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Originally Posted by 2011E90ZCP
How do you like the x3. I'm trying to find my 15 year old his first car with a budget of $8k tops. I really like the older X3 but have never owned one. Would you be absolutely terrified to buy one with 150k+ miles if it had good maintenance history? I always thought the 3.0 was supposed to be pretty reliable but not sure about other issues. I'd love your real world advice.
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The X3 cab be fairly reliable, but I would verify its service history and have a PPI completed on it. I did not "need" the X3 that I purchased, but could not pass up the chance to get a 6 speed manual equipped one as they are quite rare.
I purchased my 2007 with a 117k on it from a friend last summer for $6,500 and it was loaded, save for the automatic and the sport steering. The body is about an 8/10 and the interior is about the same. The prior owner replaced the radiator and fixed a few oil leaks. I have since had to replace the coolant tank and farmed out a front differential leak, an oil pan leak, and will be replacing the shocks/springs/struts at all four corners. I will probably run it for another year or so and then sell it.
When it works well, the straight 6 with a stick is a dream. To live that dream though, find the one that is most sorted and verify it with an inspection.
Also, probably never plan on opening the panoramic sunroof. They tend to fail over time (about $1,00 to fix). I have opened mine twice and will probably only open it one more time to replace the headliner.
My son's first car was a 2009 Honda CRV with 86k on the clock and a spotless one-owner maintenance history (purchased for 13k back in 2018) and I had no worries with him using it and will have no worries with his sister "inheriting" it as he is in college and she will get her license soon. I have had to replace the AC compressor and a transmission pressure switch in that over the past (almost) four years and 23k miles that it has accumulated, which is admittedly a fraction of what the X3 has needed in less than a year and 6k miles.
I would be hesitant, but there are 200k miles examples of X3s out there that are going strong. What it may have cost to achieve that is perhaps what matters...