Buying a E70 X5 40D M Sport
Discussion
I am looking to purchase a E70 X5 40D what are the must have extras I should like out for bearing in mind future resale of the car and what people want?
Most seem to have 20inch wheels which look good but more chance of kerbing them and apparently they do nothing for the ride - should I buy car with them?
Pan roof looks great but realistically would rarely use and has potential for failure of seals and drive motors and they are very heavy and would nothing to aid the handling of the car would be like having a passenger hanging on your roof!- again is it a must have extra for resale.
Seven seats, family has grown up so not needed and add another 60Kgs to the weight and loss of underfloor storage space - Is the seven seater option sought after?
It would be interesting to hear what peoples views are especially from somebody in the trade.
Most seem to have 20inch wheels which look good but more chance of kerbing them and apparently they do nothing for the ride - should I buy car with them?
Pan roof looks great but realistically would rarely use and has potential for failure of seals and drive motors and they are very heavy and would nothing to aid the handling of the car would be like having a passenger hanging on your roof!- again is it a must have extra for resale.
Seven seats, family has grown up so not needed and add another 60Kgs to the weight and loss of underfloor storage space - Is the seven seater option sought after?
It would be interesting to hear what peoples views are especially from somebody in the trade.
Both those options are sort after and to be honest I very much doubt you would notice how the car drives with or without them. I often used mine for family trips with a boot full of luggage, and a sodding massive roof box on top and yes you could notice it but not massively. You definitely wouldn't notice the wight of 60 kg in the boot. The ride is the worst thing about the X5, especially with the 20" wheels although to be honest its not night and day better on 18" wheels. I had 20" summer tyres and 18" winters...both RFT's. I actually changed back to the 20" wheels this weekend before trading my car in.
They're very,very good cars though....hugely capable machines and brilliant for what they're intended for. The drive train felt bullet proof in mine.
The Pano Roof can definitely be expensive if it needs work done but it does make what can be a very dark interior much brighter....I'd say the worst thing you can do is buy a car with it and not use it though. Would be good practice just to open/shut it once a month.
Single best option I had on mine were the Comfort Seats which are very rare but are exellent
They're very,very good cars though....hugely capable machines and brilliant for what they're intended for. The drive train felt bullet proof in mine.
The Pano Roof can definitely be expensive if it needs work done but it does make what can be a very dark interior much brighter....I'd say the worst thing you can do is buy a car with it and not use it though. Would be good practice just to open/shut it once a month.
Single best option I had on mine were the Comfort Seats which are very rare but are exellent
Agreed ride is terrible, guess because it is so heavy and need stiff springs. Our hired focus rides much better on crap roads. I also have (had 
) 20 inch summers and 18 inch winters. No difference. I also had adaptive drive. No difference. Best thing is you load up these beasts to the max, then you load up a roof box full of crap and it makes.. no difference.
What makes a difference is the comfort seats. Love these but you very rarely see them specced.
These are heavy old beast and wont be hustled, or it's no fun anyway. Certainly pan roof being there or not wont make any difference. And they are crap(pano roof), there was a 2k bill with my car for fixing it and I don't think this is a rare occurrence.
) 20 inch summers and 18 inch winters. No difference. I also had adaptive drive. No difference. Best thing is you load up these beasts to the max, then you load up a roof box full of crap and it makes.. no difference.What makes a difference is the comfort seats. Love these but you very rarely see them specced.
These are heavy old beast and wont be hustled, or it's no fun anyway. Certainly pan roof being there or not wont make any difference. And they are crap(pano roof), there was a 2k bill with my car for fixing it and I don't think this is a rare occurrence.
Edited by fredt on Tuesday 7th March 09:16
You can run 20s without run flats, michelin diamaris work well.
I'd only look for a 7 seater if you plan to use them, the pano sunroof is a nice feature which brightens up the interior but the mechanism has a mixed rep for reliability so was something I wanted to avoid.
Great drivetrain and surprisingly quick.
