Your expectations will determine wheather you will have satisfaction with a X5. Especially if this is going to be your first BMW. My X5 3.0i is my first BMW and my experience has been great so far. But it may help to know the dealer (as is my case) after listening to some of the stories here. Just like any high performance machine it must be treated properly taken care of. I have almost 13,000 miles and have only had a few minor problems which have all been fixed by the dealer. Good luck and if you have any more questions then e-mail me.