Decided not to go with the x5 after all..
 

AFter all of these problems and wretched reliability stories...I've decided to shaft ordering the x5.

I always figured that once I got the car I'd be happy. But what through me over the top was the over all arrogance of 3 BMW dealerships, their unwillingness to negotiate, and reliability (free service every 15,000 miles is only 3 services eff that).

I decided to splurge on the Lexus GS instead. Looking forward to going in and happy and coming out happy...not going in sad and coming out happy *hopefully* as in the x5

you are in the wrong board buddy then!:fencing:

Glad to hear you made a choice you can live with. Thing is about that free service is that it really is free. And if it all boils down to just the 3 15,000 miles services that you mentioned than that would be a wonderful thing. But for those who have problems beyond the 3 services it's still free free free. Ask a fella who knows. (me) Have i had a lot of problems? NO. The few i have had were handled promptly and professionally. So as far as realibility is concerned if you listen to the folks around here who complain about their issues you'll be missing the vast majority of the voices that are never heard. Voices of owners who have nothing to complain about.

Can't speak for the arrogance of 3 BMW dealerships or their unwillingness to negotiate cause i don't know what you were asking for.

Sorry to say that in this case your losing out. Especially if you believe a Lexus GS will replace an X5.

I switch from a Lexus to the BMW X5. All I have to say is good luck with Lexus. They are not all that they are cracked up to be. Aside from the electrical and transmission issues I had, the normal service interval (every 5k miles) costs were really expensive. Every service was no less that $200 and the most was $800 for a 30,000 mile service. Ride comparision between the two vehicles is night and day.

GS is now a very old model, came out in 2003, if I remember correctly.

It does not look as nice as 5 years ago. All Lexus SUVs are very dated now, and due for change soon.

Go for Audi Q7, it does not seem to have as many problems as MB or BMW.

Good luck to moving to the Lexus forum! In my experience, maintenance costs for the Lexus is too much for a high end Toyota IMHO

My 07 X5 has been completely problem free, it's the best SUV I've ever had including Range Rover, MB, Lexus etc.
I think these forums give a very distorted view of problem vehicles in that people with problem cars are more likely to complain about them in these forums giving a very distorted view on the percentage of problems.

One thing that most people don't think about is wear items. You know, things like wiper blades, and the internal air filters, etc. Ok, that stuff is minor. What about shocks?

BMW has had to replace both of my front air shocks on my 04 4.8iS. I wonder what that would cost if I had to pay for it? Big bucks + a lot of labor charges. Brakes are also included as wear items. BMW brake job is probably $700+.

I realized this as I was evaluating whether or not to buy a new 4.8i. I checked out the MB GL450 - they don't cover wear items as is the case for most everyone outside of BMW (can't speak about US makes as I haven't checked that out). It's a nice car but for 70K I think their warranty could be better.

:iagree: Exactly

Lexus is a nice car, Japanese and German cars are 100% different. Enjoy the ride. I really hope though you didn't base a decision on information you read on a forum (I hope you test drove and talked to service techs, if not your opinion is poorly picked), as the purpose of the board is to help X owners with issues, which means...the majority of items you'll see are issues ;)

Again enjoy :thumbup: & good luck.