7 Series - F01 vs. G11

[gazchap]

I had a one day test drive of a G11 730d over the weekend and was left thoroughly impressed, it's a much nicer and more modern place to be than the previous E38 and E65s that I've owned (which is to be expected, of course.)

However, unless I seriously kick my arse into gear this year and pay some debts off, getting into a G11 is unlikely.

Which brings me to looking at F01s, which now seem to be falling into the ~15K bracket for low(ish) mileage examples.

What's the level of comfort/equipment like compared to the new G11? Any must-have options? The massage comfort seats in the G11 were nice, I assume the F01 has a similar counterpart?

[Pioneer]

A G11 will be £40k+ and probably worth half that in another 2-3 years. Depends on how much you like the new tech. The drive is very similar imo. I drove a fully loaded '66 plate 730d up at £60k for the weekend and then a nicely spec'd '63 plate 740d msport which was up at £29k. PCP figures on the G11 didn't add up for me, neither did buying it outright. Same with the F01. Nice car but spec made it much higher priced than newer models with lower mileage so I said no to both. Depreciation is horrific on both. 15k will get you something nice albeit older with more miles - but they've most likely done most of their money at that point which would appeal to me. Both gens are well spec'd, front massage is standard on the G11. Gesture is fun but unnecessary and makes you look insane or as if you're having a row with someone, other toys are okay but important ones can be found on the older models anyway.

This is the '63 I drove: http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/7-Series/3.0TD-740d-M-Sp...

Car looked good, only couple of cosmetic issues that they seemed happy to rectify. I've decided to wait and get a G11 740 when they get to around £35k. Probably a couple of weeks then

[iSore]

A few folk I've spoken to say the G11 isn't enough of an advance over the (very good) F01. Emperors new clothes and trinkets, but the F01 730d is a seriously good car. As good as anyone needs really.