edmiston

Hi All,
I am a long time BMW fan who is considering reentering the fray. I have been driving a Toyota Sienna (gasp) for the sheer practicality of it (three kids ages 8-11, frequent hauling of bikes and kayaks) but I am ready to sacrifice some function to regain the fun to drive aspect. I find the X5 to be obese and short on utility, so like many of you I despair of the temporary absence of the 5 series estate from our shores. From what I have read however, it seems the current 5 has lost a great deal of what made BMWs great - road feel. So tomorrow I am off to see a 2008 535xit with 31k miles. I have read of their many issues, but I am still tempted to give it go. The car is under warranty until Dec 2013, so I do have some protection. If I do purchase, first on the agenda is a major audio upgrade. I am also being egged on towards a JB4!

We shall see!

cwickberg

I've been a big fan of wagons...Had 95 525iT, 2003 MB C320, 2004 MB E320(CPO) and 2006 E61...By far E 61 has been the worst. I've also had 2001 X5 and 1999 MB ML 320. Wagons are the way to go IMO. I've been disappointed with the E61... nothing really harsh or specific, jyust too many troubles, ( sunroof leaks, AC, water pump, etc.

When I get rid of this wagon the end of the year or so, I am going to lay off the Euro brands for a while...

Best of luck with your purchase. I am in central FL as well.

vanos

I also love wagons. I've owned an A4 Avant (B6), an Audi allroad and now the E61. For me, the allroad was the most expensive to maintain and I'm hoping the E61 is better. This time around I did not go with the turbo, I chose a 530xiT. With all Euros you need to find a CPO car and then an a trustworthy independent mechanic. And yes, they are costly to maintain but they provide so much pleasure.

edmiston

I was afraid to bring this up on a BMW forum....but if I decide not to play Russian roulette with an E61, I may take a (nearly) opposite tack. I have been given a very favorable quote from our local MB dealer to order a 2012 M diesel. No, it won't handle like a BMW (but in all honesty, about the only curvy roads in Florida are the interstate off ramps), however the interior looks great, quiet as a vault, supremely comfortable, tows like a champ and lots of luggage room. Hopefully more reliable.

vanos

Personally, I am not a fan of MB nor SUV's. The previous gen ML's were not very reliable, don't know about the new gen. If you want reliability, go Japanese. If you do go with the ML, great choice on the diesel. However, if you are on a lease who cares about reliability as the car will be under full warranty for the duration of the lease.

norsecarnut

Whoah edmiston! You're considering an M even though you just said the reason for change was some "fun" factor? Really?

Look, last I saw the M is not 3rd row, nor are they all that "fun" to drive compared to the other options, and there are several really.

As for the "many" E61 "issues" I'm not sure what they are that cannot simply be dealt with over time, it's not like the engines are blowing or major mechanical meltdowns are happening. So the high pressure fuel pump goes out, so what, they replace it as many times are needed within 100,000 miles and 12 years, or 10 years, whatever it is. The sunroof itself is not an issue, people parking under crud which can clog drains is the issue, and guess what, it's a simply maintenance solution not harder than checking the oil, etc so while the car is in for regular service, just have that on the list and nothing will ever happen to your drainage.

Anyway, you mentioned 3 kids, plus a driver (yourself I presume) and maybe there than is also another adult sometimes? Why not a 3rd row solution? Obviously you thought of the X5 but I must stress, not all X5 are created equal, not even close. The ones I have test driven base model vs highest spec suspension, is like comparing the most base 3 series to an actual performance suspension package version. On the x5 especially, there is the option for the adaptive or dynamic suspension in the rear which dramatically sports it up.

I'd give it another go and consider the x5 - 35d version. Or, go check out the Q7tdi, I've heard people go on and on about how much they are happy with them and my test drives say it's not bad at all.

Of course, if budget is an issue, I just mentioned two suv's that can easily cost near $80k when built to my own personal spec while a used, cpo, even low mileage e61 could be half that if you are patient.

Joni74

I had E61 and I love´d to drive it, but the wiring problems made my mind and i drive now toyota rav4. I have 2 kid´s, bmx, snowboards and all kind of hobbies but do i fine with rav4 with roof box. My next car might be Bmw, but has to be X3 or X5.

MarsKy

I just had a Toyota RAV4 T180 for 3 years, and recently went to a BMW E61 520d M Sport.
Go to some of the RAV4 forums and see the problems they are having with the 180 bhp engine being replaced under warranty, EGR valves getting blocked, run-flat tyres being a whole load of problems (support ring and pressure sensor inside tyre giving very expensive problems when getting a puncture, like GBP 400 a wheel).

Went and saw the new X3 yesterday - but too small.
If only we could get right-hand-drive 5 series X drive in UK...

TLO03

What are the many issuse?