I am looking to buy at X5m or 50i looking for new owner advice

[PanthersFX]

Hi guys,

Newbie here, figured I'd hit up the BMW forums. I am researching on replacing my Infiniti FX35 and buy a BMW.
Coming from owning my 2nd FX35. I had the both the first and 2nd generation and finding the car very enjoyable and reliable.
Almost 90K on my car and no issues just basic maintenance work and been running without any problems like the day I bought it.
Leaning toward the X5M, when I research the pricing is bit more than the 50i but love the look, speed and styling better. I was shopping Land Rover HSE, Porsche Cayenne turbo and Jeep Cherokee SRT8.
I am seeing several X5M's out there between 70-100K miles going for around $18k to $27k the 50i are going for bit less at $12k to $20K with bit less mileage
Sorry for all the newbie questions will be my first BMW, excited, nervous and scared all at the same time. Coming from owning Japanese cars that are very reliable is a strange place.
This bring me to my questions about things to look for and reliability.

1) Reading post after post seems to find that some of the X5ms are more reliable then the 50i is that right? Appears to be some common issue with the 50i

2) Are there any specific issue and concerns look at when shopping for X5m

3) I was considering getting a warranty will they warranty a car that’s 7-8 years old with this higher mileage?

4) Is there a better warranty provider or will BMW still provide it ? (having reading good things about easycare from post)

Thanks for any advice or guidance in advance!!!

[Nuckle]

If I had it to do all over again I would get the 50i. Don't get me wrong, I love the M. It is an absolute beast but after 25k miles I find myself wanting something a bit more practical. Something I wouldn't mind putting a hitch on, something that didn't eat tires like a fat baby eats bananas and something with seating that is a bit more comfortable. I will likely start looking at trading mine for a G06 50i next year once they start discounting them.

Anyone out a hitch on their M? I need something to pull my ranger and hunting season is closing in.

[SNAGuy]

Originally Posted by Nuckle

If I had it to do all over again I would get the 50i. Don't get me wrong, I love the M. It is an absolute beast but after 25k miles I find myself wanting something a bit more practical. Something I wouldn't mind putting a hitch on, something that didn't eat tires like a fat baby eats bananas and something with seating that is a bit more comfortable. I will likely start looking at trading mine for a G06 50i next year once they start discounting them.

Anyone out a hitch on their M? I need something to pull my ranger and hunting season is closing in.

You can put a hitch on an X5M and in fact there is an amazing after market hidden hitch option out there.

http://www.invisihitch.com/hitches/

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by PanthersFX

Hi guys,

Newbie here, figured I'd hit up the BMW forums. I am researching on replacing my Infiniti FX35 and buy a BMW.
Coming from owning my 2nd FX35. I had the both the first and 2nd generation and finding the car very enjoyable and reliable.
Almost 90K on my car and no issues just basic maintenance work and been running without any problems like the day I bought it.
Leaning toward the X5M, when I research the pricing is bit more than the 50i but love the look, speed and styling better. I was shopping Land Rover HSE, Porsche Cayenne turbo and Jeep Cherokee SRT8.
I am seeing several X5M's out there between 70-100K miles going for around $18k to $27k the 50i are going for bit less at $12k to $20K with bit less mileage
Sorry for all the newbie questions will be my first BMW, excited, nervous and scared all at the same time. Coming from owning Japanese cars that are very reliable is a strange place.
This bring me to my questions about things to look for and reliability.

First, welcome to the forums! There is definitely a wealth of information and informative people (me excluded, of course) on here.

Just to get started, you mentioned below that you may be looking for a X5/X5M that is 7-8 years old. If you are, you are in the wrong forum. That is the previous generation vehicle and their forum can be found here. Additionally, that model year engine (N63 in the X5 and S63 in the X5M) was known for developing bad valve seals, particularly in high mileage examples, and is a fairly expensive fix. Most of us would advise against these motors. But, you will find much better information in the forums I linked to above.

The newer version of the engine found in F-series vehicles (2014+) is the N63TU and the S63TU (the "TU" stands for Technical Update), and most people agree it has been better overall. You will find very few people here with 70k+ miles on their V8 so the reliability information you seek may be hard to find. In general, I believe many of us would be very uncomfortable owing a BMW V8 with that many miles and an unknown history.

