care, you won't be disappointed. :D

And if you do get it, reroute that MAF extension harness behind and under the blower. ;)

JBelknapp did your due diligence for you. It's 1 of 25 available in the country (I count JB's as "unavailable"), and with under 90k miles? I'd have a certified check to that dealership ASAP:thumbup:

:iagree: I would put a deposit on it if they would hold it and get there ASAP to verify it is what they say it is. I would love to have it.

You really should take head and REALLY use caution. You only see 3.0 E53's on the road these days...very little 4.4-4.6 & 4.8's because of the timing chain guides that went bad or valve stem seals or valley pan gaskets.

Knowing what I know now I WOULD NEVER BUY A E53 V8. Unless some poor smuck like me just spent 7k and fixed everything then fine. You also guarantee every suspension part is also shot.

People are only going to sell them when they develop costly problems so be aware of that.

Your much better off buying the latest model X5 you can afford...that also rings true with Porsches.

Its funny you say that, my wife thinks the same thing. There's a local e70 x5 3.0 with 3rd row seats she prefers. This 4.6is is 4 states away. The owner of the 4.6is has also done a PPI and I just talked to the shop and they say it's pretty solid. Decisions decisions.....

Rockit, so you regret getting your 4.4i sport?

Tell your wife she just saved you 10k in unseen repairs your first year. Buy her the 3.0 E70 and take the 10k you would have spent any way and buy this this bike.
http://www.twowheelmania.com/2014/09/30/look-kawasakis-300-horsepower-ninja-h2r/

FTFY sir. ;) I think a bunch went to the middle east and maybe europe. But I'd wager at least 10 are in North America?

And mine is available for the right price! But I doubt I'd ever find that buyer. :p

Good luck with your purchase jimme53. Yes, certain V8 things should be done like timing guides, and yes it is more expensive, but if you want the power that truck will run with a new F15 50i all day long. If you want less expensive maintenance go with the 6 cyl. For the price that 4.6 S3 will go to a new owner very soon. :)

Funny you say this. I totally agree. Almost every e53 I see it is a 3.0 with 17's. I too would not buy another v8 only because it's overkill for my situation. My wife putts it to the library and grocery store with the rug rats in the back. She doesn't need all that power and fuel consumption. Plus I've read and heard nothing but good about a BMW inline 6. Our next one will be an e70 with the third row and a 6 banger. Or if a manual e53 popped up I might entertain that.

Private seller, second owner who added the upgrades, in an upscale community. Looks like a nice opportunity for a low mileage hot-rod SAV, odds are maintained properly. Thorough PPI and well worth the trip to Ann Arbor for final inspection if in the market and the PPI checks out . . . do you really need the third seat? If so, I take your CEO's point, but my impression is most folks [my step daughter, for example, with two little ones, driving a GMC Acadia] don't really use the 3d row. Will it be her driver or yours'? Good luck whichever way you go!

And, drilling down, it has the tow package! If its your ride, you have a need for a towing vehicle, and a third row isn't a deal killer [obviously not, from your interest ....] that's a definite plus. 3.0L, including the E70s, suffer in the towing department, even those rated to tow 6k like the V8s ....... I expect if you don't close on it, someone else reading this thread will be calling Tim for details . . .

There are some good pics of it on eBay. :x

Not many 4.4, 4.6 or 4.8s on the road? What do you base that on? Do you still have your V8?

Here in the heart of beemer/SUV land, I certainly see plenty of V8 E53s on the road; my recent glance at the local craigslist shows plenty of both, with a nice white late model V8 at the top of the list. Not as nice as that Ann Arbor hot rod looks, though!

Honestly around the Portland area I don't see many and I'm always on the look out:). Majority are 3.0's with 17's.

Thanks for all the input. I'm still leaning towards this over the local one. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Only an idiot would pay $7000 for the TC guide job.

This job costs around 1/10th that, including special cam/crank locking tools. Can be done over a weekend too.

I have everything for the job, holding off until 200k miles.

