My Bavarian barge - long term report
Discussion
I did an early shift today so this afternoon I called in to the Hungarian car washers and as the weather was nice but not too sunny or hot I gave it a quick polish at home. In the sunlight it's as swirly as hell if you look closely but to be honest living out in the sticks within days it'll be covered in mud again so I'm not that bothered. One day I'll get it detailed as black is very unforgiving of swirls, dings and scratches.
It's five years and three months old now with 73,000 miles up, but you'd never think that from sitting inside. I've had her from two years old when I bought her as an ex BMW management AUC. I've often thought about moving it on but for what? I can't afford an F01 yet and it'd be daft getting another E65 now so I think she'll be soldiering on for a while yet. I originally wanted a 5 or a 330d but when I started looking I realised that everyone else had the same idea. I kept finding cars that had some but not all the stuff I was looking for and the perfect spec evaded me. Some didn't have xenons, some didn't have nav, some didn't have auto, etc etc so I ended up having a go in a 7 for a laugh as literally everything on my wish list and more was all as standard. After one drive I was smitten. It set me back £27,000 with a year's BMW warranty left and 19,000 miles up. I'll probably bail out at the end of next year when it'll have done around 90,000 miles and I'm hoping it'll still be worth around £10k as a tidy private sale, so £17,000 for five years and 70,000 miles motoring in a 7 Series seems pretty good value to me.
It doesn't go to the BMW stealers any more as they didn't seem any more capable and were double the price of a good specialist I use, who uses only BMW parts and oils. It had a few brain farts while under warranty (leak on the cylinder head, sat nav packed in and the passenger door wouldn't open) but since then touch wood, it's been pretty good. The door handles and door mechanism seem to be an E65 weak spot as since then both the driver and rear passenger door handles have both had problems which turned out to be the cable inside fraying at the ends. Not a big job but annoying as at first they only stick intermittently and only properly give up the ghost when you're in a foreign country with the whole family on board! The only other issue was the paint on the button to open the centre console wore off and then eventually the whole thing fell apart, probably as a consequence of me pressing it twice in every journey to take my phone in and out the snap in charger. The button was about 50p from the stealer but stripping down the centre console (which contains the iDrive controller and buttons) was apparently a nasty job.
Electrics seem to be okay, contrary to the nightmares you hear about E65s. Cold and damp autumnal weather sometimes seems to affect the DSC system and it gives you a warning that the DSC has been deactivated and to drive carefully upon startup. Restarting the engine cures this and it's only happened a handful of times in three years. Oil usage is low and consumables are no more expensive than any other car I've run. I've stuck with the OEM Pirelli P Zeros, although I tracked down some part worn P Zeros for the back last time round (about 2mm worn) which cost a fraction of the new price and so far have been great.
Fuel economy is a mixed bag. I only work about 4 miles from home so it barely gets warm most of the time and my fuel economy suffers. I'd say 25mpg around town, 30 odd in mixed use and on a long run over 40mpg is easily done, not bad for something this big that'll do 153 mph!
So in all would I recommend barge motoring? Yes, absolutely. Every journey is a treat. You arrive in supreme comfort and totally unflustered. Mot of my friends thought I was mad getting a 7 Series until they went in and drove it and now they'd have one in a flash. In terms of value for money you're getting an enormous amount of car for your cash. People are frightened by the potential bills but if you buy carefully and not too old then I'd say go for it. A blown turbo or new gearbox on an E65 is not that much more than it would be on a 3 or a 5!
Downsides? Well everyone thinks you're loaded for starters, as non car people don't really understand that a five year old E65 is worth about as much as a new Renault Clio and subsequently there's lots of 'you and your big flash car' type jibes and I suppose in these enlightened times you could argue that no one really needs such a big, opulent car as really a Toyota Aygo does the same job. Beardy, lentil-eaters do make you feel that you're destroying the planet, but hey, screw 'em. The biggest issue I have is tight city centre car parks where the width (rather the length) of the thing can be an issue. Testament to this is the little collection of dints all down either side from careless Aygo drivers and their doors...
So the pics then....
