help me find a good X5M please
 

Hello friends,
I've been a BMW guy for a while. Had several M3s(several E46s and a 2008 and a 2012), M Roadster(1998-2000-2001) and M Copue(2000) previously. I bought my wife a X5 4.8 before as well as several 3 series cars. I ended uo modifiying just about all of them.

It's time for a bigger car for me. So, here I am shopping for a X5M.
I can afford to pay up to $30K. There are several 2010-2012 X5Ms out there. Also a few 2013s.
From what I can see 2013s have the upgraded lights. Any other noteworthy changes that might be worth getting 2013.
I would preffer a car with DP, flash, exhaust, wheels etc. and ofcourse as little miles as possible.

Also, is it a real bad idea to entertain the idea of buying 100K mile car?
I am planning a trip with the wife and the kids to europe with the X5M for few months. I know gas will be expensive but I rather pay for the gas and have the extra power. I can't do a sedan because we need the space.

I'd appreciate your opinion and direction in the matter.

I am kinda confused with your post.

1.) I don't think you can get an X5m under 30K with DP, flash, exhaust and little miles. Are you referring to LED option for 2013 as upgraded light?

2.) How much and up to what extent you have modified your other M cars? Did you do it yourself? I mean after all the M cars you have owned, and you should know by now if it's a bad idea to entertain 100K cars or not. BMW can be expensive especially on M cars and most importantly the ones around 100k and above, depending if maintenance were regular.

3.) You are from Atlanta and your planning to take you family with the X5m? Are you driving from Atlanta to Europe? :rolleyes:

4.) Can't do sedan? Are you looking for an X5M coupe? :confused:

Yeah, this was confusing....

Back in the day, the first two supercharged E39M5s were done at a skunkworks a few miles from me.

One of the cars was a pet project from a royal family member in a middle eastern country. Believe it or not, he sent it back for some repairs and re-turning, via air freight to LAX, then trucked 450 miles north. :wow:

Our guess was $15k each way. Although there was also the possibility he was getting a family discount on the air part...:cool:

Ok, sorry for confusing.
What I meant is I’d like a BMW X5M with as little miles as possible. There are few cars with under 70k miles for well under $30k. There even are few 2013s that are under 70k miles for less than $30k. I didnt mean low miles as in 30-40k mile cars. . I understand for $30k it will have some miles. If it had some mods already done to it that’d be a great bonus. I didn’t mean for under $30k I want a built X5M.
I have had M cars but not an X5M. Not sure how problematic these things are. Out of all the cars I had seemed like the e36 M Roadster was the least problematic car for me.
As for modding the X5M.... probably wheels, dp, flash and maybe an exhaust should be enough. There is nicely modded under 80k mile 2012 for $31k.
I live in Atlanta and willing to travel for the right car within the continental US. In about a month I have a euro trip planned. We will stay in Europe for 3 months. I will take the X5M to Europe and back in 3 months. I most like will ship the car by a ship to Europe. It may be a difficult drive to across the ocean:)
Can’t do a sedan because the SUV has more space. Can’t do something like a BMW 5er or an Audi A6 is what I meant.
Hope this clears fire some of the questions. Hope you can direct me in the right direction for a nice X5M.
Thanks

Massively problematic.

DO NOT be lulled into a false sense of trust by your prior BWM, even V8 BMW, experiences. (I have a E39M5 with 225k.)

You are buying one of the weakest BMW v8s, with serious lubrication failures early in their lives, and on top of this questionable history you are also seeking 'mods'.. (like what? What mods are there for X5Ms, other than eye candy, maybe a muffler).

Luckily, you are rich- so it should only be an annoyance- not real pain.

(kidding)

If I were rich I'd buy a brand new X5M and let the dealer worry about the issues.
You worried me:(
I actually heard good things about it. I was told if the car survived to 40-50K miles most likely the major issues were solved.

Bellow are few decent cars(speaking without actually having checked any of these cars). If I was to buy I will do a full PPI at the closest BMW dealer.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...modelCode1=X5M

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...modelCode1=X5M

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...modelCode1=X5M

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...modelCode1=X5M

https://www.rochellasauto.com/2012_B...Y_19090768.veh

https://www.uabcars.com/detail-2013-...-17054736.html

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...modelCode1=X5M

https://www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/43728605

https://www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/42424691

You've been lied to. I'm serious.

