What E70 to get (3.0si, xDrive30i, 35d)

[leeleenyc]

Hey all, I’m looking to get some car buying advice from people that know E70s well. With COVID taking over as long as it has, it seems that my 13 years of living car free in New York City are coming to an end. I rented a 2011 X5 3.0i a few times this past year through Turo and absolutely loved everything about it; the ride quality, sound isolation, greenhouse feel, and the tailgate, so I’m looking to get something similar. From what I’ve read on here and other forums, the most reliable E70 models are the 2006-2010 3.0si or xDrive30i because of the N52B30 engine. But with that said, I’m very attracted to the 35d due to the low-end torque and excellent fuel economy.

I’ll be using the car mostly for going camping and taking road trips from NYC to New Hampshire, Vermont, and Montreal so there won’t be much city driving. Realistically, I’ll probably be putting 8k miles or less each year.

I am comfortable doing some repairs but because I live in NYC and the car will be parked in a garage, I won’t have much access to a space to do my own work. I have some friends in the suburbs who would let me use their driveways or garages to do some wrenching. I’d mosty be relying on a good local independent specialist to address any issues that come up, and I understand there will be costs associated with it (air suspension, etc.)

My goal is to find a well maintained model, get a PPI, and then spend 2-3k repairing any issues and doing as much preventive maintenance as I can before driving and then continuing to maintain moving forward. So with all that said, and keeping in mind that an E70 of this age will have maintenance concerns no matter what, what configurations should I be looking into that will be less troublesome financially; 3.0si, xDrive30i, or 35d? There’s alot of posts regarding the reliability and performance of the V8 models and some focusing on individual model reliability but I havent found much comparing the V6 models and the diesel. I know there’s there’s so many factors that determine the reliability of each individual vehicle but I’m just asking from a general perspective based on your experiences. What are some things to consider when buying a E70? Are there things you wish you would've known when you bought yours? Is there a certain mileage number I should try to avoid? Any info or tips to watch out for would be much appreciated.

[X5 MAN]

Diesel emission system troubles are not worth the hassle.

Diesel 35d is only good for towing.

[Nyc Dito]

Originally Posted by X5 MAN

Diesel emission system troubles are not worth the hassle.

Diesel 35d is only good for towing.

24k miles since last February and never towed anything once


OP, less troublesome? Well I think ANY used vehicle (any make) would be hard to fit that bill unless you know 100% what was done, how it was maintained and used/abused. I work with Euro cars and I see similar issues across the board. Usually maintenance items but I sell a quite a few HPFP's, Injectors and Valve covers for the Turbo 6's on BMW's. And A lot of cooling items for the V8's.

I would think the "safest" bet would be an NA E70.

[Colodano]

I think the biggest issue with any semi modern BMW will be battery charge if you drive it rarely. If you have a spot to park and it can stay on a battery tender, that would help.

[Spyro235]

I’ve put 64k Miles on my diesel, and it’s at 264k now. The diesel is literally the only option. Easily the most efficient, arguably the most reliable (we can talk further about this, it should be worked into budget for eventual repair/ solutions of emissions equipment) and easily the most fit for long trips. I can squeeze 650 miles of range out of mine without issue on the highway. It’s GREAT. I do lots of long trips, alone and towing. I’ve got nothing but praise for my x5d, and I’m happy to talk to you about what to look for/ expect. It’ll be less to maintain a diesel indefinitely than any of the other motors, I guarantee it. Anyone who disagree’s is bitter that they don’t have the glorious road trip machine they could have!

[Konradical6]

Originally Posted by leeleenyc

Hey all, I’m looking to get some car buying advice from people that know E70s well. With COVID taking over as long as it has, it seems that my 13 years of living car free in New York City are coming to an end. I rented a 2011 X5 3.0i a few times this past year through Turo and absolutely loved everything about it; the ride quality, sound isolation, greenhouse feel, and the tailgate, so I’m looking to get something similar. From what I’ve read on here and other forums, the most reliable E70 models are the 2006-2010 3.0si or xDrive30i because of the N52B30 engine. But with that said, I’m very attracted to the 35d due to the low-end torque and excellent fuel economy.

I’ll be using the car mostly for going camping and taking road trips from NYC to New Hampshire, Vermont, and Montreal so there won’t be much city driving. Realistically, I’ll probably be putting 8k miles or less each year.

I am comfortable doing some repairs but because I live in NYC and the car will be parked in a garage, I won’t have much access to a space to do my own work. I have some friends in the suburbs who would let me use their driveways or garages to do some wrenching. I’d mosty be relying on a good local independent specialist to address any issues that come up, and I understand there will be costs associated with it (air suspension, etc.)

My goal is to find a well maintained model, get a PPI, and then spend 2-3k repairing any issues and doing as much preventive maintenance as I can before driving and then continuing to maintain moving forward. So with all that said, and keeping in mind that an E70 of this age will have maintenance concerns no matter what, what configurations should I be looking into that will be less troublesome financially; 3.0si, xDrive30i, or 35d? There’s alot of posts regarding the reliability and performance of the V8 models and some focusing on individual model reliability but I havent found much comparing the V6 models and the diesel. I know there’s there’s so many factors that determine the reliability of each individual vehicle but I’m just asking from a general perspective based on your experiences. What are some things to consider when buying a E70? Are there things you wish you would've known when you bought yours? Is there a certain mileage number I should try to avoid? Any info or tips to watch out for would be much appreciated.

It's like I'm reading a post about myself. I'm originally from bk but have lived car free in manhattan for about 9 years. I don't have a second house like many of our wealthier city dwellers who skipped town with covid but I also wanted to get out of the city on the weekend after being stuck in the apartment so long.

Same as you I rented a 2012 X5 diesel from turo some time back and loved it. The big Shame is because nyc made turo illegal we have to pickup the cars from jersey. If it was legal in nyc I may have not gotten the car because the garage costs are pretty high here.

I initially was looking at the diesel but it's just something I'm less familiar with and I found they tend to have issues with clogging of the emissions system. This is especially exacerbated by short trips. Also the X5 I rented seemed to lack pickup big time and made me think the owner had some clogging of the cat or emissions and wasn't aware? I also had issues finding a gas station with diesel when I was out on a trip one time.

Either way I went with the 2013 335i. More familiar with the gas model, they seem reliable and i like the power and sound. I also saw videos saying to go with the 2010 naturally aspirated v6 model but honestly it's already and older car so I preferred the newer 2013.