At $3,600, Does This 2002 BMW X5 Mark The Spot?
Three pedals and a five-speed stick might make you forget the high miles and obvious signs of age.
With SUVs being all the rage, it's no doubt that there's an active market for older editions like today's Nice Price or No Dice X5. Let's see if the seller has priced this reasonably unique soft-roader for what the market will bear.
Speaking of bears, actor and epic beard-wearer Dan Haggerty (1942 — 2016) starred in a '70s TV Show called The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. A couple of years after that show's cancellation, Haggerty made a guest appearance on another TV Show, Charlie's Angels. According to the seller of yesterday's 1977 Ford Mustang II Ghia, it too was featured in the ABC actioner. See? The circle of life.
Few of you bought the claim that the 'Stang was the actual TV show car, and even fewer were buying the car's current $8,300 asking price. That ended up with a massive 95 percent No Dice loss.
In the world of used car classifieds, there are a lot of red flags, coded descriptions and euphemisms that savvy shoppers come to know and learn to approach with appropriate trepidation. One of those is an admonition at the beginning of an ad that goes something along the lines of "please read the whole ad." That generally means the seller wants to make a case for the vehicle, highlighting issues, but putting a spin on them so as to make them more palatable. It's the old "I can explain" strategy.
The ad for today's 2002 BMW X5 3.0i begins with the sentence, "Please read the entire post before calling!!!!!!"
Part of that is perhaps because of the wagon's not inconsiderable 223,000-mile odometer reading boldly noted in the ad. I've got to say, that's impressive since few cars manage to get that far before being given up on. Fewer still are BMWs with odometers still working anywhere near that number.
So, why would anyone want a 20-year old X5 with almost enough miles for a trip to the moon? Well, two reasons — price and the fact that it has a 3.0 and a five-speed stick.
We'll get to the former in a minute, but let's focus on that drivetrain for a moment first. As most of us probably know, the M54 straight-six of this era is a bit more reliable than the V8s BMW was dropping in the X5. Paired here with the rarely-spec'd Getrag five-speed stick, the 235 horsepower engine is also reasonably quick despite the X5's two and a quarter-ton weight. With that much to drag around, fuel economy obviously suffers, but, again, less so than with the V8.
This one comes in what looks to be Estoril Blue paint over a camel leather interior. The seller claims to be the second owner and to have had new tires wrapped around the wagon's Style 57 wheels just a couple of years back. That's despite the seller's claim that they are not driving the wagon much, to the point that it wasn't even renewed for registration this year. It was put on non-operation status instead. That does mean no back registration fees but could present a gotcha for passing emissions for a new owner. See? That's what I was saying about reading between the lines on car ads.
Aesthetically, this X5 is beginning to show its age. The clear coat is failing in a few places here and there. The seller generously points out the most egregious spots in the pictures. A cracked windscreen is another issue, although the seller says it's been like that for years without repair so perhaps it's something that could continue to be ignored.
Inside, things look ok, except for the odd radio surround that allows an aftermarket head unit to swim in a sea of cheap black plastic. Maybe a better alternative could be sourced from a junkyard or eBay. Nothing else looks particularly bad in here and the shot of the instrument cluster shows no missing pixels in the readout nor any alarming idiot lights. That's all a good sign and the seller backs that up by claiming that the wagon "drives great even though it's 20 years old," and says that it has "plenty of power on the freeway."
On the downside, there are issues with both the moonroof and tailgate not working reliably. Slow power windows are another foible, although the seller says those may only need some WD-40 to fix, claiming to have seen that done on a YouTube video. The check engine light does come on from time to time, but the cause is unknown (or, at least, undisclosed). On the plus side, the title is clean.
Ok, I said we'd get to the price, which is another reason why someone might consider this X5. That asking is $3,600 and in this crazy car market, that's... well, perhaps not so crazy? Of course, that's just what we're here to find out.
What's your take on this manual X5 and that $3,600 price? Does that seem like a fair exchange considering the car's condition? Or, are there too many red flags in that ad to spend even that little?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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