Hi Mat,
Just to clarify you can get warranty invoices, ive got loads of them as it was me that bought Nats. Maybe he was a special case though as it was in dock that much!!!. The gearbox as suggested was a bmw warranty job (8/2/13 @ a cost of £4625.85).
The bmw insured warranty for me to keep alive with comprenhensive cover, £100 xs was £132.11pm so maybe there are different levels of cover or is it mileage/age related- im not sure I just didnt think it was worth it. If youre handy with the spanners or like me know a few lads that are they can be affordable.
I know I was being flippant when I said theyre cheap, theyre not. But so long as youve got a few quid for the general running costs theyre great. Admittedly ive only had this one a shortwhile but so far everthing works perfectly so fingers crossed. Eating beans on toast will keep you alive but it aint my idea of eating. We are only here once and its only money. GO GET ONE!!!
Cheers Gav.
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Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
Agree with glmec, I really felt for Nat as he had one thing after another go wrong, but it was all pretty much replaced, as he said, and the engine didn't let him down. Usually at that point when you are that fed up and want rid, you have probably sorted out all the problems and would have been better off keeping it.
BMW will not give invoices for the warranty work though, unless you ask specifically which Nat possibly did, and then its generally a print out of what was done, not what they are going to be charging BMW or Mondial for the work as that is apparently a trade secret! I have printouts of what work was done and retail estimates for the work, all 3 main dealers I have had the car at as well as the selling dealer said the same thing about this.
Any car can let you down and be troublesome, its the luck of the draw in many ways. Sometimes very low mileage cars with big engines are not always the best idea, particularly as they age as some parts age regardless of use and maintenance may have been lacking if not used much as the perception would be to change various items when worn rather than when old.
You can only do your own due diligence with checking history and operating all electrical items. Then its down to a decent warranty or a very good network of mechanic friends! I think the BMW warranty for cars outside of the network is possible if you take the car to a dealer as a pre-warranty check, I don't think it has to be dealer serviced, just a competent VAT registered garage and service items done on time. It is via Mondial anyway, not BMW itself after the AUC first year expires.
Go for it or you will always regret it and wonder what the 4.8 was like!
BMW will not give invoices for the warranty work though, unless you ask specifically which Nat possibly did, and then its generally a print out of what was done, not what they are going to be charging BMW or Mondial for the work as that is apparently a trade secret! I have printouts of what work was done and retail estimates for the work, all 3 main dealers I have had the car at as well as the selling dealer said the same thing about this.
Any car can let you down and be troublesome, its the luck of the draw in many ways. Sometimes very low mileage cars with big engines are not always the best idea, particularly as they age as some parts age regardless of use and maintenance may have been lacking if not used much as the perception would be to change various items when worn rather than when old.
You can only do your own due diligence with checking history and operating all electrical items. Then its down to a decent warranty or a very good network of mechanic friends! I think the BMW warranty for cars outside of the network is possible if you take the car to a dealer as a pre-warranty check, I don't think it has to be dealer serviced, just a competent VAT registered garage and service items done on time. It is via Mondial anyway, not BMW itself after the AUC first year expires.
Go for it or you will always regret it and wonder what the 4.8 was like!
X5 2005 Le Mans Blue 4.8is
Fully loaded but Now semi-retired!
X5 2012 Alpine White 40d MSport 21" style 215 black alloys, rear entertainment, media package, comfort seats and a load of other options.
Fully loaded but Now semi-retired!
X5 2012 Alpine White 40d MSport 21" style 215 black alloys, rear entertainment, media package, comfort seats and a load of other options.
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
CondorX5 makes a very valid point regarding how a car is used, when we had the business through the 90's we ran mainly Volvo estates (12 engineers + us). All were really well used (lots of Motorway miles) and well serviced, and we had very few mechanical issues. As we knew the cars so well we also knew where the issues were, thinking back if something started to fail at low mileage we were ticked off if the mileage was higher we were more likely to accept it. Very few of our problems were mechanical, most were control related as the cars became more reliant on their electrical systems.
