wasnt m3 said:
Having owned an n52 e83 for a decent amount of time, I will say it was a fantastic car. No major issues until 200k, when the transfer case started making funny sounds and I upgraded to an f15 X5 35i with the n55. That said, I can't imagine the e83 having kids...my e46 touring had more space. I'd go for the f25 in 6 cyl version if those were the only 2 options. If open to it, the x5 in either e70 or f15 might be a better fit. FYI, the e70 and f15 are identical, chassis wise.
How reliable are the e70 X5 35i engines?
I'm really drawn to the Audi Q5 of this same era, and honestly is my first choice, but the early engines have timing chain failures and really bad oil consumption, and it seems like each engine following that has similar issues. I don't mind replacing something that is a known failure, but oil consumption isn't an easy fix.