(All the original links have died - more pics at the end of this thread)
It's five years and three months old now with 73,000 miles up, but you'd never think that from sitting inside. I've had her from two years old when I bought her as an ex BMW management AUC. I've often thought about moving it on but for what? I can't afford an F01 yet and it'd be daft getting another E65 now so I think she'll be soldiering on for a while yet. I originally wanted a 5 or a 330d but when I started looking I realised that everyone else had the same idea. I kept finding cars that had some but not all the stuff I was looking for and the perfect spec evaded me. Some didn't have xenons, some didn't have nav, some didn't have auto, etc etc so I ended up having a go in a 7 for a laugh as literally everything on my wish list and more was all as standard. After one drive I was smitten. It set me back £27,000 with a year's BMW warranty left and 19,000 miles up. I'll probably bail out at the end of next year when it'll have done around 90,000 miles and I'm hoping it'll still be worth around £10k as a tidy private sale, so £17,000 for five years and 70,000 miles motoring in a 7 Series seems pretty good value to me.
It doesn't go to the BMW stealers any more as they didn't seem any more capable and were double the price of a good specialist I use, who uses only BMW parts and oils. It had a few brain farts while under warranty (leak on the cylinder head, sat nav packed in and the passenger door wouldn't open) but since then touch wood, it's been pretty good. The door handles and door mechanism seem to be an E65 weak spot as since then both the driver and rear passenger door handles have both had problems which turned out to be the cable inside fraying at the ends. Not a big job but annoying as at first they only stick intermittently and only properly give up the ghost when you're in a foreign country with the whole family on board! The only other issue was the paint on the button to open the centre console wore off and then eventually the whole thing fell apart, probably as a consequence of me pressing it twice in every journey to take my phone in and out the snap in charger. The button was about 50p from the stealer but stripping down the centre console (which contains the iDrive controller and buttons) was apparently a nasty job.
Electrics seem to be okay, contrary to the nightmares you hear about E65s. Cold and damp autumnal weather sometimes seems to affect the DSC system and it gives you a warning that the DSC has been deactivated and to drive carefully upon startup. Restarting the engine cures this and it's only happened a handful of times in three years. Oil usage is low and consumables are no more expensive than any other car I've run. I've stuck with the OEM Pirelli P Zeros, although I tracked down some part worn P Zeros for the back last time round (about 2mm worn) which cost a fraction of the new price and so far have been great.
Fuel economy is a mixed bag. I only work about 4 miles from home so it barely gets warm most of the time and my fuel economy suffers. I'd say 25mpg around town, 30 odd in mixed use and on a long run over 40mpg is easily done, not bad for something this big that'll do 153 mph!
So in all would I recommend barge motoring? Yes, absolutely. Every journey is a treat. You arrive in supreme comfort and totally unflustered. Mot of my friends thought I was mad getting a 7 Series until they went in and drove it and now they'd have one in a flash. In terms of value for money you're getting an enormous amount of car for your cash. People are frightened by the potential bills but if you buy carefully and not too old then I'd say go for it. A blown turbo or new gearbox on an E65 is not that much more than it would be on a 3 or a 5!
Downsides? Well everyone thinks you're loaded for starters, as non car people don't really understand that a five year old E65 is worth about as much as a new Renault Clio and subsequently there's lots of 'you and your big flash car' type jibes and I suppose in these enlightened times you could argue that no one really needs such a big, opulent car as really a Toyota Aygo does the same job. Beardy, lentil-eaters do make you feel that you're destroying the planet, but hey, screw 'em. The biggest issue I have is tight city centre car parks where the width (rather the length) of the thing can be an issue. Testament to this is the little collection of dints all down either side from careless Aygo drivers and their doors...
So the pics then....
(All the original links have died - more pics at the end of this thread)
Edited by bennyboydurham on Monday 16th May 16:12
WC, engine choice is a matter of taste I guess; as you say the engine size has little bearing on standard equipment on these so it really depends on you. For some a diesel engine in a barge like this is just wrong and having driven a 650i myself last week I can see their point. As wonderfully insulated and un-dieselly as it is, a 730d just can't deliver the kind of aural satisfaction you'd get from a 750i or 760li. Although my E65 can show the wife's Z4 a clean pair of tyres if required it doesn't sound like it's particularly enjoying the experience and there's also the age and mileage consideration of running a diesel in that you've got turbos, swirl flaps and other bits under high stress that can quite ruinously go pop. Arguably a petrol *could* have less to to go wrong at higher mileages.
