2001-2004 X5 - opinions wanted

[BrokeMyWallet 10]

Hi All,

At the moment I've got 3 cars - that's way too many. One coupe (my 135i) and two three door hatchbacks. So if I need to take more than 2 people it becomes a real hassle.

So I need a bit more carrying capacity but only occasionally. I'd say that 90% of the time it's just me driving - 9% of the of the time it's me and the mrs, and 1% of the time I actually need to carry passengers / cargo (e.g. Camping etc). So far it's made sense to only have "fun" two door cars.

My budget for such a vehicle would be an absolute maximum of 10k (since it is the "secondary" car that won't be used much).

There are plenty of X5s on tradeMe in this bracket - some of them 3L, others 4.4L. I don't care too much about economy since it won't be driven very frequently.

Is buying a car of such vintage and miles a "bad idea"? Everything I've read says so!

 

Edited May 19, 2017 by bung206

[zero 1162]

The 4.4l m62 can have timing chain issues depending on kms and maintenance record.

Others in here will be much more knowledgeable than me.

[BM WORLD 1282]

had a good run out of our X5 4.4i 2001 model ,

done about 230ks , trans was rebuilt by previous owners about 10-15k's ago

yea just watch out cam chain guide repairs also trans ,

other than that not too bad

late v8's have the N62 engine ,

they have a lot more issues but use less fuel ,

3l petrol too under powered really

diesel 3l turbo probably a good option

but the petrol v8's are cheaper to buy ,

just get one from a family or company that's owned it for years as they probably have spend the money on maintaining it

rather than the quick flick it before it breaks guy

 

Edited May 20, 2017 by BM WORLD

[TermiPeteNZ 1316]

Totally agree with Brent. My rules with buying Euros are -

1. always get an MBI policy (Autosure/Vero) to cover big ticket risks and 
2. expect you might need to drop $5K in the first year on 'whatever' depending on how handy you are/how much time you have

After buying mine for $10K (without sufficient pre-purchase caution - duh) I've spent more than i wanted getting mine sorted mechanically and cosmetically but i thoroughly enjoy it as my daily - and intend to keep it for a few more years. Watch for oil leaks, pixel loss in LCD.

@treone just picked up a beaut blue V8 Sportpac and is getting the dealer to sort stuff out. Frustrating but the end result will be good.

My gut feel is that if you ONLY have $10K and don't have a fund set aside for sorting stuff then don't do it.

[treone 644]

17 hours ago, TermiPeteNZ said:

Totally agree with Brent. My rules with buying Euros are -

1. always get an MBI policy (Autosure/Vero) to cover big ticket risks and 
2. expect you might need to drop $5K in the first year on 'whatever' depending on how handy you are/how much time you have

After buying mine for $10K (without sufficient pre-purchase caution - duh) I've spent more than i wanted getting mine sorted mechanically and cosmetically but i thoroughly enjoy it as my daily - and intend to keep it for a few more years. Watch for oil leaks, pixel loss in LCD.

@treone just picked up a beaut blue V8 Sportpac and is getting the dealer to sort stuff out. Frustrating but the end result will be good.

My gut feel is that if you ONLY have $10K and don't have a fund set aside for sorting stuff then don't do it.

This is on the money!

I bought mine just under 2 months ago. It's an 01 jap import and had 198400kms when purchased. It is now at 199700. Admittedly it has spent more time than I would like back at the dealer to get sorted. Got it back last Friday, have used it as a daily to work (@50km return) and has been good so far.

Issue was an engine light - dealer has replaced 02 sensor, a catalytic converter twice as first one was faulty and spark plugs.

Reason I bought one - after selling my E60 M5 I was looking at an interim wagon until I get into a position to purchase an E39 M5 and 8 series. As I do regular trips to the BoP, which is usually done in my HSV Avalanche wagon (which is awesome for this purpose BTW), I thought an X5 would be great to have as an alternative. My mind was made up after having a drive of @TermiPeteNZ X5. Shortly after one came up at a local dealership for a really good price - I got it and a 3year MBI for under $10 - it was a no brainer.

Looking at keeping mine for at least a couple of years and it will be used as an everyday hack and long run hauler so I'm not going to get too precious about it 

Fully expect that some maintenance  will be required as these are now getting up to 17+ years old now. I'm budgeting for replacing gaskets, hoses, suspension and little niggly things to be done in the short while.

I like -  the high riding driving position, comfortable seating for 5 adequate luggage space (not has good as the Avalanche but that thing has a HUGE boot) , it has enough up and go when required, great euro build quality. I've found it not too bad economy wise as it seems to be averaging 13.5l at the moment (which is way better than the 17-20l for the HSV).

My advice - if you find one that ticks most of your boxes, is in your budget (incl MBI), and that you're expecting to spend extra on maintenance items in the first year get a PPI and then go for it! Oh and purchase from a dealer if at all possible for a bit of extra consumer protection.

Every time I drive it I ask myself why didn't I buy one earlier .

 

[BrokeMyWallet 10]

Great, thanks for all the opinions. Will be sure to buy with MBI. This is going to be my secondary car which won't be used much so I don't want to tie up too much money in it - that is why I've set a 10k soft budget. I've already lost a ton in depreciation on my 135 but I can justify that since it's my main car and it's so much fun to drive.

Is there anything else in the price range that I should be considering?

[gjm 3258]

22 minutes ago, bung206 said:

Is there anything else in the price range that I should be considering?

Do you need a SUV?

There's a 2008 530i M Sport Touring on TradeMe with an asking price of just under $11k. Seats lots of people, lots of space, could be a better 'drive' than an older X5? (I've not driven either so that is speculation.)

[TermiPeteNZ 1316]

5 hours ago, bung206 said:

Is there anything else in the price range that I should be considering?

Well - there's something like this .... LCI E60 530i MSport for $10k ... http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1263620784.htm

And blue is good ...

[Olaf 3308]

^^ that's a UK import... this one (IMHO) looks like reasonable buying LCI E61 ///M Sport 530i $12,900 ono 122k kms. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1330974633.htm

[TermiPeteNZ 1316]

I had a look at (and updated my maintenance spreadsheet) and for me and my 2001 X5 has been a thoroughly enjoyable vehicle but in nearly a year and a half I've spent as much on maintenance as I did buying the vehicle - even with a MBI as I have had 8 claims. On top of this also dropped a bunch of $ on a cosmetic tidy up (roof rails, paint, multiple carpet cleans and stain removal, trim fixing, newer tail lights) which a much tidier example simply would not have needed. In retrospect I did not buy smart and I've paid for this - ending up catching a lot of the (overdue/expected) stuff. Lucky I'm not skint!!!

• repair ABS unit
• fix ABS pump bracket and pressure sensor (this was all due to the 'brake light trifecta')
• replace thermostat
• fix instrument cluster (dead pixels)
• replace radiator and hoses
• replace 2 x window regulators
• replace both rocker cover gaskets
• replace trans main oil seal
• replace both front lower brake reaction rod arms
• new key (they use a capacitor not batteries - and die eventually)
• plus regular servicing stuff including 2 large tyres!

So I'm hoping that I've got it pretty well sorted. It has 222KMs on it and my 4yr MBI has another 2.5 years to run so *I must keep the vehicle* and keep enjoying it to make sense of the expenditure  If I sold my X5 now then the next owner would be going 'sweet' and have a much better experience. It's always better if you can be that person - which is why typically buying a vehicle from a forum member is a good proposition as we all(?) look after our vehicles.

On ‎1‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 3:31 PM, 3pedals said:

Expect any luxury/ performance vehicle in that price range to have been somewhat neglected and allow at least $3 grand to bring it up to a genuinely  good condition vehicle for its age - suspension brakes - major service  engine and gearbox and clean up, probably tyres. any more than that and you are heading towards 5 or 8 grand.

While others opt for MBI - I don't --- I buy carefully and maintain properly - if you can't afford a $3k bill  every now and then - don't buy an X5.

Diesel comments aside @3pedals advice is sound and reflects how you have to think about this sort of vehicle. When I bought my X5 I thought 'man what a cheap score!!!' - and this has turned out to not be true. 

If you have lots of time and are mechanically minded then the maint cost could well be lower - but I have more $ than time (I think). 

[BrokeMyWallet 10]

What company did is your MBI through? A lot of the ones I've seen seem to have some fairly tight rules surrounding the age and miles on the vehicle.

[TermiPeteNZ 1316]

5 minutes ago, bung206 said:

What company did is your MBI through? A lot of the ones I've seen seem to have some fairly tight rules surrounding the age and miles on the vehicle.

Vero/Autosure now operated by Turners. They are fantastic. Can't recommend them highly enough.

[TermiPeteNZ 1316]

Another thing to note is that given depreciation a well sorted, well maintained vehicle probably won't cost any more than one that isn't.

[Daniel 36]

May I ask when you bought the MBI? I assume around a year and a half if you bought it same time as the vehicle. I looked at Autosure myself but thought it was only from about 2005 and up for Euros. Could have missed something though..

[BrokeMyWallet 10]

I just rang autosure and they said they don't sell direct to public.

[Daniel 36]

That's true, but you can buy it through an approved dealer. Answering my own above question:

Essential Cover is for cars with a max age of 16 years, and extreme is 12 years.

Edited June 14, 2017 by Dsdv
Grammar

[Gabe79 410]

18 minutes ago, Dsdv said:

That's true, but you can buy it through an approved dealer. Answering my own above question:

Essential Cover is for cars with a max age of 16 years, and extreme is 12 years.

Do I have to buy my car from said dealership too? Or would they inspect and insure a car they didn't sell?

Edited June 14, 2017 by Gabe79

[Daniel 36]

I had assumed you could take an eligible vehicle to an approved dealer and buy MBI from them.

I was wrong; Autosure said the car has to be purchased from said dealer.

Edited June 14, 2017 by Dsdv

[TermiPeteNZ 1316]

My advice is talk to MTF Mt Victoria - they arrange finance and MBI for vehicle purchases. Very helpful and happy to deal with different scenarios.

[treone 644]

2 hours ago, Dsdv said:

I had assumed you could take an eligible vehicle to an approved dealer and buy MBI from them.

I was wrong; Autosure said the car has to be purchased from said dealer.

I'm exploring purchasing a MBI for a vehicle which I've had 3 years now and which had a 3 year Autosure MBI cover (expired 2months ago). This was arranged by dealer when I purchased the vehicle.as

I am keeping the vehicle long term so thinking it will be worthwhile to get another MBI as I suspect major repairs are due. 

Vehicle qualifies for essential cover as its 16 years or less, under 250k kms . Rung Autosure, they don't sell direct and advised to call an authorised dealer. Spoke to a local dealer and was verbally quoted $995 for 2yrs cover with $4k per claim limit and excess options of $100, $200 & $300. Note that qualifying Euro cars have a $350 excess. All I needed to do was to get vehicle mechanically inspected (and they even recommended a garage) then come back and they will arrange cover.

I will 'shop around' and see what other dealers quote. I'm thinking two to three years cover should be sufficient.

[Olaf 3308]

2 hours ago, TermiPeteNZ said:

My advice is talk to MTF Mt Victoria - they arrange finance and MBI for vehicle purchases. Very helpful and happy to deal with different scenarios.

^^ this.

[gjm 3258]

As an aside to this topic, how good is the X5 offroad?

Looking at prices of the older ones, if you're not choosy about the looks and interior upkeep, there are some potential bargains to be had. We had some bad news about our planned house purchase (it's not over, but it's looking much less likely) and the alternative is a piece of land I've had my eye on for a while. We'd need something to hack back and forth to it for a while.

[TermiPeteNZ 1316]

53 minutes ago, gjm said:

As an aside to this topic, how good is the X5 offroad?

Looking at prices of the older ones, if you're not choosy about the looks and interior upkeep, there are some potential bargains to be had. We had some bad news about our planned house purchase (it's not over, but it's looking much less likely) and the alternative is a piece of land I've had my eye on for a while. We'd need something to hack back and forth to it for a while.

Sorry to hear the house plans aren't panning out. I've only had my X5 on gravel, heavily rutted turf and kerbs so can't really attest to any serious off-road capability. If you need a 'proper' 4WD then don't buy one. Merc ML, Touareg are more capable/less incapable off road. Have to laugh at the eastern European keenness for taking X5s off road: 

And this muppet:

Just ... no. 

[Allanw 1071]

After watching those... your Mr Muppet would have a hard time driving a Land Rover Defender off road!

 

Where is the :facepalm: emoji?

[lord_jagganath 421]

Note the road tyres on all of them. Also the ML is cheaper to get into at the moment.