E70 Buyer's Guide

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by 135ivert

Patience is tough! My wife test-drove one at a local dealer & loves it and is now pressuring me to buy it.

Please tell me if there's a better way! I'm searching Autotrader, looking for a 2012-2013 any color but Black, any color but Oyster, 500 mile (which is effectively 600 mile) radius from Denver, under $45K, under 45,000 miles. I haven't seen one with sport seats. There are a few that I like, but none that I love.

FYI I bought my 135i CPO in MN (800 miles away). The whole experience soured me. 1) Salt has killed the rims, and it's not a warranty item. I'll never buy another salt-state vehicle. 2) so many scratches & swirls in a Jet Black car (and I'll never buy another black vehicle), and 3) the salesdouche knew I flew into town just to buy this car, so he spent zero time with me and just assumed I would buy it. Would I do it again? Maybe if I knew someone local to the area and could check out the car for me.

Patience is very tough when searching for these vehicles! From our experience the search totaled 10 months in all, though the parameters changed many times - 1st we searched for a 2011 35i, then a 2011 50i, then a 2012 50i (had to have the LED Coronas). Once we settled on a 2012 50i it took roughly 5 months, but we ended up with exactly what we wanted….by searching nationwide. I suggest this route if you're specific in a year, color combo, package configuration, etc.

When I was looking at 35i's, I did notice the 'Sport' and 'M Sport' Packages were not that common. Most 35i's were the Premium model, a step above the base, but not a Sport or M Sport. So yes, I get what you mean about the lack of vehicles with the Sport seats.

That's a bummer about your 135i. Maybe because it was black and most people don't know how to care for a black vehicle?

[135ivert]

Are the Premium and Sport packages mutually exclusive? I know they aren't on the 3-series.

Anyway I'm thinking that in the next 2 months there should be a fair amount of X5's coming off of their 3-year leases. If I can't find the Premium/Cold-Weather/Sport seat combo, then at least I should be able to find a Premium/Cold-weather with fairly low miles.

I figure I can't buy a car with 43,000 miles already on it. I'll still have payments on it when it has 88,000 miles (assuming a 4 year loan and 15K miles a year). That just seems wrong to me.

[PAX5]

Originally Posted by jiggz

... Once we settled on a 2012 50i it took roughly 5 months, but we ended up with exactly what we wanted….by searching nationwide.

I went to same route more or less ... kept looking and looking ... and finally found one in May of this year after searching for the better part of a year ...

What features was a must have in your 2012 X5 50i?

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by PAX5

I went to same route more or less ... kept looking and looking ... and finally found one in May of this year after searching for the better part of a year ...

What features was a must have in your 2012 X5 50i?

We had several non-negotiables…

Alpine White exterior
Black or Cinnamon interior (no Beige, Oyster, or Tobacco)
Sport or M Sport w/ 20's
Premium
Cold Weather
3rd Row

Everything else was just bonus. The one we bought has Active Steering, Multi-Contour Seats, and the real selling point was the Cinnamon interior. Sounds like patience paid off for both of us!

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by 135ivert

Are the Premium and Sport packages mutually exclusive? I know they aren't on the 3-series.

The 35i does not have a Premium Package - it was called the Convenience Package. The 50i has a Premium Package and could be bundled with either the Sport or M Sport Package.

The 35i trim lines were different - Base, Premium, Sport, & M Sport. I'm assuming because they had a 'Premium' trim they didn't have a Premium Package - that would have been confusing, thusly it was called the Convenience Package, which is essentially the same thing as the Premium Package, which yes could be added to any of the four 35i trims.

[135ivert]

Originally Posted by jiggz

The 35i does not have a Premium Package - it was called the Convenience Package. The 50i has a Premium Package and could be bundled with either the Sport or M Sport Package.

The 35i trim lines were different - Base, Premium, Sport, & M Sport. I'm assuming because they had a 'Premium' trim they didn't have a Premium Package - that would have been confusing, thusly it was called the Convenience Package, which is essentially the same thing as the Premium Package, which yes could be added to any of the four 35i trims.

Yes, I got my terminology confused. Thanks for clarifying.

[PAX5]

Originally Posted by jiggz

We had several non-negotiables…

Alpine White exterior
Black or Cinnamon interior (no Beige, Oyster, or Tobacco)
Sport or M Sport w/ 20's
Premium
Cold Weather
3rd Row

Everything else was just bonus. The one we bought has Active Steering, Multi-Contour Seats, and the real selling point was the Cinnamon interior. Sounds like patience paid off for both of us!

