Which BMW X5 should you actually buy? Sean Troy has owned 103 E53 X5s, still keeps 28 of them, and runs Alpine Rennsport, a BMW and Porsche shop in Cleveland, Georgia. In this episode, he walks through every X5 generation from the perspective of someone who fixes them for a living.
You'll hear why the E70 35d is his pick at $15,000, why he'd stay away from the twin-turbo V8s, which E53 engine is best for DIY owners, what's starting to fail on the G05, and his picks at $10k, $25k and $50k. Then Sean shares how his mom's X5 started a 103-car obsession, the crashes that convinced his family these SUVs are worth it, his rare Neiman Marcus X5, and the V10, six-speed manual "LM-ish" tribute he's building in honor of the X5 Le Mans. Plus: the ALPINA X5 that BMW should have built.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:45 The best X5 for $15,000
01:40 E70 35d vs F15 diesel
03:27 E53: which engine to buy
05:15 E53 big-ticket failures
09:30 Pre-facelift vs facelift E53
11:53 E70: why to avoid the twin-turbo V8s
13:30 35i vs 35d and a diesel X5 M swap
15:50 Is the F15 underrated?
17:53 Best X5 for an off-road build
19:52 Most reliable F15 engine
21:28 G05: why the M50i
26:04 G05 common problems
27:49 Most reliable X5 of all time
28:17 Best X5 at $10k, $25k and $50k
30:01 Are plug-in hybrid X5s worth it?
32:19 What to check before buying any used X5
33:52 Sean's first X5
35:53 103 X5s and how the obsession started
40:03 The rarest one: Neiman Marcus X5
40:55 Where he keeps 28 X5s
42:48 X5 #100 and why he keeps saving them
46:46 The X5 BMW should have built
55:00 SAV vs SUV: what's the difference?
57:26 X5 or Range Rover?
59:32 X5 Le Mans and Sean's V10 "LM-ish" build
1:04:47 Strangest X5 spec
1:06:25 Rapid fire
1:09:03 Where to find Sean
1:09:36 Nate's favorite X5
Find Sean on Instagram: @makee53sgreatagain
tWatch the full video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JAaWIkcnX_U
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