As you are considering recent generations of these cars, miles generally are not a large consideration. I would personally try and keep it under 60,000 miles as a general rule, but you can fudge it if you find a good car – especially since you don’t drive very much yourself. Another general rule is that an “average” car should drive about 12,000 miles a year, so a 2014 model year should have about 48,000 miles. What you don’t want is a car that has been sitting without driving for an extended period of time (a year or longer), as this will result in dried out hoses and bad fluids. Carfax is great for keeping track of this.
Maintenance
Maintenance is the most important factor. I will call out specific issues to watch for below, but in general, regular oil changes are a must. All of these vehicles use synthetic oil, and should have it changed no longer than every 10,000 miles (though every 5,000 miles is ideal). Taking longer than that between oil changes will cause premature wear to the engine. Some manufacturers like BMW used to have extended oil change intervals (such as 15,000 miles between oil changes), but these have been proven to be bad. Again, Carfax is great for keeping track of this – and should show any other repairs conducted. You should also be able to contact the dealers and/or shops where the work was conducted and get more information.
Warranties
My personal opinion is that most non-manufacturer warranties are scams. I have heard way too many stories of people spending inordinate amounts of money on them and then having nothing covered.
The exception to this rule is CarMax. Their warranties are expensive for luxury vehicles, but they are very good about covering repairs, and they allow you to get them done at any shop of your choice – including dealerships. Any vehicle you purchase from CarMax is eligible for one of their warranties, and every car purchased from them includes a 5-day return policy and 30-day warranty – regardless of whether or not you opt for an extended warranty. However, bear in mind that the cost of a warranty at CarMax is in addition to the listed price.
Then, there is the option of “Certified Pre-Owned” vehicles…
Certified Pre-Owned
All car manufacturers offer “certified pre-owned” (or “CPO”) cars. These fill the space between regular used cars and brand new cars. Generally, CPO cars have to pass an inspection, and can’t have had any accidents or other major incidents. They come with warranties that last longer than the new car warranty typically does. Generally, you will pay a premium for them over a regular used car, but in my opinion, it’s worth it – especially since the warranty is from the manufacturer and not a third party.
One other item of consideration is that CPO cars are often eligible for lower interest rates through dealer financing than general used cars, depending on current promotions.
BMW
Warranty: 1yr/unlimited mile extension to factory 4yr/50k mile warranty (from original date of sale) – if factory warranty expired, then the CPO warranty lasts for 1 year from your purchase. Extended warranties may be available.
Transferable: Warranty is transferable upon sale of vehicle to a private party for a $200 fee
Deductible: $50 per visit
Roadside Assistance: “Up to” 6 years from original date of sale
Read Autotrader’s review of BMW’s CPO program here.
Land Rover
Warranty: 7yrs/100k miles from the original date of sale
Transferable: Warranty is transferable upon sale of vehicle to a private party
Deductible: $0
Roadside Assistance: Included, but website does not go into details
Trip Interruption: If the car becomes “disabled due to a warrantable defect, you are entitled to reimbursement for things like lodging, transportation and other necessary expenses”
Repair Loaners: Website doesn’t mention loaner vehicles during repair
Read Autotrader’s review of Land Rover’s CPO program here.
Porsche
Warranty: 2yr/unlimited mile extension to factory warranty (from original date of sale) – if factory warranty expired, then the CPO warranty lasts for 2 years from your purchase
Transferable: Warranty is transferable upon sale of vehicle to a private party
Deductible: $0
Roadside Assistance: Included, but website does not go into details
Read Autotrader’s review of Porsche’s CPO program here.
Trim Levels & Engines
“RWD” means “rear wheel drive”
“AWD” means “all wheel drive”
BMW X5 (F15 Generation)
Trims are sorted from lowest (base) to highest.
sDrive35i – 3.0L I6 turbo RWD
xDrive35i – 3.0L I6 turbo AWD
xDrive35d – 3.0L I6 turbo diesel AWD
xDrive40e – 2.0L I4 hybrid AWD
xDrive50i – 4.4L V8 twin-turbo AWD
M – 4.4L V8 twin-turbo AWD
The 3.0L I6 engine used in the sDrive35i and xDrive35i is the same engine that is in dad’s BMW 435i.
Land Rover Range Rover Sport (L494 Generation)
All Range Rover Sports are AWD.
Trims
Trims are sorted from lowest (base) to highest.
SE
HSE
Supercharged
Supercharged Dynamic
Autobiography – This is the highest “luxury” trim
SVR – This trim removes some luxury features from the Autobiography but adds some serious performance
Engines
3.0L V6 supercharged – available on the SE and HSE
3.0L V6 turbo diesel – available on the SE and HSE (called the “Td6”)
5.0L V8 supercharged – only available engine on Supercharged and above
Porsche Cayenne (92A Generation)
All Cayennes are AWD.
Trims are sorted from lowest (base) to highest.
Base – 3.6L V6
Diesel – 3.0L V6 turbo diesel
S – 4.8L V8 (2011-2014) or 3.6L V6 twin-turbo (2015-2018)
S E-Hybrid – 3.0L V6 supercharged hybrid
GTS – 4.8L V8 (2011-2014) or 3.6L V6 twin-turbo (2015-2018)
Turbo – 4.8L V8 twin-turbo
Turbo S – 4.8L V8 twin-turbo
Desirable Options
BMW X5 (F15 Generation)
BMW X5 xDrive35i (F15)
You can see what options any BMW has (and other information) by pasting the VIN into this website: https://www.mdecoder.com
Heated front seats are standard on all vehicles.
