Monday 18th July 2016

BMW 745i: PH Carpool

From one PHer to another, with a V8 7 Series plucked from the Bargain Barge thread

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Name: Ross Fripp
Car: 2003 BMW 745i (E65)
Owned since: October 2013
Previously owned: Rover 214i, BMW 316 (E21), BMW 728i (E38)

Ross doesn't like the rear styling so...

Why I bought it:
"I really liked my E38 7 Series but, while I was in the position to afford the fuel, I decided I wanted a V8. It still needed to be quiet and comfortable though, for the daily slog down the M27 as well as on longer journeys. I wasn't particularly looking for an E65 but something like another 7 Series - S-Class Merc, A8, XJ, that kind of thing. However, it just so happened that a PHer on the bargain barge thread had one for sale... 450 miles away. Flight tickets were booked soon after and, as they say, the rest is history!"

What I wish I'd known:
"Despite having a full service history there were a few issues I found with the car over the first couple of months. The gearbox was clunky when downshifting, there was a little brake judder and a few other issues. I hadn't done much research really and I knew that big heavy cars wear suspension out so I checked for things like uneven tyre wear, ride height and so on when buying but I hadn't done much research into the engine. Which is notorious for oil and coolant leaks. And yes, mine had oil leaks. That's not a typo either; that's leaks plural!"

That's the big and comfy boxes ticked then

Things I love:
"It's a very, very capable car, a really quiet and comfortable place to while away the miles and the interior is a really nice place to spend time. The engine is silky smooth, quiet when you want to relax but when pressing on it makes a nice V8 noise and has a pretty decent turn of speed for such a big car. It's spacious inside too, something you really take for granted until you get into a smaller car! The automatic parking brake is fantastic in traffic. All the creature comforts make it a great daily driver."

Things I hate:
"Costs! It's cost me a lot of money to get it up to a good standard where it drives how it should and doesn't have any niggles (see below!). The fuel economy isn't fantastic but that's to be expected, I tend to average around 25mpg which isn't bad. I'm still not a fan of the styling at the rear of the car, but other than that there's not much to hate about the car! It's not a sports car, it doesn't try to be, but it can be hustled when required."

Oil leaks a major issue sadly

Costs:
"Lots. In three years I've spent - cough - around £7,000. This included a partial gearbox rebuild, almost a full suspension refresh (including new hydraulic suspension pipes for the dynamic drive system), two sets of tyres (£800+ for a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 tyres), wheel refurbishments, basic servicing as well as other things like a new MAF sensor, sorting out the various oil leaks and so on. Most of my servicing is done by Brystone in Southampton who are utterly fantastic; they aren't too expensive but have fantastic knowledge, they're friendly and I'd thoroughly recommend them. The car is generally quite expensive to fix because parts aren't too costly but the work is often quite labour intensive."

Where I've been:
"Other than some Sunday Services the car has done a few trips to North Wales, the Lake District and the Peak District."

What next?
"I am looking to sell the car, as I'm due to be buying a house in the next nine months or so. I'll probably be getting something cheaper on fuel and servicing! But at least I can say I've owned a V8 before they're all taxed out of existence."

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Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at [e-mail]!

 

[richinlondon]

Has the looks only a mother could love, but a fantastic piece of kit none the less.

[fatboy b]

Crickey - was it really that ugly?!

[Tuvra]

I like the facelift version of these, the interior looks so dated compared to the next generation though:-

[spreadsheet monkey]

Good write-up, and nice to see the owner being honest about the costs! I like barges as much as the next man, but it irritates me when people claim that cars like this can be run on a shoestring (OMG why buy a Fiesta for ten grand when you could have a Merc/BMW/Maserati/whatever).

Ross, having owned an E38 and an E65, which did you like best? From some of the comments you made on PH, it sounded like you preferred the older car. Being devils advocate, would an E60 545i or 550i have given you the V8 goodness without some of the scary repair costs?

Edited by spreadsheet monkey on Monday 18th July 10:52

[E65Ross]

spreadsheet monkey said:

Good write-up, and nice to see the owner being honest about the costs! I like barges as much as the next man, but it irritates me when people claim that cars like this can be run on a shoestring (OMG why buy a Fiesta for ten grand when you could have a Merc/BMW/Maserati/whatever).

Ross, having owned an E38 and an E65, which did you like best? From some of the comments you made on PH, it sounded like you preferred the older car. Being devils advocate, would an E60 545i or 550i have given you the V8 goodness without some of the scary repair costs?

Edited by spreadsheet monkey on Monday 18th July 10:52

The E65 is in another league to the E38 in reality. It's more refined, it's more comfortable despite handling better, the interior is better laid out (everything is within an arms reach).... Despite what some might say about idrive, it's actually very simple and in day to day driving you don't delve into the menus etc, and it makes for a less cluttered cabin in terms of buttons etc.

It is a very, very capable car....thr looks are..... Divisive!

