730d - Bad Idea?

[Progressive]

Vital Stats:-

23 years old
Comfortable (ish) job
Love BMW
Love 'comfortable' cars
Speed isn't number one on my list

Considering a (say) 2004 730d. Love the styling, interior looks like I could live in there, can't think of a more appealing car and can now pick them up within budget (under £15,000).

I was hanging around for 530d m-sports to come into budget without mega miles but there are some serious deals to be had a the 7 range.

Part of me, hoever, says it is a bad idea. Is it ridiculous for me to consider one of these beasts?

Thanks,

[istoo]

considered the same for replacement family wagon myself. I really liked the 7 but my wife decided it was just too vast. Thus settled on a 530d msport bought 15 months ago for not much more than your budget from a dealer with low miles. Worth waiting for the right car. But its a lot of car for the money i agree, its hard to ignore.. also wihtin budget might be a 550/545 but at your age insurance might be an issue?

[MidlandDan84]

Why does it matter how old you are?

If you like / want the 7 series then do so.

[tuffer]

I very nearly bought a "new" one as they were on run out before the new model came out. Ended up with a 530D but I would still be tempted by a 7 at the right price, go for it.

[bazking69]

Just be aware that top end cars usually come with top end bills when they go wrong, which even 7 series BMWs do occasionally.

[black1]

i have had a 730d for 2yrs they are not to dear to run i get 36-40 mpg overall
your bills will be high if you go to bmw dealers
mine went into a dealers for a service which had been paid for under a free service deal
when i went to pick it up the dealer said it needed work and the bill would be £850
so off to bmw specialist all work done for £178 !
now go get that 730d and get a hgv licence cos they are rather large

[DennisCooper]

Hi there,

Yes, as already stated, the 7 series is 'generally' bought by the older generation so it does have an air of older executive, chauffuer, retiree about it. That said, you could always modify it to a nice 'OEM plus' style to distinguish it out from the sea of 'normal' 7 series examples out there. Externally that'd really only amount to a really nice set of 20inch wheels or if you do feel a little flush - 21 or 22 inch wheels. The styling, size and wheelarches of the later 7 series will easily accomodate large wheels like this. Stick with a style of wheel suitable to the car and it'll look class - just like the Alpina B12 (at least i think its B12 for the Alpina moniker for their modified 7s!)

Also as already mentioned, running costs for wear and tear items shouldn't be overly excessive however if a major component gives way then yes, it'll be pricey. I'd imagine £1500+VAT for a gearbox rebuild for instance (and that's on the cheaper end of the scale but still some excellent indy's that do the work!)

Overall, so long as you do your calculations, have enough reserve to fix things and potential large bills - then go for it !

Cheers, Dennis!

[martin vr6]

Anything BUT a bad idea, ive had a hankering for a 5 and a 7 series for AGES but unfortunately i cannot justify either at this present moment

Go get that 7 bought

[Slurms]

DennisCooper said:

at least i think its B12 for the Alpina moniker for their modified 7s!

Nah it's the B7 now

Was the B12 for the E38 7 series..

[gf15]

If you want it, go for it. The 7 is a monster motor. Solid and comfy and drives nice. It can spoil you for anything else though.

[M5Dave]

No reason why a younger chap shouldn't have a 7 Series.

A 730d Sport in Black Sapphire, with the 20" cross spoke wheel upgrade is a cool car in anyone's book.

[R60EST]

These cars cost a significant amount new for a reason , they're laden with stuff the average 3 series can only dream of. Second hand they represent a terrific buy. I've always aspired to 'barge' motoring from an early age . I'm sure the young ladies about town would prefer to ride ( euphemism intended) in a 7 rather than the chav ford/vaux offerings on a similar budget. Fill yer boots man

[black1]

the only drawback is its size,try parking in your local supermaket
i allways try to park where there are plenty of spaces free

now the bit about pulling girls eerrrrrr no,

and yes it is a bit of a barge you aint gona corner like a sports car
but then you got the m5 for that

[christofmccracke]

im pretty much in the same boat looking at s classes and 7's want a 2006 s class but 30k

[BMWBen]

istoo said:

considered the same for replacement family wagon myself. I really liked the 7 but my wife decided it was just too vast. Thus settled on a 530d msport bought 15 months ago for not much more than your budget from a dealer with low miles. Worth waiting for the right car. But its a lot of car for the money i agree, its hard to ignore.. also wihtin budget might be a 550/545 but at your age insurance might be an issue?

Not so! The 545/550 were actually cheaper for me (26 years old) to insure than the 530d... I guess it's because they're not company car material

[AKA8]

gf15 said:

If you want it, go for it. The 7 is a monster motor. Solid and comfy and drives nice. It can spoil you for anything else though.

That's definitely true. I nearly went for one of these and ended up with an A8. Once you've had a 7/A8/S Class, anything else just feels cheaply put together. Finding something else to go back to afterwards will be very tough, or at least that's how I'm finding it now. I tried a 335i and it felt crummy, 650i was slightly better. The 7 is fantastic, if you want to cruise around, there's not much out there that will do the job better.