Discussion
Thinking of an X5 for running the kids around in and for dealing with London's stupidly high speed bumps (fed up of scraping front bumper on the coupe).
Looking for something around £12K to £15K mark. Seen some nice 2006/2007 cars but realise these are over 10 years old.
What issues am I likely to find on the petrol models?
Also do they rust? Was looking at a 2003 in traffic the other day and it looked immaculate on the surface? Any rot issues lurking underneath I need to know about?
Thanks in advance... know nothing about these, but love my 330 coupe so sticking with BMW seems wise.
Looking for something around £12K to £15K mark. Seen some nice 2006/2007 cars but realise these are over 10 years old.
What issues am I likely to find on the petrol models?
Also do they rust? Was looking at a 2003 in traffic the other day and it looked immaculate on the surface? Any rot issues lurking underneath I need to know about?
Thanks in advance... know nothing about these, but love my 330 coupe so sticking with BMW seems wise.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 8th July 09:40
Be careful of 2006/7 ish cars as afaik some have the mental 500 quid a year tax or whatever. E70's are better cars and less chavvy than the old E53 but no old X5 is cheap to run - they're all ticking bomb waiting to land you with a four figure bill. Front diffs and transfer boxes, the GM outbox on older ones, flaky 4.4 V8 that runs very hot plus timing chain guide rails are a major problem now, shagged old diesels, very heavy on suspension. There were alright when new if you like that sort of thing but too many are just s
theaps run by gym bod types on a lemonade budget and are just scrap.
Tbh, a £1000 Cherokee 4.0 is a better plan if you just want an old 4x4 to batter around in. Best E53 X5 as a smoker is a 3.0i petrol, old M54 engine runs forever. Should find a half decent one for £3000.
theaps run by gym bod types on a lemonade budget and are just scrap.Tbh, a £1000 Cherokee 4.0 is a better plan if you just want an old 4x4 to batter around in. Best E53 X5 as a smoker is a 3.0i petrol, old M54 engine runs forever. Should find a half decent one for £3000.
I never really get the road tax thing?
£27 a month vs £42 a month.
If £4 a week is going to break the bank then surely a car that does 26mpg is probably not the right car anyway?
£10k car will depreciate at £150 a month still, will need £200 of fuel if only doing 12k miles a year, will need £50 of road tax, will need £60 a month for servicing and tyres, so will cost you £487 on cheap road tax or £500 on expensive road tax.
Does it really stop you buying the car you want?
£27 a month vs £42 a month.
If £4 a week is going to break the bank then surely a car that does 26mpg is probably not the right car anyway?
£10k car will depreciate at £150 a month still, will need £200 of fuel if only doing 12k miles a year, will need £50 of road tax, will need £60 a month for servicing and tyres, so will cost you £487 on cheap road tax or £500 on expensive road tax.
Does it really stop you buying the car you want?
But that means you either buy an older model, e53, or you are into a 2010 which will cost you a hell of a lot more than £15 month extra.
I get if you can buy a 55 plate of the same model vs a 56 plate that £200 a year is a saving, but it still isn't a massive amount in the grand scheme of owning a large 4x4.
I get if you can buy a 55 plate of the same model vs a 56 plate that £200 a year is a saving, but it still isn't a massive amount in the grand scheme of owning a large 4x4.
12-15k will get you a tidy bi turbo 3l diesel e70
Like most things buy on condition not miles and have a slush fund of a few K sitting spare as they all throw up a bill or 2 at some point
Recent one being a faulty module resulsing in a £1000 bill
The bi turbos are great for performance even more so with a decent map on them 350bhp and 550 lbs/ft of torque from just mapping which hurls it up the road at a frightening pace.
They are great cars but don't expect to run one on a shoe string they can generate some pretty eye watering costs even for routine stuff like brakes and tyres, but like most things you can either accept this and budget accordingly or you can get your hands dirty,
Got a copy of Carly and join some of the owners forums and nothing is too difficult.