Millennium year I switched to a Merc AMG E55 estate, phenomenal car I had 2 of these then in 2005 I changed to a Merc CLS AMG as my retirement car. This car drove me insane almost (The Dealer helped), a real love hate relationship, when I was driving it WOW what a car the only car I have ever owned that on a dry road at 60 if you floored it to overtake the traction control would light up and the rear tyres would follow.
My point is on the CLS my mileage was low so it felt as though it was one niggly thing after another, well it was actually, mainly related to one or other of the ECU's dotted around the car.
After selling the Horse lorry I brought the X5 mainly to pull a horse box but with room for the dogs golf clubs etc. The one I have had 84k on the clock and a full dealer 2 owner history. Before purchase I researched potential problems here and other sites. I have to say I have been really pleased with my buy from day one so much so that I have sold the CLS and now use the X every day.
So as Condor says do the research buy carefully and enjoy it rather than spend time wondering.
Sorry for the ramble.
Millennium year I switched to a Merc AMG E55 estate, phenomenal car I had 2 of these then in 2005 I changed to a Merc CLS AMG as my retirement car. This car drove me insane almost (The Dealer helped), a real love hate relationship, when I was driving it WOW what a car the only car I have ever owned that on a dry road at 60 if you floored it to overtake the traction control would light up and the rear tyres would follow.
My point is on the CLS my mileage was low so it felt as though it was one niggly thing after another, well it was actually, mainly related to one or other of the ECU's dotted around the car.
After selling the Horse lorry I brought the X5 mainly to pull a horse box but with room for the dogs golf clubs etc. The one I have had 84k on the clock and a full dealer 2 owner history. Before purchase I researched potential problems here and other sites. I have to say I have been really pleased with my buy from day one so much so that I have sold the CLS and now use the X every day.
So as Condor says do the research buy carefully and enjoy it rather than spend time wondering.
Sorry for the ramble.
4.6is X5 Estoril Blue (current)
4.4 X5 Sport Topaz Blue LPG (now gone squashed by a tree)
Subaru Outback 3.0 Rn Star Silver (current)
AMG 6.3 CLS Obsidian Black (sold)
4.4 X5 Sport Topaz Blue LPG (now gone squashed by a tree)
Subaru Outback 3.0 Rn Star Silver (current)
AMG 6.3 CLS Obsidian Black (sold)
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
Thanks again!
Have been browsing for a few, and may post some links up for thoughts in due course. Have also setup a BMW car alert.
We have a BMW specialist very close to home, but he may not work on an X5, will need to have a chat with him.
With regards to warranty - if I go to a trader, I would expect the warranty not to be worth the paper its written on and be one of those that require a full on farce/rigmorole if you wanted to make a claim. For the sake of that, I would rather not have one, and source my own
)
Perhaps it might be worth putting a 'wanted' post in the sales section here too!
All the best,
Matt
Have been browsing for a few, and may post some links up for thoughts in due course. Have also setup a BMW car alert.
We have a BMW specialist very close to home, but he may not work on an X5, will need to have a chat with him.
With regards to warranty - if I go to a trader, I would expect the warranty not to be worth the paper its written on and be one of those that require a full on farce/rigmorole if you wanted to make a claim. For the sake of that, I would rather not have one, and source my own
)Perhaps it might be worth putting a 'wanted' post in the sales section here too!
All the best,
Matt
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
After doing a quick scan of the web, I may go on some viewings this weekend...
This seems to be whats avaliable and fairly local at the moment - have a peep, and if you have any thoughts, please fire away!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ogcode=dsp
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/ca ... 5519757564
http://www.tilford4x4.co.uk/used-cars/b ... 3517248790
All the best,
Matt
This seems to be whats avaliable and fairly local at the moment - have a peep, and if you have any thoughts, please fire away!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ogcode=dsp
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/ca ... 5519757564
http://www.tilford4x4.co.uk/used-cars/b ... 3517248790
All the best,
Matt
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
The first one looks very tidy. Find out about the LPG. Which brand is it, who fitted it and then research the fitter see what sort of rep they have. Check that the LPG has been serviced, it should have its own service book just like the dealer book!
I would also bare in mind that at around 80k give or take a few k's, you will be looking at wear and tear issues, suspension, ball joints etc.
