Got myself another SUV - More pics up

[miamiheat3332]

No the R50 isnt gone.

But i pulled the trigger today.

2006 BMW X5 4.8is, the most powerful one offered other then the x5m but thats $$ and brand new.

I'll be posting up more pictures and a vid of the exhaust tomorrow - the stock exhaust on this thing sounds mean.

I already washed/detailed it tonight too, working into like 3am lol.

But heres a teaser for now-




The big 3-




More pics today:




























Questions/Comments welcome as usual.

[DAiNiUS]

You got the my favorite model! The last year of production with the rare 4.8. I'm seriously jealous! MOAR PICTURES!!1one

[Chris.m]

At first I was going to ask: "Why you buy another SUV and not a performance car like an e39 M5?"

So I started searching

Price is similar for an 2003 m5 and a 2006 4.8is

Gas mileage is somehow better on the 4.8is compared to the M5

Official acceleration is 6.1s for the 4.8is and 4.8s for the M5, so the x5 is still pretty respectable.

And I guess the x5 is more practical because its a SUV.

Have you looked into the imminent crazy expensive repairs that drove the 4.8is's price down?

Because to be fair, you could have gotten a 03/04 Porsche Cayenne for nearly the same money that could do 0-60 in 5.3s.

Is it safe to assume you got a really good deal?

[miamiheat3332]

Yeah, i looked around for ones with the same mileage and year range, and for what i got, 2006 with 63.4k i would pay 25k+ easy. I paid under that by a few g's.

Another thing that was also a "bonus" that one of the service guys came in and told me at the end after already buying it, is it has another set of wheels, the stock 18"s that come on the 4.4i and lesser versions with continental wintertires on them.

The rubber on the 20"s is also close to brand new, continental extremecontact dws - full set from tirerack 1k.

Brakes have been done in the last 10k, 1 owner, had service history even in the carfax, and the dealer i bought it from got it as a trade in literally about 2-3 days ago. It was also serviced there.

And about maintenance, i absolutely do everything DIY. So thats not to much of an issue, some parts will be more expensive yes, but the features this has compared to the pathfinder or my audi is unimaginable, then again it was 73k back in 2006.

And if its something i really cant DIY or need help cause its ridiculously complicated or something, i have a family friend who works at a ferrari restoration place, and he works on high end cars on the side.

[miamiheat3332]

@ Chris - M

Yeah i like the X5 for multiple reasons, 1 cause of the styling, 2 air suspension, 3 power, and 4 your riding in a tank of a car. Big presence on the road.

I have to tell you driving it around today, im only 18, but man there were like 50 year old guys turning heads.

Anyways so far, i love it.

@ Danius-

Yeah at first i started searching i wanted a 4.6is, with a little more searching i ended up finding they introduced a 4.8is, so i was set on that one and not anything less.

I was also planning on buying an 04 with 89k on it, but then found this one for a great price, and i thought about it, rather spend a little more, its 2006, end of the lineup before a new one was introduced meaning most things should be worked out better over those years, and only 63k on the odo.

I didnt want some basic model like the 3.0 or 4.4i. This is top of the line.

[Chris.m]

I see, then well done.

I wish I had that kind of money to spend on cars when I was your age.

Side-note: I've been actively looking for a 2003 530i for a while now. It will be my economy car.

[zach7685]

i hate you nice car though XD Love bmws

[miamiheat3332]

Yeah, but with these cars its a slipperly slope. Cause its for one my hobby, and 2 you wont buy cheap cars anymore.

Before for example i thought my dads sonata was pretty comfortable and nice cruiser, yesterday after driving the x5 for like 80 miles from the dealer, then switching with my dad about 10 miles before home, the sonata felt like a geo metro.

Once you buy Audis/Bmws i dont see going back to anything else lol. I still like Nissan but their older stuff like our r50. Im sure Mercedes is the same as the other 2.

Also what i like about this, ill get the same mileage as the path around city, but on the highway i can pull out around 21mpg at 70mph. Not bad.

And the other thing is im kind of used to this crappy mileage business anyways. Path isnt great, my audi is a 1.8 turbo, but since theres some hills and mostly shorter trips around here, i get like 19-20 with that anyways. And if i turn on ac in it during the summer and start gassing it a little, forget it, i might as well drive the x5 then.

[Pathfinder3.5]

Love the look of those things! I find it funny when I get looks in my Sorento. Mostly older people or younger kids. All the smokers at my school take a good look everytime I drive by haha

When i had the R50 my family would stare at other Sorento's on the road...never though we would have one by now. Still miss my pathy though

[miamiheat3332]

Thanks.

And so far im enjoying it a ton. Another bonus was also a remote start by the previous owner. Its a professional system, and a small remote that i dont mind as you see in the picture, it also does all the functions the BMW one does.

Power is amazing, more so at the top end, yesterday on garden state pky in jersey coming home from the dealer, at times id fall behind from my dad messing around with the radio controls and all, a little adjustment of the foot, and you start zooming, let alone stomping on it.

Exhaust at start up is mean, aggressive, deep tone, and also during driving, sounds like it means business. I''ll get a sound clip of it sometime this week.

Only mods happening to this in the near future are different color bulbs for the angle eyes, these are halogen type color, i want the newer blue bmw look. Yellow foglight tint on the fogs, and yellow 2.5k nokya bulbs, and maybe a set of quad chrome round exhaust tips versus the 2 rectangle.

I think i can also do the fog light drls with the BMW tool, kind of like audi has a tool called vag-com, bmw has DIS. I still have to find a cable on ebay, but i already found the software.

And yeah i already see it costing a bit more then normal, even the oil change, i put full syn in all my cars, but this requires 8.5 quarts, so thats an extra $20 just for the oil. But the drive so far and everything is uncomparable to anything else i've ever driven. Then again this is a 70k+ suv originally.

[Pathfinder3.5]

I've seen a few older BMW's around here with the aftermarket CCFL Angel eyes and they look great!

[SBK03SE]

Wow! You never fail to surprise us. Nice pick up!

[miamiheat3332]

Thanks man, i love it so far. I looked at your other thread with the subie, i like it, and you wanted something more fuel efficient / sporty - better option then the r50 haha.

[fueler]

Nice, welcome to the BMW club. I picked up a BMW 540i sport package and it's silver like yours!

[SBK03SE]

Thanks man, i love it so far. I looked at your other thread with the subie, i like it, and you wanted something more fuel efficient / sporty - better option then the r50 haha.

Thanks man, changing my headers+exhaust, retrofitting the lights, upgrading my speakers to Polks within the next few days.

So what's your rotation? How do you get to drive all of them haha?

[miamiheat3332]

Well the path is sitting in the garage for the last 2-3 weeks cause i didnt have time to change out all my vacuum lines and the sensor to get rid of the p1130 code but im doing that during t-giving.

The audi i drive to work, bmw right now for everything else like school and stuff.

When it snows and stuff and they salt/ put the gravel and sand crap down on the roads, ill keep the bmw parked and drive the audi or path until the roads are dry.

[miamiheat3332]

And honestly, nissan needs to change their direction soon.. Im a big nissan fan but mostly of the older stuff, only cars that they put out after 03-04 that are good is the pathfinder armada, 350/370, newest maxima (but thats still half assed, fwd? And no awd?) and only thing that keeps me interested with nissan is cause of infintis lineup, but you can see somethings wrong, i went to one of the biggest nissan dealers in jersey to buy a BMW lol.

And the newest pathfinder is despicable. 11 years newer and its power output is still the same and only one engine choice? It should have at least had the 3.7 as the weakest with a 6spd auto and then a 5.6 v8 from the qx56 as the better engine choice.