My friend is thinking of buying a "new" SUV and is looking at a 2001 BMW X5 right now. It's perfect but just not sure of the reliability. Any of u guys have any input on that?

(it has the 4.4 liter engine)

Thanks.

4.4 was reliable, but mileage and maintenance records will be his friend here... he should try 03-05 model years...

I've always felt a BMW (especially a turbo version) is a after 4/50 warranty dump vehicle.
BMW's parts and labor are very expensive.
I wouldn't buy a BMW used but buying certified used is the only way to go,IMO.

ok. thanks alot

I have known a few people who have BMW pass warranty, some are very relaible while some are not. I would not use a general statment that all BMW are less reliable when pass warranty. Also, BMW parts are no more expensive than Lexus parts.

Not reliable but it is a fun vehicle for a SUV. The less miles the better and please ensure maintenance records are complete.

I can't agree.
Most BMW parts are more expensive and I know BMW service is definitely more expensive per hour at least in my area.

IIRC it has 161 556 miles. but the maintenance records seem to be complete and brake rotors and brake pads were recently replaced and it has new gearbox fluid and new oil. And the previous owner said that it's quiet - no weird noises...

but it seems way too much miles to me

The engines blow up & they crash & burn..

Like any other vehicle, maintainence is key.

After all of the internet responses, what are you going to tell your friend op?

Avoid like the plague.

I agree with your statement. I was skeptical prior to 2006 after swallowing all of the doom & gloom internet banter.. Guess what? It was all hot air.

Dash,do you agree that most BMW parts are more expensive than Lexus?

There will be those that are going to tell you otherwise from common knowledge. If you read posts, you know what to expect. Think about it for a seconds. We have read here post after post of issues especially after warranty. The car has over 150k miles.

Will it run? Of course. Will it cost an arm and a leg? Yup. It is up to the potential buyer if paying for out of warranty costs (which WILL NOT be a rare occurrence) is worth it.

Anyone can go and browse the BMW forums and read the same thing. Lease it then release it. If you keep it prepare yourself to pay to keep it running.

This was a big recall concerning brake lines.
http://www.salon.com/tech/wire/2003/...bmw/index.html

Here is a post on the BMW forum on what to look for.

Valve cover gaskets, CV boots, thrust arm bushings, thermosdat, water pump, expansion tank, belts, hoses, transmission service (the 100k service thing is a crock), diff service, missping pixles on the displays, HVAC controls. All should have been done at 60k if anyone cared about the vehicle. If not, you will be doing them after you buy it. Look for an X5 with old school maintenance. It is expensive to keep them up if all they got was the bull.**** "factory recommended service". BMW required lots of preventative maintenance before they started selling the cars with "maintenance included" which basically equals almost no maintenance. Good luck.

he pretty much nailed everything except rear upper control arms and ball joints. if they havent been replaced by now they will need to be. the X5 suffers from suspension components wearing out since its mostly E39 5 series but with more weight

One of the in-laws owns a 4.4 X5, and based on his experiences, I wouldn't recommend it. If it wasn't for the hit from depreciation, he would've long gotten rid of it. He's had a number of issues, some smaller than others, but most notable being the electronics and full replacement of the nav system on his very low mileage vehicle. It's otherwise a nice and solid SUV, though not the most practical IMO.

As to the cost of parts replacement, I'd say it depends on the dealer, but it definitely is high. With that many miles on it, I personally wouldn't do it, or at the very least, do the homework so that he knows what he'd be getting into.

With that mileage, BIG +1

I have a very good friend who does BMW restoration as well as Lexus/Toyota and many others as his business and have seen his invoices... BMW parts are MUCH cheaper than Toyota Lexus...