Each of them look very nice and tidy and I am very envious. Good luck!
I would also bare in mind that at around 80k give or take a few k's, you will be looking at wear and tear issues, suspension, ball joints etc.
Each of them look very nice and tidy and I am very envious. Good luck!
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
Hi
The first one looks the best bet. Great spec although dont confuse AUX ventilation with AUX heating....and already LPG'd which will keep the fuel bills down. Good luck!
The first one looks the best bet. Great spec although dont confuse AUX ventilation with AUX heating....and already LPG'd which will keep the fuel bills down. Good luck!
X5 4.8IS - Black with cream leather, silver c/f trim, E70 r-wiper, LED int lights comp & remote r/v mirror, heated seats f&b, rear air con, double glazing, Intravee, elec reclining r-seats, grad tint w/s, pan roof, sat nav, blue tooth, digi tv, elec fold mirrors, hifi spkr sys, sliding floor, hsw
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
First one looks great Matt and the best colour too! Just don't be too blown away by the good looks and check everything. It seems as if it may have the electric slide out boot floor from description - some people love these others don't, not sure how they have managed the LPG tank with that heavy floor mechanism, but I may be wrong, just that they mentioned "rear boot loading system" which sounds as if its the sliding floor.
LPG conversions badly done or maintained can be a real issue so check this carefully. I am not a fan of LPG conversions but there are other members who would not have anything else, if its an expensive well maintained sequential conversion then its great.
Don't forget to check the tyres and other mundane things like straight bodywork, all electrics working, past invoices / history / service books - should already have had an Insp 2 so hopefully not needed for a while.
Good luck and all the best, let us know!
LPG conversions badly done or maintained can be a real issue so check this carefully. I am not a fan of LPG conversions but there are other members who would not have anything else, if its an expensive well maintained sequential conversion then its great.
Don't forget to check the tyres and other mundane things like straight bodywork, all electrics working, past invoices / history / service books - should already have had an Insp 2 so hopefully not needed for a while.
Good luck and all the best, let us know!
X5 2005 Le Mans Blue 4.8is
Fully loaded but Now semi-retired!
X5 2012 Alpine White 40d MSport 21" style 215 black alloys, rear entertainment, media package, comfort seats and a load of other options.
Fully loaded but Now semi-retired!
X5 2012 Alpine White 40d MSport 21" style 215 black alloys, rear entertainment, media package, comfort seats and a load of other options.
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
Hi,
Im not madly keen on any of them. The first one , those front disks look well past their sell by date and I dont like comfort seats on 4.8's..............with the way you going to drive it u need the sports seats. I know comfort are extra, but I find you need the bolsters on the seat base. Its just personal preference. Also, LPG on a 4.8 ? Again I know what the rest will say , lower fuel costs etc etc, but I think Tightarse here.........the car belonged to someone trying to run a 4.8 on a ford fiesta budget. I gtee you that same owner has skimped on maintenance or something else.. Its personal preference but I dont like it. description says upgrade wheels.............not so, they were standard .
Number 2 the better of the bunch if you can live with the oyster interior combination.
Munber 3 I don't like and it looks to me to be too low at the front, ( faulty frons suspension ), plus no nav and comfort seats again.
By all means go look and familiarize yourself and get a feel for them.
Oh one last thing...............these 4.8's have valvetronic levers....( BMW equivalent of V Tech ). Make SURE the recall was done. You want documentary evidence. No evidence id walk away. The only way to tell is in the winter, when its really really cold when the car starts it will missfire................otherwise you cant tell. Its like a swiss watch in there and it will properly cost you. Not a job for just anyone either.
Valvetronic lever issues well documented on the net, read all about it. Affected 2004 cars. All of those are 2004 vintage.
Just my humble opinion.
Good luck,
Regards,
Nat
Im not madly keen on any of them. The first one , those front disks look well past their sell by date and I dont like comfort seats on 4.8's..............with the way you going to drive it u need the sports seats. I know comfort are extra, but I find you need the bolsters on the seat base. Its just personal preference. Also, LPG on a 4.8 ? Again I know what the rest will say , lower fuel costs etc etc, but I think Tightarse here.........the car belonged to someone trying to run a 4.8 on a ford fiesta budget. I gtee you that same owner has skimped on maintenance or something else.. Its personal preference but I dont like it. description says upgrade wheels.............not so, they were standard .
