About to upgrade need input
 

We have the funding arranged ready to pull the trigger.

2011 or newer under 100,000 miles

Three different trims we are most interested in and have tricky to decide pro and cons.

35d 35i and 50i are the trims we are aiming for but the 30i if a killer price and I can confirm the performance is notable improvement over the 3.0i e53 we would not outright reject the idea.

The 50i caught me by surprise for sure! Every time I looked into the performance models they were 10k over our budget but I'm finding them within our budget even with under 100,000 miles.

Less miles more important than newer year but I also really really want active suspension (roll control I forgot what BMW calls it): not sure how to confirm the car has buy I will be VIN decoding before purchase.

So: the practical math;

50i about 15¢ per mile or $150/mo in gas

35i worked out to 12.5¢ ($125)

35d worked out to 10¢ ($100)

Another hidden advantage of diesel model is that when I buy premium not at discount it is 17% more vs. 7% more for diesel.

That means that $150 becomes $175 while $100 becomes $107.

This will be wife's car so it won't be pushed very hard.

I'm very interested to find out "gotcha" parts like the electric water pimp; which engine has the stupid expensive one and which is easiest labor to replace.

I've done that repair on 328xi and no joke the most difficult car repair I've done. 9/10 difficulty to get the hose between the pump and Thermostat connected!

I'm a little anxious about going to FI, but I've been monitoring e70 forum for over a year to prepare and I didn't see any horror stories to scare me away from any of the three power plants listed above.

I won't have a lot of choice in the matter of panoramic roof, seems like most candidates have it and I'm not a big fan but I know of the method to disable the back if/when becomes a problem.

I used to have z28 Camaro and it wasn't inexpensive but through my entire ownership period I used these phrase "worth every penny". I have a feeling I would have that same feeling with the 50i

Wife likes fast acceleration but is "ok" with 3.0i 2001 (about 9 seconds 0-60) so we do not need to go for the 50i any of the models above will be more than needed.

I'm really really really hoping the intermediate lever disaster from around 2004 is permanently resolved. I will be planning to change the "lifetime" fluids fairly soon after taking delivery as we will be buying young enough it should be well before wear problems occur.

I haven't driven e70 so I'm not sure if the front axle engagement is as obvious as 328xi but I'm not a fan of being able to feel the power shift that doesn't exist on our cars with the open dif transfer case.

Give me feedback on which powerplant I should prioritize and what to look for when test driving and how to find if the car has active suspension.

E70 is a great chassis Andrew. Feels like a space ship tech wise compared to the e53.

Personally, while the 30i may be "fast enough," it would't do it for me. Would stick to 35i or 35d. We loved our diesel... until the trans died @ 166000 miles. In the process of fixing that atm. The diesel has a mechanical water pump while the 35i has an electric. I agree with you, the electric pumps are bears to replace. LoL, but really nice when it comes to bleed procedure. So at least after spending 2 hours cursing fiddling with the artificial heart valve and lining up all the arteries you can sit back and have a beer while the car bleeds itself.

The diesels "gotchas" are all documented, and mostly relate to the emissions stuff. I've done the active tank rebuild on ours, replaced both NOX sensors, and done the glow plugs/module. All were relatively affordable and nothing out of the ordinary. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them.

BTW, your fuel calculations are SPOT on. :thumbup: Our 4.8is = 15c/mi and the 35d = 10c/mi as you said. That's over 30,000+ miles on the N62 and just about 30,000 miles on the M57.

That's some great feedback. I was pretty sure I'd be stepping stone via e53 06 before moving to e70 but wife was approved for a very generous SBA grant that is making a very very nice upgrade possible.

The $/mo when "away from home" may make a difference in our choice:

$125/mo for 35i becomes $137.5 but the $100/mo for the 35d becomes $107. The relative stability of the price at different stations caught me by surprise.

My gut says that diesel +turbo more robust than gas + turbo and especially gas + turbo + turbo. That said to have a rocket of a car again I'd definitely be ok with premium for that. "worth every penny"

Love the mention of have a beer while: one of my favorite YouTube channels, the guy uses "beer" as a unit of time e.g. (let that part soak in the degreaser for 1 to 1-1/2 beers). Amazing.

