Feedback on my buying options

[JRide89]

Hello all. I am in the market for '13 x5. My wife just recently totaled our '12 f30 and so we are looking to upgrade from my e83 x3 to an x5. I took a new job that doesn't require any travel so we're going to consolidate to one vehicle for about 6 months.
So I have my eye on 3 different models in the Chicagoland area. They are all '13 and all within ~$2k of each-other and optioned very similarly. I am eyeing a 35d with 38k, a 35i M sport with 45k and a 50i M sport with 30k.
I have done my research and quite possibly over researched at this point so I am reaching out for opinions, guidance, whatever...
The man in me wants so badly to go with the 50i. It's black on black and is mint. The practical me is leaning diesel as she's a beauty Red with tan int. The compromise me says go with the 35i M sport carbon black with Oyster/black int. None of them are CPO. What to do...?

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by jrideX3

Hello all. I am in the market for '13 x5. My wife just recently totaled our '12 f30 and so we are looking to upgrade from my e83 x3 to an x5. I took a new job that doesn't require any travel so we're going to consolidate to one vehicle for about 6 months.
So I have my eye on 3 different models in the Chicagoland area. They are all '13 and all within ~$2k of each-other and optioned very similarly. I am eyeing a 35d with 38k, a 35i M sport with 45k and a 50i M sport with 30k.
I have done my research and quite possibly over researched at this point so I am reaching out for opinions, guidance, whatever...
The man in me wants so badly to go with the 50i. It's black on black and is mint. The practical me is leaning diesel as she's a beauty Red with tan int. The compromise me says go with the 35i M sport carbon black with Oyster/black int. None of them are CPO. What to do...?

Since you've done all the research/over-searched you already know the pros/cons to each motor, so no sense going down that road here.

It really comes down to what you want to drive. I never drove the 35d but drove 2 35i's and was surprised how well that motor pushed around a 5300 pound vehicle. I could have been happy with a properly optioned 35i, but I wanted to at least drive a 50i before making a purchase. Once I did the 3.0L motor was a distant memory, I had to have the extra HP and TQ, and the sound. I was willing to accept the possibility of additional maintenance and marginally worse fuel economy. FWIW my 50i has been bulletproof, would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Good luck w/ your choice. But yah, get the 50i

[socale39]

Like an investment, you are going to have to weigh the risk vs reward on this decision. You really need to drive the three and determine what suits you best knowing the reliability concerns with each engine.

[JRide89]

Originally Posted by jiggz

Since you've done all the research/over-searched you already know the pros/cons to each motor, so no sense going down that road here.

It really comes down to what you want to drive. I never drove the 35d but drove 2 35i's and was surprised how well that motor pushed around a 5300 pound vehicle. I could have been happy with a properly optioned 35i, but I wanted to at least drive a 50i before making a purchase. Once I did the 3.0L motor was a distant memory, I had to have the extra HP and TQ, and the sound. I was willing to accept the possibility of additional maintenance and marginally worse fuel economy. FWIW my 50i has been bulletproof, would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Good luck w/ your choice. But yah, get the 50i

So I'd like to tap your experience with the 50i. You say marginally worse mpg. I hear many say it's terrible. What kind of numbers do you get? I'd get one without hesitation but my wife is concerned about spending a lot of time at the pump. Do you know if I would be able to get the CCP recall items addressed still if they have not been? I know every experience is different and I am no stranger to a wrench, I just hear more horror stories than not. I can feel it in my bones that I need the 50i...

[socale39]

Gas mileage would be the least of my concern if I owned a 50i considering the reputation that engine has.

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by jrideX3

So I'd like to tap your experience with the 50i. You say marginally worse mpg. I hear many say it's terrible. What kind of numbers do you get? I'd get one without hesitation but my wife is concerned about spending a lot of time at the pump. Do you know if I would be able to get the CCP recall items addressed still if they have not been? I know every experience is different and I am no stranger to a wrench, I just hear more horror stories than not. I can feel it in my bones that I need the 50i...

The 50i is rated at 14/20 MPG while the 35i is rated 16/23 MPG. In my mind that's pretty much a wash, too little difference for me to care. I know the 35d gets better MPG but I don't know the numbers, I never considered the diesel.

If you buy a 50i and the CCP has not been done, you can most definitely still have that taken care of by your local BMW dealer. It's essentially a BMW recall, there's no expiration on it.

Check the thread linked below - you may have seen it in your research, but proof that many happy 50i owners exist on this forum.

http://www.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1351925

[sirdaft1]

I was just in your position a few months back and landed on a 35i. The N55 is the most reliable engine of the bunch and there is a bit of a cult following on the e9x platform that continues to push forward development with the same engine (thus, lots of support). It's worth keeping in mind that you can do a mild Stage 1+ flash tune on the 35i that can safely bring it to similar levels of a stock 50i (or be the first to throw on a Pure S2 turbo, upgraded LPFP, PI and bump it to 500-600whp ).

That being said, all three are great vehicles. Here is the way I looked at the three when considering my options:

1) 50i - Good power, V8, worst mpg (outside of X5M) and lack of reliability/$$$ to maintain.
2) 35D - Boatloads of torque, good mpg, but the $$$ and headaches that come with diesel emissions systems
3) 35i - Decent stock power, decent mpg, most reliable and best enthusiast support.

