Looks good for that mileage. Here's my '01.

Our E53 was always under warranty (or extended warranties - plural). They always paid for themselves and then some :) :(

The heart of an E70 is not the engine & drive train -- its the electronics that control the entire vehicle down to things as simple as the parking brake -- which requires a special tool to release when the battery is dead - DUH.

FWIW I really enjoy restoring / maintaining cars, but... Unless this E70 is astonishingly trouble free during the initial warranty period, I expect to keep it under some form of extended warranty as long a possible. The threads about needing to be "reprogrammed" after practically every maintenance/repair, can make even normally simple repairs/maintenance, like replacing the battery, a big deal :(

Funf Dreisig

I'm pretty sure BMW doesn't make cars that last 10, or even 7 years anymore without some major overhaul. Sure, one can keep it running but by year 8 or 9, you'll have replaced at least 30-40% of the parts on the vehicle.

BMW touts that 85% of the vehicle can be recycled, and 15% of the plastics used in a vehicle are recycled material (like the trunk liner in my mother's 325i). Tell you something about BMW's direction.

Gone... But not forgotten.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...S/IMG_6293.jpg

:rofl:, So far my 53 has hasn't behaved badly, only thing i had to repair was the front left outer CV boot which the extended warranty took care of. I even drive my 53 more often than my 70. Long live the 53;).

:yikes: ... I hope not, Matt! I'm coming up on birthday 8 for our X;
our replaced parts are minimal thus far, and really all maintenance
items like brake pads, etc.

But, I get your broader point, and don't disagree...though it is the
direction all the car mfg'rs are going: lease it to someone for 3 yrs,
take it and "CPO" for the next buyer/leaser and, after that it's off
to the auction or, a 3rd world country.
BR,mD

My biggest concern for the long-term cost the the X5 is the transmission -- BMW has far too many automatic transmissions that die and go to rebuild heaven before 100,000 miles is reached. Is it common? No. But it is far from rare, and that's a concern to me. This X5 may be the first vehicle for which I buy an extended warranty, and if I do, it will be mainly because of the real possibility of a total transmission failure.

Penguin, but our '01 is a 5 spd manual, so I don't have the KaBoomAutoTransParanoia Blues. Of course I could have a clutch,
throw out bearing/pressure plate prob., but I haven't fried/lost a clutch since my drag racing days in the '60s. Knock on wood.

I still love the car, and even though the WD ext warr. expires in a couple weeks, I do plan on keeping it for awhile. New car prices
are a bite in the butt for us retired bums, and even a $grand or two a year for a few years, in the future, is better for me than a new
$80G car. I hear you on the auto trans concern, though.
BR,mD

> Penguin, but our '01 is a 5 spd manual,

Then for that reason alone, it's a keeper in my opinion!

BMW manual transmissions have the opposite reputation of their Automatic transmissions.

That number is way high. I'm on 8.5 years with not that many issues (and you can't count wear and tear items). On the e53 board there are plenty that are running strong at 8+ years. And the e53 is a complex vehicle--it's not as "simple" of a design, electronics, etc of 3's and 5's. Maybe you are thinking of a Pontiac Sunbird.