This has got me seriously thinking-should i sell or keep the E53 X5 ???

[RickUK]

This may seem like a unusual post but it certainly has had me thinking in the last few days,should i sell or keep it my X5 ???

What i mean by this about 6-7 weeks ago,i bought a totally immaculate and trouble free E53 X5 3ltr diesel with full service history and its my dream car that i have always wanted,only problem that i have personally had with it was a puncture,but that of course can happen with any car.

Of course if one buys a specific make or model of car in this case its a dedicated X5 forum and variants,must admit its been one of the best and most helpful forums that i have ever joined,but this then leads me onto my doubts about the X5 and what i am up against in my mind,after reading about so many problems that folks that have had or currently having problems ie turbo woes,critical electronic faults because of complicated computer related issues etc etc.

This is the dilemma that i have or prehaps i am script writing something that i should not worry about,as mentioned above the X5 that i have bought has no problems what so ever,so do i keep it waiting for a major costly fault and prehaps it may never happen or do i off load it while its running exactly as it should be ???

This reliability issue has been gathering moment in my head this last week,so do i need too stop worrying and just enjoy driving it or offload it while its running 100% as it should.Decisions Decisions,must admit i dont like this playing on my mind.

[grumpywurzel]

These cars are expensive things, and with that repair/servicing and fuel costs are high. You cant expect such a big, heavy, complicated thing to behave all the time. After all its not like its a Ford Escort.

For starters I filled the thing up last night and it cost me 97 quid  >:(

Look after it, service it at a decent garage, use decent parts (such as tyres) otherwise it WILL come back and bite you in the arse.

Top tip, if you feel like selling the car, get the keys and find a nice bit of road and stamp on the loud pedal  (but watch for the damn polis and their  )

[Riggie]

If you like the car, keep it and look after it well. Some of the horror stories about dealer prices are enough to put anyone off. I had a similar situation a few years back, my E53 3.0 D Sport had gained 30k miles in my first year of ownership and the mileage was at 65k. I was worried about big bills, so traded it for an F10 528i.

Nice car, but I missed the raised driving position and 12 months later, I was back in my current 35d. Worried about costs? It cost me around £9k for the first trade in and then another £8k to get back into my current car. Would I have spent £17k on the E53 had I kept it? I wouldn't think so.

With my E70 now on 74k miles, I'm at the same point again.... do I chop it in for an F11?  I suspect I would miss the X again, so I'm keeping it and not spending the £10k it would cost to trade.

As has been suggested, take it for a blast and see if you have a smile on your face - I concur, watch out for the Polis........  especially the quality polis !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b26Ll9q77Pw

[Colin]

Think you should just enjoy the X and stop worrying about problems you don't have
we all from time to time get something poping up  as do all other makes and models ,
Ive had my X for 4 years now and apart from all the usual service upkeep and maintenance  , and parts like bushes  / brakes  / battery / its been fairly trouble free , although i sometimes get the gearbox lurch when coming to a stop ,  but have learnt to live with it by using sport or manual for a day or so and its gone for weeks ,  but i don't worry anymore about it , 133,000 mls and drives like new ,
Would love the newer 40 or 50d X5 or X6 but at the moment the E53 is staying

[X5Sport]

If you like it and can afford to keep it running in the possible event of something expensive happening then do it, if you can't then the choices are simple....even if your heart thinks otherwise.

I read an article recently that said one of the reasons insurance is rising is because of the expensive systems cars are now fitted with.  You may jump out of the frying pan......

[Glen]

Rick there most be tens of thousands of these cars on the road and all of us on here only see a tiny % of problems.I KNOW THEY ARE EXPENSIVE CARS but lets be honest most of us have only bought them not for necessity but pure indulgence enjoy the car mate if a problem comes along then worry, but i'm sure you will cope (we always do)

[Upex]

If there a car that is guaranteed to not throw up expensive bills, there'd not be many other makes on the road.

Least she is ok now, whereas a new one could throw up an issue sooner than the devil you know.

The only way to keep these gremlins at bay is to lease new vehicles that are warranted by dealer, thus they pay to fixing, but this will cost much more in long run as your paying top premium for them to pay for issues, which do still occur even on brand new cars, seen it lots.