That said, in the real world the 730d is the only model that delivers realistic fuel economy as a daily driver. A decent run can deliver you 40+ mpg and even around town you'd be going some to see under 30mpg most of the time. For a 3.0 with this level of performance, weighing this much and delivering this level of comfort that's pretty darn good. The other thing to bear in mind is that 90% of the E65s knocking about are diesel. Petrol 730is are like hens teeth and the tasty 750i and 760i models tend to be the 'L' stretched wheelbase versions. As I said in the write up, the width of the thing in standard form is enough to deal with in a tight city centre car park so I personally wouldn't want it to be any longer than it is! You'd also look even more like a chauffeur/airport taxi service in the 'L' as well....
If I had to buy an E65 again and fuel wasn't an issue my dream spec would be a standard wheelbase 750i in Sport trim with 20-inch wheels, comfort seats, soft close doors, powered bootlid, Logic 7 stereo, comfort access, DAB and TV. I'd stick with black and cream oyster leather but I'd find one with the matt dark grain wood that looks a bit more youthful than the high gloss in my car. If fuel was an issue then the above with the derv engine would be just fine!
That said, in the real world the 730d is the only model that delivers realistic fuel economy as a daily driver. A decent run can deliver you 40+ mpg and even around town you'd be going some to see under 30mpg most of the time. For a 3.0 with this level of performance, weighing this much and delivering this level of comfort that's pretty darn good. The other thing to bear in mind is that 90% of the E65s knocking about are diesel. Petrol 730is are like hens teeth and the tasty 750i and 760i models tend to be the 'L' stretched wheelbase versions. As I said in the write up, the width of the thing in standard form is enough to deal with in a tight city centre car park so I personally wouldn't want it to be any longer than it is! You'd also look even more like a chauffeur/airport taxi service in the 'L' as well....
If I had to buy an E65 again and fuel wasn't an issue my dream spec would be a standard wheelbase 750i in Sport trim with 20-inch wheels, comfort seats, soft close doors, powered bootlid, Logic 7 stereo, comfort access, DAB and TV. I'd stick with black and cream oyster leather but I'd find one with the matt dark grain wood that looks a bit more youthful than the high gloss in my car. If fuel was an issue then the above with the derv engine would be just fine!
Edited by bennyboydurham on Monday 5th December 17:18
WC, iPod connectivity has three options. USB on the late model cars (post '07), cable fooling the idrive into controlling the iPod instead of the OEM CD changer on the facelift cars (like mine, stealer will charge around £250) or you're looking at a specialist install on the early models. I have no idea on the cost of this I'm afraid.
Couple of things I'd add; I'd go post facelift if the budget allows. The improvements to the idrive are worth the price of admission alone and the old styling really dates the car. Bang a private reg on a facelift and it could be a 58 plate for all anyone would know.
The Li is really long. I never struggle to park the E65 as the width rather than the length is usually the limiting factor in a car park, but you'd be sticking out at the back in most standard UK spaces. Worth a thought.
The two you've picked out are both good spec but the first is knocking onto 200k miles and even as a hardened E65 fan I'd need a lot of brave pills to buy one with that kind of mileage. The second is a better bet (if the miles are genuine) but looks to be very strong money for a 2003 pre-facelift gas guzzler. My own car, a diesel which gives sensible MPG and is a mint early '06 model with mostly dealer history and having a charmed life in the main would realistically only be worth around the money they want for a much older petrol model.
All IMHO and all that, obviously. Any more you need to know, just holler.
Couple of things I'd add; I'd go post facelift if the budget allows. The improvements to the idrive are worth the price of admission alone and the old styling really dates the car. Bang a private reg on a facelift and it could be a 58 plate for all anyone would know.
The Li is really long. I never struggle to park the E65 as the width rather than the length is usually the limiting factor in a car park, but you'd be sticking out at the back in most standard UK spaces. Worth a thought.
The two you've picked out are both good spec but the first is knocking onto 200k miles and even as a hardened E65 fan I'd need a lot of brave pills to buy one with that kind of mileage. The second is a better bet (if the miles are genuine) but looks to be very strong money for a 2003 pre-facelift gas guzzler. My own car, a diesel which gives sensible MPG and is a mint early '06 model with mostly dealer history and having a charmed life in the main would realistically only be worth around the money they want for a much older petrol model.