My criteria:

Started the search for a 2012 2013 M-sport ... back in Feb Mar I found only 2 in my color nationwide with Adaptive Drive and Comfort seats ... and they wanted BIG money for them .. $60K+! Too much for me. I also found out about the dreaded "sand blasting" effect on the paint along the rear fenders and running board ... so I settled on finding one without the M-sport pkg:

- titanium silver or space grey
- black interior
- bamboo wood grain
- must have: comfort seats (non ventilated)
- must have: Adaptive Drive
- must have: Self leveling suspension
- no 3rd row!
- sport + heated steering, anthracite headliner, shadow line
- HD stereo
- HUD

I found one in May of this year in Westchester NY. The dealer labeled the car a "train car" ... return on a 2 year lease: used to drive from the suburban home to the local commuter train station, parked it all day, took train to NY city and back home in the evening. Had just arrived on the dealer lot the day before, 18K mi and still raw and dirty from the lease return ... but that is how I like to see them because the dealer hasn't had a chance to hide any imperfections. And there were a few, all cosmetic but used as negotiating points on the price. Only service done on it was 1 (yes one!) oil change according to the service records.

The car had everything described above, including a full Nappa leather interior (dash, seats front and rear, door panels, center console) and Lane Departure Warning, and Auto High Beams, side view cameras (MSRP $80,975) ... + remainder of factory warranty. Just before I signed the papers, I told them that I wanted a 2014 CPO on the car. They thought they might loose the deal, so they gave me the full CPO at dealer cost ($1,850). That delayed the delivery by another 3 hrs ... LOL, but definitely worth it!

Here's Before ... and After pics:

[jiggz]

Looks awesome! I couldn't do Space Gray as I already have a 3 series in Silver-Gray Metallic, which is basically the same color. Plus the wife wanted white which was fine with me…Alpine over Cinnamon is a killer combo..IMO.

Have you thought about upgrading to 20's or you like the 19's? Or what are those new wheels you have….can't quite tell.

[135ivert]

Is this what I'm looking for?

S456A Komfortsitz mit Memory Comfort seat with memory

If so, we may have found a winner.

Also, did they offer a gray interior in 2012-2013 35i? Thus far the only interiors I've seen have been Cinnamon, Oyster, Black and Tan.

Edit: I think this is a picture from the Monroney

Also, is this February 6, or June 2 from the bmwarchive.org VIN decoder?
Production date 02.06.2011
Assembled in Spartanburg

[PAX5]

Originally Posted by jiggz

... Have you thought about upgrading to 20's or you like the 19's? Or what are those new wheels you have….can't quite tell.

Car originally came with 19's + RFT. Got rid of them and replaced them with these 20" BMW OE style 87. Tires are Michelin Latitude Tour HP (non run flats).

These wheels are now NLA, but were an option on the e53 Sport (http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/87). They are staggered, 9.5x20 and 10.5x20. The wheels are highly sought after, nearly impossible to find in excellent condition.

Only drawback is that in order to make them fit, the center bore needs to be bored out from 72.56mm to 74.1mm. I choose to have them bored by a local machine shop, as opposed to using hub centering adapters ...

[PAX5]

Originally Posted by 135ivert

Is this what I'm looking for?

S456A Komfortsitz mit Memory Comfort seat with memory

If so, we may have found a winner.

Also, did they offer a gray interior in 2012-2013 35i? Thus far the only interiors I've seen have been Cinnamon, Oyster, Black and Tan.

Edit: I think this is a picture from the Monroney

Also, is this February 6, or June 2 from the bmwarchive.org VIN decoder?
Production date 02.06.2011
Assembled in Spartanburg

Germans (as well as all European countries) list the day first, then month, then year, so 02.06.2011 = 2 June, 2011.

Do you have the last 7 of the VIN? Do a full VIN search on - http://www.bmwarchiv.de/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

[135ivert]

Originally Posted by PAX5

Germans (as well as all European countries) list the day first, then month, then year, so 02.06.2011 = 2 June, 2011.

Do you have the last 7 of the VIN? Do a full VIN search on - [url]

Yeah, the problem with the decoder is that it doesn't define packages. You have to infer that when you see:
S496A Sitzheizung hinten Seat heating, rear
and
S464A Skisack Ski bag
"oh yeah, that's the Cold-Weather Package."

Still, I was able to verify our "must-have's" and this vehicle is LOADED. Now I'm having second questions about the colors. Light colors hide dirt better . . . Also, it's very well priced, so I wonder what's wrong with it!

Anyway, I think I'll mull it over and give them a call on Monday if it's still available.

[PAX5]

Here are the 2012 and 2013 ordering guides ... have fun:

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by 135ivert

Yeah, the problem with the decoder is that it doesn't define packages. You have to infer that when you see:
S496A Sitzheizung hinten Seat heating, rear
and
S464A Skisack Ski bag
"oh yeah, that's the Cold-Weather Package."

Still, I was able to verify our "must-have's" and this vehicle is LOADED. Now I'm having second questions about the colors. Light colors hide dirt better . . . Also, it's very well priced, so I wonder what's wrong with it!

