Anyone have experience with owning one?

Looking for a new (to me) used car. After having a sedan for 10+ years I was set on getting a used Tacoma or Tundra. But scrolling Autotrader I've been glancing at Titans and Armadas.

Now I'm all over the place b/c searching "4x4 V8" introduced me to the X5. I've seen a couple of videos of it lightly off-roading. I don't need a mudder or rock crawler; but a daily driver with some offroad capability.

The power seems impressive. 4.4 twin turbo V8. 445 Hp and 480 torque so it can do a little towing.

What are the downsides? Reliability? I typically keep cars for...ever. Will it just kill me on maintenance costs?
I'm seeing a 2015 w/ 64K miles, listed at $22K. Seems like a lot of car for the price.

TIA

We also keep cars forever. Our 2019 X7 just had our first brake job. Rotors backordered 3 months. The back brake job was $1700. The front brake job was $1500. And the oil change is typically around $400. This is from Christian Brothers. Once we got out of warranty we don't deal with BMW. I'm sure you could add on 40% to those prices as the stealershp. Great cars but very expensive when typical maintenance items come up.

That's a 10 year old BMW. You will average a decent car payment ($400/month) on maintenance and repairs. Buying one CPO off-lease at ~3 years old is the sweet spot for euros on my opinion.

Wow, thanks, that helps. So a $22K car is more like a $30-35K car. I really don't want something that has to go to the shop every other month. My boss has a Mercedes that it seems is ALWAYS in the shop (partially due to how he drives, lol).

I spent $3,500 on an old Volvo in a one year period in repairs alone. $300/month buys a nice A to B

Bought a 2009 BMW X5 with the 4.8L V8 in 2017 so it was 8 years old at that point.

Was living in Australia at the time and shopped in the San Francisco Bay Area. Similar vehicles were all over the place in price and condition, ranging from the low $10,000s to $30k for a pristine model with low mileage.

Also found lots of ones with weird options or customizations. You'll need to be sure to do your mechanical due diligence. I thought I knew enough and missed something that wound up costing me $2k right off the bat.

I purchased my X5 from some dodgy Iranian guys in San Francisco for $15k. I wound up spending about $10k on various items during the first two years of ownership. Since then, it's been relatively trouble free. The run flat tires are pretty spendy though.

I really wanted one with the dope looking 335mm wide tires on 20 inch rims but, wound up having to get more normal tires so I could get ones that have the M+S rating for driving to Lake Tahoe in the winter.

I previously owned a 2002 BMW M3 out of warranty and it cost a lot to keep running. The key is to find a good aftermarket repair shop who specializes in BMWs. I used this guy in Glendale, CA who was awesome and saved me money left and right versus the dealer. Example - windshield replacement for $800 instead of $1800.

Now that you got through all the downside, that X5 with the V8 hauls major ass on Beltway 8 or any other well maintained stretch of concrete. It's a blast to drive. And as a dude who's 6'3", the fit is much more comfortable than my 2020 Jeep Wrangler JLUR.

I had an X5 from 2015 to 2023.

Before it, I had a Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

Pros:
1) The X5 was my favorite vehicle to drive that I have ever owned. It handled extremely well, was tight on the turns, and the base X5 40i had plenty of punch.
It was always fun to drive.
2) There are a ton of good BMW mechanics. That was compared to my Porsche, where I found very few mechanics that were good at working on them.

Cons:
1) They depreciate quick.
2) After about 80,000 to 90,000 miles, they become a tinkerer's car. The engine and mechanics had no problems, but there were constant things to fix, seems like every three months. I would have to spend a good 1500 on repairs each time. Sometimes 3k on repairs.

I think the sweet spot on the X5 is something like one with 40,000 miles, maybe get it for 30k or a little under. Then keep it until you hit 90k miles. Then offload before the ongoing repairs begin to really hit.

BMW is a great brand and vehicles are nice but if you dig into the resale values, the drop off is steep, which is why 2nd and 3rd owners can get a lot of BMW for cheap and until the maintenance needs creep in.

Brother had 2019 BMW 7 series - was 2nd owner; new sticker was $125K but got rid of it last year when car value was $41K - it needed A/C replacement at a cost of $5500

Which is why BMW's are one of the highest leased vehicles/brands around

It's sad what BMW has become. People are justifiably scared to death to own one out of warranty. I have a 1994 525I that I wouldn't hesitate to drive cross country. My son had a 328I (e36) that had almost 300K miles on it when it got rear ended and totaled. I also had a e46 M3. Absolute blast to drive but very hard to wrench on. It was a convertible and that convertible top was a nightmare waiting to happen so I sold it a couple years ago. Still miss it. Daughter had an early (2001) X5 with a manual trans. It was very solid mechanically but the interior was complete crap. Early 2000s is when BMW started a long decline. 1990s were peak BMW.

$3200 for brakes is predatory. Don't be prey.

$200 for premium pads on all four corners. The odds you needed new rotors is low. Even so, aftermarket rotors are widely available. Even on a BMW, a simple pad change is a 2 hr job for a novice. Add 30 min for rotors.

You need to be willing to DIY owning a BMW.

Someone posted above about $400 oil changes. Don't know what or why someone would pay that. Wal-Mart has the correct spec synthetic oil for $29 for 5 quarts (mine needed 7 iirc). Filter is $15 online. So $120 for two DIY oil changes. It took me all of 30 minutes to change the oil in my 435. Every now and then I'd get a coupon from the dealer for a $59.99 oil change and I'd have them do it.

