7 series barge - what are they like to run/own?
Discussion
Something like this - http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...
Seems a lot of car for 6k but what are they like? Money pits? unreliable? Poor ride? Just wandering really as for the price they seem to be quite a good deal, especially when compared to an equivalent age A8 or S class.
Seems a lot of car for 6k but what are they like? Money pits? unreliable? Poor ride? Just wandering really as for the price they seem to be quite a good deal, especially when compared to an equivalent age A8 or S class.
Post it over here (although it's slightly over thread budget) --> http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...
You'll get lots of feedback on what's good and bad plus pointers to many other similar cars ...
You'll get lots of feedback on what's good and bad plus pointers to many other similar cars ...
Buy one with a good service history, they take the miles well so I wouldn't get too stressed on mileage. For that kind of money go for the 745i, great match for the car and pretty much similar economy to the 735i with better performance.
Mpg expect between 19-22 about town and 28-32 on a run. Tyres on 19' rims you're looking at £200 each. Service is based on usage and is reasonable. Great car to drive and with dynamic drive really handles very well considering its size.
I've ran mine (745i) for the best part of 5 years so feel free to drop me a pm if you have any questions.
Cheers,
C
Mpg expect between 19-22 about town and 28-32 on a run. Tyres on 19' rims you're looking at £200 each. Service is based on usage and is reasonable. Great car to drive and with dynamic drive really handles very well considering its size.
I've ran mine (745i) for the best part of 5 years so feel free to drop me a pm if you have any questions.
Cheers,
C
Had my 745i for 5 years now. Its a 51 plate and one of the first off the line - 2 previous owners - one a board member at BMW.
In the 5 years and 35k miles I've had it, I've replaced the dynamic drive / active suspension twice, and had to recondition a steering rack. I've replaced a control unit, a handbrake and a few other odds and sods.
In total I've probably spent around 10,000 keeping it on the road in that time (Excluding tyres, insurance and other consumables). Which for a 70k list price new is about what you'd expect at 2k per year to run over a long period. I use independents but don't leave anything mechanical to chance or take shortcuts.
It's probably worth the princely sum of sweet fa, and I can't bring myself to sell it until something terminal happens to it.
The V8 is a thirsty sod, and averages between 19-20mpg in mixed conditions, and closer to 16mpg around town. I have lead in my right boot though. And the v8 sounds good when you work it.
On the plus side it's very comfortable, and is surprisingly agile for a big motor.
Buy a good one - a bad one will cost you an arm an a leg - there is sooooo much to go wrong on a decent spec car.
options that I like are :
heated ventilated comfort seats with massage
soft close doors
rear blinds (beats putting up crap rubber suckers when you have a sleeping 1 year old in the back)
Logic 7 stereo (Seriously great hi-fi)
Electric tailgate
Some I don't
Sat nav - pointless - iphone is better
Shielded windscreen - stops most sat navs working inside
HEater controls (too many options)
Radio - tuning in stations is a ballache
TV - it's pointless and the reception is rarely worthwhile and exceedingly limited
in car phone - feel like an 80s throwback
Don't get big wheels - this car is about a decent ride and being able to belt along occasionally. 20" rims look daft and ruin the ride and handling
Fit decent tyres. They are doing serious work..
In the 5 years and 35k miles I've had it, I've replaced the dynamic drive / active suspension twice, and had to recondition a steering rack. I've replaced a control unit, a handbrake and a few other odds and sods.
In total I've probably spent around 10,000 keeping it on the road in that time (Excluding tyres, insurance and other consumables). Which for a 70k list price new is about what you'd expect at 2k per year to run over a long period. I use independents but don't leave anything mechanical to chance or take shortcuts.
It's probably worth the princely sum of sweet fa, and I can't bring myself to sell it until something terminal happens to it.
The V8 is a thirsty sod, and averages between 19-20mpg in mixed conditions, and closer to 16mpg around town. I have lead in my right boot though. And the v8 sounds good when you work it.
On the plus side it's very comfortable, and is surprisingly agile for a big motor.
