New member, stopping in.
 

Hey everyone. Just got verified and wanted to say hi.

As I am not an actual X5 owner yet, I don't have anything to offer in terms of actual experience. However, I am a BMW owner, and moving to an X5 very soon.

Currently I drive a 2002 M3, Silver on Black, SMG with 126K on the dial, and an all but flawless ownership. I have owned a 540i M sport (2001) and a 1999 328i E46. I have never owned an SUV/SAV but I am really looking forward to it.

I have had plenty of under the hood experience, as I used to be head tech of a performance shop. Did everything from brake replacement in Ford Focus's, to single turbo swaps and tunes in Supra's, engine swaps in Civics and full builds on other cars. I was also a detailer for many years and had my hands on some very awesome cars (Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc)

All that being said, I am moving away from the sporty small cars and getting into the SUV life. I have a 10 year old son, who is getting just too big for the back seat of an E46 M3, and decided to shop for a few SUVs I liked.

I looked at 3rd men Range Rovers, Range Rover Sports, even the Evoque. I always had a lingering love for BMW, but never actually looked at the X5.

Well, all that has changed. I am in the process of buying a 2012 X5 35i X-Drive, Platinum Gray with Oyster interior. It has quite a few options I didn't expect to find, and missing a few I really want. Ideally, I want a 35d, in blue with cinnamon, Comfort Seats, every package added sitting on the 20" 5 spoke wheels (i forget the number) with the aero package and some choice little upgrades. Not everything can be what you want.

I am thrilled to be getting into something capable of carrying people, cargo and going through snow! When I get the truck, I'll post pics and add to this thread, update as things go.

I have a few plans, nothing too ridiculous. BAVSound speaker and subwoofer upgrades, some coding, light modifications (I have Lightwerkz TFX bixenon projectors in my M3 now, with other mods including Thermal Night Vision) and some other tech upgrades as well.

I'll keep you posted, thanks for having me!

Welcome!



:D

Welcome! If you have not signed on the dotted line, why settle for an X5 that's not exactly what you want?

While there are SO many options on these cars it's almost impossible to find exactly the one, you can certainly decide which options you MUST have and find those. Diesel vs Gas is a pretty big one. Aside from shopping Craig's List, eBay and other want ad sources, you might try to find a used car dealer that has access to the Manheim wholesale car auctions; that's how I found mine. They sell literally thousands of cars every day, and their inventor is computer-searchable if you are a dealer registered with them. You can shop for exactly the options you want, by using a VIN decoder.

Obviously, if you want certified pre-owned from a dealer, that will greatly limit your options. Keep in mind that even if you buy a car from an auction or private party, you can still buy a comprehensive aftermarket warranty. Probably costly, but you'll pay massively more for CPO too.

I realize I could keep looking for what I really want, but I'll let you know how many of my perfect X5s I have seen.

Zero. None.

Apparently, it was never made with the specs I wanted. And to be 100% honest, I wanted to try diesel, but a lot of the info on this site kinda steered me away.

One reason I wanted it was for MPG. My M3 gets 8 when you flog it, and averages 19. I wanted something powerful but fuel efficient. I get to test drive the X5 I'm getting, and it is wonderful. I thought the gas 6's would be sluggish, and too slow. I mean, they are made to propel the ho hum 3 series around, why would it work in a big SUV...

Well, I was impressed. I can live without the Diesel. As for comfort seats, they are more rare than Unicorn Ivory, and to be honest, I'd rather not wait 2 years to find something like that. Every car I have found has CCC nav, but comfort seats, or had CIC and standard seats in all black. I found 2 that had CIC and standard seats with interior color differences, but the chocolate interior is just... Too brown.

I digress. What I found is perfect for what I need.

http://www.crbimmers.com/wp-content/...9/SAM_1946.jpg

http://www.crbimmers.com/wp-content/...9/SAM_1951.jpg

I'll update soon after purchase.

The comfort seats really are worth waiting for, (WITH Seat A/C); as is the top-of the line stereo with the extra speakers/amps etc. If you expand your search area, and as I suggested, especially if you find someone who can hook you up with Manheim, you WILL find the car you want. And at most within a few weeks. I did a buy-it-now type deal on Manheim. They rate cars on a scale of 1-5; mine was a 4.9, and it was as good a used car as you'll ever see. Their graders are VERY picky, and will absolutely alert you if any bodywork has been done. I paid a modest fee to get a 14 day return policy from them if there was some undiscovered technical problem, but usually cars that are mint cosmetically are pretty good or better mechanically. I bought mine sight-unseen, and flew to Florida (from NY) to fetch it. Spent a few days in Orlando at the same time. I believe I paid about $6k less than a certified pre-owned.

You WILL find more of the interior options you're seeking with V8 cars; not sure if that's a consideration for you. The cost to buy used should be very close; you gain added performance, and get hurt a bit at the pump.

No V8 for me. Horror stories of mechanical fixes, unreliability and excessive expense are not my bag.

I'm coming from an M. I know how bad it can be, and I don't want that anymore.

I am on my second V8 X5 and I disagree with it being "unreliable." Stories you may have heard are just a small percentage of the total number of X5 out there. The owners that doesn't have any issues don't post anything most of the time. If they're unreliable, I wouldn't get a second one. BMW can be pricey and I am sure you know that. If that is your concern, and you can't find a good X5, why not get a different brand?

+1.

+2

Who said anything about not finding a "good one"? I said I didn't want the V8 models, as literally everyone I meet in person that has one, states how horrible they are.

Again, I'm not a BMW noob. I have owned 3 (now 4) in various engines and chassis. From ho-hum M52s to the S54. The most unreliable engine was my 540i, and it had the least milage. I'm not saying they are all this way, but I was put off by many things:

-4.8's do have the coolant pipe problem
- Thread like this: X5 35i vs 50i Regrets?
-Stories like this: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/b...ems-88225.html
More thread here: https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...liability.html

But yea, it really isn't that bad, right? I mean, your own forum has a thread talking about all the issues...

"I dunno, I wouldn't touch a N63 without a warranty. Based on the common fuel injector failures, HPFP failures, same damn oil leaks as the N62, crap valve stems, Timing chain failures, MAF failures. Maybe that is why I see 2011's with 100K miles going for 16k?"

Everything will have issues, I know, but I would rather deal with something with "less issues than others" if you know what I mean.