Number 2 the better of the bunch if you can live with the oyster interior combination.
Munber 3 I don't like and it looks to me to be too low at the front, ( faulty frons suspension ), plus no nav and comfort seats again.
By all means go look and familiarize yourself and get a feel for them.
Oh one last thing...............these 4.8's have valvetronic levers....( BMW equivalent of V Tech ). Make SURE the recall was done. You want documentary evidence. No evidence id walk away. The only way to tell is in the winter, when its really really cold when the car starts it will missfire................otherwise you cant tell. Its like a swiss watch in there and it will properly cost you. Not a job for just anyone either.
Valvetronic lever issues well documented on the net, read all about it. Affected 2004 cars. All of those are 2004 vintage.
Just my humble opinion.
Good luck,
Regards,
Nat
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
[quote="Nat"]
Hi,
Im not madly keen on any of them. The first one , those front disks look well past their sell by date and I dont like comfort seats on 4.8's..............with the way you going to drive it u need the sports seats. I know comfort are extra, but I find you need the bolsters on the seat base. Its just personal preference. Also, LPG on a 4.8 ? Again I know what the rest will say , lower fuel costs etc etc, but I think Tightarse here.........the car belonged to someone trying to run a 4.8 on a ford fiesta budget. I gtee you that same owner has skimped on maintenance or something else.. Its personal preference but I dont like it. description says upgrade wheels.............not so, they were standard .
Number 2 the better of the bunch if you can live with the oyster interior combination.
Munber 3 I don't like and it looks to me to be too low at the front, ( faulty frons suspension ), plus no nav and comfort seats again.
By all means go look and familiarize yourself and get a feel for them.
[/quote]
A good system can cost around £2k so not too sure it spells out tight arse. Maybe it spells more like someone who wants to use a beast of a 4.8 as a daily run around without spending every other day filling up? Or maybe they care for the environment and didnt fancy a Prius? Also why would you "gtee" that the owner has skimped on maintenence just because it is LPG? I think quite a few people on this forum would dispute that fact.
Hi,
Im not madly keen on any of them. The first one , those front disks look well past their sell by date and I dont like comfort seats on 4.8's..............with the way you going to drive it u need the sports seats. I know comfort are extra, but I find you need the bolsters on the seat base. Its just personal preference. Also, LPG on a 4.8 ? Again I know what the rest will say , lower fuel costs etc etc, but I think Tightarse here.........the car belonged to someone trying to run a 4.8 on a ford fiesta budget. I gtee you that same owner has skimped on maintenance or something else.. Its personal preference but I dont like it. description says upgrade wheels.............not so, they were standard .
Number 2 the better of the bunch if you can live with the oyster interior combination.
Munber 3 I don't like and it looks to me to be too low at the front, ( faulty frons suspension ), plus no nav and comfort seats again.
By all means go look and familiarize yourself and get a feel for them.
[/quote]
A good system can cost around £2k so not too sure it spells out tight arse. Maybe it spells more like someone who wants to use a beast of a 4.8 as a daily run around without spending every other day filling up? Or maybe they care for the environment and didnt fancy a Prius? Also why would you "gtee" that the owner has skimped on maintenence just because it is LPG? I think quite a few people on this forum would dispute that fact.
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
Many thanks as always!
A bit more info - apparently the first one was brought from hexagon BMW a few years back, and recently got traded in for a new x5.
I am going to see the second one today. Will be sure to check the recall and service history! 3 owners is not ideal, but I will give the car a chance - you never know. (would of preferred the blue interior trim and black leather!)
The third one has had a few too many owners for my liking.
A bit more info - apparently the first one was brought from hexagon BMW a few years back, and recently got traded in for a new x5.
I am going to see the second one today. Will be sure to check the recall and service history! 3 owners is not ideal, but I will give the car a chance - you never know. (would of preferred the blue interior trim and black leather!)
