GF is dead set on an X5...

[fasteddie313]

So I buy an M3 for her to drive and she loves it, bitten by the BMW bug, but is now smitten by the X5..
Now all she talks about is "if I do this I can get an X5" and points out every X5 she sees, they are all over the place..

Me, I love BMWs but I am a more sportscar kind of guy.. We kicked around the idea of buying a Navigator lately and also really like Subarus so were thinking forrester but they aren't easy to find with heatel leather and a stick for a decent price..

So, she has to have an X5 but it has to be a stick shift.. I think that is why she wants one is because she realized that they exist with manual transmissions..
I agree, I dislike automatics, and it's one of the reasons I like her so much, she loves the stick..

So I have been looking and yeah, like 2 X5s in my state on CL with a manual.. Hmm.. Probably not going to be easy to find one..
But I'll find one when the time is right.. Drove hours to get my M3 and drove hours to get my Subaru so going a distance to buy an X5 won't be anything unusual..

So I was hoping you guys could give me some wisdom about what to look for in an X5 with a manual.. Pretty much any color other than white and a darker interior is preferred but with something rare you kinda get what you can find..

How many miles are too many miles?
What are their common problems other than the usual BMW plastic cooling system parts?
Any specific years and options to stay away from?
Are all manuals going to be 3.0s? I think, right?
What's the transfer case story? Are they the same for the autos?
What parts are specific to the manuals? I'm a junkyard parts kind of guy so parts availability is something I consider.. Their are X5s all over the place but few manuals so parts specific to a manual will probably be hard to find, expensive, and may require long shipping time/costs..
How are these to work on? Tight spots? Special tools?

On budget, I would like to be under 10k including the first 2 years of ownership repairs and maintenance and maybe $1k a year after that would be acceptable..
I'd like one I could put another 100k miles on so would getting one with say 120k-150k be realistic to get another 100k?

They use a lot of salt on the roads here.. How do these stand up to hard salty winters and rust? Where do they rust? Any structural concerns? Where to look? How to keep rust away on these?

Anything else you think a prospective X5 buyer should know would be appreciated..
Has to be a manual, do you think that to be unwise?

[jclausen]

Out of all the bmws I have serviced I have only seen two manual transmission e53 3.0.

[NordmanMg]

There was only e53 3.0 X5's with manual tranny.
And from 2007 with E70 they are no longer available
but you can pay to get V8 built. There is one (I know of) 2005 4.8iS with Retrofitted 6-speed made by company called IND in Illinois

[fasteddie313]

Yeah, they aren't very common at all.. Like I said, their are only 1-3 of them on CL within reasonable driving distance at any given time..

Can anyone tell me what manual transmission is in them? Like is it the same one from E46 IXes or is it completely proprietary to the X5?
Are their going to be a lot of "rare as hens teeth" parts for a manual X5 or are the parts shared with the 3s and 5s?

[NordmanMg]

It's similar to what e46 had, with little differences for E53 body
nothing odd to be afraid of