Like most things buy on condition not miles and have a slush fund of a few K sitting spare as they all throw up a bill or 2 at some point
Recent one being a faulty module resulsing in a £1000 bill
The bi turbos are great for performance even more so with a decent map on them 350bhp and 550 lbs/ft of torque from just mapping which hurls it up the road at a frightening pace.
They are great cars but don't expect to run one on a shoe string they can generate some pretty eye watering costs even for routine stuff like brakes and tyres, but like most things you can either accept this and budget accordingly or you can get your hands dirty,
Got a copy of Carly and join some of the owners forums and nothing is too difficult.
We have a high spec 09 E70 3.0sd with the twin turbo setup, 7 seats.
They are very nice cars, but maintenance can kill if not kept up with. Service history must be very good/impeccable. Our car was good but we only realized when the brakes seized up that the fluid hadn't been changed in 5 years!
These cars do not rust, the paint is very good on them and high quality, black sapphire is very nice and is actually a little bit blue. £15k would get you a low mileage 2006-7 plate E70 SE or a higher mileage 2008-9 (up to 59 plate) E70 SE/M-Sport. 7 seaters demand a premium and also add to resale value. High spec vehicles are the ones that sell for more. There is also the fact that later ones are £200 cheaper on tax, this is due to EfficientDynamics stuff that BMW added.
The issues we had with ours was a new sat nav disc with diagnostics (£160! - dealer), new front brake caliper and discs, pads and sensors (£500, independent), oil and filters (£200, independent), a new seatbelt latch (£100 - dealer), a new rear air suspension bag (£500, dealer), new rear brake pads (£150 - independent), a booster pack for the turbo's (£100 - dealer), and two new rear tyres (have to be star marked tyres so was £560 overall to fit), as well as tracking for £100.
Fuel costs are high, as expected, but having another SUV in the household means that we are used to that. Expect 25mpg average. We have seen 28.7 maximum on the motorway, doing 60-80, but we never use cruise control. Cruise allows it to exceed 30mpg easy. We have also seen 20mpg when we were in a rush on the motoway, averaging 70mph. The good thing about this car is when you are in a rush, you do get to places very quickly, as road presence scares people out of the third lane, and the second turbo really gets you going in these cars. A remap can push it to 320hp easily in the twin turbo engines.
These cars are £50k+ when new, and running costs are typical for a car that was £50k+ when new, Much, much more reliable then our volvo and would easily beat a range rover in all aspects (except comfort). They handle like a 5 series would, self-levelling suspension makes the back comfortable, and they have all the options one would need. Buy one and you won't regret it, but make sure you have the bank to run one as well. Wait out until you find a high spec one and M-sport resale values are better too, and also drive more sportily, but have harder suspension setups. The pace of these is unreal, you really are king of the road in one of these cars.
They are very nice cars, but maintenance can kill if not kept up with. Service history must be very good/impeccable. Our car was good but we only realized when the brakes seized up that the fluid hadn't been changed in 5 years!
These cars do not rust, the paint is very good on them and high quality, black sapphire is very nice and is actually a little bit blue. £15k would get you a low mileage 2006-7 plate E70 SE or a higher mileage 2008-9 (up to 59 plate) E70 SE/M-Sport. 7 seaters demand a premium and also add to resale value. High spec vehicles are the ones that sell for more. There is also the fact that later ones are £200 cheaper on tax, this is due to EfficientDynamics stuff that BMW added.
The issues we had with ours was a new sat nav disc with diagnostics (£160! - dealer), new front brake caliper and discs, pads and sensors (£500, independent), oil and filters (£200, independent), a new seatbelt latch (£100 - dealer), a new rear air suspension bag (£500, dealer), new rear brake pads (£150 - independent), a booster pack for the turbo's (£100 - dealer), and two new rear tyres (have to be star marked tyres so was £560 overall to fit), as well as tracking for £100.
