RE: BMW 760Li: Spotted
Tuesday 7th February 2017
Regardless of how much technology, luxury and power is thrown at the latest BMW M760Li, it's most certainly going to depreciate. We don't yet know how far or how quickly, but this is not a car that will be changing hands above list price for many months as online quarrels erupt about availability. In BMW's defence, this is the same for the big saloons from Jaguar, Audi and Mercedes too. You pay a lot of money too for a lot of car, but then have to be prepared to lose a lot of money.
Of course though, that's all rather good news for the used buyer. Incredibly good news in fact, if you're after a huge luxobarge with a big engine. This sort of purchase always comes with the usual caveats about running an expensive car when they've become cheap - usually around fuel, or prohibitive repair costs - but that doesn't stop them from being tremendously tempting.
Which brings us onto the alternatives. That old 7 Series nemesis, the Mercedes S-Class, is also available in megabucks spec but doesn't appeal quite as much: this S500 is just a V8 and has more miles, while this V12 S600 doesn't look as well looked after despite just 16,000 additional miles. It is cheap though...
BMW 760Li: Spotted
It might be a while until the new 7 Series is down here, but they do like to depreciate...
Take this 7 Series, two generations and just over 10 years old now. Back in 2005 it cost its first owner somewhere in the region of £100,000, yet here is just 64,000 miles later for £10,000. Ten grand!
It's a great spec too; it's a V12 760 long-wheelbase, the most lavish 7 Series available back then. The black with beige leather works well, the wheels are standard and in good condition (as opposed to kerbed rip-off Alpinas) and the interior that we can see (there isn't a driver's seat pic, for example) looks very nice indeed. There are rear screens, a heated steering wheel, reclining massage seats, sunblinds, a fridge... it's even double glazed! In-car tech aside, this must surely fulfil the super limo role very nicely. And if you give everyone an iPad (and a decent data allowance), isn't it basically like a new saloon anyway?
This 760 looks to have been cared for too, with 19 main dealer stamps and seemingly decent paintwork. Dare it be said, the E65 Bangle generation of 7 Series is ageing quite well also; certainly this looks far more modern now than many saloons originally launched in 2001 will do.
A more appealing alternative right now in the PH classifieds comes from Audi in fact, with a W12 A8 on sale at exactly £10,000. Look at those picnic tables! And for more sporting tastes, there's an old XJR in budget too.
Plenty of rivals then, but this particular 7 Series' combination of luxury, condition and value seems especially tempting. Bear in mind that it will continue to lose money, plus that there probably will be a large bill or two along the way, and this 7 Series could provide some first-class big saloon motoring.
BMW 760LI (E65)
Engine: 5,972cc, V12
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 439@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 443@3,950rpm
MPG: 20.8
CO2: 330g/km
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 64,000 miles
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £9,995
See the original advert here
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Discussion
It should also be said that you can quite easily upgrade the infotainment system to the later 2015+ system without much hassle (it's costly at around £2k all in). But then realistically you've got a mega barge for a fraction of the cost with all the toys (read bluetooth/MP3/Internet/TV/3D maps/etc.)
The way E65 prices are at the moment they're an extremely attractive option for a big barge, although pretty much everyone I've ever been in (bar the one owned by a BM specialist himself) has had at least a couple of faults with it. That being said as long as you choose the right place for repairs you shouldn't really have a problem.
exceed said:
It should also be said that you can quite easily upgrade the infotainment system to the later 2015+ system without much hassle (it's costly at around £2k all in). But then realistically you've got a mega barge for a fraction of the cost with all the toys (read bluetooth/MP3/Internet/TV/3D maps/etc.)
Are you sure that is possible ? I know the CIC retrofit is now available for pretty much every other BMW but from what I can remember the E65 has a completely different I Drive system to the other models and don't currently know anyone who has done the retrofit in an E65 - happy to be proved wrong thoughI used to run a 745il with the same spec (bar picnic tables and heated wheel).
Superb car for long journeys.
The only thing that i would try and avoid is snapping a belt and losing power steering.
In August.
In Dubai.
At the top of a muli storey car park.
Its quite a workout getting it back down.
Superb car for long journeys.
The only thing that i would try and avoid is snapping a belt and losing power steering.
In August.
In Dubai.
At the top of a muli storey car park.
Its quite a workout getting it back down.
jamespink said:
How can anyone buy a Focus (or any other grey porridge car) with this kind of value around? Great car!
These cars can need deep pockets to run in good condition and thus your snubbing of the Focus is a bit unfair. For starters you'll likely need £2k a year in servicing, tyres are £1k a set, fuel economy not great and especially painful at over 20k miles a year etc etc the list goes on. I'm sure there are some owners on here who will confirm what I'm saying!
JakeT said:
That's nice!!! I hate long wheelbases, didn't know they made a short wheelbase 760, that's a nice car! Whoever buys it is a lucky guy
PhilboSE said:
Somebody get that A8 W12 LWB bought, it's magnificent.
Exactly what I was thinking. Personally think the D3 interior has aged better than the E65. The spec of the D3 in incredible and appears to have been cherished. Think the fuel bills are the reason for sale not the 'need for house deposit' line though...Edited by MrHooky on Tuesday 7th February 13:41
BFleming said:
Has it sold already? Bizarrely, it seems to have a current BMW used car warranty, which surprises me almost as much as it not having a towbar for a fuel bowser.