I'm sure others will chime in. Scar will tell you his V8 has been perfect. People that have been screwed with issues, who have dumped the car will not see this (they don't visit anymore). Others will point to threads with problems.

The idea that you will spend 30k on a high perfroamcen M car, with 100k+ miles, and ship it 5000 miles for a holiday within weeks of buying it, is really mind boggling. I can't get over this actually. (I'll try..) They rent cars in Europe. You could even buy one and sell one in Europe.... you thinking finding a shop that won't screw you in Atlanta is tough, try doing that where you aren't a native speaker. You could spend 30k, another 5k in fixing it up, 3500 to ship it....and wind up scrapping it in Croatia. Enough of that.

The BMW V8s are ticking time bombs. Read yourself. Lots of posts. Don't jsut look at M cars, all the V8s. Same issues with injectors, fuel shear, wear, chains, etc. BMW didn't fix it all with the CCP, just papered over the issue to hide it until higher mileages....

I looked into this a while ago after getting kinda sick of having to do work on my E53 all the while. It turns out the E70s are just as hilariously unreliable.

I'd only get one if it was
- Very well priced
- Came with an excellent aftermarket warranty that included 24/7 roadside assistance for when a poorly designed plastic part shears off in the middle of the mountains as night falls
- Was my secondary (or even tertiary) vehicle as it will inevitably spend weeks or months in the shop

Jeezzzz...
Not good

Buying a car in Europe would not be ideal for my situation. Renting also not so perfect as I will travel to some countries outside of EU.
I need a large SUV and would like it to be performer.
There is hardly anything’s no else but the BMW X5M that came to my mind. I always liked the looks and liked M cars generally.
My V8 M3s were good but several issues were already fixed when I bought them.
Porsche Cayenne Turno would be another option but they cost more.

Having second thoughts now. I will check some old posts. Still looking for a nice M in the mean time.

Any thoughts on the cars above?

Thanks

First looks interesting

Second, do you know if you can legally import modded cars into the EU???? Do they need to bass TUV insoection?

Third has history. Likley more serious accident and odo issues that carfux shows

Fourth...I lost interest....

I won’t be importing. Just be there few months and back.

There are a couple of other things that you seem to have not mentioned, smaller on the scale of the main part of your plans, but still things that you need to be aware of.

In France and Germany they have both introduced a scheme, where an individual car has to have a sticker on the windscreen, the sticker (one for each country) are coloured and have the registration number of the vehicle on them, they represent the emissions produced by the car model that they are issued to. The list of cities requiring one of these, in both France and Germany is growing as time goes on. If you enter a city that requires a car to have this sticker, and don't have one, you will be fined on the spot, no question of "not being aware", you either have the required sticker or you don't. The cost of applying for these stickers is actually very small, you can do it online, but they are sent by post and are valid for the life of the vehicle. Getting caught without a sticker, the fines are in excess of 150 euros, and you could get several of these fines depending upon how many towns/cities you visit. I am not sure if you can get these stickers whilst you are travelling as they are sent to the address of where the vehicle is registered.

Secondly, without trying to teach granny to suck eggs, the driving laws vary from country to country, and travelling within the EU doesn't stop the laws changing between the individual countries that you may go through. One country may require you to have your headlights on when driving whether daytime or night time, another that you must wear a hi-viz jacket when you get out of the car when stopped at the side of a road, the police will check that at least the driver has that jacket within reach so that it can be put on before getting out of the car, each passenger must also have a hi-viz jacket. In France you are required to carry two breathalisers, so if they suspect you of being over the drink/drive limits, you have your own units to carry out the test. The list of quirky rules for different countries goes on and on, but all of them are laws that the local constabulary will fine you for, as "not being aware" is no defence when it comes to on the spot fines (these are used when a driver is not a local) and if you don't have enough cash to pay the fine, impounding your vehicle is not unheard of.

