Mk1 X5's am I mad?
Discussion
Hi all,
I've been looking at facelift X5's recently firstly I thought like most PHers avoid the black stuff like the plague. After a bit of research however they appear to be a hell of alot cheaper to run that the petrols and even the same price at the same sort of mileage!!!
Is it really this black and white? It would be used daily so running costs are a very big issue, speed etc however is not so I'm not fussed the petrol is faster that's not what it's being bought for.
Thanks in advance.
I've been looking at facelift X5's recently firstly I thought like most PHers avoid the black stuff like the plague. After a bit of research however they appear to be a hell of alot cheaper to run that the petrols and even the same price at the same sort of mileage!!!
Is it really this black and white? It would be used daily so running costs are a very big issue, speed etc however is not so I'm not fussed the petrol is faster that's not what it's being bought for.
Thanks in advance.
If running costs are an isue the X5 may not be ideal!
I'm on my 2nd X5 the first was a 2001, the current one is a 2004 (facelift ) car. Both are diesel.
I get mid to high 20s and it costs a properly depressing £130 to fill as it's got a 100 litre tank. It'll do mid 30s on a motorway run.
Tyres are around £1000 a set.
They like brakes and suspension bushes as they're heavy and you can drive them quite quickly once you learn to trust them in the corners.
The facelift car is noticably faster as it has more power (220bhp compared to 185) and the 6 speed auto box.
The pre-facelift cars have a possible gearbox problem, if it holds gears and won't change smoothly walk away. It's probably new gearbox to fix.
The optional sunroof is lovely but can also be troublesome and costs about £1000 to fix.
Overall I like them a lot but you have to go into it with your eyes open as they can be surprisingly expensive if something goes wrong. You'll ever get let out of a junction again either.
I'm on my 2nd X5 the first was a 2001, the current one is a 2004 (facelift ) car. Both are diesel.
I get mid to high 20s and it costs a properly depressing £130 to fill as it's got a 100 litre tank. It'll do mid 30s on a motorway run.
Tyres are around £1000 a set.
They like brakes and suspension bushes as they're heavy and you can drive them quite quickly once you learn to trust them in the corners.
The facelift car is noticably faster as it has more power (220bhp compared to 185) and the 6 speed auto box.
The pre-facelift cars have a possible gearbox problem, if it holds gears and won't change smoothly walk away. It's probably new gearbox to fix.
The optional sunroof is lovely but can also be troublesome and costs about £1000 to fix.
Overall I like them a lot but you have to go into it with your eyes open as they can be surprisingly expensive if something goes wrong. You'll ever get let out of a junction again either.
t? I would have thought a 5 year old BMW to be a tad reliable and not a money pit! 
I've just spent the day cleaning a 114k mile 4.6is and it's still an impressive bit of kit, even being 8 years old. I've driven a few X5s and they've all belied their size and weight and have been good fun. The 3.0i was a bit gutless mind you, and almost as thirsty as the V8. 3.0d is the weapon of choice, but arguably still not that economical.
Thanks guys that's what I had hoped really, surely BMW must be able to produce a decent car by now?!
The main question I have am I right for choosing the diesel over the petrol? Is the diesel realiable enough for the cheaper fuel to warrant it over the petrol.
I wouldnt buy one over 70k miles I would like as low mileage as possible would that hopefully see me away from the turbo and swirl flap problems?
It just seems so wrong that they are plagued with all these problems, a few years back I took a 2.7 crd Jeep grand Cherokee from 60k to 130k before it got written off without spending a penny on anything bar fuel and servicing.
The main question I have am I right for choosing the diesel over the petrol? Is the diesel realiable enough for the cheaper fuel to warrant it over the petrol.
I wouldnt buy one over 70k miles I would like as low mileage as possible would that hopefully see me away from the turbo and swirl flap problems?
It just seems so wrong that they are plagued with all these problems, a few years back I took a 2.7 crd Jeep grand Cherokee from 60k to 130k before it got written off without spending a penny on anything bar fuel and servicing.