It looks like the seller has removed the advert. It was for sale this morning. Honest! Maybe someone snatched it up quick.
Nik
Remagel2507 said:
The way E65 prices are at the moment they're an extremely attractive option for a big barge, although pretty much everyone I've ever been in (bar the one owned by a BM specialist himself) has had at least a couple of faults with it. That being said as long as you choose the right place for repairs you shouldn't really have a problem.
I know tell me about it, it's tremendous value for money!exceed said:
It should also be said that you can quite easily upgrade the infotainment system to the later 2015+ system without much hassle (it's costly at around £2k all in). But then realistically you've got a mega barge for a fraction of the cost with all the toys (read bluetooth/MP3/Internet/TV/3D maps/etc.)
Are you sure that is possible ? I know the CIC retrofit is now available for pretty much every other BMW but from what I can remember the E65 has a completely different I Drive system to the other models and don't currently know anyone who has done the retrofit in an E65 - happy to be proved wrong thoughYou MAY be right... However, the site states E6x... It would be worth asking the question as you're onto a winner if you can: http://www.bimmerretrofit.com/store/index.php?rout...
I bought CIC for my 335i through them and they were amazing.
article said:
here's an old XJR in budget too
Old being the operative word. I love Jags, but that XJR looks like an antique next to the Bangle 7-series. How much is a decent X351 XJR?It's not that long ago that PH ran a "Spotted" article on the E32 7-series. It's interesting that the E32 is climbing in value and is not much cheaper than an E65. I'd probably prefer an E32, but in a nicer colour than the one featured.
http://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-spottedykyw...
Edited by spreadsheet monkey on Tuesday 7th February 20:00
jamespink said:
How can anyone buy a Focus (or any other grey porridge car) with this kind of value around? Great car!
I have a V8 CLS so a class (basically an E class) and four cylinders down from this, I could run a Focus for pennies, my CLS isnt too bad but it said it was doing 14.9 mpg the other day, the VED Is £500 odd, parts are more expensive and it needs more of everything, I run it cheaply as I do stuff myself but am under no illusions it could throws some big bills, air suspension and stuff like that.Barges arent for everybody, am going into Manchester tomorrow, so will go in my C1 so I can park and not worry about it, I could park it but it is just hard work, a Focus would be fine but car parks arent really made for five metre plus long cars.
Also, not everyone wants the barge image, a Focus is a pretty decent car all things considered and that leaves the barges for us nutters, I did try to love these but they just arent a very cohesive design, I know not everyone likes the CLS but I do, the earlier seven series was a lot more of a looker, my father in law had one, drove it a few times, was quite an occasion in my early twenties, seemed a monster then, a 730i V8, actually pretty pedestrian nowadays.
C7 JFW said:
That thing would be SO comfortable to soak the miles up in. Double glazing too. Lovely.
Yep. They really are supreme distance covering machines. Bought mine back in December. It's a pre-facelift version (the one in the feature is LCI), and just hit 80k miles this week. Mine was originally registered by BMW (on the 1 BMW plate, no less) back in September 04, and has most of the toys (vented seats, rear A/C (separate) and refrigerator are the only things missing AFAIK).
2k miles in, at an average of 20mpg calculated, but that includes one tank at 13.8 when driving around town. As mentioned, deep pockets... Motorways is where this car excels - only car I've ever driven where I can get out after 3+ hours & not even feel it (I have a V70 too, but the (comfort) seats are in a different league again).
The best thing is the sound. Below 2.5k rpm, you don't hear the engine at all. Modest throttle openings will quite happily keep up with traffic, and so you can reach near-100mph in relative silence. But, push that pedal down, & for 2.4 tonnes, it don't half go some. The snarl at 4k to the 6.5k limiter is something to savour.
Another thing to note, if you look at the engine's (N73 in BMW-speak) dyno map, under full throttle, from 1200 to 6500 rpm, there's never LESS than 380ft/lb of torque - (IIRC) it's a phenomenal thing, so what the later, twin-turbo versions are like, I can only imagine...
Running costs so far...
Fuel, lots of it. Budget £100/tank, and 350 miles for it.
£150 for a gearbox fluid change (nothing wrong, just preventative @80k miles)
If you want a warranty, Mondial quote £280/month! You can lease a good car for that...
But honestly, everyone who gets in, loves it. 0a drove it at the barge meet in Duxford (can see some shots of it in the photos from that date), Blown Imp has the EPIC thread in the BMW section of the forum, I should get a readers thread going at some point...
jamespink said:
How can anyone buy a Focus (or any other grey porridge car) with this kind of value around? Great car!
As others have said - erm - what!?Fuel Cost (likely 3-5 times more), Insurance Cost (depending who you are but unlikely to be less!!), Repair Costs (in another sport entirely - you could replace the Focus for some of the bills this will run-up) - they're all things against you here...
I've always liked smokey old barges but these things are just too big to use daily too - they do not fit into car park spaces, hell they don't fit into some car park ENTRANCES
p.s. The A8 is even worse at 17' long it's basically an HGV
Edited by 405dogvan on Tuesday 7th February 21:21
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