E53? Anyone?

[chance]

A coworkers X5 burned to the ground. He said he was driving it and saw some smoke so he pulled over, got out and saw some smoke and a bit of fire under it. Got the kids out and the car was a hot rusty shell by the time the FD showed up.

There are a number of reported cases of these things going up in flames. Not common by any means though

[Swanny]

We just went through the same situation as you...aside from the kid part.

I have been using my e30 for a daily for over 4 years now as an outside sales rep. I really needed something roomier and a little more "modern" to carry clients around and haul stuff for work. I really wanted an X5 and was digging for a 3.0 since I had heard off all the issues with the V8 cars.

I drove an e39 wagon for kicks after driving several X5s. I got into another X5 and immediately went back to buy the wagon. Hands down one of the best decisions ever. I ended up getting a 540, but I knew I was getting into a money pit. Shop around for an e39 wagon and try it out. You'll likely be over the idea of an SUV in heartbeat. I have a ton more room, decent fuel economy, a good DIY database, comfort and safety. Best decision I ever made as far as cars go. Just my .02.

For serious. I love my e39 wagon to death. It's an amazing daily.

Whats the reasoning behind the suv? Higher ride height, safety, 4 wheel drive?

With 4 proper snow tires my touring was unstoppable in upstate ny snow. The traction control system in these things is wonderful! It always intervened at the right time and I never worried about kicking out or drifting on the highway. Granted mine is only an m52tu with an automatic....
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by driving one. I'd say take a look for volvos, e46(you can find these as an ix), and e39 tourings.

But it you are set on an suv certainly check toyota out. I also have a 2002 tundra (granted it only shares a base with the sequoia) that has been great. Only exception being rust. They get rust quicker than a ginger getting a nick name in grade school. Luckily toyota has been great with putting out recalls to fix frame/sub frame issues.
Another cheap cheap cheap option is an Isuzu rodeo. I can honestly say that the 97 I had never let me down and I did some IGNORANT things in it. I was the go to guy to pull out my friends lifted s10 and dakota when they'd inevitably get stuck in a field. Also averaged 18-20mpg.

[NeedaE30]

i was selling cars at a dealership once.. we got a beautiful x5 in.. low mileage immaculate condition took a sticker no problem and everything worked.. sold it to a young woman who had 3 kids.. she returned the next day, with the x5 on a tow truck, radiator and heatercore exploded simultaneously, coolant all over the engine bay and passenger compartment needless to say we gave her all of her money back, Then ended up gaving her a free ford focus station wagon which she loved and never returned again..

[amcink]

Own the 4.4 for about 6 years now. The major item done was that the reverse went bad on the F clutch seal 2K repaired. Wife drives it on an average of 6K a year, it is a beast and the other maintenance items that just arose will be rear bushing and some vacuum leaks due to some broken hoses. I do all the maintenance on it (except for the transmission problem) other than that just regular oil change at 5K, valve and fuel system cleaners with Lubro Molly products.

Got some tires 2 years ago and it was 1K for all four

Will try to keep it for a while but yes a Toyota will be something more affordable if something major goes wrong.

The SUV paint,body and interior are still 10/10 and when on freeway this are beasts 120 mph to LA and ti feels that you are cruising.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Thanks for all the responses!

I'm not too stuck on an SUV, just wanting to get her into something roomy with decent fuel economy and AWD/4wd is a plus.

That said, I may be picking up a low mileage E34 3.5 5speed this weekend to replace the 5.0 E30.

As far as the station wagons go, I can't even get her to consider a wagon WRX.

[chance]

getting rid of the 5.0 e30 already? You just built it lol.

And you should never have any problems out of that 3.5

[TimKninja]

Pretty much everything everyone has allready said.

The 3.0's are substantially easier to maintain and work on.

The window regulators often fall apart, most of the time its the plastic $5 clips that hold the window to the regulator.

Door handle carriers shatter all the time.

Their not that bad to work on. as far as interior shit goes.

The only variation i would consider owning is the 3.0 With the stick. Unless you have thousands to dump into it run away.

[word is bond]

She's anti-wagon entirely? Well, that's disappointing. I'd still take an E39 sedan over an x5. I always find modern SUVs are smaller on the inside than I expect.
I'll never understand why the American public decided that SUVs should replace wagons as the family car. Maybe a combination of machismo, and a desire for a "commanding view of the road?" Personally, I prefer the nimbleness of a car, over the lumbering but commanding view of trucks/suvs.

[SeatownE30]

We've owned our 05 X5 3.0 for five years now with no problems except a bad coil pack. We've had nothing but a good experience with ours. We picked the 6 cyl for this exact reason. :)