shaq98

Hi,

I believe this topic might have been discussed before but I need some feedback from you guys.

My wife is pregnant and we are in need of purchasing an SUV.
We have done some research and test driving and came down to two final options.

1. 2009 BMW X5 3.0 for $35,000 (from a private party with 1 year of Bumper to Bumper warranty remaining)
2. 2010 Lexus RX 350 for $40,000 (from a dealer with CPO warranty)

We are planning to drive the SUV for a while. At least more than 5 years.
What is your pick?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Cruiter

Newer and better car with CPO warranty for 5k more? I'd try to swing that if possible. But I'm biased

dnkyle

I'll pick Lexus not because of I'm member of Club Lexus but in the long run Lexus more reliable and much cheaper than X5 for maintain.

Good luck with your decision and congrat on the baby.

RoverBoi88

definitely the lexus over the bmw... bmw has changed their policy so much these days on their maintenence program.. kinda tired of bringing my 650 in for service and they keep asking for my warranty papers... definitely a lexus with a great japanese motor and will certainly take you a looooonnngggg way on those engines...

RuninRoach

is the x5 with the 7 seater option? I have a 2004 rx300 (asia model and therefore this combo is possible) and i have been looking at the x5 recently too (2008 model). Lexus vs BMW maintenance in hong kong is on par with each other but i am just as confused as you about an upgrade.

the only thing the BMW has going for itself is a bit more solid and the extra 2 seats (when parents are in town, it would be a dream to have), but for the price i can get a 2007 mercedes r series AMG.

Decisions, decisions....

BertL

As others have said, I'd also suggest the Lexus -- especially from the attention to customer service, easy warranty repairs IF needed, and overall reliability.

I had and sold a BMW (335i) this past Fall, and main reasons for getting rid of it was not how great a driver it was, but horrible reliability to the point I didn't really trust it to take long trips in any longer, challenges at times working through warranty claims, very high cost of longer-term maintenance, and their "free 4-year maintenance" was a joke to me ... had to go back to get each item done on the schedule identified by the car's computer -- i.e. I could not anticipate much of anything and multiple times was in having service and within 1-2 weeks, the light or message would show up, and I would have to go back for something else as the local dealer was not authorized to do (what they sometimes agreed would soon be needed) the work yet... Phewww. Hopefully you get my point -- how a vehicle drives is one thing, but reliability and total cost of ownership including maintenance over it's anticipated life and my time dealing with it are also big parts of my equation that I'm not so sure a lot of people always consider in their decision making.

Good luck on your decision!

joenew61

I had a related decision, albeit for new vehicles, a month ago, and I went with the Lexus. The X5 was definitely more fun to drive, but the littany of quirky electronics issues that I found doing research on the BMW stopped me in my tracks. This is even more of an issue with a pre-owned vehicle than new.

I am convinced that BMWs are engineered for people who plan to lease them, not those who plan to own them when they are off-lease and off-warranty. Or maybe they are engineered for those that have a fleet of cars in the driveway and are insensitive to repair costs.

BertL

I SO agree with you. In addition, the BMW "free 4-year maintenance" aligns with that and is very minimalistic. Even well known BMW enthusiasts recommend supplementing the free maintenance program with more frequent oil changes and the like if one is planning to keep their vehicle for the long haul.

GrandSedanFan

iTrader: (1)

CPO Warranty. Repairs on the BMW out of warranty will eat you out of house and home.

markrivers

Ever wonder why second hand Bimmers are priced just right?
That's because the previous owner is passing the head ache to you when it comes to repair.
Go with the Lexus.

The only way i will consider driving a BMW "again" is if im leasing it for 3 years.

gqscholar

My father has a BMW roadster

He loves how it drives, but he can't stand the fact that he has to keep taking it to the dealer for routine maintenance and repairs.

He brought the extended warranty which was expensive. He has yet to come across a repair/tow that he had to pay for out of pocket but it’s still is a nonsense.

He had to have his car towed 3 times; one time was after leaving a car wash. Something about the water and the sensors or something. It was covered under the insurance but it still was a hassle and it ruined his entire weekend that he had planned.

Maybe my father just had a lemon, the dealer claimed it wasn't and that he's been having well documented issues, nothing surprising, which bothers my father even more.

m1964

Is it possible to get 2012 RX -the cheapest would be probaly ~43000, w/o NAV, but given the high resale value of 2010 RX 350 of $40,000 , i'd look at new 2012 models.

When I asked my indy mech what to buy he said that X5s "having a lot of issues"...
Another option is MDX-it is cheaper then RX.

happy1977

Well, like what most said, go with RX.

2011RX350

Lexus. The kickers for me would be greater reliability, better fuel economy, less depreciation, and warranty. BTW, I bought a fully loaded FWD CPO 2011 RX350 w 12,900 miles for $39k in Sarasota so I think you can do better. You should be able to find a loaded CPO 2010 for $35k.

joenew61

Do a search on MDX and transmission issues, and you will probably come to a different conclusion.

There is a nice 80+ page thread on it.