Euro E39 touring - noob to the forum

[dannyzabolotny]

If you thought an E39 touring was a lot of maintenance work, an X5 won't be any better. As a mechanic, a solid 30% of my work is X5's, if that's any indication. So much stuff breaks on those things.

[geargrinder]

E28's are pretty rare these days it seems to me. But a rough one would make a great resto-project swap-candidate IMO...

Man they have style for days too... compare the lines of an E28 vs a new Bimmerz... the new cars are SO boring...

[WBAD530i]

If you thought an E39 touring was a lot of maintenance work, an X5 won't be any better. As a mechanic, a solid 30% of my work is X5's, if that's any indication. So much stuff breaks on those things.

As long as you stick with a 3.0 X5 you're not changing much in terms of bmw ownership. It will be just like maintaining your 525iT, but a little higher in the air.

[adm750]

If you thought an E39 touring was a lot of maintenance work, an X5 won't be any better. As a mechanic, a solid 30% of my work is X5's, if that's any indication. So much stuff breaks on those things.

Hey Danny !! Thanks man, I do value your opinion on that and I know where you are coming from. Having over 20 years in the service end of dealerships myself....9 with BMW, I wrote more $3k-$4k ++ tickets on X5's than ever on e39's. Plus, our '97 is like the poster child for an exceptional e39 ownership experience. My wife loves that car and it still does things perfect where the wagon does it's due diligence to ensure that I experience EVERY typical e39 issue through it's eyes. haha.

I was half temped ,within this releasing of the wagon project, to do a full suspension refresh on it (the '97) and repair a few other things so we could t/o it to our son when he starts driving in the next year or two. ie...sell the wagon, refresh the '97 (wife drives that till he gets license), and I drive the Mercury till we revisit the car program again in a couple years.

My issue is less about dealing with the high maintenance demands of an X5 (vs. and e39) than it does with the current state of maintaining two e39's and a third vehicle. Things are going to slip and I can't have my family in that situation. I would also like to position ourselves for a smaller camper or a boat in a few years. We travel a bit in all weather conditions, plus we must deal with winter so AWD (or 4x4) would be ideal. The X5 checks a lot of boxes with utility, driving enjoyment, and winter safety while retaining 4 doors. I can buy a trailer to fill in where the utility of a truck bed is missing.

Thanks again for chiming in. You certainly have a place on the list of people whom I've grown to respect on this forum

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As long as you stick with a 3.0 X5 you're not changing much in terms of bmw ownership. It will be just like maintaining your 525iT, but a little higher in the air.

totally agree boss... I'm ok with that.... (see note to DannyZ....)

earlier model w/o panoramic sunroof... shoot - it's just an e39 with ride height...exactly like you stated

[adm750]

E28's are pretty rare these days it seems to me. But a rough one would make a great resto-project swap-candidate IMO...

Man they have style for days too... compare the lines of an E28 vs a new Bimmerz... the new cars are SO boring...

'sup GG !!?? yeah, totally agree...I thought that might be a fun 4dr hot rod as well. I miss modding cars and that's a yearl 'round DD that I could play with. But, boys will have dreams...

Again - prime goal is reduce the inventory and set myself up for a little better control of our fleet as well as achieve some other benefits (awd, 4doors, towing, etc..).

and...the true bottom f!%$#ing line....?? ...the wagon has rust. So, no matter what I do, and as much as I really do love owning that car, love getting the 'thumbs-up' from all sorts of drivers on the road, and enjoy the attention that it's uniqueness brings, it will continue to degrade. I have family in Atlanta, so a southern rust free car (truck,x5, whatevs..) will be my next purchase and then I can continue to maintain the cars but worry less that I'll be Fred Flinstone'ing that bitch in a few years...lol....

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Ahh man, must have been a hard decision to make, but I totally understand. Sorry to hear this, but hey! Later on down the road, you could always pick up another one.
E28, can’t go wrong, I’m actually looking for one too. That was my first car, a Euro spec E28 525 back in ‘86, that I picked up in HongKong, and had shipped to the Philippines. Loved that car.

yeah, it sucks...it'll be sad to part with....but I appreciate the support snotty

[StephenVA]

Without seeing the '97, I would dump it and fix the wagon as it will hold up in the long run. Pick up any 3.0 X5 from south of the Mason Dixon line and save the rust buckets for someone else. The second gen X5 are cheap now also and have a lot of the improvements the E53 first gen did not. If you are settled on a E53 find the latest models as the last years have a few improvements and the angel eyes will easy to install if not OE equipped.
Then plan a move after everyone is in college or out on their own. Come to VA as we have a good car enthusiast world and there are lots of job openings. Now there is a new spec home construction two doors from me with a three car garage going up. You would make three car guys on our block. Act quick... Price is high but the market will bear it on resell.

[dannyzabolotny]

Hey Danny !! Thanks man, I do value your opinion on that and I know where you are coming from. Having over 20 years in the service end of dealerships myself....9 with BMW, I wrote more $3k-$4k ++ tickets on X5's than ever on e39's. Plus, our '97 is like the poster child for an exceptional e39 ownership experience. My wife loves that car and it still does things perfect where the wagon does it's due diligence to ensure that I experience EVERY typical e39 issue through it's eyes. haha.

I was half temped ,within this releasing of the wagon project, to do a full suspension refresh on it (the '97) and repair a few other things so we could t/o it to our son when he starts driving in the next year or two. ie...sell the wagon, refresh the '97 (wife drives that till he gets license), and I drive the Mercury till we revisit the car program again in a couple years.

