E70 purchasing advice please!

[Ibby]

Hi there first time poster on here (be gentle!) but long time poster on bmwland.

The mrs and I had twins last Jan and as a result we are finding that the E class we currently have does not really have enough seats for our needs. I can't see myself ever owning a people carrier and so after a process of elimination (we looked at the GL320 cdi which was great but had mad running costs such as very expensive servicing and poor fuel economy, and also looked at the Q7 but it was a bit barge like and would be difficult to park) we have decided to go for a X5 7 seater in the spring/summer.

This then leads me to ask the following from the learned members of this board that either own an E70 X5 or know a lot about them: what are the must have things to look for as far as spec is concerned? are there any known common faults that the E70 suffers from that I should look for?

we will be looking to buy one that is around 57 plate upwards and we will have a budget of around £25-30k max to spend. I really like the look of the SE spec with the dynamic pack but all suggestions welcome (along with any pics to back up your point lol).

After looking on pistonheads and BMW auc, I have seen a couple of very high spec vehicles on 08 plate but with high miles (one has 80k and the other 82k) and as a result are decently priced. The high miles don't really bother me too much as I only do about 5000-6000 miles a year.

Does anyone else on here own an E70 with high miles? Is there any reduction in performance at all and are there any known problems with E70's with that kind of mileage? I was hoping that they are built like tanks like my E39 was that could go easily over 150k on the clock with no probs.

Any help is much appreciated!

[535dboy]

Welcome

Good luck with the find

Personally I think the sd/35d is worth any premium

I'll be off loading mine in a few months but I don't have seven seats I'm afraid

[5wany]

As with any high milage cars FSH is paramount, make sure you see invoices detail parts/cost etc and not just a stamped book

If peace of mind is important then consider buying from dealer, proper 1yr warranty etc

[AW8]

Welcome to the boards Ibby.

I wrote a buyers guide for the E53 based on various info & personal experience. Unfortunately as of yet nobody has stepped forward to write a suitable guide for the E70 or other used BMW X series vehicles.

E70 still relatively new compared to earlier E53's but we dont seem to get many E70 woes & concerns on here. You have mentioned 2008 cars & thus I trust you are aware of the issue re earliest & mainly pre 2008 cars having to pay higher road fund/car tax.

[535dboy]

[quote=""AW8""]Welcome to the boards Ibby.

I wrote a buyers guoide for the E53 based on various info & personal experience. Unfortunately as of yet nobody has stepped forward to write a suitablke guide for the E70 or other used BMW X series vehicles.

E70 still relatively new compared to earlier E53's but we dont seem to get many E70 woes & concerns on here. You have mentioned 2008 cars & thus I trust you are aware of the issue re earliest & mainly pre 2008 cars having to pay higher road fund/car tax.[/quote]

Good point

The only specific car related problem I had was with my pan roof

Took a life time to fix

If see one with that option, check it thoroughly before purchase as major expense out of warranty

[squeaky2]

[quote=""535dboy""]

The only specific car related problem I had was with my pan roof

Took a life time to fix

If see one with that option, check it thoroughly before purchase as major expense out of warranty[/quote]

2nd the roof......mine is in next week as once tilted it only occasionally closes.

Have a look for one with the adaptive suspension......really helps the ride but was a £2500 option.

Head up display is great too

[535dboy]

[quote=""squeaky2""][quote=""535dboy""]

The only specific car related problem I had was with my pan roof

Took a life time to fix

If see one with that option, check it thoroughly before purchase as major expense out of warranty[/quote]

2nd the roof......mine is in next week as once tilted it only occasionally closes.

Have a look for one with the adaptive suspension......really helps the ride but was a £2500 option.

Head up display is great too [/quote]

That is the fault!!!

Took about 10 visits and ended up with whole cartridge change

[squeaky2]

[quote=""535dboy""][quote=""squeaky2""][quote=""535dboy""]

The only specific car related problem I had was with my pan roof

Took a life time to fix

If see one with that option, check it thoroughly before purchase as major expense out of warranty[/quote]

2nd the roof......mine is in next week as once tilted it only occasionally closes.

Have a look for one with the adaptive suspension......really helps the ride but was a £2500 option.

Head up display is great too [/quote]

That is the fault!!!

Took about 10 visits and ended up with whole cartridge change[/quote]

Am glad i waited till they could offer me a courtesy car then........sounds like im going to be having fun with park lane bmw what with the roof and the appalling fuel economy on monday!

[535dboy]

Doubt they will do cartridge straight away, I really had to fight for it

[pvr]

Which is why I did NOT spec that option ... it has been fine on the E53, but I did not want any potential hassle ...

[squeaky2]

Quite like having the glass anyway.....gives a real feel of space and is quite nice to stare out of when in the passenger seat

[535dboy]

[quote=""squeaky2""]Quite like having the glass anyway.....gives a real feel of space and is quite nice to stare out of when in the passenger seat [/quote]

My mind just got super dirty with that last bit!!!!!

[pvr]

Surely you can wait 4 more weeks until the wedding

[bobadoodle]

We have a 2011 E class and tbh there is more rear leg room than an E70, I would also say that comfort wise the E class is a smoother ride than the 30d M sport we had.
If you want a car that is as comfortable try an E70 with sports suspension delete and maybe 19s with non run flats on and you may get a ride thats comparable with less tramlining. Our E70 was a lot nicer to drive on 19" winter tyres.
If you have children then dark colured leather and the rear side window blinds are great for little ones.
The plus points are that cruising, the E70 is just such a nice place to be, the interior and tech is just streets ahead of the Mercs although Im not a big fan of the plastics in either.
Have you looked at an R Class? I have not tried one but they are 4wd (lwb version) and look massive, in addition I understand they ride on the S Class platform.

[535dboy]

The E70 isn't much of a looker but those R classes are real hounds!!!