All IMHO and all that, obviously. Any more you need to know, just holler.
Pickled Piper said:
Excellent thread chaps. As a long term E39 owner I have struggled to line up a worthy successor. I dislike the ride of modern BMWs and just don't buy into the "runflat" era cars.
Definitely going to look into a 7.
pp
Yep all E65's come with a nice fat spare wheel under the carpet in the boot, no problems there! Definitely going to look into a 7.
pp
Yep Sapphire black, that's the one. It's a pretty standard SE to be honest. The wheels are 19" Star design and the interior is oyster/black. The wood is high gloss grain. Equipment levels are high although mine doesn't have any tasty options like soft close doors, powered bootlid, TV, DAB, comfort seats, rear entertainment, dynamic cruise control etc.
If I bought another I'd go for the 20" sport alloys with oyster/black interior again but go for the matt grain wood instead which is a bit more contemporary than the wood I've got.
Pity you don't like the F01. I had a dealer demo for 24 hours and although I don't think the handling is as sorted as the E65, everything else is a leap forward - IMHO, of course. 20k however gives the pick of late model E65s. Get the latest and best spec model you can find and you'll be a very happy man.
I've had mine three years and no plans to get rid for another two at least as frankly unless the 740d drops onto the price radar there's nothing that can touch it in the metal for money stakes.
If I bought another I'd go for the 20" sport alloys with oyster/black interior again but go for the matt grain wood instead which is a bit more contemporary than the wood I've got.
Pity you don't like the F01. I had a dealer demo for 24 hours and although I don't think the handling is as sorted as the E65, everything else is a leap forward - IMHO, of course. 20k however gives the pick of late model E65s. Get the latest and best spec model you can find and you'll be a very happy man.
I've had mine three years and no plans to get rid for another two at least as frankly unless the 740d drops onto the price radar there's nothing that can touch it in the metal for money stakes.
Edited by bennyboydurham on Sunday 3rd July 04:47
PP, I also keep an eye on the AUC site to see what's passing through and there's not much right now. The F01 is taking a long time to float down to the kind of money that similar aged E65s cost when I got mine and also the steady stream of E65s from BMW, like mine has dried up too. That essentially means you've got a handful of boggo spec E65s knocking about and then a big jump in price up to the F01. When I was looking there were literally dozens to choose from. Be patient though, the right one will appear!
Chaps, bit of an update three years on!
The car is still with me, having outlived three car changes for my wife since it arrived in December 2007 - a BINI One, a Z4 and now a 325i E92 M Sport. In fact, we're already talking about moving on the E92 yet the trusty 7er is proving impossible to replace as it's just so damn good. It'll be 9 in December and a few years ago, if someone told me I'd be running around in a near-decade old motor I'd have laughed in their face but inside it doesn't squeak or rattle, it drives exactly the way it did when I rolled out of the BMW stealer when it was 23 months old and even now almost 8 years after first sliding behind that big steering wheel (which retracts out of your way, of course) it still feels like a special place to spend time.
With that in mind, the only car I hanker after is an F01 7er and bearing in mind I'd need to pony up £25k for one that's sufficiently new and toyed up to want to make the jump, the trigger so far has not been pulled while the E65 supplies such effortless, fully paid up, and by now fully depreciated motoring.
It's not been an expensive car to run, either. As a December '05 car, it sneaks into the lower tax bracket and although the 30-35mpg mixed fuel consumption isn't that stellar compared with the F car's efforts, it's perfectly acceptable for the low miles I do these days and can still give me up to 40mpg on a decent run. Parts are not expensive. Oil service with filters is about £150. Brake pads are the same price as as those on my mum's Peugeot and the discs on the back lasted 100k miles.
There've been a few repairs:
97k miles the boot started leaking. After a few attempts at diagnosis (which involved my indie climbing in the boot while his pal hosed the car with water!) it turned out to be a perished rubber grommet in the spare wheel well. £5 of sealant later, fixed.
100k was a big milestone, celebrated by the starter motor dying shortly after. £150 for a new one, fitted by my friendly indie. The only time in nearly years of ownership it went off on a low loader...