My issue is less about dealing with the high maintenance demands of an X5 (vs. and e39) than it does with the current state of maintaining two e39's and a third vehicle. Things are going to slip and I can't have my family in that situation. I would also like to position ourselves for a smaller camper or a boat in a few years. We travel a bit in all weather conditions, plus we must deal with winter so AWD (or 4x4) would be ideal. The X5 checks a lot of boxes with utility, driving enjoyment, and winter safety while retaining 4 doors. I can buy a trailer to fill in where the utility of a truck bed is missing.

Thanks again for chiming in. You certainly have a place on the list of people whom I've grown to respect on this forum

That makes more sense, go ahead then. I figured you would know about all that, given your dealership experience— my post was more so a general advisory to people that think an X5 is just an "E39 on stilts."

Best of luck with selling your 525it— I hope it goes to somebody that can appreciate how unique it is, and will be willing to do the necessary bodywork to save it from the rust.

As long as you stick with a 3.0 X5 you're not changing much in terms of bmw ownership. It will be just like maintaining your 525iT, but a little higher in the air.

The engine might be solid, but everything else.... Most of the X5's I've serviced have been 3.0's, and they all have the same issues: front axles that go bad, suspension bushings that wear at much faster rate, secondary heater valves that fail, aux fans that quit working, window regulators from hell, door handles that like to break, rear hatch actuators that break and cause all sorts of fun electrical issues, and more. None of that stuff is especially hard or expensive to repair, but it does add up and it's a lot more stuff than you'd generally have to do with an E39.

The drivetrain on an X5 3.0 is solid and will get you from A to B (as long as you don't overheat it!) but when you get there, you might need to open your doors through your windows which may or may not be working, lol.

[geargrinder]

The engine might be solid, but everything else.... Most of the X5's I've serviced have been 3.0's, and they all have the same issues: front axles that go bad, suspension bushings that wear at much faster rate, secondary heater valves that fail, aux fans that quit working, window regulators from hell, door handles that like to break, rear hatch actuators that break and cause all sorts of fun electrical issues, and more. None of that stuff is especially hard or expensive to repair, but it does add up and it's a lot more stuff than you'd generally have to do with an E39.

The drivetrain on an X5 3.0 is solid and will get you from A to B (as long as you don't overheat it!) but when you get there, you might need to open your doors through your windows which may or may not be working, lol.

LOL. I've long had E53's on my 'avoid' list - every since Will Turner's mom went off telling me how much she hated hers by the end, and that's having basically the entire Turner shop at her beck and call to fix it at the drop of a hat... - but man you really made me underline it!

[adm750]

The engine might be solid, but everything else.... Most of the X5's I've serviced have been 3.0's, and they all have the same issues: front axles that go bad, suspension bushings that wear at much faster rate, secondary heater valves that fail, aux fans that quit working, window regulators from hell, door handles that like to break, rear hatch actuators that break and cause all sorts of fun electrical issues, and more. None of that stuff is especially hard or expensive to repair, but it does add up and it's a lot more stuff than you'd generally have to do with an E39.

The drivetrain on an X5 3.0 is solid and will get you from A to B (as long as you don't overheat it!) but when you get there, you might need to open your doors through your windows which may or may not be working, lol.

Holy shit...that was like a bad flashback to my car days Danny....rofl...spot on assessment man!! We lost a lot of front driveshafts as well, probably due to people's slip/bang style of driving up here in Ohio. I was thinking I was prepared for all that x5 mumbo-jumbo but now that it's out in the open (like saying something outloud three times with a trashcan over your head so you really hear it...lol..), I'm getting cold feet. hahaha. My thoughts were clouded by the one thing that actually worked quite well....cupholders.....well, at least they did until that re-purposed oil filter housing o-ring broke...lmao

[adm750]

LOL. I've long had E53's on my 'avoid' list - every since Will Turner's mom went off telling me how much she hated hers by the end, and that's having basically the entire Turner shop at her beck and call to fix it at the drop of a hat... - but man you really made me underline it!

that shit's funny...

I was on the receiving end of that for many many years. You'd have the whole shop jumping through their arses trying to polish this turd. Praying daily for the next new model to be released so you could get them out of the old car and in to something else that hopefully wasn't going to be constantly eating your shorts.

Thanks for another flashback GG....lol

[adm750]

Without seeing the '97, I would dump it and fix the wagon as it will hold up in the long run. Pick up any 3.0 X5 from south of the Mason Dixon line and save the rust buckets for someone else. The second gen X5 are cheap now also and have a lot of the improvements the E53 first gen did not. If you are settled on a E53 find the latest models as the last years have a few improvements and the angel eyes will easy to install if not OE equipped.
Then plan a move after everyone is in college or out on their own. Come to VA as we have a good car enthusiast world and there are lots of job openings. Now there is a new spec home construction two doors from me with a three car garage going up. You would make three car guys on our block. Act quick... Price is high but the market will bear it on resell.

all points sound tempting....grrrrrr.....plus, no shoveling snow in shorts...!!

and yes, next car will def be purchased well south of my current locale. I can't even look at a car ad here. They all remind me of well-dressed hookers. They look nice, price can be right where you want it, but you know that shit's beat underneath...there are things lurking in places you can't see....

Not sure our wives could take the two (three) of us hanging out together. But shoot ladies, we're not out hanging out in the bars, and how much trouble could we really get into in a garage... ??

(I can see their eyes rolling now...lmao).

[itsbrokeagain]

Danny you mustve had quite a few turds rolling through your neckof the woods. I can't imagine ones here in NY being any better but I bought mine from a close friend who didn't wanna sink dealer level pricing in repairs anymore. I've people spent just about $3000 fixing mine up soup-to-nuts, and it's one heck of a DD. AC would freeze a polar bear.