730D

[zip929]

Just picked this beauty up.
Superb car, just makes you smile when you get in it.

Not as good as my previous M5 but the luxury makes up for the drop in performance.
Very happy indeed!

[Shaw Tarse]

[flakeypaul]

Very nice.

[zip929]

Just need to convince the wife that 20 inch wheels are essential and a good investment!
And followed with a good remap.

Wish me luck!

[PlayersNo6]

I think these cars look fantastic with tank-like solidity. Isn't it all controlled by i-drive inside?

[zip929]

PlayersNo6 said:

I think these cars look fantastic with tank-like solidity. Isn't it all controlled by i-drive inside?

Yes, the IDrive controls everything, and despite the scaremongering it's not that hard to use.
A bit of common sense and it is quite manageable.

[PlayersNo6]

OK - Do you know how reliable the IDrive is? Is there any sort of manual override/back-up in case of problems?

[tbc]

nice car

not sure if i could live with the colour though

[Max M4X WW]

I thought the three spoke steering wheel made it a 'Sport' obviously not, as they don't look like sport wheels.

They look so much better with the 20" Style 149's but obviously it will hamper the ride quality.

[Caulkhead]

zip929 said:

Just need to convince the wife that 20 inch wheels are essential and a good investment!

Don't, they ruin the ride and replacing the tyres costs a fortune.

I'm liking the unusual colour scheme - makes a nice change from silver or black.

Here's hoping your i-drive doesn't die.

[AZZLES]

looks great, definitely get some bigger wheels and tint the rear windows

[cheddar]

Go on then, how much?

[TheBigUnit]

zip929 said:

Yes, the IDrive controls everything, and despite the scaremongering it's not that hard to use.
A bit of common sense and it is quite manageable.

Couldn't agree more - the OH had it on her 3 series and I thought it was fine. I've always thought these were fantastic, and potentially a real bargain, and it's nice to see one that is not black or silver: Great car, well done!

[Baryonyx]

Love the interior, not so sure about the colour or the wheel design though. Still, these 7's are great cars and great value too due to the lukewarm reception they received when they came out.

[zip929]

cheddar said:

Go on then, how much?

Less than 10k. You could not buy a fiesta for that.

[zip929]

TheBigUnit said:

Couldn't agree more - the OH had it on her 3 series and I thought it was fine. I've always thought these were fantastic, and potentially a real bargain, and it's nice to see one that is not black or silver: Great car, well done!

I have never had a problem with IDrive.
Takes a little getting used to but once mastered I find it easy to use.

[dragonheart]

Lovely car and the interior looks like a lovely place to be, but is it just me or does anyone else think the steering wheel look a little dated???

[Baryonyx]

How does the gear selection work with iDrive? I mean, I'm familiar with autos where you just 'knock it into drive' but I can't even see a selector here! Does it work off the iDrive controller there or the steering wheel controls or something?

[Mustard]

Baryonyx said:

How does the gear selection work with iDrive? I mean, I'm familiar with autos where you just 'knock it into drive' but I can't even see a selector here! Does it work off the iDrive controller there or the steering wheel controls or something?

It's on the steering column with gear changers on the steering wheel

[bennyboydurham]

Very nice OP. I've had a '55 plate 730d for 5 years now and it's the most fantastic car I've ever had. There are so many nice design features in them, like the doors that are steplessly braked so they stop wherever you open them to rather than at fixed points. Or the clever wipers that jump a few mm every three days to stop the wiper blade sticking to the windscreen and becoming brittle.

The early E65s had electrical gremlins but they were all completely sorted by the time your facelift was built. Parts are very reasonable and a good indie will be worth his weight in gold. Mine, Dean at DW Motorworks near Gateshead has been a god send. Keep on top of the maintenance, oil, filters, brakes, and stuff like the oil breather and it will go forever. People get in mine and as they are transported in near silent luxury they are staggered that they're in a 7 year old car with 93k miles on it.

Oh yes, and some bigger wheels would be nice. I too want 20s but they do indeed ruin the wonderful ride, apparently. I have the 19 inch 'star' wheels which look great. Don't tint the rear windows as proper BMW privacy windows are actually smoked glass and adding stick on tints to normal windows looks gash and will mark you out as a Chav. IMHO.