PMSL
Are you sure it wasn't a rebadged Rover?

Interesting thanks. Yes a friend of mine had one of those (Mini) and I found it much the same. Interesting and almost quite desirable in a weird way, until I had to take it for a long drive. Not impressed at all,felt like it was held together with chewing gum :D
What niggles did you have with your ...

hahaha. thanks. Gravel drive my a55! Wait til I get one, I'll send you a pic of it on the sand dunes :D (joke!)

I am sure I've seen some older E53 X5s doing a fair bit of off road stuff, way more than I ever would. I am not sure yet, I did drive an E53 the other day and have to say I LOVED it. That ...

Excellent thanks. that leaves me with 2 questions:

1. Is it 'ok' to swap staggered 20 inch wheels for a square set of 18 or 19" ?

2. Are there any 'approved' All Terrain type tyres, or failing that, Mud/Snow type that are a bit better than pure 'track' tyres?

Sorry for dumb question but can you please explain what you mean by 'square not staggered'.

Wintrac Extreme - They look decent, ideal for me too i think just going by tread pattern.

I had no idea you could mess around this much, got the feeling nobody did it as it breaks stuff!

Seems maybe I should avoid the M Sport if i am going to end up changing wheels, maybe just go for the standard ...

Just my input on "Off Road" ability I am a shooting man so spend October through to the end of Jan a lot of the time Off Road in the X5 (my 3rd one) I think for 90%+ of people who own a 4x4 a rutted farm track or slippery field is as far of road as they get. After our recent winters we have seen ...

I misinterpreted you i think. I thought your LR ownership was due to its off-road abilities . If that is unimportant, an X5 would be a nice place to sit. But embarrassing if you got stuck. 😉


Oh, i had previously spoken to the dealer with the X5 in your link. Price is non-negotiable and didn't ...

Ah i see thanks.
You said "Thinking of your needs, i would be looking for a different brand myself, German, but not BMW." - I thought that was a 'don't get a beemer' sort of message!
I see you're mainly talking about off road ability. I really do'nt do much of that, occasional field use and very ...

Your 2p was worth a LOT more than that :D. Thanks

I have zero knowledge of the Touareg, hardly ever even seen one! I have to say, I have not been a fan of VW for quite a few years now, generally they just seem overpriced and underbuilt. My son works at a garage and says they are a pig to work on ...

Thank you very much for this. You clearly know a huge amount about this stuff. I have a friend who's a mechanic, albeit not a BMW expert but does like them and works on them now and then. He knows my situation and seems to think the M57 is probably the best model to aim for as a combination of age ...

Thanks, I am now wondering about looking at E53 - bit more agricultural looking. I love the newer ones but i also like the look of the older ones and they suit our lifestyle a bit more, smallholding in rural area, rather than Chelsea

Excellent thanks. I never thought about spare wheel. Would it be an MOT failure to not carry a spare do you know?

Thanks. Yes I just meant insurance group differences.
Re the price, no it's just an ebay error, what a crap website, no end of errors. Price is 4750.

I just read that it has 20 inch tyres. That's a bit scary! What would be the cheapest GOOD tyres (i.e. BMW approved or comparable)?

I know nobody has a crystal ball and any car can be trouble free or a string of problems. But 'on average', if I was buying an X5 M57 around 2008-2010, one with around 110-120k miles with good service history, should I be expecting to spend thousands on it in each year? I mean are they 'usually' in ...