Sean Troy bought his 103rd BMW X5 just two days before recording the latest episode of the BMWBLOG Podcast. At 28 years old, Troy still owns 28 X5s, with 15 parked outside his shop in Georgia and the rest stored at his father’s shop in Charleston.
So when asked which X5 someone should buy with $15,000, the answer might have seemed obvious. Instead of choosing the E53, Troy recommended the E70 35d, setting the tone for a conversation built around his years of experience working on the SUV.
Every BMW X5 Generation Gets Troy’s Take
Troy runs Alpine Rennsport, a BMW and Porsche shop in Cleveland, Georgia, about 10 minutes from Helen. His recommendations on the X5 and other vehicles come from his hands-on experience working with them.
For the E53, Troy nearly always recommends a pre-facelift 3.0i equipped with the M54 inline-six. He says the engine is very difficult to kill unless it is deliberately overheated.
His personal favorite is the 4.6is, although he warns that more examples are now developing bore scoring, which he considers unfixable today. He also explains why he believes the N62 V8 used in facelift models runs hotter than it should and how that heat affects seals and gaskets.
Why the E70 35d Is His $15,000 Pick
When discussing the E70, Troy is direct about the first-generation twin-turbo V8s found in the xDrive50i and X5 M: avoid them.
Instead, he points to the 35d as his choice for almost everything, including an off-road build.
The F15 receives a cooler assessment, with Troy choosing the N55 as his reliability pick. The G05 ranks as his second-favorite X5 after the E53.
Troy’s own 2021 X5 M50i went from 14,000 miles to about 70,000 miles during his ownership. Much of that mileage came at the track while he was instructing at VIR.
He also discusses what is beginning to fail on aging G05 models, including transfer cases, front differentials and A/C evaporators.
The conversation also covers his X5 choices at $25,000 and $50,000, his views on plug-in hybrids, and the two X5s he considers the most reliable ever built.
How Sean Troy Ended Up With 103 X5s
The second half of the podcast focuses on Troy’s personal history with the X5. His first was a black pre-facelift 4.4i that he bought from his brother’s childhood best friend’s parents. The SUV needed timing chains and guides at around 170,000 miles.
His second X5 was his mother’s former vehicle, which he tracked down and bought back.
The X5 also has a serious place in Troy’s family story. He credits an X5 with saving his mother’s life. Last September, his wife walked away from a 45 to 50 mph T-bone rollover in one of his E53s with little more than a bloody nose from the airbag.
Troy’s Rare X5s and “LM-ish” Tribute
Troy discusses the rarest car in his collection, a Neiman Marcus edition X5, along with neglected X5s he bought from drug dealers and later parted out.
He also talks about the X5 BMW never officially built: an ALPINA version.
The conversation then turns to Troy’s tribute to the X5 Le Mans, which he calls “LM-ish.” The project is based on his Imola Red 4.8is, his third X5 and the one that means the most to him.
The build adds an S85 V10 from the E60 M5, a six-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive with a limited-slip differential, and a carbon roof replacing the heavy panoramic sunroof.
The engine was installed the weekend before the podcast was recorded, and Troy is aiming to have the X5 driving by the end of the year.
BMWBLOG Podcast Moves to BMWBLOG Extra
The BMWBLOG Podcast will now be hosted on the new BMWBLOG Extra YouTube channel. The main BMWBLOG channel will remain focused on reviews, new car launches and special events, while BMWBLOG Extra will provide space for long-form conversations like the episode with Troy and other topics that do not quite fit on the main channel.
The full episode with Sean Troy is available on BMWBLOG Extra, with the audio version also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other platforms.
