 I suspect that a low mileage used X5 would be the way to go for most folks. We bit the bullit in 2010 and ordered ours with all of the options. At the time, there was a hefty rebate on the diesel and a tax incentive of $5k . My wife and I both drive it and it has 66,000 miles. Brakes, tires and a battery is all we have done to it. Regular dealer and good independent service have kept the cost down. You don't buy one of these to save money. You buy it for the driving experience, comfort and safety that the Beemer is famous for. We get about 30 mpg on the highway and 24 in town. I had the dealer install the BMW trailer hitch package and it is worth it. I'll pull a horse or big utility trailer with it easily. The hitch is rated at 6500 lbs, but the same car in europe is rated at 7700 lbs. The hitch kit from the dealer includes an integrated trailer brake system hooked into the computer. They re-program the computer to "know" the trailer and lights etc. The shift patterns change when a trailer is hooked up. Pretty good stuff. BMW says the transmission and some other fluids are for life. My mechanic says to change them out at about 80K. I tend to believe him as it makes sense that any fluid will break down over time. Would I buy one again? Absolutely. New? Probably not. Probably get another diesel with under 10K miles on it. They are around and priced well.UPDATE 7/15/2017The repair costs make the car a poor value if you plan on keeping it. We are having lots of problems with the diesel emissions system that are running into several thousand dollars. BMW has sort of addressed the issue but not entirely, The have issued an "Extended warranty" on some components but the car is constantly in the shop. I suspect the gas version may be better. Stay away from the diesel or buy the extended warranty and sell it before the warranty expires.