Do you have links to the X5's that you're considering? I'm curious as to how local they are to me being in the Chicagoland area.

[bmwx5er]

Buy a good 3rd party warranty plan (CNA seems to be getting good reviews) and get the 50i. I just installed the Dinan stage2 when the 50% off promo was running, and it's heaven

[JRide89]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

I was just in your position a few months back and landed on a 35i. The N55 is the most reliable engine of the bunch and there is a bit of a cult following on the e9x platform that continues to push forward development with the same engine (thus, lots of support). It's worth keeping in mind that you can do a mild Stage 1+ flash tune on the 35i that can safely bring it to similar levels of a stock 50i (or be the first to throw on a Pure S2 turbo, upgraded LPFP, PI and bump it to 500-600whp ).

That being said, all three are great vehicles. Here is the way I looked at the three when considering my options:

1) 50i - Good power, V8, worst mpg (outside of X5M) and lack of reliability/$$$ to maintain.
2) 35D - Boatloads of torque, good mpg, but the $$$ and headaches that come with diesel emissions systems
3) 35i - Decent stock power, decent mpg, most reliable and best enthusiast support.

Do you have links to the X5's that you're considering? I'm curious as to how local they are to me being in the Chicagoland area.

If I wasn't married I'd be in the seat of a 50i right now. Here are the 3 I have pinned and began negotiations. I plan to pick one of them up this Saturday. I am on-board with tuning the 35i at this point. I really like the M Sport package and this one has the M Performance to boot...

35i:
http://www.ultimomotorsports.com/inv...zv4c56d0e02538

50i
http://www.greaterchicagomotors.com/...il-id-16505983

35d:
http://www.chicagocarsdirect.com/web...nois/35946048/

[omgboost]

At this price point, I'd go with the 50i. Yes, you can tune the 35i for more power but it will never get to the same performance as the V8. You'll have similar power numbers but the performance won't be there. Besides, you can tune the 50i which then the tuned 35i will never be able to touch.

[bmwx5er]

Why should your marriage preclude you from buying the 50i ? A couple of my buddies have the 35i, and it's no match for the 50i. BUT, don't own either own without an extended warranty. Reliability is the only knock against the 50i, and I'd argue that a lot of problems were ironed out since they were first introduced in 2011, and the reliability of these engines had significantly improved for MY2013.

Carfax for the 50i shows "minor damage" - are you OK with that? I'd be suspicious of the 35i too; previous dealer bought and sold at auction within a month.

[Thecastle]

How about an x5m?

Their prices seem high on the 35i and 35d

I just watched a 35d 2013 with 55k miles, same features as your listed 35d sell for 23k at advantage bmw, The San Antonio bmw dealer here is selling a 36k mile 50i certified pre owned for 32k.

I would tell you the fuel economy difference between the 50i and 35i isn't big. My personal experience with my x5m vs a 2015 sdrive35i, I average 16mpg m the x5m and 17 in the 35i in mixed city and highway. The diesel would do about 10-20% better.

[jiggz]

There's a lot of X5's out there to choose from, but if it were down to those 3 only, I'd almost pick the 35i based on color combo and packages/options, even though I'd much prefer the V8. That 50i isn't optioned that well, the big item it's missing that the other 2 have is the multi-contour seats. Just my .02.

[socale39]

Multi-contour seats are a must in my opinion.

[bmwx5er]

I wouldn't buy either given sketchy Carfax histories. For price in the mid-30s, you could find a nicely optioned CPO from a BMW dealer.

[bmwx5er]

Originally Posted by bmwx5er

I wouldn't buy either given sketchy Carfax histories. For price in the mid-30s, you could find a nicely optioned CPO from a BMW dealer.

Several m-sports to choose from:
http://cpo.bmwusa.com/used-inventory...elections=true

Super-loaded one:
http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/BMW/...m?geoZip=98029

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by bmwx5er

Super-loaded one:
http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/BMW/...m?geoZip=98029

Nice find Pradeep - M Performance + Adaptive Drive (and Multi-contour seats) - this is a much better option for OP IMO.

[Suge206]

Originally Posted by bmwx5er

Buy a good 3rd party warranty plan (CNA seems to be getting good reviews) and get the 50i. I just installed the Dinan stage2 when the 50% off promo was running, and it's heaven

You voided your warranty

[Thecastle]

Originally Posted by socale39

Multi-contour seats are a must in my opinion.

Agreed on the seats, I wouldnt touch an x5 with the base seats. It's why I ended up buying an x5m. It's easier to find an x5m with all the options that I wanted than a regular x5. I had to have adaptive drive, multi contour seats that are active. Every m comes with those just about,

[socale39]

Originally Posted by jiggz

Nice find Pradeep - M Performance + Adaptive Drive (and Multi-contour seats) - this is a much better option for OP IMO.

But that brown interior....

[bmwx5er]

How about this?
http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/BMW/...m?geoZip=98029

Has everything you can ask for - active steering, adaptive drive, lane departure, cold weather, tech, comfort seats (vin decoder shows it). If you're ok with white, this would be an excellent buy.

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by socale39

But that brown interior....

Yah I noticed that after I posted. I don't mind the Tobacco seats (I have Cinnamon, not too different), it's just the fact everything is Tobacco, carpets, door cards, dash. Same as the sand/beige, it's just too much. At least with Cinnamon and Oyster you get the black carpets and other interior pieces.