The third one has had a few too many owners for my liking.
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
So - went to see a few cars today, and reporting in
Firstly - I forgot how beautiful these cars sound, and was actually surprised by the performance. Extremely quick for such a big car!
Not jumping out my seat to purchase just yet, which could mean something, and need to perhaps ring BMW to check history and recall work on the cars as mentioned by Nat.
One observation - may be nothing... one of the cars, on startup, no smoke...took a look around the car, sat back inside, no smoke, got out around 5 minutes later...light white smoke rising up from both tailpipes. Went away with a good rev, and none when driving. Any thoughts on this?
Firstly - I forgot how beautiful these cars sound, and was actually surprised by the performance. Extremely quick for such a big car!
Not jumping out my seat to purchase just yet, which could mean something, and need to perhaps ring BMW to check history and recall work on the cars as mentioned by Nat.
One observation - may be nothing... one of the cars, on startup, no smoke...took a look around the car, sat back inside, no smoke, got out around 5 minutes later...light white smoke rising up from both tailpipes. Went away with a good rev, and none when driving. Any thoughts on this?
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
Hi,
Easy tiger, was not looking to ofend anyone, its just my experience.
A good system can cost around £2k so not too sure it spells out tight arse. Maybe it spells more like someone who wants to use a beast of a 4.8 as a daily run around without spending every other day filling up? Or maybe they care for the environment and didnt fancy a Prius? Also why would you "gtee" that the owner has skimped on maintenence just because it is LPG? I think quite a few people on this forum would dispute that fact.
A forum is by its nature there to encourage debate. I woudl suggest you dont drive a V8 because you care about the environment. Also £2 K sound system..........its the comms pack, which included everything and if you had the coms pack you got a discount, so not just a sound system, & it does not mean it was chosen or speck'd up by the same person who installed the LPG.
For sure the picture showing the wheel, look at that front disk...............that needs changing from looking at that picture, but of course you would need to see it in real life. Again I could be wrong. Was the owner too tight to replace it ?
Maybe its just me.........and it doesn't mean I am right, but for me it's like word association...........if you say smoke, I say fire , .............you say 4.8iS V8 Performance X5 that cost over £60 K with LPG Conversion.....I say somwhere down the line some owner tight, can't really afford it, looking to run it on a budget. Please feel free to disagree. Tree huggers dont buy V8's. I will argue with you on that all day long.
I want To address the advert as I don't like it , shall we say .....too many innacuracies .........and here is the copy...............
Metallic Blue, Stunning top spec example. Special edition. LPG conversion with certificate and invoice. Completed in 2010. UK car. Huge spec. Full BMW and specialist service history. Recent service. Past invoice kept. All original handbooks and owners manuals. Both sets of keys. HPI checked and clear. This example benefits from having these optional extra's; Le-Man Special edition. LPG conversion. Excellent install. Sport model. Sport styling, interior, suspension and alloy wheel. Up-grade alloy wheels. Comms package. SAT NAV, Blue-tooth and 6 X CD changer. DSP. Digital Sound Processor.TV function. AUX ventilation. Panoramic glass sunroof. Full black up-grade nappa leather interior. Front comfort seats. Heated front seats. Heated rear seats. Xenon light with headlight washer jets. Exterior electric folding mirrors. Rear window blinds. Rear boot loading system. Aluminium running boards. Metallic pearl paint. Privacy glass. Tinted glass.Auto light and rain wiper sensors. Auto-dim rear view mirror. Front and rear parking sensors. Fitted mats. Standard Spec: Usual BMW X5 4.8 IS Le-Man Sport Special Edition Auto.
Le Mans special edition.............I gave away my E53 brochure when I sold my 4.8. However from memory le mans blue was just a colour option and to be true Le mans edition ,( & I am still not sure it was a proper model ......I am sure someone on here can confirm) the door caps and centre console would have been le-mans blue as well. They are not. Le- mans blue...........it was offered as run out option for standard X5's in 2006 though. So you do get X5 diesels running around that look externally like a 4.8.
Optional extra's ............Sport model ? Really , please. Sport styling....what got nothing else to say about it ? Up grade alloy wheels. Another lie.