Hello andrewwynn,

Personally, I would avoid the 50i. Looks good on paper, but the timing chain and valve stem seals are deal breakers for me. My independent shop agrees. Too high risk-reward for my check book. New timing chains can run $15K to put right. Valve stem seals are also expensive to fix. https://bmwtuning.co/n63-engine-problems/

The 35i (N55 engine,) is much more reliable and cheaper to maintain. https://bmwtuning.co/n55-common-problems/

The 35d (M57Y engine,) solid choice. https://autospruce.com/bmw-m57-engin...s-reliability/

The adaptive drive is a nice, but be prepared. It will fail, and it will be expensive to fix. https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...ive-drive.html

If you are tight on budget, Adaptive Drive, Air Suspension (3rd row,) and v8 should be avoided at all cost. Also be aware of those beautiful 20" or 21" wheels. Check the price of tires before falling in love with those. (Style 214 is my favorite.)

If money is no object, get a loaded 50i and don't look back! Awesome ride.


The 30i is a solid and reliable engine. But getting an X5 2011 or newer is a big improvement in electronics and subtle design changes that are well worth the newer model. '12, or '13 are the best E70 choices, in my opinion.

Curious how you are calculating the cost per mile, but not mentioning your fuel price. And, what MPG are you assuming? You are only paying $2.50 for premium fuel?

I have the 35i and average little over 20MPG in mixed driving, consistently. But I am also paying four-dollars for premium fuel. That works out to about .20 cents per mile.

Straight highway nets about 28MPG which puts me at about .14 cents per mile.

Fuel is not getting cheaper. Our prices have gone up twenty-five cents per gallon in the last month.

For me, it came down to the 35i or 35d. Options and color were the deciding factors. I think either is a good choice.

Best of luck in your quest. -YMMV

Great feedback. I've done timing chain replacement and know what signs to pay attention to avoid needing it also the 100k on the clock max is critical to the possibility of the 50i

Adaptive drive (anti roll) if the system breaks it reverts to normal roll anti sway as the system works by just twisting the anti-sway bar.

If the electronics fail, a normal day bar can be swapped.

I'm more concerned about m esoteric water pumps. I read that one of the e70 power plants has an exceptionally expensive pump. Id like to know which pump as I can determine from VIN which pump a candidate car has.

I've been paying $3 for premium when I fill up at Sam's club. It's about 3.50 at normal stations near me. Diesel is $2.80 @ Sam's and about $3.00 at normal stations.

I was using highway mpg for the cost per mile as 90% of my driving is between Racine and Chicago, also we do road trips.

If I can find active drive on 35d that might seal a deal but it's very difficult to determine from listings if the car has it.

I haven't seen anyone mention the transmission, but the 8 speed in my 35i is probably the biggest improvement for me. Great torque and acceleration with a good top end as well. At 180kph I've got less than 3k on the tach. The added complexity would of course add to the price of any needed repairs.

I do have to say, the feel of the interior on my E53 vehicles is much sturdier than the composition of the E70. Plastics feel thinner and there's more of it compared to the E53. Rattles as a result seem more common, but they can be tracked down and dealt with.

Good luck with hunt!

There are many threads on the E70 forum dealing with common failure items so I won't rehash them (I feel like I have lived them all.....).

Adaptive Drive is superb but is pricey to fix. I still have a set of rear shocks in the garage (on one of them the control valve seems to have lost continuity) after replacing them with a lower mileage set. Roll control on the AD is unheard of, it corners like on rails for the weight it has. (My e53 is also quick on the ramps but the sport suspension tends to shake my fillings out...:-)

We drove our 35d for many years and enjoyed every minute of it, especially last year's jaunt through western Europe, but keeping the SES light off became a chore with the emissions control needing constant attention.

The latest bit of fun seems to be the Bear/hella EGR coolers leaking internally and leading to engine fires, at least as reported in Germany. The other item on the diesel is failure of an injector leading to hydro-lock. (Mostly due to water ingress at the engine partitions.)

Still, if I were to buy another E70, I'd probably opt for a lower mile diesel and then deal with the entire system at 100k or 110k. (Engine out: reseal, clean DPF, clean intake, hamonics damper, vac system, etc.)

Looking forward to see what you will pick.

Have you replaced the timing chains on an N63? Google it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAnc3mHF7x0 (exactly the same procedure for the X5 50i.) Not exactly a weekend-DIY project.

The electric water pump median price is ~$500, includes pump, thermostat and coolant. Same pump used across the line. And easier to replace on an X5 35i than a 3series. Loads more room to work. Not the simplest of tasks, but easier.

35i electric water pump
35d has mechanical water pump only
50i and M50dx have both mechanical and electric water pumps.

If the Adaptive Drive is not putting you off, then the electric water pump should not either. Water pumps fail, it is a maintenance item.

To find out what options a vehicle has, you will have to run the VIN. Nobody's add will accurately list any options on a vehicle. One site shows every car for sale as 'natural gas.' Car sales people do not know the product they are selling. They know the people who are going to buy at their lot.