I'd only look for a 7 seater if you plan to use them, the pano sunroof is a nice feature which brightens up the interior but the mechanism has a mixed rep for reliability so was something I wanted to avoid.
Great drivetrain and surprisingly quick.
As an X6 owner, can't totally comment on some things but its a wise choice going for the 40d. The twin turbo power delivery is never left wanting, minimal lag, so I think you've already ticked the most important option, ie, the engine choice 
You might want to think about reversing camera/top view as I would imagine for resale purposes, it will be an option people will be looking out for. Pro Nav, bluetooth might fall into that bracket too.
I have tow bar, heated steering wheel, window treatments amongst other - I don't think those type of options are really that important.
As others have said, comfort seat are a really nice to have, along with heads up display, comfort access - people won't necessarily be looking for these things, but when it comes to resale, they will certainly give your car the edge over the rest of the field.
You might want to think about reversing camera/top view as I would imagine for resale purposes, it will be an option people will be looking out for. Pro Nav, bluetooth might fall into that bracket too.
I have tow bar, heated steering wheel, window treatments amongst other - I don't think those type of options are really that important.
As others have said, comfort seat are a really nice to have, along with heads up display, comfort access - people won't necessarily be looking for these things, but when it comes to resale, they will certainly give your car the edge over the rest of the field.
My X5 40d has 21 inch wheels with RFTs and I honestly think the ride is fine. And I am comparing it to current and former BMWs with 18inch and 17 inch wheels and no RFTs.
As to options, I would look for a car with options that appeal to you and would not worry about what appeals to anyone else.
For what it is worth though, these are the options on my car
In no particular order, the options I most enjoy are:
heated seats
panoramic roof
HUD
high beam assist
top view
BMW Individual audio system
The options I miss most from my old car are
comfort seats
heated steering wheel
The option I wish I had and have never had
Sports auto
As to options, I would look for a car with options that appeal to you and would not worry about what appeals to anyone else.
For what it is worth though, these are the options on my car
In no particular order, the options I most enjoy are:
heated seats
panoramic roof
HUD
high beam assist
top view
BMW Individual audio system
The options I miss most from my old car are
comfort seats
heated steering wheel
The option I wish I had and have never had
Sports auto
I only chose X5 because of 7 seats. They are for kids only but that is good enough for my family for occasional use.
For me the best option is Piano Black individual trim (very rare on X5). I HATE wood. I paid a big premium not to see wood or silver trim.
Ride is terrible, better with non RTF with 20”, but still not great.
No panoramic roof, I don’t miss it. They can be problematic. I do like pano roof in my other car though. Not a deal breaker.
I have comfort seats, they are brilliant. Top view camera is superb. I wish it had front view as well. Heated seats should be standard as folding mirror. I believe these were options, unbelievable. 4 zone air con, not bothered that I have only 2 zone.
Options I don’t have but I wish I did. Individual stereo. Very rare, advanced audio is OK, but not good enough. You can go aftermarket for about 1.5k£. HUD – I miss a lot.
For me the best option is Piano Black individual trim (very rare on X5). I HATE wood. I paid a big premium not to see wood or silver trim.
Ride is terrible, better with non RTF with 20”, but still not great.
No panoramic roof, I don’t miss it. They can be problematic. I do like pano roof in my other car though. Not a deal breaker.
I have comfort seats, they are brilliant. Top view camera is superb. I wish it had front view as well. Heated seats should be standard as folding mirror. I believe these were options, unbelievable. 4 zone air con, not bothered that I have only 2 zone.
Options I don’t have but I wish I did. Individual stereo. Very rare, advanced audio is OK, but not good enough. You can go aftermarket for about 1.5k£. HUD – I miss a lot.
fredt said:
I also had adaptive drive. No difference.
I'm going to retract that statement. After few days in a more or less identical car, but without adaptive drive, I wish this one had it. Adaptive drive cars definitely have a smoother ride, and I think less road noise. Handling wise I can't tell them apart. Edited by fredt on Tuesday 7th March 09:16
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