Full black up grade nappa leather interior ...................again standard.
TV............that wont work now, as analogue so worthless.
Aux ventilation .............whats that then ?
Im interested in the rear boot loading system. I guess he must mean the sliding boot floor. I personally not a fan, means none of the boot liners fit and you loose luggage space as the floor is quite a bit raised. Pain in the arse to lift . That however is just my personal opinion.
Metalic Pearl paint.....rubbish, it looks like standard Le-mans blue. Pearl paint was NOT available .
Lastly no number of owners given.
I'm guessing trade advert, although I cant see that it says trade or private . Clearly the person selling has no idea exactly what was what. keeps repeating stuff to make it look like it has more options than it has. It really is not difficult to find out and the quality of the advert leaves an awful lot to be desired.
Ring up and say ." Im calling about the car ".....if he is a trader and has more than 1 car he weill have to say " which one ".
From cold start ( always go look at a car cold )....................start car. Nothing should come out the back for about 10-15 seconds....after that you should see water vapour/ steam.......which disperses imediately and tends to rise straight up after exiting the exhaust.
If on startup there is immediate smoke....keep walking, likewise, if its smoke and you can tell because it hangs around /takes a while to disperse, keep walking.
As I said, I have had both a 4.4 and a 4.8 , ran both for 3 years a piece....these are not cheap cars to run. They are great cars when they are working 100 % , but they can be temperamental so & so's and are expensive to maintain.
Everything I have written here is meant to help impart my opwnership advice which is by no means definitive. It is on here to try help a fellow board member buy a good car and perhaps save him what could be considerable expense. I am not an expert, just like most of you an enthusiast.
Anyway...................still go look if its close , it will add to your experience , just make sure your eyes are WIDE OPEN when you get there.
Good Luck
Regards,
Nat.
Easy tiger, was not looking to ofend anyone, its just my experience.
A good system can cost around £2k so not too sure it spells out tight arse. Maybe it spells more like someone who wants to use a beast of a 4.8 as a daily run around without spending every other day filling up? Or maybe they care for the environment and didnt fancy a Prius? Also why would you "gtee" that the owner has skimped on maintenence just because it is LPG? I think quite a few people on this forum would dispute that fact.
A forum is by its nature there to encourage debate. I woudl suggest you dont drive a V8 because you care about the environment. Also £2 K sound system..........its the comms pack, which included everything and if you had the coms pack you got a discount, so not just a sound system, & it does not mean it was chosen or speck'd up by the same person who installed the LPG.
For sure the picture showing the wheel, look at that front disk...............that needs changing from looking at that picture, but of course you would need to see it in real life. Again I could be wrong. Was the owner too tight to replace it ?
Maybe its just me.........and it doesn't mean I am right, but for me it's like word association...........if you say smoke, I say fire , .............you say 4.8iS V8 Performance X5 that cost over £60 K with LPG Conversion.....I say somwhere down the line some owner tight, can't really afford it, looking to run it on a budget. Please feel free to disagree. Tree huggers dont buy V8's. I will argue with you on that all day long.
I want To address the advert as I don't like it , shall we say .....too many innacuracies .........and here is the copy...............
Metallic Blue, Stunning top spec example. Special edition. LPG conversion with certificate and invoice. Completed in 2010. UK car. Huge spec. Full BMW and specialist service history. Recent service. Past invoice kept. All original handbooks and owners manuals. Both sets of keys. HPI checked and clear. This example benefits from having these optional extra's; Le-Man Special edition. LPG conversion. Excellent install. Sport model. Sport styling, interior, suspension and alloy wheel. Up-grade alloy wheels. Comms package. SAT NAV, Blue-tooth and 6 X CD changer. DSP. Digital Sound Processor.TV function. AUX ventilation. Panoramic glass sunroof. Full black up-grade nappa leather interior. Front comfort seats. Heated front seats. Heated rear seats. Xenon light with headlight washer jets. Exterior electric folding mirrors. Rear window blinds. Rear boot loading system. Aluminium running boards. Metallic pearl paint. Privacy glass. Tinted glass.Auto light and rain wiper sensors. Auto-dim rear view mirror. Front and rear parking sensors. Fitted mats. Standard Spec: Usual BMW X5 4.8 IS Le-Man Sport Special Edition Auto.