Comes down to how much cash you can throw at it vs how it makes you feel I guess. Just my 2p

[ianst0028]

I've had dramas with mine .... had to rebuild the rear suspension had an electronic fault that took ages and £££ to cure ...BUT!! everytime i drive my x5 i forget all the dramas i've had to deal with
i can be honest and say she's the best millage crunching vehicle i've ever had we can run from merseyside to cornwall and i dont feel like i've been dragged through all the hedges on the way (try that in a laguna)

yes you may have some expensive bills heading your way but you might not also !!

enjoy her when she's working well and curse her when she rapes your bank balance

[grumpywurzel]

Mine is circa 700 miles from ticking over the 100K mark, ok, she has been a bloody pain in the arse (new gearbox blah blah) but I love her to bits. Same cant be said about the DVLA tho, 3 points and possibly another 3 in the post  >:D I had a clean license for 20 years before I had the X5!

[marinaman]

i bought mine with a bit of me private pension, 144,000 with one owner and fsh, only thing not working is the webasto. its without doubt the best car ever owned.  before that we have a 2.8 galaxy auto. they are also renowed for auto box fails but ours was sound, think luck is a part of it.  i like the fact that with it being big  things are easy to get at service if you dont mind doing it yourself which i do. you get a bit of satisfaction when the jobs done.
a £45 grand car for less than £5k , its like being a millionaire as Del boy use to say. its a different world wafting along in the beast. its also feels extremely solid and safe so th ewife likes it, and for a diesel it goes like the stink, its faster than the old galaxy  v6 petrol we had but the good thing  its more economical.
I say also, drive and enjoy and dont worry too much about what may or maynot go wrong,  a lot of us are in the same boat.

[IanP]

Don't forget that most of the posts on here are about problems. It would get a bit boring if we just posted how well things were going

[X5Sport]

  )

[Horizon]

[quote="RickUK"]
This may seem like a unusual post but it certainly has had me thinking in the last few days,should i sell or keep it my X5 ???

What i mean by this about 6-7 weeks ago,i bought a totally immaculate and trouble free E53 X5 3ltr diesel with full service history and its my dream car that i have always wanted,only problem that i have personally had with it was a puncture,but that of course can happen with any car.

Of course if one buys a specific make or model of car in this case its a dedicated X5 forum and variants,must admit its been one of the best and most helpful forums that i have ever joined,but this then leads me onto my doubts about the X5 and what i am up against in my mind,after reading about so many problems that folks that have had or currently having problems ie turbo woes,critical electronic faults because of complicated computer related issues etc etc.

This is the dilemma that i have or prehaps i am script writing something that i should not worry about,as mentioned above the X5 that i have bought has no problems what so ever,so do i keep it waiting for a major costly fault and prehaps it may never happen or do i off load it while its running exactly as it should be ???

This reliability issue has been gathering moment in my head this last week,so do i need too stop worrying and just enjoy driving it or offload it while its running 100% as it should.Decisions Decisions,must admit i dont like this playing on my mind.
[/quote]
That's the trouble with forums, you only hear the bad side.
I ran my E53 55 plate 3.0d for two years, it never missed a beat. I fitted a battery as a
precation as I didn't use it during the week as I have a van for work. That is all it cost me in 2 years.
Go on any forum and you will see the same.
Relax and enjoy your motor, I've had my 58 plate X3 for a couple of months and have fitted a set of tyres, deleted the swirlflaps, replaced the glowplugs and glowplug controller so far.
These are preventative maintenance things that I have pocked up from being on here

[X5UK88]

Keep on top of the maintenance and you will more than likely avoid big issues.

Crankcase breather and swirl flaps are a big one to avoid engine and turbo issues, gearbox oil change. Look after her and I'm sure she'll look after you.

Could be worse could own a V8 and have paranoia of guide failure.... )

[Upex]

Yeah, don't let my turbo woes worry Rick, power loss might not be turbo after all, I'm thinking just shoddy diagnosis from garage, but was leaking a bit so will change anyway.

Just enjoy and if worried, stick a few quid aside each month so if something does come up, it's half covered anyway