[quote="X5Sport"] [quote="jdwright590"] If yours is a facelift car then it definitely has the ZF gearbox - knocking it into Sport/Manual mode locks out 5th gear (I guess for performance reasons)...hope that helps :) [/quote] Putting it in Sport doesn't lock out any gears. It means it will use 1st ...

If yours is a facelift car then it definitely has the ZF gearbox - knocking it into Sport/Manual mode locks out 6th gear (I guess for performance reasons)...hope that helps :) I've had my X5 for nearly 2 years and I've not yet done a lot of the stuff on your list! However did have it serviced the ...

Thanks guys, I'll give it a try and see how it goes

Not long ago became an owner of a 2005 3.0d Sport, loving the car so far and actually am not as disappointed in the mpg as I'd feared...see 26mpg around and about, and today saw over 39mpg on a 25 mile motorway jaunt :) Anyway when I got the car I didn't bother to reset the gearbox memory, and ...

Hello all, Joined last year and although I've posted a little I admit I ended up a bit of a lurker :/ I am finally very close to purchasing my first X5 but thought I'd get your opinions on the car in question before I take the plunge! It's a black 2005 (05) X5 3.0d Sport w/comms, adaptive xenons ...

I've been looking at an early E70 too and have found the easiest way to tell the tax band (without having to ring the seller etc) is to enter the reg plate number on the DVLA website It's the 57 reg cars that seem to fall into both camps...07 plates are all more expensive to tax!

Thanks guys. I've yet to have a proper look at the system in person but going by videos I know my 5 year old Tom Tom is still probably going to be more usable! I agree that the condition of the car at this age is going to be more important than the nav, so I think I'll probably just view it as a ...

Been intending to buy an X5 for a while and although my mind has been jumping around alternatives for months I've always come back to the E53. Although there is no shortage of X5's out there, I seem to want the most popular combination (3.0d in black/grey w/heated leather and nav) which seems ...

Thanks, yes I think I'm going to pay for an AA inspection so I think they might come along with the test drive? (or at least do their own one?). I'll still keep an eye out for known X5 issues though, apart from the generic stuff they'll be looking for

I'm not really that hands on under the bonnet, but I have a garage that I trust (sort of)...or will find a good indy :) Reckon I'll probably go for a diesel auto, I know that a petrol would probably have less issues (especially a manual), but looking at 2005 facelift cars and it seems that it's ...

I'm a massive lover of cars of all types, but I have always wanted an SUV for as long as I remember (I think it has something to do with a Matchbox Jeep Cherokee when I was tiny haha). I have considered getting a smaller SUV like a CR-V or an X3, or even going down the opposite route and getting a ...

I check insurance quotes a few times a month at least (clearly I need something better to occupy myself with!). Last time I checked I was getting quotes of about £1400 with Bell, who required me to have one of their black boxes fitted. That doesn't really appeal as I leave for work at around 5.30am ...

Thanks for the advice guys
I've done lots of online reading but think I need to actually take a test drive of an X5 at least, then I can take another look at my sums. I'll post any updates on the E53 forum...hopefully with some good news!

Ah I'd love to be able to consider a Q7 (or an E70 X5), but alas my budget won't stretch that far...I'm looking to spend about £8k, so probably going to have to be a higher mileage car around 2005. I'm only just 23 too so insurance is going to be an issue

Hey guys and gals, Long time lurker here, but finally decided to take the plunge and sign up. I'm not yet the owner of an X or indeed any BMW but I'm gearing up to buy a second hand SUV and the X5 is pretty high on my list (along with the XC90, ML and RX)...know that it's probably going to be a tad ...