E53 v E70??

[Sit]

Evening

I posted on here late last year with a wanted ad for an E53 X5, didn't manage to find a car that ticked all the boxes and then was offered an E46 M3 at dealer p/ex price so couldn't resist! Drove that through the winter and have just sold it on and money is back in the bank 

Returning to the for sale ads I was looking at the price differential between the E53 and E70 which is slowly closing and with money in hand I am starting to wonder whether a 115k E70 might be a better buy than a 90k E53 - but this might be man maths so looking for some advice.

The car will be used for family trips, days out, holiday, mountain biking, visiting family up and down the country so general family duties but in a year will probably be lucky if it covers more than 6/7k. With that in mind the higher mileage examples aren't such an issue for me as in effect the mileage will average out with my minimal use.

So can anyone that has gone from an E53 to an E70 give me some opinions and advice on which might be the better buy. The market for the E53 still appears to be strong given its age now so wondering if they will just slowly depreciate from here on in??

How different is the ownership prospect of the E53 and E70??

Any info would be most welcome.

Si

[graemeX5]

Hi

It may be worth reading the two buyers guides/ experiences in each section as they will hopefully help.

From my experience I liked my E53 but being a 2004 it was 12 years old and I guess with 12 years wear but it only had 74k on it. Nice to drive and parts were plentiful.

Not had much experience of the E70 apart from a coup loft test drives in E70 diesels and they are good and feel a bit tighter on the road

Hope that helps
Graeme

[Graeme]

I had a 2003 3.0d E53 which did 99k miles when I changed in 2008 for an E70 3.0d but it was made in 2007.  Both are "non sport" versions but have sport seats and trim.  Sport versions that I've driven are much harder and consequently less comfortable.

The E53 had many extras - the sliding boot floor was very useful, the tilt and slide sun roof was used infrequently, the furnace to warm up the car when it was very cold was never used!  The 1st set of Michelin tyres did 70k miles.  The spare was never used. It was a good towcar for my 1600kg caravan.  The satnav screen could not be read when wearing polaroid sunglasses when driving. The heater thermostat kept stopping working so the cabin would warm up, the heater switch off but wouldn't come on again, leading to freezing conditions when driving in winter.  It's a known fault requiring a "hedgehog" capacitor to be changes, and the little cooling fan for the auto climate control computer unit behind the instrument panel to be lubricated so it works to stop the over heating sensor switching everything off.

The E70 is a better car in some ways.  The boot area is about a foot longer.  It is a 7 seater so accommodates grandchildren and their parents on occasions!  It is more comfortable to drive because it has the adaptive drive option, air suspension and it has X drive which is a different 4 wheel drive version to the E53.  It is a better towcar that the E53 because it's a slightly larger thus more stable and the engine puts out a little more power.  The car uses runflat tyres (though there are plenty of posts about the merits of using non-runflats so read them carefully) and because it's a 7 seater there is no room for a spare wheel.  Tyre wear is faster than on the E53 though - the best I've had was 33k on Bridgestones though the ride was awful. Usually run flats last for 24k at best. BMW says fitting runflats does away with the need for a spare.  The satnav screen can be read when wearing polaroids. Mine has the older DVD driven satnav whereas newer models have a hard drive based system.  Over the years there have been many changes to the specs and options, for example mine predates the efficiency dynamics system, so the CO2 output is higher and puts the car in the highest tax bracket.  From October 2008 the CO2 figure is lower and the tax cheaper by £250 or so, though your insurance is probably higher!  Service costs are lower because the intervals are longer. It's done 125k and touch wood mine has been relatively trouble free - rear lights in the tailgate had to be changed because of the well-known leaking gasket problem, a couple of headlight washer covers have popped off. Tailgate struts lost their air.  An air suspension bag leaked a couple of months ago. The camber angle on the rear wheels went out of alignment causing excessive wear on the insides of the tyres. When I took it in I was told it's a common problem and to visually check the tyres often and have toe in and camber, as well as front to rear wheel alignment checked and adjusted by a specialist with the right gear is there is any sign of unusual wear. The brake pads were changed at 70k and the computer says the fronts still have 49k left and the rears 60k - but beware, there is only one sensor and on mine the other pad always wears quicker so a visual inspection is vital!  I don't suppose BMW parts are very different in price for each model though from other suppliers they are much cheaper!

I hope this helps.  In short I prefer the E70.

Graeme