Fuel costs are high, as expected, but having another SUV in the household means that we are used to that. Expect 25mpg average. We have seen 28.7 maximum on the motorway, doing 60-80, but we never use cruise control. Cruise allows it to exceed 30mpg easy. We have also seen 20mpg when we were in a rush on the motoway, averaging 70mph. The good thing about this car is when you are in a rush, you do get to places very quickly, as road presence scares people out of the third lane, and the second turbo really gets you going in these cars. A remap can push it to 320hp easily in the twin turbo engines.
These cars are £50k+ when new, and running costs are typical for a car that was £50k+ when new, Much, much more reliable then our volvo and would easily beat a range rover in all aspects (except comfort). They handle like a 5 series would, self-levelling suspension makes the back comfortable, and they have all the options one would need. Buy one and you won't regret it, but make sure you have the bank to run one as well. Wait out until you find a high spec one and M-sport resale values are better too, and also drive more sportily, but have harder suspension setups. The pace of these is unreal, you really are king of the road in one of these cars.
cb1965 said:
Thanks for all the replies, especially the last one.
Looked at a 2007 4.8i tonight and it's a lovely car.... is it me? No, not really, but needs must so seriously considering it.
As the 4.8i had a higher list price, they often had more options as standard, and so there were nicer options on these e.g. 4 zone climate control, comfort seats etc. Now having owned a 3.0sd for a year, if there are any radical changes to how diesels are perceived by the government, and they introduce more taxing, then the 4.8i may be an alternative. Looked at a 2007 4.8i tonight and it's a lovely car.... is it me? No, not really, but needs must so seriously considering it.
rayyan171 said:
As the 4.8i had a higher list price, they often had more options as standard, and so there were nicer options on these e.g. 4 zone climate control, comfort seats etc. Now having owned a 3.0sd for a year, if there are any radical changes to how diesels are perceived by the government, and they introduce more taxing, then the 4.8i may be an alternative.
This one has 4 zone, HUD, DVD rear entertainment, reversing cam, nav, pano roof, 7 seats and, most importantly for London, power folding mirrors ... had no idea these weren't standard on all X5s. It's an SE so will have slightly more compliant suspension over the M Sport.I have a high spec 2007 E70 which is an SE spec and has the following options fitted, Dynamic pack which if I'm led to believe correctly is near enough the same set up as an M-Sport one, it also has Panoramic roof, 7 seats, Comfort seats, 20 inch Y spoke alloys Xenon (yes they were an option at the time) and a number of other options fitted. We've owned it nearly 4 years now and generally get around 25-26 mpg on general driving but I've seen as high as 30mpg on a cruise on the motorway..
My X5 has suffered from some niggling issues, like the battery constantly draining when we first had it which caused various on board systems like the clock and sat nav to stop working whilst the car tries to store enough energy to maintain basic functions, although a new battery saw to fix that. I've also had a broken front spring and a front wheel bearing replaced as both had failed and I've had an engine fuel sensor that went awol which meant that after 20 minutes of driving the engine would just die, not something you expect from an automatic and definitely not what you want with the family in the car at 60mph. I've also recently had to replace the rear air suspension bags as the originals had perished and the car, after being left overnight would sag on the off side rear. As a result after the AUC warranty finished I took out a Warranty Direct one which has taken care of a couple of the items mention above (apart from the air bags) and kept the costs manageable. Talking of costs, yes the tax is high, as it's in the high band but paying direct debit means I can offset this over the year as well as running a 116ED which is £0 tax a year has helped. Tyres as expensive because mine are 20 inch ones but I usually get 2 years wear out of them doing 20,000 miles during that time.
Overall it's been a good family car and would consider another one but not just yet as I'm still trying to get my E30 325 running again.
Hope my experience has helped which ever way you decide to go? .
