Howdy

[Colin]

WELCOME JDWRIGHT590 , I bought my 2005 e53 x5 2 months ago and i think its brilliant , drives great  looks good  plenty of power ( diesel ) full bmw s history ,  i hope you get a good one  whatever you choose , good luck,      Colin ...

[4687ah]

Hi, you mention test driving one,if you do, be prepared as you may find yourself stretching that insurance limit as I wasn't a big fan until i drove one, and was surprised by the handling and pace on offer from a diesel 4x4. I went from "ok then i will look at one" (as we couldn't agree on what type of car to get) to "right thats that sorted then, we will look for one of those" after a 10min spin.
Hope you find a good one, be patient and do your homework.(watch out for the big tax hike in early 2006).

[AW8]

You certainly seem keen on ownership.

Maintenance cost acceptability will be subjective & relative to your pocket & the car.

Yes it's  wise to try to buy a decent example in the 1st instance, however, this is far from a guarantee of trouble free ownership..............I paid nearly £20k for my car full main dealer historied then 4 year old example, kept the history up and caused it to have issues attended to in between services..........just this week I paid a, (reasonably priced),  bill which wont leave much change from a grand when all parts are considered.............The second bill, (not the only), for circa £1k in last 10k miles.

If you are keen to go into this then great but be prepared for some big bills.............Btw If you can find a manual petrol (3.0i) you will have less worries re auto boxes and turbos. 

I have sourced & owned with attention to detail, owned for approaching 7 years and even wrote the buyers guide on this site..................It's fair to say I have been more tolerant & loyal to E53 X5's than many.

I am not saying avoid but I am living proof that big bills can arise even if cars are bought well & cared for.

[shadrack]

just the other day I saw a petrol manual 3.0i for 3k and thought put coil springs on the rear and boom, most big bills are avoided!

[jdwright590]

I'm not really that hands on under the bonnet, but I have a garage that I trust (sort of)...or will find a good indy
Reckon I'll probably go for a diesel auto, I know that a petrol would probably have less issues (especially a manual), but looking at 2005 facelift cars and it seems that it's actually slightly cheaper to get a diesel in the first place.
I know finding a well cared for example is merely the first hurdle, but I'm hoping that I can manage any bills that might crop up. My current car hasn't really been that reliable so am used to spending monies, admittedly they might not be X5-size bills but they probably total over £1k in the last year. Appreciate the advice though, and have read the buyers guide several times (even before I knew I wanted an X5 haha).
Pretty sure I will indeed be smitten with the X5 as soon as I get behind the wheel, so maybe need to learn how to haggle a little when it comes to buying...my own cars have only ever been hand-me-downs and my only buying experience has been helping my mum buy her Honda Jazz-free parking sensors and floormats aside I didn't do much good in getting the price down!

[storminmike]

[quote="jdwright590"]
I'm not really that hands on under the bonnet, but I have a garage that I trust (sort of)...or will find a good indy
Reckon I'll probably go for a diesel auto, I know that a petrol would probably have less issues (especially a manual), but looking at 2005 facelift cars and it seems that it's actually slightly cheaper to get a diesel in the first place.
I know finding a well cared for example is merely the first hurdle, but I'm hoping that I can manage any bills that might crop up. My current car hasn't really been that reliable so am used to spending monies, admittedly they might not be X5-size bills but they probably total over £1k in the last year. Appreciate the advice though, and have read the buyers guide several times (even before I knew I wanted an X5 haha).
Pretty sure I will indeed be smitten with the X5 as soon as I get behind the wheel, so maybe need to learn how to haggle a little when it comes to buying...my own cars have only ever been hand-me-downs and my only buying experience has been helping my mum buy her Honda Jazz-free parking sensors and floormats aside I didn't do much good in getting the price down!
[/quote]

If you test drive one the two most annoying an expensive things to put right I can think of are

Gearbox...Gearbox...Gearbox...Gearbox...Changes....up down...uphill downhill....and try CREEPING to a standstill...several times and lookout for a GEAR DROP THUMP....there shouldn't be one!!!! When I say creeping that's not from a start, that's say approaching a junction or traffic lights having arrived in higher gears

BOOT IT FROM A STANDSTILL ...and listen for noises or bangs from the back

[jdwright590]

Thanks, yes I think I'm going to pay for an AA inspection so I think they might come along with the test drive? (or at least do their own one?). I'll still keep an eye out for known X5 issues though, apart from the generic stuff they'll be looking for

[storminmike]

[quote="jdwright590"]
Thanks, yes I think I'm going to pay for an AA inspection so I think they might come along with the test drive? (or at least do their own one?). I'll still keep an eye out for known X5 issues though, apart from the generic stuff they'll be looking for
[/quote]

Good...the gearbox thump seems the hardest to cure. If you pull up quick it might not happen and may also only show up when warm. Look out for dodgy pixels to on all displays...not a killer but annoying about a ton to fix. Try the parking sensors too....very faffy on the front facelift

[AW8]

The lurch is a symptom some experience with the 6 speed auto. Loud rear clunk/bang likely to be rear subframe bushes.........Most cars  need/benefit these being changed around 80k or so.