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As the owner of a 2007 X3 3.0si I can wholeheartedly recommend the X3, I absolutely love mine! It is easily the funnest vehicle I have ever driven, while retaining a modicum of everyday usefulness. I bought it used with about 77k miles and have driven around 10k miles in the past year. Before purchasing, I had it inspected by a very good but grumpy mechanic (who had very low opinions about most contemporary German cars) and who could think of no major flaws other than the window motors being somewhat sickly on some of them. I have had some maintenance repairs on the vehicle that are normal for the age and mileage, some of which were covered by the warranty I purchased with it (and which I would recommend to any buyer of a used German car). The X3 of this vintage has the N52 engine (which it shares with some 3series BMWs), which is one of the better and more reliable BMW engines of recent years imo. The maintenance for our two BMWS at a good local Indy BMW shop is no more than what we paid for our Hondas at the local Honda dealer in years past. The key to finding and keeping a good, reliable BMW (and any German car) imo is maintenance. These vehicles do not take kindly to skipped or sloppy maintenance. Also, the bigger and "racier" the engine the more finicky it seems to be (i.e. the N54 in 335i). I am 6' tall and anywhere between lbs. 175 and 180 and I have no issues to find a comfortable position, front or back, in the X3. I have transported three European-sized adults in the back comfortably. Exterior size is equivalent to an 04 Honda CRV, seating space also, cargo space is slightly smaller. Gas mileage for me is around 19 miles/gallon, but I am not a very conservative driver and run the AC a lot. The handling is absolutely phenomenal and nothing like an SUV! No body roll, sway or dip! It drives just like my wife's 328i! But keep in mind the suspension is very stiff, which I like but many Americans hate. The x drive works great in snow and on wet roads, especially with snow tires. I think quality and materials are very good in my X3. The heated seats are extremely powerful and on the highest setting penetrate layers of heavy winter clothing in a few minutes. The electric sports seats are THE most comfortable seats I have ever had. But again, I like seats to be very firm! Bottom line: I love my X3! Also, according to the German Automobil Club's roadside assistance statistics reliability is pretty good: in the top ten, on the same level with the Honda CR-V.
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