My X5 has suffered from some niggling issues, like the battery constantly draining when we first had it which caused various on board systems like the clock and sat nav to stop working whilst the car tries to store enough energy to maintain basic functions, although a new battery saw to fix that. I've also had a broken front spring and a front wheel bearing replaced as both had failed and I've had an engine fuel sensor that went awol which meant that after 20 minutes of driving the engine would just die, not something you expect from an automatic and definitely not what you want with the family in the car at 60mph. I've also recently had to replace the rear air suspension bags as the originals had perished and the car, after being left overnight would sag on the off side rear. As a result after the AUC warranty finished I took out a Warranty Direct one which has taken care of a couple of the items mention above (apart from the air bags) and kept the costs manageable. Talking of costs, yes the tax is high, as it's in the high band but paying direct debit means I can offset this over the year as well as running a 116ED which is £0 tax a year has helped. Tyres as expensive because mine are 20 inch ones but I usually get 2 years wear out of them doing 20,000 miles during that time.
Overall it's been a good family car and would consider another one but not just yet as I'm still trying to get my E30 325 running again.
Hope my experience has helped which ever way you decide to go? .
The X5 was the most stolen car in the UK for a number of years up to and including 2015, and was in the Top Ten stolen cars 2016. Police annual reports for 2015 and 2016 indicate the majority of Top Ten cars were stolen 'to order' by professional gangs who target you ahead of the actual day of the theft. The Top Ten stolen car league table is dominated by SUVs such as X5, Audi Q7, Range Rover and Discovery, then various 5 Series. Of course, this is just statistics, and heavily affected by factors such as whether parked on the drive or not (on-street are less likely targets, counterintuitively); new (cars are much less likely to be stolen in their first year - again slightly countertive); and of course location.
Personally, I'd be thinking about something like a 3 Series Touring as a family car, but with the higher suspension versions (e.g. not the Sport or M Performance). A 320d SE Touring might be worth considering as well, although I appreciate the underbody clearance advantage of the SUVs. Our first 'premium' car was a 320i Touring which worked well with three young kids, and the format allowed us to carry a fairly hefty roofbox on summer holidays or of we needed extra carrying-capacity.
Personally, I'd be thinking about something like a 3 Series Touring as a family car, but with the higher suspension versions (e.g. not the Sport or M Performance). A 320d SE Touring might be worth considering as well, although I appreciate the underbody clearance advantage of the SUVs. Our first 'premium' car was a 320i Touring which worked well with three young kids, and the format allowed us to carry a fairly hefty roofbox on summer holidays or of we needed extra carrying-capacity.
Edited by msej449 on Tuesday 11th July 17:13
farbbm said:
I have a high spec 2007 E70 which is an SE spec and has the following options fitted, Dynamic pack which if I'm led to believe correctly is near enough the same set up as an M-Sport one, it also has Panoramic roof, 7 seats, Comfort seats, 20 inch Y spoke alloys Xenon (yes they were an option at the time) and a number of other options fitted. We've owned it nearly 4 years now and generally get around 25-26 mpg on general driving but I've seen as high as 30mpg on a cruise on the motorway..
My X5 has suffered from some niggling issues, like the battery constantly draining when we first had it which caused various on board systems like the clock and sat nav to stop working whilst the car tries to store enough energy to maintain basic functions, although a new battery saw to fix that. I've also had a broken front spring and a front wheel bearing replaced as both had failed and I've had an engine fuel sensor that went awol which meant that after 20 minutes of driving the engine would just die, not something you expect from an automatic and definitely not what you want with the family in the car at 60mph. I've also recently had to replace the rear air suspension bags as the originals had perished and the car, after being left overnight would sag on the off side rear. As a result after the AUC warranty finished I took out a Warranty Direct one which has taken care of a couple of the items mention above (apart from the air bags) and kept the costs manageable. Talking of costs, yes the tax is high, as it's in the high band but paying direct debit means I can offset this over the year as well as running a 116ED which is £0 tax a year has helped. Tyres as expensive because mine are 20 inch ones but I usually get 2 years wear out of them doing 20,000 miles during that time.
