XSeries-forum

Right, got it! Ok, we'll there's another 2-3 I'm haggling on. Lets see what I end up with.

Thanks for the advice, invaluable.

Good man, keep plugging' away!

You know now but LCI equals 'facelift'. Stupid tarty name!

Anything else, let us know!

Will do mate. Want one for keeps this time. Longest I've owned a car was 5 years. A black BMW X5 3.0i Sport converted to LPG. Bought it for £21k. What a great car!! Had 17k on the clock, 100k when I sold it.

Your views on this one please:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

Not being rude, but nothing special.

Comes from the dealer and you're paying that dealer price for a standard E70 with just the essentials. Check it has the front heated seats at least (looking at pic 3 I on't think it does)....

Pretty much what I thought. Brings me back to my original choice then.

Finally had the pics sent through - seems spot on. However couple of things Ive picked up to underline my paranoia:

1. On the pics, where the bumper meets the wheel arch (at the front), the parts are not aligned 100%. Ive looked at numerous others where the alignment is perfect. So has this car had a knock? Or has the bumper been taken off for whatever reason and not put back on properly?

2. When I look at the interior pics, the dashboard (oak trim that goes across the front) doest appear to be 100% in line. Again this could be me being overly critical, and maybe all the E70's are like that. Not out by much and it may just be photo angles but doesnt fill me with confidence.

Aside from these two minor points, and the massive tax bill each year, its pretty much spot on.

Also, can you not fit DPFs AFTER market to reduce tax costs?

Thanks guys.

No you cannot retrofit a DPF to reduce tax costs as the emission figures are supplied by the manufacturer after specific and expensive testing.  Unless you can afford to have your vehicle modified and then completely retested by the appropriate bodies to the meet the emission criteria, you are either better off buying a newer lower emission model or swallowing the huge tax duty.  One final thing to remember - when you come to resale, a high tax car will be harder to shift and so will probably not give you the return you wish for.

Sorry to be so negative, but the tax on these cars can be a killer.

HTH

If its a little out of line at a bumper meets arch I would look a little further into it but it doesn't mean its had a major crash, these are very big cars and unless new could have easily found itsself a little close to a bollard etc in its life!

[quote="Rusty"]
No you cannot retrofit a DPF to reduce tax costs as the emission figures are supplied by the manufacturer after specific and expensive testing.  Unless you can afford to have your vehicle modified and then completely retested by the appropriate bodies to the meet the emission criteria, you are either better off buying a newer lower emission model or swallowing the huge tax duty.  One final thing to remember - when you come to resale, a high tax car will be harder to shift and so will probably not give you the return you wish for.

Sorry to be so negative, but the tax on these cars can be a killer.

HTH
[/quote]
You know what mate - thats the clincher! This car is pretty much 90% what I want yet here I am thinking...'No, tax is too high' so why wouldnt anyone else?

Gonna swerve it.

The search goes on....

[quote="shadrack"]
If its a little out of line at a bumper meets arch I would look a little further into it but it doesn't mean its had a major crash, these are very big cars and unless new could have easily found itsself a little close to a bollard etc in its life!
[/quote]
This is true but both sides out of alignment? Big bollard that!

with the tax thing 18months ago i turned down an 06 for my 55 because of it, i looked at other nice cars and thaught well i only keep them two years max so i was thinking...well only a extra £400 why turn down a nice car but then i thaught......why on earth would i want to hand over £500 of my hard earned cash for a piece of paper, so that this can then be put towards financing some jeramy kyle watching scroungers who in turn drive their cars with no tax. mot and insurance....so if i get another x5 i will aim for 08 and newer to avoid again

Right - getting a little frustrated here! The issue is simple, my budget = non-DPF fitted which in turn means higher tax bill but more importantly...am I harming my kids health?

You see the big issue for me isnt just the tax bill....I may have to live with that...but having a car with no DPF fitted...does that mean I am putting my kids health at risk due to prolong use? Or is there hardly any difference?

Furthermore Ive now read a whole load of articles where people are paying to have the DPFs REMOVED!!? Does that mean they stay in the lower tax band as no one is the wiser?

And if people are removing the daft things, then surely there cant be a huge difference in how much damage the fumes can cause?

Any advice gratefully received! Lets ignore the higher tax issue for now. Am I putting my kids health at a greater risk by having a non-DPF car?

All of us E53 owners are non DPF, as are most cars pre 2004 ish.  The DPF removal is done as they are prone to block/fail if not used properly, also it helps with getting power back as they do restrict, but then the engine map need changing to compensate for the reduced back pressure.

All vehicle harm health, it's just up to you what you want

Cheers Rusty. Time to bite the bullet and get one sorted  >:(

Seen two at Saxtons 4x4 but read some shocking reviews about them so may steer clear.

The two I really wanted are both now gone.

I WILL get one! Promise!

if you are concerned about emissions why dont you buy a greener car than an x5? just a thaught, i personally love the thaught of global warming (we need it)