Brake parts can be found a reputable online sources for reasonable as well.

If you can DIY they're great, until you get that random plastic critical part that fails and you have to take half the car apart replace the only part in the car that costs less than $10. And ALL of them (Merc., BMW, Audi) have some random part like that. That's when they suck.

My 435 iXdrive Gran Coupe was the most fun daily driver I've ever owned. But the wife said it was to much fun and I didn't drive the fun car enough.

Get a deleted diesel (prefer the E70 with the M57 but only made up through 2013. N57 (2014+) gets you the new body style but jury is still out on long term longevity.

E70 M57 goodness:

Sequoia + supercharger

High school kid near me has a deleted and big turbo 335d. Come to think of it I think he graduated as I don't smell it anymore. Thing was amazing.

KatyAggie2000 said:

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We also keep cars forever. Our 2019 X7 just had our first brake job. Rotors backordered 3 months. The back brake job was $1700. The front brake job was $1500. And the oil change is typically around $400. This is from Christian Brothers. Once we got out of warranty we don't deal with BMW. I'm sure you could add on 40% to those prices as the stealershp. Great cars but very expensive when typical maintenance items come up.

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Oof you're getting screwed on that oil change. We don't pay that at the BMW dealer. Our 19 X5 wasn't even half that for an oil change.

In 22 we got my wife a new X7 and I did buy the maintenance package as it includes certain items like brakes. With the heavy 22" wheels I knew brakes would go quicker than usual. Plus through bimmer forums I found a good connect that saved me a couple thousand for the warranty and maintenance packages at a different dealership.

As for a 10 year old 4.4 V8 from Bimmer; get ready to have a couple thousand in the bank just for the repairs on that car at all times. That's not a lot of miles, but it's a lot of miles with a fun engine that you don't know how they were driven or how the car was maintained.

Just my .02

Wife's X5 is a helluva car. 2nd BMW. Would never own one outside of warranty. Put aside some ticket money too. I frequently find myself at 90ish without realizing it....

Then I might push it further...

I really don't like all the lane control, auto shutdown, etc. But that car flys.

Add a tire budget too as those high performance tires wear quick.

I know you're asking specifically about an X5, but you also searched for "4x4 V8" and said you like to keep vehicles forever. Have you considered a used Lexus GX? It checks all the boxes you searched and then some because it typically won't need expensive maintenance and they maintain their value.

Recently sold my 1986 325es to a twenty-something young man. He'll do his own repairs and maintenance. He didn't flinch that it had 290,000 miles on it.

$400 oil changes? $3500 brakes? Stoopid.

I perform all my own maintenance and repairs on my 98 986. Having fewer Porsche mechanics availability (as previous poster mentioned) ramps up the need to wrench on my own cars.

I will concur that the "newer" vehicles, with all the BS technology, can be a pain in the ass... and while I keep up on my wife's 19 G80... I'm not looking forward to when the "technology" in it fails. $$$$$

OP, get a Lexus.

BMW B58 (v6 turbo; 40i) is a solid and reliable engine. I wouldn't go v8.

JamesPShelley said:

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I perform all my own maintenance and repairs on my 98 986. Having fewer Porsche mechanics availability (as previous poster mentioned) ramps up the need to wrench on my own cars.

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Not to dig on your hometown but, don't you live in The IE, or the High Desert?
You've definitely got fewer Porsches per capita in your neighborhood than say 90210, Sherman Oaks or Calabasas.

Yes. No problems at all
On 2016

KatyAggie2000 said:

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We also keep cars forever. Our 2019 X7 just had our first brake job. Rotors backordered 3 months. The back brake job was $1700. The front brake job was $1500. And the oil change is typically around $400. This is from Christian Brothers. Once we got out of warranty we don't deal with BMW. I'm sure you could add on 40% to those prices as the stealershp. Great cars but very expensive when typical maintenance items come up.

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You're getting royally ripped off, that's insane. A 5 year old vehicle shouldn't even need new rotors in the first place.

Auto Service Rule 1: Never go to Christian Brothers

TexAg2001 said:

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I know you're asking specifically about an X5, but you also searched for "4x4 V8" and said you like to keep vehicles forever. Have you considered a used Lexus GX? It checks all the boxes you searched and then some because it typically won't need expensive maintenance and they maintain their value.

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Yes, I've looked a little at the GX but need to do more research.

akaggie05 said:

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Get a deleted diesel (prefer the E70 with the M57 but only made up through 2013. N57 (2014+) gets you the new body style but jury is still out on long term longevity.

E70 M57 goodness:

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And he double-bulbs him while staging.

This verifies all the talk that BMW owners are a-holes.

I drive a 2020 X5 with the N55. It's a great everyday car, but will be sold before 100k miles. The 4.4 TT V8 of that time OP posted about is a notorious oil drinker. You can expect high(er) maintenance costs unless you are really good with a wrench

KatyAggie2000 said:

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We also keep cars forever. Our 2019 X7 just had our first brake job. Rotors backordered 3 months. The back brake job was $1700. The front brake job was $1500. And the oil change is typically around $400. This is from Christian Brothers. Once we got out of warranty we don't deal with BMW. I'm sure you could add on 40% to those prices as the stealershp. Great cars but very expensive when typical maintenance items come up.

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Stay away from Christian Brothers. I get my BMW's oil changed at the dealer for ~$120 every 10k miles. And I'm out of warrenty.

Been there, done that, never again. Once it's out of warranty, just bend over and hand them the lube.