X3 purchase advice

[X3Jack]

Hi All 

I am in the market to purchase an X3 wth a budget of £8500 as my daily driver has now given up!

I have been checking the usual places and have came across a 2006 3.0d M sport with 55k miles on it for 8k.  It fits the criteria that i am looking for in that it has the auto box and the 3.0L and the low miles.

I have been looking at the full range of engines avalible at this budget ( all diesel ) ranging from the 2.0l 150bhp right up to the 286bhp 3.0L twin turbo unit but the 3.0L 212bhp seems to be a good middle ground with regards to MPG.  Is there anything to watch out for on this engine?  Any estimate of MPG with the Autobox?

The car is advertised as having 5k of extras including the sat nav and panoramic roof, any common issues to look out for with these options such as leaks etc?

Please excuse me if this has already been asked, i couldnt find a buyers guide anywhere via the search function.

I will hopefully be going to check the car out next week so if there is any 'common' things with this model to look for that would be great to know 

Thanks

[jagr]

Firstly good choice of car.

The X3 has a few weak spots but nothing major.

1, Rear springs snap but are an easy cheap fix
2, Thermostats both of them EGR and Main (again not too difficult)
3, Tyres need to be correct with a '*' star on them to avoid transfer case problems
4, Check for a wet patch behind drivers seat, rear washer pipe can come undone which means taking seat out and lifting carpet dry it out.
5, Test drive an MSport as some think it is a very firm ride
6, I am on my second X3 and have had the gearbox, transfer case and both diffs changed. Choice is yours but I prefer preventative maintenance.
7, There is an oil breather that can get clogged and the replacement is easy to change.

If you get a good one they are great all-round cars that need very little.

Hope that helps