Still hunting for my dream car

[sonny007]

Greetings fellow X drivers! This is my first post so please be nice  ::)

I have been looking for the perfect E53 3.0d for the past 9 months to no success 
My Budget is £9000.

Looking for 2005-2006 (Pre £480 road tax mark). Has to be Black with black leather interior O:-)
Heated seats, less than 70k miles, not too fussed about the entertainment system as I plan on fitting those after-market systems i.e andrive/dynavin. Ooh and comfort seats/heated steering wheel are a plus  ;D

I live in London and barely drive. Work is only a 3 mile commute, so I cycle or walk, except on rainy days 
Currently drive an E46 320i sport auto 2003. Its a sweet ride and that sound of straight 6 is music to my ears  :music:

Looking to upgrade and here is where I need you genius peeps to help me out  :punk:

Economy- My 320 is averaging 19-21 mpg. All town driving and I like to put my foot down  )
Will I see much difference in the X5 considering its a diesel?

Reliability- I have had my baby for the past 3 years and service her every year. Only thing I've changed is the rear bushes. Apart from that, she has been a star!
Will the X5 be as faithful or not?

I heard the turbo's and auto gearboxes can fail and cost an arm and a leg to repair??
Would you recommend buying one that has been used for towing caravans? And can the towbars be removed, I personally think they ruin the cars look  :puke:
I came across an X5 yesterday and looks pretty neat. I'll try and upload some pics to this post for you guys to comment on. The interior is an unusual tan/brown leather? first i've seen one. Defo will be wrapping the steering interior trims to carbon 

Other than that, I'm really happy that I have found this site. Been online since yesterday evening non-stop and havnt slept a wink yet!

Thanking you all in advance 

[Sanj]

Diesel will give you better economy, if facelift as you have here. Looks like an early one, 53, 04 perhaps (doesn't have the chrome rings around the cluster).

It's wired for most things but heated wheel and comfort are rare (comfort more so).

Tow bar wise, can be removed, if worried check what towing history it might have - caravan in the drive etc.

Gearboxes and turbos less prone to failure on the facelifts but not a given! Read the Buyers Guide on this forum, please!

Interior trim a piece of cake to sort, I have CF wrap pics already posted but hated them against a black interior, too dark! Love that tan btw (I know, not to everyone's taste). Ended up with silver first, wood next (steady), CF wrap after that and settled for a grey paint finish with gloss to match exterior last. Last was the best choice...

Best of luck with your search!

[dpbayly]

What about a V8 LPG'ed?

Better cost equivalent running, high teens mpg but a gallon costs nearly half the cost of a gallon of diesel and they sound better and go better IMO

[aldmc]

I have just lpg'd a 52 X5 on 90,000 miles, the last couple of years the previous owner had spent a fortune , gearbox, starter, alternator bridgestone tyres etc..... I think it's a matter of looking around before buying one I looked a quite a few including a 54 for nearly twice as much money but half the mileage.... But no money spent!
The buying guide on here is great info
Good luck

[sonny007]

Thanks for the responses guys, much appreciated 

Sanj bhaiya, I have read most of your posts and you're a propa Beamer enthusiast :punk:

The model in my post is a 2005/05 plate, hence why no rings on the dials. They were fitted onto late 2005+ models. Not too fussed really, as I intend on Modding the car like mad

Haven't looked into LPG's as im pretty positive my insurance provider would charge me an arm and a leg!
And im 25.

Has anyone here had any experience with those andrive units? I currently have the D99 android (Dynavin) unit on my E46 and its sinfully slow!
Heard the OEM SATNAV unit is old school and majority of them have tape players!? I mean wtf? Tape players in 2005/06?
I will change the headunit within the first week!

Will keep you guys posted on my journey. Do let me know if you know anyone looking to sell their X5.

[X5Sport]

Tape players were all the rage in 1985.....but 2005?

My other half's E46 is a July 05 and has a Minidisc head.  Not ideal but better than cassette!  Apparently there wasn't enough depth in the X5 dash to fit a Minidisc unit.  I never used the cassette.

