Hello, and advice please

[Darrel]

Firstly hello,
Advice needed and opinions please??,
Just been to see a 2002 x5 ,, it looks really nice paint is awesome (black as coal).
135, 000 on the clock, loads of reciets for work carried out last year, full service, brand new 19"wheels and tyers,
New injectors, new wishbones in front, rear discs and pads, new radio pixels, new key, he has three in all, new tail gate latch, to many bit to mention, front seat a little bit worn steering wheel worn also,
Care drives really nice, auto box felt really smooth,
All this work has been done in his first year of ownership, but to be fair he has spent a lot of money on it to get it right,,
Now he is going to live abroad (Portugal) and has offers the car to me for 4,000£??.

I have just been to the garage that did the work and he confirmed that the chap was sold a bit of a pig and yes he has everything done that they found was rong, the only thing that has not been done is a auto box service??.
Can't have the car for two months as he is in Portugal on holiday and the is selling up ready to go,,,

This chap has really been stung and I feel sorry for him and his wife as the are very nice people and seem genuine,
He has all paperwork and most of the work is garuntied for 12 months!!,
Would you chaps walk away or take a chance on this X5,,

My mind is all over the place st the moment!!!! I need help

Darrel

[chubbs]

Hmmm - this is an interesting problem. £4,000 seems a little expensive for a 2002, with 135,000 miles, but then again he's had a lot done to it. I can see your dilemma. I'd say a gearbox service would be important (my local expert recommends having it done twice, because only part of the oil is changed if you have a drain/refill). This could set you back £400 (mine cost £180 each time).
Buying an X5 of this age will have risks attached, so you have to brace yourself for something going wrong.
If you like the car, make him an offer which is quite a lot less than his asking price and see how he reacts?

Good luck!

[Darrel]

Hi, thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it.
4000£ is a good price I know but when I think he has spent over 2000£ on the X5 and stainless steel exhaust and X5 --- private plate is in the deal, one set of brand new 19" rims with new tyres colour coded from Bmw and a set of 22" rims with new tyres, I think that 4K seems resonable,,
Reading some of the forsale ads on the net, I could spend 6 or7 k and still be unlucky and get one with a bad gearbox??,
Is there any one out there that has had good long life reports??

Or are these X5,s that fragile??
I love them and fell in love with this one

[chubbs]

I don't think X5's are a 'fragile' car. Buying any 14 year old car is risky, because things wear out. You just need to make sure you've got a bit of spare cash. I bought my 2004 X5 about 6 weeks ago for a similar price to yours. I've spent £1,000 getting it nearer to where I want it to be - but I still have no idea if it will break down tomorrow. I drive with my fingers crossed. (The same applies to my old campervan, which is 24 years old.)

It sounds like you may have a good deal there, but I haven't even seen the car, so what do I know?

Can you ask a mechanic to give it a once-over?

[Darrel]

Hi chubs, thank you for your reply,
I went to the Indy garage that did all of the work on the car, to be honest he told me everything that had been done, discs, brake pads, new key, car has three keys in all, new parts on front suspension, radio pixels repair, full service oil and all filters, 12 months mot, drivers side regulater, new tailgate latch, new dual injectors, brand new 19" wheels and tyers and he had them painted, that cost a fortune of Bmw, exion lights and loads of other bills, can't remember them all,, the only thing that the Indy chap recommend was a gearbox device (300£) he has also got a set of 22" Bmw wheels with new tyres but I have been told that he was advised to take them off as there was a crack in one wheel,
The car drive as smooth as a baby's bum,
He is in Portugal in the car at the moment, but when he comes back I am going to offer him 3700££ for the car, this 300 pounds will go towards a gearbox service,,,

Fantastic forum by the way

[chubbs]

£300 seems a lot for a gearbox service (if, like mine, it's just a gearbox oil change). I'd shop around for a better price. Mine was done by the local autobox specialists and they only charged £180.