103k both rear PDC sensors died. Here's where an indie really comes into his own - the stealers charge around £150 for each one, plus fitting and VAT. My bloke got them on eBay (he says exactly the same ones, but not in a BMW box) for £20, plus £15 to paint and a tenner to fit. They've worked perfectly.
104k the driver side fog lamp misted up. Indie suspected water had got in from perhaps driving through a flood and nothing we did fixed it so I replaced the whole unit (non OEM part from ECP £37 plus £15 fitting, fitted perfectly.)
Tyres are what you make them. I use OEM P Zeros and got some new ones on the back 18 months ago. As I'm self-building a new house I didn't want to spank £600 for new ones on the front around Xmas last year so found two part worns on eBay (no repairs though, just worn - that was a must) for £99 each. Despite the dire warnings of death from PHers they've been on since then and have barely worn at all so I'm very happy.
The car is now on 118k miles and is still pretty much perfect. It has lived on a farm for the last year while our house is being built and I've given up trying to keep her tiptop cosmetically as the track in is full of muddy potholes and crap. When we complete later this year and funds allow I will spend a bit to get her up to speed including:
-paint repair under the driver side door mirror where the paint has peeled off.
-wheel refurb as all of them look okay from a distance but have corroded inside the wheel/curbing etc.
-sort out the oxidised bright work around the windows.
-leather feed and new carpet mats (self build is a muddy thing)
-steering wheel retracts but won't go up or down (usually needs a strip down and new teeth on the cog as you can hear the motor running, according to my wise indie)
-front driver side PDC occasionally thinks something is in the way when it isn't. Needs replacing.
-DPF will need doing next year - will worry about that when it happens.
-all round machine polish and paint correction to rectify 9 years of Polish hand washes and the crap paint job done to the front wing by a local coachworks when I thumped a bollard at our local Sainsburys.
Not a peep out of her in the depths of winter:
And in the height of summer (pictured here on my drive-to-be)
I'm 40 next year, and I plan to reward myself with an F01 on the 14th December. If you want a well looked after, one owner plus BMW management car looked after by the most knowledgable ex-BMW Master Technician in the country then you'll er, have to wait a bit longer
The car is still with me, having outlived three car changes for my wife since it arrived in December 2007 - a BINI One, a Z4 and now a 325i E92 M Sport. In fact, we're already talking about moving on the E92 yet the trusty 7er is proving impossible to replace as it's just so damn good. It'll be 9 in December and a few years ago, if someone told me I'd be running around in a near-decade old motor I'd have laughed in their face but inside it doesn't squeak or rattle, it drives exactly the way it did when I rolled out of the BMW stealer when it was 23 months old and even now almost 8 years after first sliding behind that big steering wheel (which retracts out of your way, of course) it still feels like a special place to spend time.
With that in mind, the only car I hanker after is an F01 7er and bearing in mind I'd need to pony up £25k for one that's sufficiently new and toyed up to want to make the jump, the trigger so far has not been pulled while the E65 supplies such effortless, fully paid up, and by now fully depreciated motoring.
It's not been an expensive car to run, either. As a December '05 car, it sneaks into the lower tax bracket and although the 30-35mpg mixed fuel consumption isn't that stellar compared with the F car's efforts, it's perfectly acceptable for the low miles I do these days and can still give me up to 40mpg on a decent run. Parts are not expensive. Oil service with filters is about £150. Brake pads are the same price as as those on my mum's Peugeot and the discs on the back lasted 100k miles.
There've been a few repairs:
97k miles the boot started leaking. After a few attempts at diagnosis (which involved my indie climbing in the boot while his pal hosed the car with water!) it turned out to be a perished rubber grommet in the spare wheel well. £5 of sealant later, fixed.
100k was a big milestone, celebrated by the starter motor dying shortly after. £150 for a new one, fitted by my friendly indie. The only time in nearly years of ownership it went off on a low loader...
103k both rear PDC sensors died. Here's where an indie really comes into his own - the stealers charge around £150 for each one, plus fitting and VAT. My bloke got them on eBay (he says exactly the same ones, but not in a BMW box) for £20, plus £15 to paint and a tenner to fit. They've worked perfectly.
104k the driver side fog lamp misted up. Indie suspected water had got in from perhaps driving through a flood and nothing we did fixed it so I replaced the whole unit (non OEM part from ECP £37 plus £15 fitting, fitted perfectly.)
