BMW touts its merchandise as “Final Driving Machines,” and immediately’s Good Worth or No Cube X5 has actually finished numerous driving. Let’s see if its worth drives a tough cut price.
The 1977 Chevy Malibu we checked out yesterday was dressed within the livery of a Bobby Allison NASCAR racer. As properly finished because it was, that look actually doesn’t have a lot significance or attraction outdoors of Bobby’s dwelling turf of the South. A $11,999 price ticket proved even much less interesting, pushing the Malibu to the restrict with a large 96 % No Cube loss.
I discovered a statistic on-line claiming that lower than one % of all bought autos will finally make it to 200,000 miles, with an much more minuscule .03 % managing to soldier on to 300K. These stats got here from the web site for Kiss 95.1 FM, an grownup modern radio station serving the Charlotte, North Carolina space, and have been unsubstantiated, so take that with a grain of NaCl.
Based on the article’s writer, the highest 5 autos probably to hit that magic 300K marker are all vehicles, with the record made up of the Toyota Tundra and 4Runner, GMC’s Yukon, its sister, the Chevy Suburban, and Ford’s Expedition. Nowhere on the record is any kind of BMW sport utility talked about, and but, in line with its advert, the 2001 BMW X5 that we’ve got the pleasure of assembly immediately rocks a strong 296,750 miles on the clock.
Why would anybody drive any automobile that far? Nicely, this X5 occurs to be the uncommon beast that has been optioned with the driveline combo of BMW’s silky clean 228 horsepower M54 3.0 liter straight six mated to a ZF-sourced five-speed handbook transmission. Naturally, that combo feeds all 4 wheels, because the X5 was designed by BMW after the corporate acquired into such issues following its buy of Land Rover.
Amazingly, the heady miles don’t appear to point out on this SUV in any actually noticeable method. The bodywork is straight, the black paint fairly clear and glossy, and the headlamp lenses are free of serious yellowing. Even the Model 69 wheels, which look to be authentic, present no considerable put on for thus a few years and so nice a distance travelled.
It’s a lot the identical story within the cabin. The leather-based upholstery seems to have held up surprisingly effectively, as have the plastics and the smattering of burlwood trim. The one jarring be aware in right here is the oddly massive and weirdly formed boot for the five-speed stick. That appears like a bat that has mistaken a plate glass window for a cave entrance.
By all appearances, it might all stand a very good cleansing, and there are items of tape caught randomly to the sprint, prone to safe an influence twine for a radar detector or one thing. Apart from these minor points, it appears like a pleasant place to name dwelling whereas piling on the miles.
The advert additionally claims the X5 to be mechanically sound, boasting that it “runs and drives nice.” One other perk is what’s described as an “Up to date OEM Navigation” system. Sadly, no different info is supplied. There’s no upkeep historical past, Carfax data, or perhaps a Magic 8 Ball “Ask Once more Later” to placate us with some sense of the automobile’s present state. At the least we’re advised that the title is clear.
Maybe to make up for the brevity of the advert and the contrastingly extreme studying on the odometer, the vendor has set a $2,950 asking for the automobile. That’s pocket change within the current day and age—or apparently a few Huge Mac Meal Offers, from what I’ve heard. Wouldn’t it, nevertheless, make for a clever funding on this X5, all issues thought-about?
What do you assume? Is $2,950 a sufficiently small ask to roll the cube on a reasonably uncommon row-yer-own BMW SUV? Or do the miles and the dearth of information within the advert make even that paltry quantity appear a dangerous transfer?
You resolve!
New Hampshire Craigslist, or go right here if the advert disappears.
H/T to Invoice Rice for the hookup!
Assist me out with NPOND. Hit me up at remslie@kinja.com and ship me a fixed-price tip. Bear in mind to incorporate your Kinja deal with.