Overall it's been a good family car and would consider another one but not just yet as I'm still trying to get my E30 325 running again.
Hope my experience has helped which ever way you decide to go? .
Sure has and thank you. I have decided to go for it. It ticks a lot of boxes. I currently have a 3 series E92 Coupe and while it's a lovely car it's utterly useless with speed bumps as Ilm forever catching the front bumper. With a need for lots of seats now the X5 will do very nicely. It drives surprisingly well for a SUV and I'll still have the SL for fun days. My X5 has suffered from some niggling issues, like the battery constantly draining when we first had it which caused various on board systems like the clock and sat nav to stop working whilst the car tries to store enough energy to maintain basic functions, although a new battery saw to fix that. I've also had a broken front spring and a front wheel bearing replaced as both had failed and I've had an engine fuel sensor that went awol which meant that after 20 minutes of driving the engine would just die, not something you expect from an automatic and definitely not what you want with the family in the car at 60mph. I've also recently had to replace the rear air suspension bags as the originals had perished and the car, after being left overnight would sag on the off side rear. As a result after the AUC warranty finished I took out a Warranty Direct one which has taken care of a couple of the items mention above (apart from the air bags) and kept the costs manageable. Talking of costs, yes the tax is high, as it's in the high band but paying direct debit means I can offset this over the year as well as running a 116ED which is £0 tax a year has helped. Tyres as expensive because mine are 20 inch ones but I usually get 2 years wear out of them doing 20,000 miles during that time.
Overall it's been a good family car and would consider another one but not just yet as I'm still trying to get my E30 325 running again.
Hope my experience has helped which ever way you decide to go? .
Thanks all for the replies. Much appreciated.
cb1965 said:
Sure has and thank you. I have decided to go for it. It ticks a lot of boxes. I currently have a 3 series E92 Coupe and while it's a lovely car it's utterly useless with speed bumps as Ilm forever catching the front bumper. With a need for lots of seats now the X5 will do very nicely. It drives surprisingly well for a SUV and I'll still have the SL for fun days.
Thanks all for the replies. Much appreciated.
You made a very good choice. The X5 is a great car, especially in V8 form, the 4.8i makes it a very quick car indeed, faster than the 330i E92 to 60 I believe! Thanks all for the replies. Much appreciated.
Do not worry about it being a commonly stolen car, it is something you just have to put up with. Remember they are cars, and if you want more security then take out BMW Assist who can track if the car is stolen, or add a tracker in for £200. These are built on their own chassis from the 5 series, and shares little parts with them other than the engine and gearbox. Definitely beats a 3 series for ride.
Enjoy your X5 OP.
Edit: check out xdrivers.co.uk they're a very friendly bunch and love the E70.
Edited by rayyan171 on Wednesday 12th July 00:56
rayyan171 said:
You made a very good choice. The X5 is a great car, especially in V8 form, the 4.8i makes it a very quick car indeed, faster than the 330i E92 to 60 I believe!
Do not worry about it being a commonly stolen car, it is something you just have to put up with. Remember they are cars, and if you want more security then take out BMW Assist who can track if the car is stolen, or add a tracker in for £200. These are built on their own chassis from the 5 series, and shares little parts with them other than the engine and gearbox. Definitely beats a 3 series for ride.
Enjoy your X5 OP.
Edit: check out xdrivers.co.uk they're a very friendly bunch and love the E70.
Thanks and it has a tracker fitted which is great.Do not worry about it being a commonly stolen car, it is something you just have to put up with. Remember they are cars, and if you want more security then take out BMW Assist who can track if the car is stolen, or add a tracker in for £200. These are built on their own chassis from the 5 series, and shares little parts with them other than the engine and gearbox. Definitely beats a 3 series for ride.
Enjoy your X5 OP.
Edit: check out xdrivers.co.uk they're a very friendly bunch and love the E70.
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 12th July 00:56
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