X5 Buying Advice Wanted!

[NACY74]

Hi Folks, First post so please be gentle!

I’m looking at buying a used X5.  Currently driving a 13 plate 320i tourer sport that’s done 23k, roughly 5k miles per year.  Lovely car to drive, fully serviced and MOTd for another year.  Winter tyres and wheels for when the weather turns.

Looking to trade in for an X5......3 identified as below.  All 30d M Sport models with panoramic roof and reversing camera.

1) White 18 plate, 4.5k Miles, £42,000 less £11,750 so £30,250 to swap.
Pro’s 18 plate, will deliver and free tank of fuel, no MOT till 2021
Con’s No movement on price, £450 road tax, Above my budget of circa £35k but I could stretch.

2) Grey 66 plate, 11.5k Miles, £38,500 less £11,500 trade in so £27,000 to swap.
Pro’s Tow Bar included, haven’t negotiated price yet, Cheaper road tax.
Con’s - not many apart from slightly over budget and grey colour!

3) White 65 plate, 26.5k Miles, £33,500 less £10,000 trade in so £23,500 to swap.
Pro’s Within Budget, Cheaper road tax.
Con’s Worse Trade In price

Any thoughts on Best Buy?  Or keep my 3 series which is ready to go for another winter.

Thanks,
Neil

[X5Sport]

What’s the full spec on each?  It’s down to what options you must have, what’s on each, and can you afford it at the end of the day.

If you can get the last 7 of the VIN then use bmwvin dot com to decode the build sheet.

[X5Nelz]

I was in a similar position a few months back, there was so many cars with different pros and cons to each, my head nearly fell off In the end i just stuck to my guns and went for the spec i wanted

Under 20k miles
Digital Clocks
Black with ivory leather and Dark trim
40d or 50d
16 plate onwards
not much more than £40k

There were probably better deals out there if i compromised on spec but now the dust has settled i am very happy with the one i ended up with.

Good luck hunting

[NACY74]

Thanks guys!

Regarding key requirements panoramic roof, camera assist and dark trim for me.  A tow bar would be handy, as would comfort seats but hard to track down.

Car 1 above (18 plate) is now sold.  They’ve offered me an 18 plate 40d M sport with similar spec for £43k, 1k more than the 30d.  It’s done 11k Miles so tyres could be an issue.  £61k new I’m told.  Its proving hard to get a discount from them!

Car 2 ticks a lot of boxes.  I called them this morning for a price to swap, still waiting a reply!  However getting an 18 plate for 3k more has me thinking about residual values in 3 years time.  Paying more now could be beneficial in the longer term.  It’s boiling down to that....a 66 plate with cheaper road tax at £38.5k vs a more expensive 18 plate which will have a higher residual value when it comes to sell.

Car 3 is out, it’s the old I drive system.

[m13lky]

I would go for the newest you can get at or just over your budget with most or all of your must haves, use the pcp mgfv as your guide for what you will lose in the next 3-4 years, when I had my last one it was a new 15 plate & it’s mgfv was pitched at £26k after 4 years, was around £29k after 3 years, I would only expect to get slightly more than this trading in when you see what they are retailing them at, if it was me I’d go for an m50d as they are normally fully loaded and only a few grand more than a 40d from what I have seen.

Good luck with your search!

[kenniff]

The grey colour is great for hiding the dirt! I had one and really liked it. Totally with you on the pano, makes a huge difference to the interior.

As others have said, the newer the better - no MOT, less likely to go wrong.

Have you driven any? Whether you go for a 30d /40d /50d or even the petrol one would be a choice made based on how important acceleration is to you.

Hope you find something to suit.
 

[NACY74]

Thanks for the advice guys.  I'm down to a choice of two.

A 17 plate 40d M Sport in white at just over £43k that's done 11,000 miles.  It's got everything I want EXCEPT the tow bar.  A few k above my budget but I'd manage.

A 66 plate 30d M Sport in space grey at £36k that's done 22,000 miles.  It's got all the spec require (roof, tow bar, reversing camera) and a service pack till 2021.  I'm no speedster but reviews suggest the 40d would be better??  Unfortunately this car is at the other end of the country so a test drive ain't going to happen.  I have test driven a 30d and liked the car.  The price seems fair to me.

The 40d works out at £2,300 extra over 3 years considering purchase price, mgfv and annual running costs.

Other option is to sit tight until I find a 40d with all the spec I require.

[m13lky]

I’ve been there before & bought something nearly there but not 100% what I wanted, I’ve ended up changing again before I’d planned to so ended up costing me more! If I were you I’d go for the 40d or wait until one came up closer to home, you do notice a big difference between the 2 on power with the size of the car, your existing car will only lose a few hundred over the next 3 months, dealers are usually desperate to sell in December however 4x4s do tend to increase slightly in the winter months when more people are looking to buy them.
They are both still good engines & great cars but it’s your call.

[X5Sport]

You can get a Towbar fitted afterwards.  Not that expensive to have a Westphalia (same as OEM) and the correct electrics installed.  BMW will want to charge you about £2k but fitters such as PF Jones will do it for around £600.  Don’t reject the car you want for something that can be rectified later.

If you are any good with spanners and electrics etc, it is a diy job.  The instructions are also on the PF Jones site if you are curious about this option.

[NACY74]

Wouldn't a non BMW fitted tow bar cause warranty issues?  Indeed I was quoted £2k by a dealership, £600 I can handle!

I'm going to have a look at the X3 as well.  I'd get more for my money, I can get one with roof and rev camera then add a tow bar.  The 30d does 0-60 in 5.8 secs which is more than sufficient for me.

[kenniff]

I think you'll find the 0-60 for the 30d is 6.8 seconds - though that may still be fast enough for you.

[Waka]

At 5k miles per year, get a petrol  :devil:

[NACY74]

Happy to report I’ve managed to secure a white X5 40d M Sport plus that’s done 17k Miles.

A 17 plate, registered a few months before the road tax increase.

Paid just shy of £40k, had to battle a little to get my p/ex value I’m happy with the car and price.  Collection in a couple of weeks.

I’ll add a towbar at a later date.

Now just to find a set of 2nd winter wheels and tyres!

[m13lky]

Sounds like a good deal, as long as your happy that’s all that matters, enjoy!