Buy a good one - a bad one will cost you an arm an a leg - there is sooooo much to go wrong on a decent spec car.
options that I like are :
heated ventilated comfort seats with massage
soft close doors
rear blinds (beats putting up crap rubber suckers when you have a sleeping 1 year old in the back)
Logic 7 stereo (Seriously great hi-fi)
Electric tailgate
Some I don't
Sat nav - pointless - iphone is better
Shielded windscreen - stops most sat navs working inside
HEater controls (too many options)
Radio - tuning in stations is a ballache
TV - it's pointless and the reception is rarely worthwhile and exceedingly limited
in car phone - feel like an 80s throwback
Don't get big wheels - this car is about a decent ride and being able to belt along occasionally. 20" rims look daft and ruin the ride and handling
Fit decent tyres. They are doing serious work..
I too have had my eye on these cars recently now that they're such good value. And if you don't mind moon-and-back mileage they can be had for sub £4,000. Funny really; this was Chris Bangle's introduction and I loathed the looks inside and out, nowadays I think they have great presence and have aged really well.
The 735 is likely to be a very good choice for reliability; it's the type of engine that won't have been over-worked yet still packs a reasonable punch, and is a tad lighter than the 745 perhaps. They come with the electrical bits you see in modern BMWs, however this sort of gadgetry was in its infancy on the 7 a decade ago so I that would concern me a little, as would fancy self adjusting suspension with the use of air bags, although I'm not 100% a mid range 735 would be equipped with that, I just remember horror stories about these systems failing on E39 540i Tourings when they were new.
I think plenty of homework would be in order otherwise buying one could potentially be a stab in the dark. For me, stepping out of a reasonably frugal 530d would probably mean hunting out an LPG converted one, you do see them crop up now and again. Please report back if you go ahead and take the plunge, I'd be interested to know of people's experiences.
The 735 is likely to be a very good choice for reliability; it's the type of engine that won't have been over-worked yet still packs a reasonable punch, and is a tad lighter than the 745 perhaps. They come with the electrical bits you see in modern BMWs, however this sort of gadgetry was in its infancy on the 7 a decade ago so I that would concern me a little, as would fancy self adjusting suspension with the use of air bags, although I'm not 100% a mid range 735 would be equipped with that, I just remember horror stories about these systems failing on E39 540i Tourings when they were new.
I think plenty of homework would be in order otherwise buying one could potentially be a stab in the dark. For me, stepping out of a reasonably frugal 530d would probably mean hunting out an LPG converted one, you do see them crop up now and again. Please report back if you go ahead and take the plunge, I'd be interested to know of people's experiences.
735 tends to be a lower trim level - 745 likely to be better optioned.
You don't buy one of these for economy so the v8 makes more sense I'd say.
Electrically (touch wood, theres a lot of that in the cabin too) it's been great.
The dynamic drive is hydraulic - not airbags, and is connected to the power steering.
Leaks as a good sign that it's on the way out - check for puddles of CHFS under the car (it's green and niffy) if this is happening.
You don't buy one of these for economy so the v8 makes more sense I'd say.
Electrically (touch wood, theres a lot of that in the cabin too) it's been great.
The dynamic drive is hydraulic - not airbags, and is connected to the power steering.
Leaks as a good sign that it's on the way out - check for puddles of CHFS under the car (it's green and niffy) if this is happening.
mr_tony said:
Any 10 year old 70k car is potential for big bills.
The question is - do you feel lucky?
Indeed. I'm assuming that you're clearly 'Tony Big Balls' judging by your extensive list of previously owned V8s! Really enjoyed reading about the Maserati 3200, one day I'll wake up, convince myself it's the right and most sensible thing to do and go and buy one!The question is - do you feel lucky?
ajb85 said:
Oh Christ, they sound a bit scary. Don't know if an S500 Merc of a similar vintage would be a better bet. Then again... 
My brother has the facelifted '7' Series (an 06 740iL, bought at six months old). It has been an excellent car which is why he has kept it so long. He has found it reliable, well made and robust and he says it has not been expensive to run for its size. It is heavy on petrol though. I haven't driven it, but have travelled in it many times as a passenger. It is a comfortable, spacious way to get around, though it rides less well than my twenty year old Jag and is noisier than it too, especially on rough road surfaces.
Before the BMW, my brother had a Mercedes S500, made in 2001/2002-ish. It was a dog of a car with truly appalling reliability and astonishing rust problems. It had holes in it at four years old. His Seven series is incomparably better built than the Mercedes.
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