Look at it this way, you're buying the Dinan parts and getting the attached 4.6 for free. :)

Wowzer! 300 HP bike?!?! I used to have Gixxer with measly 130 HP that was capable of 1/4 mile in low 10s. I can't even imagine what this bike feels like with 300 HP. :zoom:

Beemer is a bike. :)

I have been to Portland and watched "Portlandia," and eaten the voodoo donuts. I'm not surprised that the E53s in Portland are base models :)

Street version (H2) is supposed to be the bike that finally beats out the 199 hp rating of the S1000RR, thats gotta be insane.

Most hp I ever had was 120 on my '07 SV1000S and it was a wheelie monster with that liter V-twin!

Now I have 118 lb ft on my Triumph and even though its 750 lbs it friggin moves like a rocket, god, I'd get in so much trouble on any of the new literbikes since they are all above 170 hp nowadays.

Around Iowa all the e53s I see are 4.4, 4.6 and 4.8.

But I mostly see much newer X5s that are 6-cylinders. It's still a far cry from when I grew up around here and the only BMW you saw was driven by Bruce Willis in Moonlighting.

In the DC area, there are so many E53 running around I see 2-3 daily. The production numbers of 6 cyl vs V8 accounts for the fact that the majority of these are 6 bangers. Why? Because most were purchased by people who would not be caught dead in a minivan. I have three in my office parking garage levels alone. Two are NEVER washed or cleaned by the way, just like a minivan, with curb rashes that can been seen a block away.

The V8 models were a premium priced vehicle and were purchased against other alternatives like Mercedes M class boats.

Keep your eyes out as these SAV beasts are at the 10 year mark, when most high end owners replace them for the next one. Low mileage ones are out there, well cared for and owned by people who have the means and expect to keep them that way. Just search. Expect travel. Multiple board members have discovered garage queens with proper maintenance. Look for someone who owns more than one car!
Having 4 cars, mine gets approx 5k per year of travel.

Welcome to the pack!

I really don't want to screw up this thread but when it comes to bike I can't resist. I have 140hp Triumph Explorer 1200cc and a 130hp Speed Triple 1050.....the Speed Triple at something like just over 400 pounds is an animal with that HP. 300HP will be the race version with 199 production but with the right tunner will be able to open the bike back up to 300. I have many bikes...that's just the highest liter HP ones.

You haz Speed Triple! That's my next bike to add to the stable, pure hooligan goodness!!!!!

Thunderbird Storm is for cruising with the wife but on my days riding solo I NEED that Speed Triple lol!


Btw m'cycle discussion is always necessary with no regards to off-tracking threads LOL

You can get a Rocket III for two up riding. Then call a guy Carpenter Racing in NJ and for a few grand he makes them 299RW HP. :D :D

Look up a Condor A350 I'm riding that this Sunday :nanana:
Yes I own it...its not fast just :smokin:

Well since we are throwing around HP figures, my Yamaha sr250 has 21hp. Beat that.

My 72 DT 250 I race in the Moto Giro has
http://p2m.mbike.com/000/002/876/88363587_m.jpg

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Power:22.84 HP (16.8 kW) @ 7000 rpmTorque:17.5 Nm (12.91 lb-ft) @ 6500 rpm

I sat on a Rocket III last year at the NYC show, I love it, but only problem, I'm 5'7".

Me sitting on a Rocket III is literally like little guy on a big bike, the Thunderbird is a bit more slender so it fits me better.

I still have my SV1000S its just unavailable at the moment (long story), but I'll either upgrade the power on that when I get it back someday or get a Speed Triple and wheelie Wednesdays are back in session.

If you're ever up riding in my area (08807) or passing through shoot me a PM would love to go for a spin with you man

And here I thought this was a BMW X5 forum . . . I lost track - did the poster buy the Ann Arbor upgraded E53? Looked like a nice vehicle.

Hey, My Vespa 150 has like.. 5hp, so suck on that! :nanana: