your thoughts (BMW x5)

gilbert_and_sullivan

OP, if you read the Beemer forums you'll find that these motors can and do suffer from auto gearbox problems from around 100K miles.

Unfortunately to appeal both BMW and MB and others decided that their auto boxes could be sealed for life , or 100K miles whichever comes first.
(Lexus didn't go down that road, maybe their good reputation or good Japanese engineering sense....or maybe they actually care about their customers?)

Sensible owners of course treat this with the contempt it deserves and get their indy's to change auto fluid and filters at appropriate mileages eg 40K or so, as auto gearboxes used to be.
It seems with MB and BMW that their gearboxes are no longer sealed for life.

If you are determined to have one of these vehicles do make sure the previous owner has had gear oil changed.

A new auto box will leave you little change from £3K.

As Jeannie says above, there's plenty more to go wrong , not a vehicle i'd risk.

goldspanners

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

As Jeannie says above, there's plenty more to go wrong , not a vehicle i'd risk.

as a general rule of thumb i use when buying cars if i could afford to buy it new then i can afford to run it, if it isnt marketed at me or my pay line then its probably not going to be comfortably affordable to run for me when it starts causing problems.
older cars will be an obvious exception.
as the old saying goes,everyone can buy a jag,but not everyone can keep one on the road.

AdrianHi

goldspanners wrote: »

as a general rule of thumb i use when buying cars if i could afford to buy it new then i can afford to run it, if it isnt marketed at me or my pay line then its probably not going to be comfortably affordable to run for me when it starts causing problems.
older cars will be an obvious exception.
as the old saying goes,everyone can buy a jag,but not everyone can keep one on the road.

So true.
Break car costs down as a long term avergage monthly figure and the difference between buying nearly new and buying 2 to 5 years old is around a 10-15% a month change and finding a way to fund purchase price of the newer car in the first place. Get the car past 6 years (depreciation slows down a lot) with it reliable and that monthly figure can drop to 20%-25% under the nearly new car.

almillar

MX5Huggy - Actually most cars are worth 33% to 50% of their value after 3 years. Your example of losing 53%, leaving it at 47% of its original value, means that relative to other new vehicles, the X5 does quite well.
You still won't catch me buying a new car this side of a lottery though...

gaz_jones

MX5huggy wrote: »

Been in an X5 and driven an X3 1000's of miles 3 liter petrol auto, gets 20mpg if driven hard in sport mode and 30 if you drive like a monk on the motorway. 24mpg seems to be average, thats based on the onboard computer readout.

53% loss over 3 years is like a stone in my book! on a 50k car!

Its a 3 litre petrol auto and you wonder why the mpg aren't great?

My FIL's is 3l (i think) diesel manual and on the motorway he will get close to 50mpg. My 2litre petrol manual 3 series gets 40 at a push!

He gets around 30mpg city driving. I'm not sure what his OBC says is his average.


I drive a 2litre petrol 3 series and I get about 25/30mpg in city and up to 40mpg on motorway.

X5's fuel consumption doesn't look too bad anymore.


I've just done a search online and 2009 models are selling for around 40-45k and 2006 models anywhere from 20-30 depending on miles. So its not quite a 53% drop.
Take a look at new Vectra's. '09 plate anywhere from 18-20k. '06 plate anywhere from 6-7k. The BMW's depreciation doesn't seem so bad now.

AdrianHi

gaz_jones wrote: »

I've just done a search online and 2009 models are selling for around 40-45k and 2006 models anywhere from 20-30 depending on miles. So its not quite a 53% drop.
Take a look at new Vectra's. '09 plate anywhere from 18-20k. '06 plate anywhere from 6-7k. The BMW's depreciation doesn't seem so bad now.

Watch out as there is the difference between trade in value and used purchase price to consider. For an early 2006 3.0i it's about a £1800 difference.

Over 3 years paying What Car target price for Mondeo vs. similar specification 3 series the 3 series is slightly cheaper despite higher purchase price. It's down to lower depreciation, better MPG and possibly even lower servicing charges on the 3 series. They are very cheap to service in the early years.

jeannieblue

Aw don't get one......... they are so cr*p.........

You'll get it, come first service - and you'll find it needs a grands worth of work or something. They really are dreadful.