Obviously, it is not all doom and gloom, there are places where you can get travel kits with all of the necessary bits and bobs to cover you for travelling across various countries and with the internet at the end of your fingers, you can soon find out the regulations that you need to know to stay within the law in each individual country. We travel from UK to Ukraine every year, the last 3 we have driven, and as you have already said, so I guess that you are aware, that when travelling out of the EU region, the border controls with regard to vehicles is different, and attempting to cross in a hire car will cause a lot of wasted time, as you will likely to be denied access to the country that you are wanting to enter. Last year, it took us 9 hours to get into Poland from Ukraine, due to the queue and the Polish border officials working very very slowly. I am sure that they enjoy inflicting sorrow onto the already tired travellers.

I am a member of the AA (Automobile Association), not to be confused with another AA. They offer many things that will make your trip as painless as possible. They offer breakdown cover, which includes some countries outside of the EU, where they will recover your car to a nearby dealer/garage, arrange your repairs, and if you pay a few quid (UK term) more can also cover parts and labour, and even emergency hotel costs if the car is off the road over night. Not sure whether they will recover a car back to your side of the pond though, but they will to the UK. There are various organisations and companies that give this type of policy, it is a type of insurance after all.

And that leads to car insurance...... get caught driving without it and you will definitely spoil your trip. Some countries accept a green card type insurance policy where one policy covers all of the EU, other countries don't, and you have to obtain insurance as soon as you have crossed the border...... be prepared to pay a lot. especially if you don't speak the native language. Try to run the gauntlet, and try the "I wasn't aware" excuse and you will get a local policeman or woman trying to get you to part with a lot of money, very few speak any other language than their own, but all have empty pockets, and assume that English speaking tourists have bottomless pockets full of cash and your registration number plus country ID sticker is a tell-tale sign making you a target to those who are not above accepting cash to ignore the fact that you are breaking a law, or creating a law that isn't actually there. On the other hand, get a law abiding officer, and you will be escorted to the police station to await a discussion with a judge, offer a bribe and you will likely get to see their not so nice cells. So don't take the risk, stay legal and you will likely not get any trouble.

Finally, when driving in Europe but outside of the EU, we, in the UK, have to get a yearly drivers permit, this is basically a translation of my driving licence so that an officer can understand what my licence is valid for me to drive. It is definitely needed for driving in Ukraine and other ex-Soviet block non EU countries, whether you can get such a thing in the US to cover your licence, I don't know, but you will need to find out.

There are so many things that you need to know about, and these are just a few that I have recently sorted out for myself, as we set off at the end of this month. In my experience of travelling to Ukraine for the last 13 years, driving is far better than flying, you can see so much, and the kids really get to experience the differences between the areas as you make your way through Europe, but it needs planning carefully, as there are many hurdles to trip you up if you haven't.

All great advice. I’ve actually done this once before with a BMW M3. I discovered some of what you mentioned the expensive way. EU has no tollarance on stupidity.
Nevertheless, thank you for the great advice.

I also started to look for Porsche Cayenne Turbo. There are some under 80k miles 2011 cayenne Turbos our that are super nice. Not sure about the reliability on those either. I had a 964, 911 turbo and a 993 previously but those cars were more abolition cars. I don’t know much about all the modern electronics and the reliability in the new Porsche’s like the cayenne.

https://www.lexusatlanta.com/Vehicle...GA/3243418983#

This one looks stunning. I thought the Porsche was more expensive. The X5M has more power but the Porsche drives better I heard. I drove the X5M and was very impressed. I guess it’s time to drive the Porsche before deciding.

That Cayenne looks Nice!

I have soft spot for two-door Porsche's but not yet on the SUV's......

Test drive it and let us know your feedback please!

This reaffirms my thoughts on never "needing" to see much of Europe. Would be nice to see the major cities, but certainly would never be driving through multiple countries.


My relatives do this all the time, but they always fly. Everywhere. And then hire transport while at the current destination. Now I understand why.


OP, that Cayenne looks very nice. Though, go take a look at them. They aren't very commodious for a mid-sized SUV.

I have a European spec 2005 4.4i (loaded) American owned with around 197k kilometers on the clock always well maintained and never wrecked for sale in Saudi Arabia and shipping to the EU then onwards to the U.S. would be fairly cheap compared to U.S. to EU then back..

New tires/brakes and full service 72 days ago.

priced at 45,000 SAR

I'm attaching the vin and a photo now and more later if you're interested. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ba4ba758b9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a595f4d9f1.jpg

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