When buying, what mileage would you consider too much?

[sleepyfolk]

Just wanted to canvas opinion on what people might consider as too high a mileage to consider, I had an a6 that lasted until 120k then gearbox went, my clk was still going strong at 138k with fsh so I'm not totally against higher mileage but have no previous experience with the x5.

The forum is littered with gearbox and self levelling issues which seem to happen at any mileage.
Would you be happy with buying in to a car at 120k or 130k if it's been well maintained, or do most x5s go to heaven soon after?

Not sure whether to jump in and get one with a higher mileage or keep saving for a bit, there's some quite good deals around for cars with 110+ and I figured such a big engine should be capable of 200 shouldn't it? Looking at 4.4 or 4.6 e53 by the way.

[Jayx5]

Hi I'm thinking about selling mine if your interested? 02 Silver 4.4 77k ? My mate services a 4.4 7 series that's done 350k! Hth

[sleepyfolk]

Still got a little time left on the lease of the current car to go yet, that sort of mileage must be a record!

[Ryoken]

mines just done over 145k , granted ive not had it long , but just a word of advice, rubber hoses don't last 145k
well my pcv ones havnt anyway, but apart from that , its just general wear and tear items

[rhinoman]

I think it also depends on how you want it to drive.

We bought ours with 118k, Full history not all BMW, gearbox was reconditioned soon after and then I started replacing suspension components and have since done "all of them" except the dampers which are fine. I think it now drives like it should but many might of thought it did before I started...

We've had a few other issues but nothing too expensive, egr clean, door handle, battery tyres, brake pads. Soon to do, Terraclean, new disc and pads, brake flexi's and fluid change.

[greg1980]

go for 4.8is, better engine and lower fuel consumption than 4.4 or 4.6.

[sleepyfolk]

Not enough money in the pot!

[greg1980]

How much do you want to spend?

[Reusch]

[quote="sleepyfolk"]
Not enough money in the pot!
[/quote]

Save a bit more mate and get the vehicle you really want don't rush,I did bought a diesel and I really wanted a 4.8 I did get put of the 4.8 by a friend who has a diesel x5 with scare stories but I realised he knew f**k all about them

[X5LAW]

I think you'll find some can go on for half a mil and others will curl up and dry before 6 figures. Highest mileage car I've bought is 163k Id do it again for the right price and quality and had no regrets with the last one. Only lost £400 on resale in 8 months. My x5 had better be good to 150k+ after that I'll be ready for something newer.

[X5Sport]

Modern engines should be good for at least 250k, diesels a lot more.  What lets them down is usually some ancillary or electronic system.

Preventative maintenance will keep them going but eventually there will be a more serious issue.  Unfortunately with BMW a lot of these failures are (or can be) very expensive in parts and labour (if it needs specialist repairs) meaning the car gets scrapped.

Rust is no longer an issue and most mechanicals are fine (apart from the auto box) so it's the command and control side that falls over these days.

Richard

[AW8]

Slight correction to an earlier post - the 4.4i facelift mpg is better than 4.8is and the 4.8is is hardly better than the prefacelift 4.4i according to official figures.

Academic if 4.8is out of budget.

4.6is can be good value as a used purchase but the thirstiest of all E53 models. Insurance on 4.6 and 4.8 jumps significantly - even over the 4.4 models.

As for mileage rear sub frames bushes, front outer cv joints, thrust bushes all likely to need replacing around 80k give or take. On a V8 you can add a header tank, pcv hoses and rocker gaskets to that plus water pump and hoses along the way around 100k.

Electric window regulators died around 100k for some reason on mine with lesser used back items being no less sturdy. Belts worth renewing around 100k. Expect new discs required circa 60k.

A car with 60-70k can need a fair spend to sort if not well cares for -  not that you will see many early E53's sub 90k miles anyway.

I have a 2002 4.4i prefacelift with 135k miles under wheels owned since it was 4 years old and with half the mileage. It wasn't cheaper to run and care for with half the mileage it has now. The car currently still has full main dealer history.

I would advise anyone buying one to have a grand or so in back pocket just in case and to allow a similar figure per year to keep the car well maintained and sorted.

