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Yes,buying old car can be dangerous.Just make up your mind.
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The first E53 that I drove, I decided that I wanted one. The problem with the first one
Drivers side door would not open from the outside They had to jump it to get it running Half the buttons were missing the nav system was missing the disk (no big deal) could not read half the screen there was white powder all over the back seat The second one I drove It had to be jumped to start none of the windows worked smoothly the nav system would not even turn on everything seemed to have a rattle it didn't run very well Third time was the charm it started right up Very clean and looked well kept had power to spare nav system worked but had a few dead spots on the screen It had a nice ride...not as stiff as my 88 F250 but not as soft as my 02 Mountaineer It's not a perfect car but for being 11 years old its in pretty darn good shape. the best part is because i waited a week before going back to look at the car a second time they lowered the price a $1000 below trade in value before I started the negotiations. Patience is the key to finding a good vehicle at a reasonable price. |
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Also if you were to compare the two vehicles they come out pretty much the same. Except that the Hyundai is about half the cost of a BMW. So given the same amount of money that you would spend on a used vehicle for the wife you can get a later model year Hyundai with probably a warranty then a BMW with no warranty. Compare 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe to 2014 BMW X5 |
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Knowing you from e46fanatics, generally, e53 is going through the same old used car situation as e46. Since e53 and e46 are old now days, price came down to almost rock bottom, available to pretty much anyone with little money in bank. They don't tend to maintain the car, even if they do, they will fix as it breaks down. I bought my 02 X5 3L about a year ago. At the time of purchase, engine was smooth and tranny was fine, but it was clunking due to worn bushings, and I knew I had to fix some stuff such as VCG, OFHG, etc.. you know the general M54 engine stuff. :) After spending about $2000 on parts only (since I do most of work myself), all fluid flush, front bushings overhowl, it drives great now. Of course due to higher center of gravity, it won't drive as good as e46, but for SUV, it drives great. My next to do is rear bushings overhowl, then it will be better. As for dead pixels, it's very common on e53, e39 and e38. |
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I have no issue with driving a 10-year old car, I have an E36 that's 20 years old, and my F150 is not far behind. We have found that the '05 X5 can be bought for $11k, give or take a couple of hundred. I think my first two test drives must have been bad specimens. One of them had an F70 tire package that was staggered and the tires were noisy and I could hear what sounded like a wheel bearing at low speeds but could be tire noise -- although I know the difference. The fan inside the cabin did not work -- my instinct on this is that the FSR is cooked. The car also had multiple lines of pixels that were burned out on the message display panels and radio display. The other X5 had four bald tires and was generally not taken care of very well -- it was dirty inside and the seller explained how it had just come out of the paint booth after somebody carved the paint with a key. It also had burned out pixels. I'm not giving up on the quest for an X5, but the first two I drove were a disappointment. |
Got my 2004 4.4 knowing well what I get into. The car was NOT looked after, so I got it for a great deal. Things I did:
So, if you want a used X5, you need to have some sort of maintenance history. the above points can serve at what to look for when checking service. On my vehicle the front control arms, bushings & CV joints are still good, but I'm sure this is next on the list. Also, if you're handy with repairs, it's a plus. Otherwise, I would strongly suggest to check locally what the cost of the above repairs (and some others, mentioned earlier)might be, to be prepared to fix it. The 3l has different issues, but some are common. |
jd -- if one had the E70 wheels and tires, were they run-flats? I have no issues with the ride on my X5, and I put Bilstein sports on it since I have the sport package.
The X5 is a maintenance pig, but the subframe and vanos aren't issues like on the E46 (m3, for me). However, it's a big, heavy vehicle and things fail at a much faster rate. Tension strut bushings are good for maybe 40k miles, depending on your roads. I'm doing a complete rear suspension ball joint and bushing refresh, including subframe bushings once my shoulder heals up. I'm at 95k miles. I haven't yet experienced the poor valve seal or water pipe issues that the N62 has, but I know I will. However, fixing them is a lot cheaper than $1k/month car payments on a new one (or a lovely RR sport!). As much of a maintenance pig as the X5 is, it is a wonderful vehicle. We've driven ours, loaded to the gills w/a big hitch mounted carrier out back to DC and back through rain, summer heat, winter snow (and dark of night!) with no issues. Flat out hauling from Dallas to Vegas in a single 16 hour run. Having a 400+ mile fuel range (4.4i in hyper drive mode) helps make it easy peasy. It swallows up the costco goodies and even most Lowes/Home depot trips. When stuff was too big to put in the back a Uhaul trailer works fine (factory hitch only please) and the X5 barely knows it is back there. I've yet to have any weather upset it. It just goes where I want to go when I want to go at the speed I want to get there. However, if you are not a DIY'er, buy an extended warranty. Stuff costs $$$ no matter what and if you have to pay for labor then you are well and truly hosed. One last thing: do a "California stop" with the ones you drive and get on the gas hard just as the vehicle is about to stop. If you get a thunk and it feels like you were rear ended, you have a tranny issue. It can be addressed, but it's not cheap (mine got a rebuilt tranny from BMW under CPO for this). Sometimes a fluid and filter change helps the tranny out (after resetting adaptations for the tranny). Oh, the best part of owning an X5? This forum, of course! Good luck in your search. Look around for the right one. It took me 6 months to find mine (Imola is tough to find in a 4.4i). |
^I really have to second all of the above.
In my first post I did make it sound like these things are to be avoided... but I still feel like I got a decent deal at $10k on ours with how good the inside and outside were kept. That is taking into account the different things I have to do to it (another $2k in parts). We just took it to Houston and back to the tune of 1 tank (440 miles) and loved every minute of it. We've had 4 wheels/tires in it three times now, with some Ikea shopping, and our 1 year old at the same time on one of those trips. It really is a versatile vehicle. If you can handle the mechanical headaches... or have a really good aftermarket warranty to handle them for you... it's a great machine. |
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