Le Mans special edition.............I gave away my E53 brochure when I sold my 4.8. However from memory le mans blue was just a colour option and to be true Le mans edition ,( & I am still not sure it was a proper model ......I am sure someone on here can confirm) the door caps and centre console would have been le-mans blue as well. They are not. Le- mans blue...........it was offered as run out option for standard X5's in 2006 though. So you do get X5 diesels running around that look externally like a 4.8.
Optional extra's ............Sport model ? Really , please. Sport styling....what got nothing else to say about it ? Up grade alloy wheels. Another lie.
Full black up grade nappa leather interior ...................again standard.
TV............that wont work now, as analogue so worthless.
Aux ventilation .............whats that then ?
Im interested in the rear boot loading system. I guess he must mean the sliding boot floor. I personally not a fan, means none of the boot liners fit and you loose luggage space as the floor is quite a bit raised. Pain in the arse to lift . That however is just my personal opinion.
Metalic Pearl paint.....rubbish, it looks like standard Le-mans blue. Pearl paint was NOT available .
Lastly no number of owners given.
I'm guessing trade advert, although I cant see that it says trade or private . Clearly the person selling has no idea exactly what was what. keeps repeating stuff to make it look like it has more options than it has. It really is not difficult to find out and the quality of the advert leaves an awful lot to be desired.
Ring up and say ." Im calling about the car ".....if he is a trader and has more than 1 car he weill have to say " which one ".
From cold start ( always go look at a car cold )....................start car. Nothing should come out the back for about 10-15 seconds....after that you should see water vapour/ steam.......which disperses imediately and tends to rise straight up after exiting the exhaust.
If on startup there is immediate smoke....keep walking, likewise, if its smoke and you can tell because it hangs around /takes a while to disperse, keep walking.
As I said, I have had both a 4.4 and a 4.8 , ran both for 3 years a piece....these are not cheap cars to run. They are great cars when they are working 100 % , but they can be temperamental so & so's and are expensive to maintain.
Everything I have written here is meant to help impart my opwnership advice which is by no means definitive. It is on here to try help a fellow board member buy a good car and perhaps save him what could be considerable expense. I am not an expert, just like most of you an enthusiast.
Anyway...................still go look if its close , it will add to your experience , just make sure your eyes are WIDE OPEN when you get there.
Good Luck
Regards,
Nat.
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
Nat, you've opened a real war here I think .....Hope your body armour is good as the LPG guys will be here soon I am sure!
FWIW, I agree on the LPG side of things and would never desecrate a V8 with an LPG conversion. Saw too many Range Rovers killed off by LPG conversions years ago and I also believe that you can't run a V8 on Fiesta money. Apart from that, there is the inconvenience of losing your spare wheel and not having access to the radio module /battery etc in the doughnut tank area. Plus LPG conversions seem to cause interior tiny rust areas in many cars, not sure of X5s. Check it out very very carefully and think if you really are happy not to have a spare wheel / restricted access.
Re the advert - its just a typical trader hyped up ad to my mind, not deliberately lying as Nat thinks, but just an ignorant dealer who doesn't know the cars as enthusiasts do.
The colour is def not a "special edition" as Nat says, but there is a special edition Le Mans -I thinks its a 3.0d, and it has a strange interior colour set up, not to everyones taste! A 4.8is Le Mans, like mine, is just the exterior colour choice. I prefer Sports seats over Comfort seats, its a personal choice, comfort were expensive options, but I really like the bolsters which are missing on the comfort seat. All the 4.8s have nappa leather AFAIK, there is a lesser Dakota leather on other models with nappa as an extra option.
Aux ventilation is a useless feature on all the Xes, nothing to shout about, although Aux Heating, OTOH, is.
Retractible load floor viewed as useless and heavy by many, yet sought after by others.
TV - my X has a hybrid analogue /digital factory tuner so the TV works just fine. I thought the 2004 models had hybrid analogue /digital tuners too, mine is a 2005, so not sure.