Cold Weather Package – includes heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, and headlamp washers
M Sport Package – includes sport steering wheel, sport seats, and footrests and door sills with “M” badging
Driver Assistance Package – includes backup camera and heads-up display (HUD)
Driver Assistance Plus – includes blind spot monitoring system, adaptive cruise control, surround and side view cameras, and speed limit display
Premium Package – includes keyless entry and ignition, 4-zone climate control, and satellite radio w/ 1yr subscription
Lighting Package – includes adaptive high beams and full LED lights
Parking Assistant
Park Distance Control (parking sensors)
Backup camera
Surround and side view cameras
Forward Collision Warning
Adaptive cruise control
Xenon headlights
Land Rover Range Rover Sport (L494 Generation)
Land Rover Range Rover Sport SE (L494)
Heated front seats are standard on the HSE trim and above.
Ventilated front seats are standard on the Autobiography trim.
For a more “sporty”-looking vehicle, consider the Supercharged Dynamic or SVR trims – the latter has extra power, but carries a significant price premium.
Climate Comfort & Visibility Package – includes heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, fog lights, adaptive headlights w/ high beam assist, autodim mirrors, blind spot monitor, and 60/40-split rear seat
Driver Assistance Pack – includes traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, park assist, 360 degree park distance control, and heads-up display (HUD)
Vision & Convenience Package – includes surround camera system, park assist, autodim exterior mirrors, adaptive headlights, high beam assist, heated windshield, heated steering wheel, and 4-zone climate control
Adaptive cruise control
Surround camera system
Meridian 825-watt 19-speaker stereo or 1700-watt 23-speaker stereo
Panoramic roof (standard on HSE trim and above)
Dynamic Response suspension
Porsche Cayenne (92A Generation)
Porsche Cayenne GTS (92A)
Heated front and rear seats are standard on the Turbo and Turbo S trims, and optional on all others.
The previous Porsche Cayenne included a heated steering wheel with any car that had heated seats, provided the steering wheel did not have wood or carbon fiber inserts. It is unclear if this is the case on this generation of Porsche Cayenne, and is worth a question to a Porsche sales person.
Premium Package – includes Power Steering Plus, Comfort Lighting Package, Park Assist, backup camera, bi-xenon headlights, Porsche Dynamic Lighting System, autodim mirrors, power sunroof, 14-way power seats w/ memory, and heated and ventilated front seats
Premium Package Plus – includes all items in the above Premium Package plus heated rear seats, LED headlights, keyless ignition, power rear sunshade, and Lane Change Assist
Sport Package – includes Sport Chrono, air suspension, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), and sport exhaust
Convenience Package – includes Porsche Communication Management (PCM) radio, navigation, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, autodim mirrors, and heated front seats
Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) – allows you to adjust the suspension stiffness for different road conditions
Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) – dramatically reduces body roll when cornering
Infotainment Package – includes Bose surround sound stereo system and HD radio
Adaptive cruise control
Panoramic roof
Air suspension
Ventilated front seats
Maintenance & Common Problems
BMW X5 (F15 Generation)
Avoid the xDrive35d trim, as the diesel engine has issues with its timing chains that can cost thousands of dollars to resolve out of warranty
Previous iterations of the “N63” engine used in the xDrive50i had severe issues (read more here). BMW allegedly fixed these issues in the version that is used in this car, but I would still be wary.
The engine used in the sDrive35i and xDrive35i is very reliable
Earlier models may encounter issues that have been resolved with software updates. Read more here.
Land Rover Range Rover Sport (L494 Generation)
Replace the water pump every 50,000 miles or 5 years at the latest on gasoline vehicles, or else it may fail and cause the vehicle to overheat badly to the point where it requires a new engine. If the vehicle does overheat, shut it down immediately and tow it to a shop – don’t attempt to drive it.
Replace the crossover tube whenever you do the water pump. It’s cheap and easy.
Change the oil every 5000 miles regardless of what the official service interval is. This will keep the engine happy long-term, and more importantly, it will prolong the life of the timing chain guides and tensioner.
Aside from the weak water pumps, the engine and drivetrain in this car are rock solid.
In general, the L494 Range Rover Sport is much more reliable than its predecessor, the L320 Range Rover Sport (produced from 2006-2013).
Transfer case failure is common on vehicles with gasoline engines. Replacement of the transfer case is about $4000 at a dealership. It can happen as early as 15,000 miles, and can happen again even after a replacement. This does not affect the S E-Hybrid and Diesel trims, as they use a different transfer case (which means they are the ones to buy). You can read more here.
Model year 2011 S and Turbo cars have an issue with bolts on the “Variocam” variable valve timing system, wherein the bolts can break, fall into the engine, and cause catastrophic engine damage (requiring replacement of the engine at around $30k). There was a recall issued for this (which means repairs are free). Some early 2012 cars allegedly have the same issue, but the recall does not apply to them – so if they fail, you’re out of luck (and $30k). Other model years are not affected.
Avoid cars with carbon ceramic brakes (identified by yellow brake calipers) as new pads and discs are extraordinarily expensive.
Due to its weight and performance, the Cayenne eats brakes and tires, neither of which are particularly cheap to replace. Tires are especially expensive with bigger wheels.
In general, the 92A Cayenne is much more reliable than its predecessor, the 9PA Cayenne (produced from 2003-2010). This may serve as little consolation with the transfer case issues.
2015 BMW X5 xDrive35i
2015 BMW X5 xDrive35i
2016 BMW X5 xDrive35i
2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e
2017 BMW X5 xDrive40e
2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged
2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged
2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged
2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE
2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SE
2014 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid
2016 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid
2016 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid
2015 Porsche Cayenne Diesel
2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel