I have also owned two BMW's and they have both been amazing cars. My first car at 17years old was a 1974 BMW 2002, with over 300,000 miles! I fully customized it and drove it for over 70,000 miles of pure enjoyment. Later in life I owned a 7series that was much different, but just as much of a pleasure to get behind the wheel of. Anyone who says BMW's are not reliable, well built cars has not had the pleasure of owning one. Sure the new Bimmers have some electrical issues but as you all very well know, all vehicles have their issues. As for saying that Bimmers are too expensive, it depends on the year and model. How much was your F-150? (not cheap!)
BTW- Just because a vehicle has a foreign badge on the hood doesn't mean it wasn't made right here in the good old USA. Foreign cars produced here provide hundreds of thousands of jobs for this country.

The X5 and the F-150 are much different, but both fine vehicles!

 

Hey pepatrick i am selfishly glad that you didnt trade your truck in. I like what you have done with your after market stereo installs and you are a great source of info for stuff that i still need todo to my truck.
As well you can wait a few months and either buy the Harley or Lincoln version of our trucks to quell your mid life crisis need for for expensive vehicles.
Later Trev

 

BMW X5 Made in Spartanburg South Carolina. Made by good ole South Carolina boys.<-- (Where I come from) There might be a little bit of pickup truck in those things after all. And...with a little luck, I might have talked the wife into the X5. So now I can have my cake and eat it too. Plus with her driving it, it wont get so many miles on it. My 04 F-150 already has 40k on it. It would take her 4 years to put 40k on a vehicle. This might turn out ok afterall.

Philip

 

If you ever get a chance, you need to go and see them built. They have daily tours. The precision of the workers and robots is an amazing thing to see. To be in spec, they have to be within 2mm from front to back and the typical american badged car has to be within 6mm. They are made there for the entire world so you see diesels, right hand drive and all combinations available worldwide.

 

my 99 Z3 was one of the best cars i've ever owned..

 

My old cars

1986 325E
1992 318i
1998 740i

My dads
XXXX 2002? Can't remember.
1985 325
1992 325i
2001 x5
2001 740i (which he still owns)

Very reliable, but also very expensive.

The X5 was the exception, it was not as reliable as we had wished. Control arms, electronics, transmissions, etc. All warrantied, but got rid of it before it ran out.

 

Have you ever owned one, they are actually quite reliable if you take care of them. My 91 850i had 160K on the clock and is still ticking along just fine, original DK motors, still on the original timing chaing, only thing that went bad was a water pump and the intake gaskets. (Common on the M70 motor.) And the 850 was a complicated piece of work, took 2 deap cycle marine batterys in the truck just to run the electronics and start the darn thing.

 

850i - Very nice vehicle!
It never really got the recognition it deserved.

 

I guess the debate now is.....Do I get the 4.4 or 4.8is? My wife could care less, but there is something about 355hp under the hood. She only drives about 10k per year, so it seems extreme to get the 4.8is. I will get it on weekends of course.

Specs on the 4.8is

4.8-liter, 32-valve V-8 engine with Valvetronic variable valve lift delivers 355-hp of thrilling performance, 369 lb-feet of torque, and an unforgettable 5.9-second launch to 60 mph*.

I will probably get the 4.4 simply because it is 20k less and only about 40 hp difference (355 vs. 315). A little bit of Dinan will make up for some of that for a lot less than 20k.

But...the F-150 stays.

 

I agree, get the 4.4 and mod it yourself. Although I have yet to drive the 4.8, I have driven the 4.4 and 4.6 (discontinued) and there is not a big difference in power between the two.

 

A friend of mine has an X5. It has been nothing short of a mechanical nightmare -- constantly in the shop for one thing or the other.

He can't wait for his lease to come to an end so he can finally be rid of it! And he is a BMW fan, having owned several other models in the past!

 

Since I have a F150 and BMW, I think I'll chime in on this one.

BMWs are great cars, with fine driving dynamics, acceleration (that belies their stated hp figures), and build quality. But they can and will have problems like any car.

After 4 years / 50K warranty is over, it can get expensive if you didn't have an extended warranty ($95 per hour labor rates). Newer Bimmers tend to have electrical problems with all those gadgets they have now.

Most problems you will have will be small, so you won't likely be left stranded on the road, but it can become annoying. My problems so far on my E46 328I sedan w/ 91,000 miles have been the front control arms bushing needed to be replaced ($380 paid by Extended Warranty), and belt tensioner going bad ($425 paid by Extended Warranty).

My 04' FX4 Screw w/ 8,500 miles has had the rear clutch pack replaced and the throttle by wire reflashed under warranty, but otherwise has been pretty reliable.

The X5 is a great vehicle, but it's heading for a redesign soon, so it's probably best you wait on it anyways.

 

I'm not trying to start anything, but there's people here who say the exact same thing about their F-150s.

 

I agonized over this...finally about three weeks ago I was at the BMW dealer getting my pixel display fixed (under warranty) and walked out to the pre-owned lot. I was, at this point, deciding between an F-150 and an X-5. Having driven an X-5 loaner for a few days, I knew it was a great SUV. Next to a 2003 Silver X-5 4.4i (Asking $46K w/ 17K miles) was an '04 Lariat Supercrew 4x4 ($27K). A little later in the week, I drove an F-150 demonstrator with all the bells and whistles and was blown away. Truly an awesome truck with an interior to rival my 530. The F-150 just looked tough, substantial, and even refined next to the X-5 and for a lot less money. I ordered one that week and it will be here in about a month...right when my lease is up on the 530i. I'm still totally happy with my decision, and even with all the options I've ordered, my truck will come in right at $40K out the door! By the way, my 530 was totally reliable and one of the all-time great sport sedans...nevertheless, I sure do look forward to the F-150 experience.

 

Lousy example. Ford builds ALOT more F-series trucks than BMW does X5's. A buddy of mine with an E36 lightweight even says to stay away from the X5's and 7 series Beemers.