Tyres are what you make them. I use OEM P Zeros and got some new ones on the back 18 months ago. As I'm self-building a new house I didn't want to spank £600 for new ones on the front around Xmas last year so found two part worns on eBay (no repairs though, just worn - that was a must) for £99 each. Despite the dire warnings of death from PHers they've been on since then and have barely worn at all so I'm very happy.
The car is now on 118k miles and is still pretty much perfect. It has lived on a farm for the last year while our house is being built and I've given up trying to keep her tiptop cosmetically as the track in is full of muddy potholes and crap. When we complete later this year and funds allow I will spend a bit to get her up to speed including:
-paint repair under the driver side door mirror where the paint has peeled off.
-wheel refurb as all of them look okay from a distance but have corroded inside the wheel/curbing etc.
-sort out the oxidised bright work around the windows.
-leather feed and new carpet mats (self build is a muddy thing)
-steering wheel retracts but won't go up or down (usually needs a strip down and new teeth on the cog as you can hear the motor running, according to my wise indie)
-front driver side PDC occasionally thinks something is in the way when it isn't. Needs replacing.
-DPF will need doing next year - will worry about that when it happens.
-all round machine polish and paint correction to rectify 9 years of Polish hand washes and the crap paint job done to the front wing by a local coachworks when I thumped a bollard at our local Sainsburys.
Not a peep out of her in the depths of winter:
And in the height of summer (pictured here on my drive-to-be)
I'm 40 next year, and I plan to reward myself with an F01 on the 14th December. If you want a well looked after, one owner plus BMW management car looked after by the most knowledgable ex-BMW Master Technician in the country then you'll er, have to wait a bit longer
Edited by bennyboydurham on Monday 16th June 19:43
Well, two years on another update chaps. Is she still with me?
YES!
As you can where there was a dusty hole in the ground there is now a house, and the Bavarian barge lives on!
She hasn't been totally faithful - at 110k miles she did this:
And she spent 6 weeks at the local BMW specialist whilst a new transmission was sourced. Turned out then to be the torque converter which meant another swap. But she came home in the end and I was delighted to have her back, especially as I'd rented one of these to run around in, which then promptly got a flat tyre! The bill was about £1200 in the end. She had a couple of replacement PDC sensors which seem to be a weak spot.
I have to be honest and say that last year was the closest she got to going the journey. She looked tired, she was covered in s
t from the house build and us living in a static caravan on a muddy farm. She needed new tyres, her paintwork was showing the scars of 10 years and 110k miles and her alloys were corroding. But after the gearbox issue, I decided that I'd thrown £1200 at an old car and might as well get my money's worth. No point fixing up her up just to punt on. So 'operation refresh' was launched:
- four new P Zeros and a good condition part worn for the spare (it had been used, so my OCD kicked in)
- full paint detail
- interior leather steam clean
- alloy refurb
- new front discs, four new pads, oil, filters and replacement OEM carpet mats all round to replace the tatty 2005 originals
It took a few weeks to do it all but the result was wonderful!
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/GNptXtmS.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/zdCj1LgY" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/zdCj1LgY.jpg)
All in all I'm still incredibly happy with the car. I've had her since she was just 23 months old and at the time it was the most money I'd ever spent on a car. However had you said I'd still be driving around in her and still enjoying getting behind the wheel 8 years later I'd have laughed in your face.
The thing you realise with these lovely old barges is just how much money you'd need to spend to get something better. I've looked at a few F01 730/40ds when they come up for sale around here, but one with sensible miles and a few toys that is appreciably younger than mine will set me back the thick end of £20k. That's getting on for 5 times the value of my car. Yes it's a more modern car with better performance, better economy and undoubtedly BMW build them well enough to rely on a 50k mile example to perform daily driver duties up to 150k and beyond without any problems but I just can't find a way to justify it. And trust me I've tried. It's like throwing out your Miele vacuum cleaner because it's 10 years old. You just wouldn't.
Here's to another 2 years, gents!
YES!
As you can where there was a dusty hole in the ground there is now a house, and the Bavarian barge lives on!
She hasn't been totally faithful - at 110k miles she did this:
And she spent 6 weeks at the local BMW specialist whilst a new transmission was sourced. Turned out then to be the torque converter which meant another swap. But she came home in the end and I was delighted to have her back, especially as I'd rented one of these to run around in, which then promptly got a flat tyre! The bill was about £1200 in the end. She had a couple of replacement PDC sensors which seem to be a weak spot.