1) Reading post after post seems to find that some of the X5ms are more reliable then the 50i is that right? Appears to be some common issue with the 50i

Something to consider: There are a lot more F15/F16 X5 50i's on the road than there are F85/F86 X5M/X6Ms. Therefore, you are going to hear about problems a lot more. In all actuality, the F series (2014+) have been quite reliable. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any common engine/drivetrain related issues with the motors. If you have specific concerns, feel free to ask them here.

2) Are there any specific issue and concerns look at when shopping for X5m

Some X5M owners have been complaining about wheel bearing issues, but again, there have been really few issues with these vehicles.

3) I was considering getting a warranty will they warranty a car that’s 7-8 years old with this higher mileage?

Good luck with that! Those that have researched an extended warranty BEFORE their factory warranty expired (at the end of year 4) have been getting prices in the $4000-$5000 range for 1-2 years of extension. At the mileage your talking about, forget it. Any warranty you do find for a reasonable price will exclude anything useful.

4) Is there a better warranty provider or will BMW still provide it ? (having reading good things about easycare from post)

Read above. If a warranty is important to you, you either need to buy a much newer model or choose a different manufacturer!

Some things to consider:

The X5 was available in multiple different suspensions setups and each drives very differently.

Standard
M-Adaptive (M-Sport models only)
DHP (Dynamic Handling Package)
DHP with M-Adaptive (M-Sport models only)

The vast majority of vehicles will have the standard suspension. If you can find one with an optional suspension, it's worth test driving.

The X5M, if I'm not mistaken, has no options when it comes to suspension but is fully decked out in that regard. It is also stiffer and significantly more "planted". But, the ride can be firm and harsh, particularly in the winter on the pothole laden New England roads. Speaking of winter, all X5M's and any X5 with the 20" optional rims will come with high performance summer tires. If your planning on driving this in the winter months in a snowy location, you will at least need to swap the tires for an All Season set or get a second set of rims with dedicated winter tires.

German cars in general (and BMW high performance models specifically) require a lot more maintenance, and the maintenance tends to be a lot more expensive than Japanese vehicles. It's just the nature of the beast. And I do mean BEAST. The BMWs you are considering are amazingly fast and nimble for their size, and that's before we talk about a tune.

You have some fun vehicles listed above, and I haven't driven them all, but I can tell you this:
The SRT8 will not perform or handle as well as the X in the real world.
The HSE is a wonderful vehicle, but it will definitely not handle like the X.
The Cayenne Turbo.... Now this is a truly special vehicle. If this is in your price range, you would be foolish not to compare it directly with the X5M and make up your own mind.

I hope I didn't confuse you!

[18BMWX5M]

Originally Posted by Nuckle

If I had it to do all over again I would get the 50i. Don't get me wrong, I love the M. It is an absolute beast but after 25k miles I find myself wanting something a bit more practical. Something I wouldn't mind putting a hitch on, something that didn't eat tires like a fat baby eats bananas and something with seating that is a bit more comfortable. I will likely start looking at trading mine for a G06 50i next year once they start discounting them.

Anyone out a hitch on their M? I need something to pull my ranger and hunting season is closing in.

I have a hitch installed on mine and mines the BMW hitch.

[Nuckle]

Originally Posted by 18BMWX5M

I have a hitch installed on mine and mines the BMW hitch.

I really appreciate the hitch pictures. I think I will do the BMW hitch. Do you remember what you paid? Seems like dealer said about $1200 installed.

The invisihitch is awesome but I couldn't bring myself to paying the premium for the hitch plus $800 to install on a leased vehicle that will be turned in.

[18BMWX5M]

Originally Posted by Nuckle

I really appreciate the hitch pictures. I think I will do the BMW hitch. Do you remember what you paid? Seems like dealer said about $1200 installed.

The invisihitch is awesome but I couldn't bring myself to paying the premium for the hitch plus $800 to install on a leased vehicle that will be turned in.

I don't I bought the pieces off getbmeparts.com and then had it installed from BMW

[SNAGuy]

Originally Posted by Nuckle

I really appreciate the hitch pictures. I think I will do the BMW hitch. Do you remember what you paid? Seems like dealer said about $1200 installed.

The invisihitch is awesome but I couldn't bring myself to paying the premium for the hitch plus $800 to install on a leased vehicle that will be turned in.

