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      09-21-2014, 10:07 AM   #1
harhir
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Few questions from a potential X5 owner

Seats:
I am 6'4" with back problems and I have been looking for weeks now to find a car that has an acceptable driver seat. Right now I have a Saab which has good seats but they are no more and I went through at least 30 different cars, SUVs and trucks. All worse compared to my Saab seat. This was until I came across these multi contour seats offered from BMW. They are awesome.
Since I am looking into a used X5 (3 to 4 years old) I found out that most X5 don't have them. I guess the dealer or previous owner did not order them.
- Can they be retrofitted on a model without them? And how much would BMW charge for these? Not sure I need a pair. Or would it be cheaper to search for a used X5 with that package?

Towing:
- Does the X5 come standard with a 2" hitch?
- Does the X5 have a transmission cooler? I would be using it to tow our popup camper which weighs about 2500 lb.

Diesel or V6:
- I am still debating between the V6 gasser and the Diesel. I don't really want the V8 as I refer to get better mph. I am originally from Germany and have always been a Diesel fan and love to have the torque when towing I guess the X35d would make a great towing vehicle. But Diesel fuel is still more expensive here in Texas compared to Premium. And looking at the data the Diesel does not seem to be that more fuel efficient than the V6. 19 vs 16 mpg in the city. Any convincing reasons to go with a Diesel besides the torque?

Extended warranty:
- I would like to get a CPO X5 from BMW. But in case I find another one not sold by a BMW dealer, can I still get an extended warranty through BMW that provides the same or similar coverage? And how much is BMW charging for that?

Thanks for all the help so far?
Stefan
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      09-21-2014, 10:46 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harhir View Post
Seats:
I am 6'4" with back problems and I have been looking for weeks now to find a car that has an acceptable driver seat. Right now I have a Saab which has good seats but they are no more and I went through at least 30 different cars, SUVs and trucks. All worse compared to my Saab seat. This was until I came across these multi contour seats offered from BMW. They are awesome.
Since I am looking into a used X5 (3 to 4 years old) I found out that most X5 don't have them. I guess the dealer or previous owner did not order them.
- Can they be retrofitted on a model without them? And how much would BMW charge for these? Not sure I need a pair. Or would it be cheaper to search for a used X5 with that package?

Towing:
- Does the X5 come standard with a 2" hitch?
- Does the X5 have a transmission cooler? I would be using it to tow our popup camper which weighs about 2500 lb.

Diesel or V6:
- I am still debating between the V6 gasser and the Diesel. I don't really want the V8 as I refer to get better mph. I am originally from Germany and have always been a Diesel fan and love to have the torque when towing I guess the X35d would make a great towing vehicle. But Diesel fuel is still more expensive here in Texas compared to Premium. And looking at the data the Diesel does not seem to be that more fuel efficient than the V6. 19 vs 16 mpg in the city. Any convincing reasons to go with a Diesel besides the torque?

Extended warranty:
- I would like to get a CPO X5 from BMW. But in case I find another one not sold by a BMW dealer, can I still get an extended warranty through BMW that provides the same or similar coverage? And how much is BMW charging for that?

Thanks for all the help so far?
Stefan
Here are my thoughts...

Do not bother with retrofitting things such as seats. The cost to do this would outweigh just waiting until you find one that has the right seats from the factory.

My father is on his 3rd X5 diesel and he wouldn't have it any other way. I drove them from our house in Belgium to Italy and back. I averaged around 24.5mpg (US). That is roughly the same I get in my 35i. Considering I wanted the M Sport and it was only offered on the 35i and 50i, the diesel was out for me. Also, I live in Texas just as you do, and diesel is indeed more expensive compared to gasoline. So in the end, running costs are lower with a 35i. However, if you'll be towing, you will appreciate the torque for the diesel naturally.

My X5 came from an Audi dealership, so it was not advertised as a CPO. However, when running the VIN, I found out it *was* a CPO. If it's not a CPO from BMW or CPO when you run the VIN, then you can buy an extended warranty as long as the vehicle is still under factory warranty. The equivalent of a CPO warranty is the Gold extended warranty.

I believe MSRP on the 60/100,000 Gold is $3,660. The Platinum would be $4,060. The Platinum would cover iDrive, nagivation and entertainment systems (Gold does not cover this).
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      09-21-2014, 11:08 AM   #3
harhir
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Thanks.
How can you find out if the car is a CPO by using the Vin? Does Carfax spell this out?
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      09-21-2014, 12:41 PM   #4
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Thats crazy that diesel is so expensive in Texas, here is cheaper than regular 87 octane gas in the summer. Premium 91 octane is 18 cents more per litre than regular too. No way I would give up my diesel for a gasser unless there was an M at the end Towing with the 35D is great, you won't even know your 2500lb trailer is there.

Get the comfort seats. We have taken some road trips to Quebec City from Toronto (about 7 hours one way), and into Pittsburg (5 1/2 hours). My back is always fine after.

The hitch is always a dealer install, or aftermarket install, but there is a tramsission coooler, and all of the various models are rated to tow 6000 lbs.
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      09-21-2014, 01:15 PM   #5
harhir
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Thanks. Yes it is crazy. Regular is about $3.05. Premium about $3.35 to $3.45 and Diesel about $3.50 to $3.60 right now where I live.
This is why I am not sure it is worth it as I won't be driving more than 10K miles a year.
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      09-21-2014, 03:19 PM   #6
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The multi-contour seats are not that rare - there's quite a few X5's that have them. I recommend using an online BMW VIN decoder for any X5 that peaks your interest - this will tell you for certain if a given vehicle is equipped with them. It will look like this -

S456A KOMFORTSITZE ELEKTRISCH VERSTELLBAR Comfort seat with memory


Re: towing, no X5's come standard with a hitch. There is an OEM hitch or several aftermarket options. Lots of threads on that if you do a quick search.
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      09-21-2014, 05:36 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harhir View Post
Thanks. Yes it is crazy. Regular is about $3.05. Premium about $3.35 to $3.45 and Diesel about $3.50 to $3.60 right now where I live.
This is why I am not sure it is worth it as I won't be driving more than 10K miles a year.
Personally, I'd go with the numbers on that one. Diesel is roughly 5% more expensive, but offers around 20% better MPG. I haven't owned a BMW diesel, so I don't know if there are other costs to consider, but if I was going to skip the V8, I'd go diesel.
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      09-21-2014, 05:58 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harhir View Post
Thanks. Yes it is crazy. Regular is about $3.05. Premium about $3.35 to $3.45 and Diesel about $3.50 to $3.60 right now where I live.
This is why I am not sure it is worth it as I won't be driving more than 10K miles a year.
.. because you ONLY drive 10K a year makes it worth it! Get the diesel.

Did you find one yet?
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      09-21-2014, 09:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harhir View Post
Thanks.
How can you find out if the car is a CPO by using the Vin? Does Carfax spell this out?
Sometimes the Carfax shows it, but it's best just to call your BMW dealership and have them run the VIN for you. They'd be happy to do it for you.
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      09-21-2014, 11:24 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harhir View Post
Thanks.
How can you find out if the car is a CPO by using the Vin? Does Carfax spell this out?
As others have said, you could call the dealer if you're not sure, but realize most CPO'd vehicles will be advertised as such as they are generally more desirable and worth more $, therefore this would be mentioned in the online ad.

Have you looked on the BMWUSA.com CPO page? Pretty much the best place to start your search if you want a CPO'd vehicle. Plug in your zip code and desired vehicle and start filtering….

http://cpo.bmwusa.com/index.htm
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      09-22-2014, 09:27 AM   #11
harhir
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PAX5 View Post
.. because you ONLY drive 10K a year makes it worth it! Get the diesel.

Did you find one yet?
ONLY 10k miles. You are right. I did not look at it from that angle yet. Lol.

And no, I have not found one yet. I like to get a CPO since I am a bit scared about the complexity of most modern European cars and the price for potential repairs down the road. My Saab has not been the most reliable car and repairs have been expensive.
I am just spoiled by our simple tech Toyota Sienna, which is 10 years old with almost 100K and has been in the shop only once for a non-maintenance related issue.
But I am not in a hurry either. I will check adds for the next few weeks.
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