I have to be honest and say that last year was the closest she got to going the journey. She looked tired, she was covered in s
t from the house build and us living in a static caravan on a muddy farm. She needed new tyres, her paintwork was showing the scars of 10 years and 110k miles and her alloys were corroding. But after the gearbox issue, I decided that I'd thrown £1200 at an old car and might as well get my money's worth. No point fixing up her up just to punt on. So 'operation refresh' was launched:- four new P Zeros and a good condition part worn for the spare (it had been used, so my OCD kicked in)
- full paint detail
- interior leather steam clean
- alloy refurb
- new front discs, four new pads, oil, filters and replacement OEM carpet mats all round to replace the tatty 2005 originals
It took a few weeks to do it all but the result was wonderful!
All in all I'm still incredibly happy with the car. I've had her since she was just 23 months old and at the time it was the most money I'd ever spent on a car. However had you said I'd still be driving around in her and still enjoying getting behind the wheel 8 years later I'd have laughed in your face.
The thing you realise with these lovely old barges is just how much money you'd need to spend to get something better. I've looked at a few F01 730/40ds when they come up for sale around here, but one with sensible miles and a few toys that is appreciably younger than mine will set me back the thick end of £20k. That's getting on for 5 times the value of my car. Yes it's a more modern car with better performance, better economy and undoubtedly BMW build them well enough to rely on a 50k mile example to perform daily driver duties up to 150k and beyond without any problems but I just can't find a way to justify it. And trust me I've tried. It's like throwing out your Miele vacuum cleaner because it's 10 years old. You just wouldn't.
Here's to another 2 years, gents!
J B L said:
Great story. I like them a lot. I started a new job a year ago and came out of 10 years of company cars onto a decent car allowance. These were high on the radar along with A8 and Pheaton but Ingot put off by horror stories. Meybe next time I won't listen.
Where are you and which specialist do you use? Any recommendations Warwickshire way?
Enjoy
You could be unlucky I guess and the net is littered with stories of gremlins in early gen E65s but they're all long sorted now. You can see how well put together these cars are when you hammer them with miles and the passing years. And hell what's the worst that can happen? A mate of mine pays £300 a month for a crappy 320d. In 10 years the biggest bill this has thrown me is £1200 for the gearbox. Or 12 weeks rental of a 320d...Where are you and which specialist do you use? Any recommendations Warwickshire way?
Enjoy
Well chaps, thought I'd bring this thread to a close as after 9 years and 146,000 miles of faithful service, the Bavarian barge has left the building.
It was seriously the best car I've ever had and I'd have no hesitation in recommending BMW barging to anyone, as long as you can find a decent indie. In the last year alone is been a faithful daily driver and has notched up 20k miles. Not bad for a car that's more than a decade old. Special tribute should go to Dean from DW Motorworks here in the North East for keeping it tip top and having an almost cerebral ability to diagnose problems from six feet away.
Costs have all been routine stuff, apart from the previously mentioned torque converter and starter motor, along with the odd PDC sensor and a perished coolant hose. Parts aren't expensive and the originals seem to last well. The factory rear discs were good for 100k miles.
The new owner is a PHer and is having an oil leak looked at and the swirl flaps done, along with the leather re-dyeing on the front seats and the centre console as my elbow wore it off over 146k miles!
There was only one way to go with the replacement..........
It was seriously the best car I've ever had and I'd have no hesitation in recommending BMW barging to anyone, as long as you can find a decent indie. In the last year alone is been a faithful daily driver and has notched up 20k miles. Not bad for a car that's more than a decade old. Special tribute should go to Dean from DW Motorworks here in the North East for keeping it tip top and having an almost cerebral ability to diagnose problems from six feet away.
Costs have all been routine stuff, apart from the previously mentioned torque converter and starter motor, along with the odd PDC sensor and a perished coolant hose. Parts aren't expensive and the originals seem to last well. The factory rear discs were good for 100k miles.
The new owner is a PHer and is having an oil leak looked at and the swirl flaps done, along with the leather re-dyeing on the front seats and the centre console as my elbow wore it off over 146k miles!
There was only one way to go with the replacement..........
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