Totally understandable.

I own mine so for me was a no brainer (I use it almost twice a week for my bike carrier) to have the versatility of the hitch without seeing there's a hitch when not using it.

[pachieh]

Few thoughts. If you have an M in your list, then chances are high that you REALLY want an M.

1) I believe BMW will do a SILVER/GOLD/PLATINUM warranty for 7-8 years, you are just going to pay A LOT for it.
2) No options for the M on suspension. You get what you get and for good reason.
3) Whatever you do, do NOT get the 20" wheel set. Replacement summer tires in stock sizes means you ONLY get Pirelli P-Zero and they suck compared to Michelin PSS. If you DO get 20s like mine came with, turn your 20s into a winter set and buy some nice 21/22s with Michelin PSS for summer fun.
4) Maintenance isn't cheap. I'm glad I have the maintenance program. My last oil change, cabin filter change, inspection, new battery per SIB would have cost me $850+. But it didn't. PHEW!
5) If you get a hitch, IMO get the Invisihitch. Yes you can get a BMW one, but it makes the ass of this thing hideous. Get something for about the same price that you can actually hide.

Like previous posters, you must be looking at an older GEN X5M because the current F85 won't be $18-27k at that mileage. I wouldn't buy a car that is 3 years or less old that has that much mileage anyway as there's lots of wear and tear in that amount of time.

I looked seriously at a Cayenne Turbo. But I didn't get it for two reasons. 1) I didn't like the 8,000 buttons in the interior 2) It wasn't worth the price premium over an X5M.

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by Nuckle

If I had it to do all over again I would get the 50i. Don't get me wrong, I love the M. It is an absolute beast but after 25k miles I find myself wanting something a bit more practical. Something I wouldn't mind putting a hitch on, something that didn't eat tires like a fat baby eats bananas and something with seating that is a bit more comfortable. I will likely start looking at trading mine for a G06 50i next year once they start discounting them.

Anyone out a hitch on their M? I need something to pull my ranger and hunting season is closing in.

Do you have an F85? Because I have 35k on my 2017 and don't have those complaints at all. I drive very aggressively, and I just recently changed the tires. I could probably have waited, but I had a flat and decided to just get it done. Not sure what problem you have with the seating either, at least my front seats are extremely comfortable and I've driven up to 14 hours straight with no issues.

I love my X5M as an everyday car and I feel like there are really no compromises with the one exception being the transmission programmers which could be a lot better. It's fast, comfortable, and has everything I need.

As for the Jeep SRT, I had one of those too and loved it. I probably would have kept it if I hadn't started modifying it too much to the point where it had to be go to the dealer too much. If there's anything I really hate about domestic cars it's the dealership experience, BMW is a much more pleasant ownership experience all around. Going to a domestic dealership is just depressing.

[Apple Corps]

I would chime in with the opinion that an 85,000+ mile X5 5.0 / X5M that is 7 or more years old is NOT the place to start your BMW experience.

[Nuckle]

Originally Posted by atxgt3

Do you have an F85? Because I have 35k on my 2017 and don't have those complaints at all. I drive very aggressively, and I just recently changed the tires. I could probably have waited, but I had a flat and decided to just get it done. Not sure what problem you have with the seating either, at least my front seats are extremely comfortable and I've driven up to 14 hours straight with no issues.

I love my X5M as an everyday car and I feel like there are really no compromises with the one exception being the transmission programmers which could be a lot better. It's fast, comfortable, and has everything I need.

As for the Jeep SRT, I had one of those too and loved it. I probably would have kept it if I hadn't started modifying it too much to the point where it had to be go to the dealer too much. If there's anything I really hate about domestic cars it's the dealership experience, BMW is a much more pleasant ownership experience all around. Going to a domestic dealership is just depressing.

I have an F85, its a 2017. It was an executive demo and got new rubber the day I bought it with 5,000mi on the OD. I had to put a set on it right at 15k mi, all 4 were past the wear bars. Its now at 26k mi and the fronts are shot, rears have some life left. I have the 20" wheels and the only tire you can get is the P-Zero. Maybe you have the 21" wheel and the Michelin SS tires last longer?