The diesel drives very well, heck I've bought 2 of the things. The low down torque of the diesel coupled to the auto makes for a pretty grunty combo. They do handle very well for the size of the car, compared to landrovers and Shoguns it's like a GTI 4x4. You also get that nice feeling while tanking along seeing over other traffic.
I found the 3.0 petrol to be too revvy, it fitted my 330ci just fine but with max torque being quite high up the rev range it wanted to be up there for the whole test drive. They're also almost as thirsty as the V8.
I've kept away from the V8 petrols because I know I'll want one and I don't like Shell that much.
You have to remember that these were pretty expensive when new and have the same running costs.
I found the 3.0 petrol to be too revvy, it fitted my 330ci just fine but with max torque being quite high up the rev range it wanted to be up there for the whole test drive. They're also almost as thirsty as the V8.
I've kept away from the V8 petrols because I know I'll want one and I don't like Shell that much.
You have to remember that these were pretty expensive when new and have the same running costs.
Good luck, if it's what you want, then go ahead, cars are a very personal choice.
I like the way they look and drive.
I've had two mates but X5's, as pointed out to you, they do have very expensive habits, I'm not sure their habits are any worse than anything else in that class of vehicle, but I'll have to stick to a standard 5 series, I couldn't afford the issues those X5's seem to have.
Transfer boxes on both of them (GM I'm led to believe), and liner issues on one of them.
I like the way they look and drive.
I've had two mates but X5's, as pointed out to you, they do have very expensive habits, I'm not sure their habits are any worse than anything else in that class of vehicle, but I'll have to stick to a standard 5 series, I couldn't afford the issues those X5's seem to have.
Transfer boxes on both of them (GM I'm led to believe), and liner issues on one of them.
Nigel Worc's said:
I'll have to stick to a standard 5 series
4wd ability aside I'm not entirely convinced an E39 Touring (Which is fundamentally the same car) isn't a better car anyway - it is faster, more economical, handles better, has as much space, the same electronics system, the same engine range... yet is anything up to a third of the price of the equivilent X5. Oh and decent premium tyres are £110 fitted to a Tourer on 17's..I had the facelifted v8 (4.4) and it was one of the best cars I'd ever had. A car that big really shouldn't be able to go and handle the way it does, especially after 7 years of fairly hard use. The fuel consumption wasn't too bad, considering - it would do about 430 miles on a motorway cruise (approx 90 litre tank) - I think the average mpg was 19 mpg, and would increase to about 17 or so in heavy town driving. It was also amazingly comfortable car to be in - I drove the family through Europe (inc de-restricted autobahns ;-) ) in it last summer and even after 5 or more hours I'd have no back ache etc.
The maintenance costs did go up a lot after about 5 years and by the 6th year the problems were becoming very expensive and incapable of being solved in some cases: biggest problems were that it started intermittently cutting out when starting from cold and occasionally stuttering when warm; the dealer couldn't figure it out, but after researching on US websites, I suggested that it was the valvetronic levers - BMW Germany agreed and the cost of replacing them was about £2.5k. That cured the cold start problem, but the stuttering was still there - BMW had numerous attempts at fixing that, mostly involving reprogramming the gearbox but it wouldn't go away. When the car was really warm (e.g. after an hour or so on the motorway) it would virtually kangaroo in slow traffic - after about a year of that (and various visits to try to sort it out) I'd had enough and got rid. I now have a diesel 40d and plan to keep it for 3-4 years.
The maintenance costs did go up a lot after about 5 years and by the 6th year the problems were becoming very expensive and incapable of being solved in some cases: biggest problems were that it started intermittently cutting out when starting from cold and occasionally stuttering when warm; the dealer couldn't figure it out, but after researching on US websites, I suggested that it was the valvetronic levers - BMW Germany agreed and the cost of replacing them was about £2.5k. That cured the cold start problem, but the stuttering was still there - BMW had numerous attempts at fixing that, mostly involving reprogramming the gearbox but it wouldn't go away. When the car was really warm (e.g. after an hour or so on the motorway) it would virtually kangaroo in slow traffic - after about a year of that (and various visits to try to sort it out) I'd had enough and got rid. I now have a diesel 40d and plan to keep it for 3-4 years.
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