Used 2011 BMW X3 xDrive35i 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A) Consumer Reviews
Used X3 for sale
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Worth It! Find a good, affordable mechanic.
Turbo Inline 6, Denver, CO, 10/30/2019
BMW X3 xDrive35i 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
84 of 86 people found this review helpful
This is long but it’s the review I wish I had when I bought my BMW X3. I bought a preowned 2011 X3 35i in October 2019 and it’s a joy. A turbo charged inline 6 engine, I’m excited to drive it every day. Here’s what I learned: shop for your independent BMW mechanic before you even shop for the car. I think you’ll love your BMW! I love mine. However, you need to negotiate the lowest purchase price possible and have about $3,000 saved for repairs. The repairs will happen. You don’t want to be caught off guard. Before this, I drove a Toyota for 17 YEARS, almost 300k miles and sold it. It’s STILL out there going strong. Then, I had a Subaru Impreza for 1 year and I never liked it. Also sold it and it’s still out there going strong. I strongly debated buying a BMW. They are simply not as reliable as Toyota. BMW must have consistent care, where a Toyota will basically never die no matter what you do. When I was a dumb 20 yr old, I drove my Toyota for like a month with no oil and it Did.Not.Die. I only took it in when I heard a sound from under the hood, which turned out to be the 100% dry dipstick rattling in the empty oil reservoir. Now I’m older and more responsible. I decided to buy the car I REALLY wanted this time because life is short. I chose the more reliable X3 35i engine over the 28i that has terribly expensive timing chain failure issues. Don’t buy a 2011-2014 28i. Less reliable, less luxe, less fun to drive. I bought from a private seller and had my X3 inspected by a BMW shop pre-purchase. The car had solid maintenance history too. 5 days after I bought it...starter died, a $650.00 repair. I did everything right, and a surprising repair can still happen. Save a repair fund in advance so you aren’t going into debt. Know in advance which mechanic you’ll use. Know that on a preowned BMW, control arm replacement is gonna happen to you. It’ll be about $1200. Other common repairs after 70k miles: Water pump, $750. New battery, $300. Oil pump or oil pan, $650. You will love having a turbo BMW. You will be amazed and delighted by the luxury features and comfort. At the end of the day, any car could be a lemon money pit. Don’t stress and be afraid to buy a BMW, like I was. Research any car’s maintenance record and amount of owners. Have it inspected before you buy. Don’t trust a dealership to do all that legwork for you. Don’t overspend money you can’t afford to lose if the car is a dud.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Going to reach 200k Miles soon
McKinley W., Richmond, VA, 02/04/2019
BMW X3 xDrive35i 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
25 of 26 people found this review helpful
I bought this car because I wanted to keep the all wheel drive option and SUV body type after leaving an LR3 for 9 years. The BMW is a car you keep. I do my own maintenance and when you do, you appreciate the build quality of a car over the initial wow factor. I would say the weakness of the X3 are the amount of sensors in the car; if a sensor wears out the car will act like it is broken when it is not. Handling is just like any other BMW, awesome. The more powerful engine is the one to get if you plan on living with this car. This is not the car you get and keep for a couple of years. Some things to look out for are engine oil leaks, various modifications that are poor in standards, and unresolved electrical issues. Pluses are I don't think I need to replace the suspension yet, transmission shifts smooth as warm butter, and the technology that came with it originally is still to some degree better than cars 8 years newer. One bad point is BMW discontinued the BMW connected drive option for this car and the communication box is on a 2G network. If you can get over that, I say get this vehicle. Treat it right and you will have a friend for a long time.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2011 BMW X3 for sale near you
Showing 3 of 119 listings
- xDrive35i 4dr SUVMSRP: $9,29695 mi away
- xDrive28i 4dr SUVMSRP: $6,995105 mi away
- xDrive28i 4dr SUVMSRP: $7,999105 mi away
See all 119 listings
love hate relationship
GoWyo, Jackson, WY, 09/26/2016
updated 09/29/2017
BMW X3 xDrive35i 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
21 of 24 people found this review helpful
I bought the car brand new in 2011. I love how this car drives. Super fun and sporty. Hands down there is nothing on the market to compare to this little turbo six. Hence the love part. The hate part is the water pump going out with only 45,000 miles on it costing me over $1000. to fix. Constantly having battery problems with it in the cold winter, tail lights going out. The mechanic told me to save my money cause that"s how BMW's are. It's a high maintenance car but a blast to drive. It will be going down the road soon and will not be replaced by another BMW. I'm just not into the high cost of the maintenance regardless of how fun the car is to drive.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
The Best German Small SUV
rohanB, Milpitas, CA, 04/21/2019
updated 10/31/2019
BMW X3 xDrive35i 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
14 of 16 people found this review helpful
The X3 is by far superior to the Audi Q5 and the Mercedes GLC in their respective generation. My X3 SUV is a 2011 a 2nd gen from BMW. The engine is not even comparable to any other, being a straight 6 turbo is miles above and beyond in performance and efficiency compared to V6's from Audi and Mercedes. Only mercedes came close in refinement, and in comfort is slightly better than BMW. The Audi is basically a glorified VW on some weak steroids with all visual trickery to lure one into buying it over the other vaunted German brands. The weight distribution in the Audi is terrible and ane can feel it on sharp turns. The steering is lifeless in AUDI, more like a Hyundai/Toyota. The X3's cargo area is also bigger than Audi's. The engine's exhaust note from X3 will put some sports sedans to shame . The negative I had for the X3 is the suspension is too taught on some occasions and can be jarring sometimes on sharpheight change can do with better tuning for lesser ride harshness over sharp bumps especially. Also, the placement of the steering wheel heater switch being on the steering column makes it impossible to see the visual light indicator to knowther its on or off. The high perched seating position and the larger all round glass area make it very easy to drive compared to other suvs. So far it has taken one rear end collison with my pregnant wife driving it and she was completely fine. The crash protection is good. The maintainence cost is less that some Japanese brands. I have in 9 years of ownership only spent money to fix broken coolant hoses, leaky oil filter housing gaskets and a new coolant pump and in total less than $2000 in repairs over these years.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
I got a lemon.
juniorlla, 07/30/2012
BMW X3 xDrive35i 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
18 of 22 people found this review helpful
I bought a brand new 2011 BMW X3 XDrive 35i from Autorgemana in Medellin, Colombia and I got a lemon. 1) The sunroof didnt work. It took 6 months to replace everything and still makes a clunking noise when it opens. 2) when you step on the brakes the car shakes. It was at the dealer 3 times and they couldnt give us a correct solution. They replaced all 4 disc brakes, pads and sensors. 3) The headlights fog up inside even if it doesnt rain. They havent been able to figure out why this happens so they said it is normal and a year later still happens. 4) The steering system was broken. It went to the shop 3 times and it took 8 months to replace it. As i write this, my car is 14 months old, it has 14.800 kms and it is in the shop for the twelfth time. I named it St. Joseph because it goes from the shop to the house and the house to the shop.