Anyway, I think I'll mull it over and give them a call on Monday if it's still available.

The image you posted above looks like the package/option list

If you post or send me the VIN and I decipher what packages/options it has from the decoder. Looks to be fairly loaded, yes. LOADED to me would be everything - lane departure, active cruise, rear DVD, leather dashboard, etc. Most X5's don't have that stuff though - I ran VINs through a decoder for nearly a year in my search and those options exist on less than 5% of X5's.

There was no gray interior option of US Spec LCI X5's - it was either black, cinnamon, beige, oyster, or tobacco. Beige and tobacco will have matching carpet, center console, and lower dash. Tobacco is the least common for sure. Then cinnamon and oyster.

[135ivert]

Originally Posted by jiggz

The image you posted above looks like the package/option list

If you post or send me the VIN and I decipher what packages/options it has from the decoder. Looks to be fairly loaded, yes. LOADED to me would be everything - lane departure, active cruise, rear DVD, leather dashboard, etc. Most X5's don't have that stuff though - I ran VINs through a decoder for nearly a year in my search and those options exist on less than 5% of X5's.

There was no gray interior option of US Spec LCI X5's - it was either black, cinnamon, beige, oyster, or tobacco. Beige and tobacco will have matching carpet, center console, and lower dash. Tobacco is the least common for sure. Then cinnamon and oyster.

I think the picture I posted was from the dealer window sticker, not the OEM Monroney.

Here's the last 7: L748889. Please review to see if anything critical is missing. I don't think it has leather dashboard or rear DVD, but it does have the tech package, etc. Basically I think it has everything I'll ever want. No 3rd row, but I'd rather not have that or the self-leveling suspension.

I'll look at the ordering guides just posted. Thanks for the help!

[PAX5]

Originally Posted by 135ivert

... Here's the last 7: L748889. Please review to see if anything critical is missing. I don't think it has leather dashboard or rear DVD, but it does have the tech package, etc. Basically I think it has everything I'll ever want. No 3rd row, but I'd rather not have that or the self-leveling suspension. Thanks for the help!

See attached PDF ... Nice car, especially the color combo. Nothing special suspension wise (no Adapative Drive, or self leveling), but if you don't plan on towing, this should not be a detriment.

[135ivert]

Originally Posted by PAX5

See attached PDF ... Nice car, especially the color combo. Nothing special suspension wise (no Adapative Drive, or self leveling), but if you don't plan on towing, this should not be a detriment.

Hmm, I'll look up Adaptive Drive. I thought it was S217A Aktivlenkung Active steering.

Anyway, I have a 4Runner for towing, should I ever want to do that. I'd rather not have the complexity of the self-leveling suspension. At most I'd use the trailer hitch for a bike rack.

I think we're going to pass on this one. I think we'd rather have light-colored interior, exterior or both due to ability to hide dirt. With 3 vehicles (and a severe distrust of automatic car washes) I just don't have the time, energy or money to keep them all well-detailed.

[jiggz]

Active Steering and Adaptive Drive are 2 entirely different options.

There are lots of X5's out there so might as well get the one you want, especially given the cost of these vehicles. I would personally put Sport or M Sport ahead of most packages you mention as must haves.

So what interior are you looking for? Beige?

[PAX5]

Originally Posted by jiggz

... I would personally put Sport or M Sport ahead of most packages you mention as must haves.

Agreed, but if you are after Adaptive Drive, always do a VIN check, because many of the LCI's that have Sport, Sport Activity packages and even the M-sport do not have Adaptive Drive. The built sheet will say something like "sport suspension delete".

The AD option was made available as a Priority 1 option because of dealer feedback that customers did not appreciate this $3,000 suspension feature! In reality it is possibly one of the most innovative inventions BMW incorporated into their cars from 2007 on ... But you have to be an enthusiast to appreciate it.

Another quick way to verify is to look for the black push button near the shift lever, with the word SPORT on it ...

[135ivert]

Originally Posted by jiggz

Active Steering and Adaptive Drive are 2 entirely different options.

There are lots of X5's out there so might as well get the one you want, especially given the cost of these vehicles. I would personally put Sport or M Sport ahead of most packages you mention as must haves.

So what interior are you looking for? Beige?

I guess I'm looking for Cinnamon, Beige or Tobacco. I could probably do Black as long as it was the White exterior - I'm kind of fond of the Stormtrooper look. That combo seems to be pretty common.

I guess I lack the confidence that I'll find the total combination of price, features, color and mileage in the next two months. So I'm willing to compromise on a few things. I think that shocks & springs, suspension components - I can forgo those on purchase and upgrade them as they wear out - or get close to EOL. How long does stuff like that last? 60K?