We will just have to disagree on the seats. To me they are not comfortable. Are they perfect for this vehicle? Yes, they are very good for a performance SAV/SUV. They hold you in the seat just as they should but compared to other luxury brands (even the shitty ones like lexus and infititi) they are not even close to comfortable. I have put 20k mi on mine in 12 months but it is not my daily driver. My daily sees double that.

As I said, I love the M so I am not bashing it. Just saying that the 50i would likely suite me better. I see an M4 convertible in my future and a G06 50i for my daily.

[Kief]

Originally Posted by atxgt3

Do you have an F85? Because I have 35k on my 2017 and don't have those complaints at all. I drive very aggressively, and I just recently changed the tires. I could probably have waited, but I had a flat and decided to just get it done.

Wait a minute...you drive very aggressively (but even if you drove like a grandma) and were able to get 35k miles out of a set of tires on your F85???

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by Kief

Wait a minute...you drive very aggressively (but even if you drove like a grandma) and were able to get 35k miles out of a set of tires on your F85???

Yep. I have the 21" with the Super Sports. The Super Sports always last forever on all my cars.

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by Nuckle

I have an F85, its a 2017. It was an executive demo and got new rubber the day I bought it with 5,000mi on the OD. I had to put a set on it right at 15k mi, all 4 were past the wear bars. Its now at 26k mi and the fronts are shot, rears have some life left. I have the 20" wheels and the only tire you can get is the P-Zero. Maybe you have the 21" wheel and the Michelin SS tires last longer?

We will just have to disagree on the seats. To me they are not comfortable. Are they perfect for this vehicle? Yes, they are very good for a performance SAV/SUV. They hold you in the seat just as they should but compared to other luxury brands (even the shitty ones like lexus and infititi) they are not even close to comfortable. I have put 20k mi on mine in 12 months but it is not my daily driver. My daily sees double that.

As I said, I love the M so I am not bashing it. Just saying that the 50i would likely suite me better. I see an M4 convertible in my future and a G06 50i for my daily.

Yes, I have the Michelins and they last forever. What specifically is your complaint about the seat? Are they too hard? I'm about 200lbs and they feel great to me, but years of squatting has given me a lot of extra padding down there so maybe I'm not so sensitive to it.

[Nuckle]

Originally Posted by atxgt3

Yes, I have the Michelins and they last forever. What specifically is your complaint about the seat? Are they too hard? I'm about 200lbs and they feel great to me, but years of squatting has given me a lot of extra padding down there so maybe I'm not so sensitive to it.

Yes too hard for the most part. I don't hate them but find that on a longer ride I have a sore ass.

Still a bit shocked the Michelin's last you as long as they do, cool climate? Other have reported about 15k miles on the Ss's.

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by Nuckle

Yes too hard for the most part. I don't hate them but find that on a longer ride I have a sore ass.

Still a bit shocked the Michelin's last you as long as they do, cool climate? Other have reported about 15k miles on the Ss's.

I'm in Texas so definitely not a cool climate, lol. I've always had good luck with the Super Sports. 15k seems incredibly low, I'm not sure what could cause that kind of wear.

[Nuckle]

Originally Posted by atxgt3

I'm in Texas so definitely not a cool climate, lol. I've always had good luck with the Super Sports. 15k seems incredibly low, I'm not sure what could cause that kind of wear.

5,270lbs and 570hp

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by Nuckle

5,270lbs and 570hp

I've had 700+ HP on mine for the life of the car, and I drive it in Sport with the transmission set to 3. I'd think I'd wear mine out quicker than the average X5M.

[Nuckle]

Originally Posted by atxgt3

I've had 700+ HP on mine for the life of the car, and I drive it in Sport with the transmission set to 3. I'd think I'd wear mine out quicker than the average X5M.

I guess the rest of us are doing it wrong then.

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by Nuckle

I guess the rest of us are doing it wrong then.

No need to get defensive, I'm only relaying my personal experience. I got great life out of my tires. Why? I don't know, but it's consistent with my experience with the same tires on other high performance cars. Maybe different road surfaces contribute to higher wear, I don't know.

[atxgt3]

Speaking of seats, I got an X5 35i as a loaner today and the seats are pretty awful. I sink right into the cushion (too much), but the back is rock hard. I couldn't get comfortable. The M seats fit me like a glove and are supportive, the 35i seats felt sloppy and uneven. If the 50i has the same seats I'm not impressed.