Richard

[AW8]

Most towbars fitted are detachable and factory trim plate covers the mount of the neck when removed.

I would not remove it as it is sought by many buyers and I wouldn't be scared of a car with one unless it has been towing tractors on a daily basis.

For many the towbars are ornaments or used for boats. I cant recall seeing may X5's with caravans at the rear.

The GM auto boxes on pre-facelift 3.0d not deemed as durable as the ZF unit on the facelift albeit the later can be less smooth than the 5 speed ZF auto on pre-facelift V8's.  In London I would personally only drive an auto.

Don't worry re the engine re mileage as long as evidence of regular oil changes. I would change breather on a used purchase 3.0d and make sure it was clean and healthy.

I would rather buy a higher miler with a replacement box and turbo than a car with 20k less miles.

Set a budget and ideally have £1500 in back pocket in case you need to sort stuff. You could need all that and some if you have a turbo or box moment soon after buying. Tyres can cost £600 -£1000 for 4 and disc/pads aren't cheap.

If not fussed re comms pack and ICE I would consider non comm's pack cars - they used to be cheaper and some independents will price accordingly but due to age of kit fitted the price difference isn't what it used to be.   

Prices and demand are colour trim sensitive............The car you show pics off has tan interior which is a bit old mans country club in eyes of some - others love it so down to personal taste. Black & Black seemingly remains popular.

The Bridgestones on car shown are encouraging & point towards dealer servicing but it needs a brake fluid change..............Check MOT history & check the service history & verify it with BMW UK. As with any car always HPI..... That steering wheel looks like it's done more miles than shown on dash or driven by someone with lots of rings......Very rare but not unknown for damaged/modified pre-facelift cars to have facelift front ends bolted on when repaired. Gearbox if auto should be 6 speed on a facelift 3.0d.

Good Luck


 

[sonny007]

Thanks for the response.

Yes the car is owned by a woman. 4 previous owners with 2 being the same.

I have already performed HPI and Mileage seems correct.

You mentioned changing the breather. Is that a hard DIY?

Many Thanks

[aldmc]

Insurance for me didn't cost anymore with LPG fitted

[AW8]

Not rocket science though as I don't have a diesel I haven't done it myself. I believe there is a modified and improved one hopefully those more clued up will be able to give more info. In any case I would look to get car checked for fault codes ideally before bought if seller agrees to this at a decent BMW independent and at your expense.....developing this though further you could do worse than paying a good BMW independent to inspect the car for you and give you a verbal summary so you have some idea what you may be taking on. Not trying to put you off but many folk by used X5's and end up with big unexpected bills. 

I haven't tried this but a few folk are talking about Terraclean......click here for more info


- do check history with bmw customer services, old MOT's online and the stamps in the book to see if they seem to tell same story. Cost to do this is negligible relatively speaking......it's just that the steering wheel wear and mileage lower than many 2004 cars would make me check more carefully. 

[gobiman]

I had a 2004 3.0d from new.
Drove it to work in the City for a couple of years - 25 mpg tops!
Then got a 4.8iS which would do 20 mpg on the same route (on cheaper fuel!)
Bear in mind that like-for-like diesels are more expensive and , in my view, less suited to a short commutes so worth doing your sums.
Good luck - plenty of 2004/5 black ones around - very popular back in the day

[ajwk]

My 06 e53 cost me £13500  That was feb of this year it had 70 thou plus now has 87 thou I think?
I will be looking to sell it within the next year or so because I would like to upgrade to the E70.

I do have lots of extras on mine, even with my mileage I could not see me letting mine go for anything like the price you want to pay this year, or next year. I wish you luck but with your requirements I think you will need to pay more for a good example.

[Lee4.8is]

Welcome & good luck in your search. 

[ajwk]

yes deisel not had any issues touch wood i get around 27 in town I am looking to upgrade to the e70 at some point because i want more modern equipment i drive etc whether it is a better car i don't know

[sonny007]

How much for your x5?