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Hi AceEngineer. Welcome to the Bimmer club. I own a 2005 4.4 and it is a great car. If the car is as well maintained as you mention then you should enjoy it. The E53 X5 4.4 can be expensive to maintain. Some of the things to look for are gasket leaks. Valley Pan Gasket, Alternator Stand Gasket, and as all BMWs the Valve cover gasket. Also all Bimmers have cooling issues. Part of the reason for this is due to the BMW recommended lifetime fill. Change coolant every 30-50k miles. Same goes for the transmission flush ever 60K. Spark plugs every 50k. Mine has 130k on it but runs and looks show room. Engine on these are very sturdy with regular oil changes. I do mine every 5k. Check suspension and CV boots. Differential fluid changes front and rear should be addressed if not done. It sounds like you bought from an enthusiast so he may have had these all done recently but I would look over the records to confirm. I have used Mobile 1 Euro 0-40 but they recently changed the formula so it is no longer compatible with our engines. I have had to switch to Liquimoly and it is much more expensive. BMWs are great driving cars and you got one of the last with Hydraulic steering. New BMW's don't drive or feel anything like they use to with the electric set up. I hope you enjoy your E53.
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