I have said this before - anyone wanting an E53 with less risk of higher bills should maybe consider a manual 3.0i. No turbo or auto bills to worry about. If heart set on a diesel consider one with a new turbo and if buyin auto make sure it's behaving....If an auto is demo driven by seller and they drive it using kickdown a lot then think carefully about the life that box may have had.



Only my opinion albeit one based of spending lots if time on here, time listening to those that work on these cars, time comparing good and bad cars, reading hundreds of adverts and having owned same car for over 8 years.

Good Luck

[centurion]

a lot of insight had been provided in here and I wouldn't want to add any more than... I had driven low and high mileage cars (in excess of 170k+) over the years and they had all been great. Something that I'd pay attention to is documented s/h (it does not necessarily has to be main dealer) but so long as planned work had been adhered to (e.g. discs at 60k, timing belt [if applicable] at 80k etc.) you should not have any major problems... no one would guarantee but it is advisable to have a budget on a side for any unexpected repairs and a 'grand' is a good start. Just to give you an example I do now own 4.8is with 139k on the clock and it had been brilliant... apart from suspension bushes that i'd like to change (not that it needs it) as front tyres are getting low + do the alignment everything else on the car just works purely as it had been meticulously maintained through it's life.

Some may correct me if i'm wrong but the way I see naturally aspirated petrol engines is that generally there isn't much on them to go wrong if properly maintained (oil service, filters, spark plugs + coils etc). Unlike diesels that are more expensive to buy, much more expensive to maintain (turbo, EGR, DPF, injectors etc) and although they would hold their value better I do not see much point in owning one if you do less that 10k a year. Well... my last 3 cars were diesels and the amount of motorway runs I've done to clear the DPF fault to name one...   ).

in anyway if you had your eyes on 4.8is and that is what your heart wants I'd go for one as they are very competitively priced nowadays... expect higher than avg. ownership cost (tyres/petrol/servicing/insurance) but it's worth every penny ...


hope that helps...

ps. I think that Sanj is thinking of parting company with his so worth asking.

[X5Sport]

No DPF on the E53.  Petrol E53s have twin CATS rather than just one and the VANOS system.  Petrol cars have injectors that fail the same way too. 

I don't believe it's fair to say diesel maintenance costs are much higher.  There are items on the petrol cars that are every bit as expensive to replace.  Turbo failure is still rare - much rarer than gearbox failure as an example, and that affects ALL versions. 

To look at just one maintenance item, where turbos have failed it is often as a result of a different fault such as the breather blocking and causing seal failure, or poor driving style cooking the bearings.  Simple preventative maintenance and improved 'sympathy' in driving style means a turbo will go onand on, and on.....

I totally agree that it is a fine balance and there are many variables that need considering.  There isn't as much good data in petrol models as the number of diesels in the UK far exceeds that petrol ones.  You only have to look at the U.S. based forums for petrol models and they are just as full of tales of woe as our diesel based ones can be.

Richard

[AW8]

Hmm - I accept petrol cars can still have issues - indeed In my earlier post I mentioned issues that affect both petrol and diesel models as well as issues unique to the V8 M62 lump.

I agree re there being a number of potential contributory factors in respect of turbo failure and I totally agree that proper preventative maintenance and mechanically sympathetic ownership can reduce the risk of turbo failure. Trying to find a one owner car offered for sale by someone able to give those assurances may prove to be somewhat of a challenge

I am not saying don't buy a 3.0d at all, (indeed I would consider one myself), however my advice to potential  buyers would be that evidence of proper turbo repair or replacement work has to be a good thing. I would certainly go into used ownership of same accepting that a future 3.0d specific expense may be a reality I would have to consider.

Re auto repair bills the on all  models - the auto boxes where an option on 6 cylinder cars. Manuals are not without issues. 1st gear often reported being too short. Most 6 cylinder cars were auto box optioned. With the manuals not being popular it could take many months or even longer to find a nice, tidy, well historied  in decent colour/trim/spec.

A coil conversion 3.0i manual box car goes some way to removing some potential maintenance worries.

Just to clarify - the OP clarified that 4.8is costs are typically too much to source.