Wheels - the 20" were expensive upgrades for all other models but standard for the 4.8. Other models were standard 19" wheels for that year, earlier models had 17" wheels. The 4.8 needs 18" wheels for winter as per BMW, other models use the 17" alloys without problems (4.8 needs the 18" due to caliper size).
Just take care in whatever cars you view, don't take dealer ads as gospel and check, check, check.
I would be going to check out any cars of interest, personally, and check history, condition, Electrics and everything else..........
FWIW, I agree on the LPG side of things and would never desecrate a V8 with an LPG conversion. Saw too many Range Rovers killed off by LPG conversions years ago and I also believe that you can't run a V8 on Fiesta money. Apart from that, there is the inconvenience of losing your spare wheel and not having access to the radio module /battery etc in the doughnut tank area. Plus LPG conversions seem to cause interior tiny rust areas in many cars, not sure of X5s. Check it out very very carefully and think if you really are happy not to have a spare wheel / restricted access.
Re the advert - its just a typical trader hyped up ad to my mind, not deliberately lying as Nat thinks, but just an ignorant dealer who doesn't know the cars as enthusiasts do.
The colour is def not a "special edition" as Nat says, but there is a special edition Le Mans -I thinks its a 3.0d, and it has a strange interior colour set up, not to everyones taste! A 4.8is Le Mans, like mine, is just the exterior colour choice. I prefer Sports seats over Comfort seats, its a personal choice, comfort were expensive options, but I really like the bolsters which are missing on the comfort seat. All the 4.8s have nappa leather AFAIK, there is a lesser Dakota leather on other models with nappa as an extra option.
Aux ventilation is a useless feature on all the Xes, nothing to shout about, although Aux Heating, OTOH, is.
Retractible load floor viewed as useless and heavy by many, yet sought after by others.
TV - my X has a hybrid analogue /digital factory tuner so the TV works just fine. I thought the 2004 models had hybrid analogue /digital tuners too, mine is a 2005, so not sure.
Wheels - the 20" were expensive upgrades for all other models but standard for the 4.8. Other models were standard 19" wheels for that year, earlier models had 17" wheels. The 4.8 needs 18" wheels for winter as per BMW, other models use the 17" alloys without problems (4.8 needs the 18" due to caliper size).
Just take care in whatever cars you view, don't take dealer ads as gospel and check, check, check.
I would be going to check out any cars of interest, personally, and check history, condition, Electrics and everything else..........
X5 2005 Le Mans Blue 4.8is
Fully loaded but Now semi-retired!
X5 2012 Alpine White 40d MSport 21" style 215 black alloys, rear entertainment, media package, comfort seats and a load of other options.
Fully loaded but Now semi-retired!
X5 2012 Alpine White 40d MSport 21" style 215 black alloys, rear entertainment, media package, comfort seats and a load of other options.
Re: Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase
Thanks again.
I don't mean to be a pest - just wanted a bit of advice.
Fully appreciate it is a 60k car, and will have issues down the line, but really want to try and minimize these so i can enjoy the car as much as possible.
There does not really seem to be much about in the way of 4.8is examples at the moment, and I am probably just getting over excited and looking at 'okay' examples rather than one that I love. Perhaps the lpg could lead to extra complications - who knows, but I certainly did not set out to buy a car with lpg. I am fine with 15mpg on good old petrol
The hunt may have slowed for now, as there is nothing else for me to look at right now, but will keep checking the classifieds!
Best Regards
Matt
I don't mean to be a pest - just wanted a bit of advice.
Fully appreciate it is a 60k car, and will have issues down the line, but really want to try and minimize these so i can enjoy the car as much as possible.
There does not really seem to be much about in the way of 4.8is examples at the moment, and I am probably just getting over excited and looking at 'okay' examples rather than one that I love. Perhaps the lpg could lead to extra complications - who knows, but I certainly did not set out to buy a car with lpg. I am fine with 15mpg on good old petrol
The hunt may have slowed for now, as there is nothing else for me to look at right now, but will keep checking the classifieds!
Best Regards
Matt