[Leins]

I'll probably be called odd for saying this, but the E65 is the one Bangle design that has always appealed to me from the off-set. And I'm not one of those who thinks his other designs have improved with age

[Bencolem]

Another Carpool that ends with a car for sale line...

[Dusty964]

I used to run a 2002 745li.

Utterly fantasic cars. I had diffetent front seats which adjusted about 16 ways (from memory) and had a cooling fan built in.
Even the rear seats adjusted about 6 ways, and it had a fridge befind the centre arm rest. Electrically operated blinds for the rear and the side windows.
It was more comfortable than my house at the time.
I still miss it (replaced with a 7 seater then a 2001 s500L) and constantly on the look out for a replacement.
Last week I saw a 2006 b7.....thats hopefully the next purchase- petrol and insurance over here in Dubai arent an issue so its a big v8 all the way......
Finally....do you also think.that they handle far far better than anything of the size has a right to?

[anonymous-user]

Tuvra said:

I like the facelift version of these, the interior looks so dated compared to the next generation though:-

The interior of the contemporary E63/E64 6-series looks very dated now too, much more so than these cars. I can't put my finger on why but I think it's because the different shapes and angles of the multiple segments making up the centre console are not very cohesive.

[ZesPak]

Bencolem said:

Another Carpool that ends with a car for sale line...

That's good, saves a lot of the "I want to buy one but there aren't any good on sale" comments.

dme123 said:

The interior of the contemporary E63/E64 6-series looks very dated now too, much more so than these cars. I can't put my finger on why but I think it's because the different shapes and angles of the multiple segments making up the centre console are not very cohesive.

So it's more in line with the exterior then .

[Baryonyx]

Bencolem said:

Another Carpool that ends with a car for sale line...

And why not? Anything to prop up the PH classifieds. When was the last time you actually looked there without being directed by a front page article link? It's been a complete disaster since the redesign. If Ross chooses to sell his through the site, he can at least use this as an extended advert.

Edited by Baryonyx on Monday 18th July 15:13

[anonymous-user]

Bencolem said:

Another Carpool that ends with a car for sale line...

In fairness to Ross you couldn't say he mislead anyone as to the running costs

[E65Ross]

dme123 said:

Bencolem said:

Another Carpool that ends with a car for sale line...

In fairness to Ross you couldn't say he mislead anyone as to the running costs

In fairness, a lot of that has been routine servicing and and I could have gone for cheaper tyres (eg £400/set rather than £850 or so).... I didn't HAVE to get new suspension springs and bushes fitted, but I wanted it to drive how it should, I didn't HAVE to get the oil leaks sorted (it was using around 100ml every 4-5k miles, but 8 did etc etc....

So far this year (including the mot) it's cost me under £300 for the last 7 months and around 6k miles.

[J4CKO]

spreadsheet monkey said:

Good write-up, and nice to see the owner being honest about the costs! I like barges as much as the next man, but it irritates me when people claim that cars like this can be run on a shoestring (OMG why buy a Fiesta for ten grand when you could have a Merc/BMW/Maserati/whatever).

Edited by spreadsheet monkey on Monday 18th July 10:52

Quentin Wilson made a career out of that premise !

I did look at these when I decided to go with a barge but they are a bit on the hideous side.

Barges are like Russian Roulette really, they can be run fairly cheaply, unless something breaks then it can escalate, like any car when it breaks but with significantly higher potential cost.

So far, since November last year, my CLS has cost £424 for a new set of Pirellis when I got it, £40 for a MOT (nothing came up), £14 for a blanking plug to fix an oil leak, will service it myself in November (dealer did it when I got it)

So, pretty low cost so far but there is always the potential for the Air Suspension to give agro or some other random failure, its a risk/reward thing, it isn't like even small cars cant generate big bills, what about all those problems with DPF's and stuff on the super frugal diesels.


Buy later in the model run, after they sorted the problems out.

Buy on condition, not just mileage.

Check for parts commonality with other models.

Check parts of consumables, brakes, suspension, tyres upfront

[Stedman]

Christ i'd love an E65, but the costs really scare me....and that's coming from an XJR owner!

[anonymous-user]

E65Ross said:

In fairness, a lot of that has been routine servicing and and I could have gone for cheaper tyres (eg £400/set rather than £850 or so).... I didn't HAVE to get new suspension springs and bushes fitted, but I wanted it to drive how it should, I didn't HAVE to get the oil leaks sorted (it was using around 100ml every 4-5k miles, but 8 did etc etc....

So far this year (including the mot) it's cost me under £300 for the last 7 months and around 6k miles.

I was being flippant, but I take exactly the same attitude as you do when running a car. Plenty of people would just drive around on shagged out suspension and ditchfinder tyres, for all intents and purposes having the "same" car but with significantly lower running costs. I consider a suspension refresh to be basically a service item at 90 - 100k on any car.

If you kept it for another 3 years or so your cost per mile would drop significantly, but as it stands it's the next owner who will benefit! What always amazed me off is moron buyers who would sooner save £500 and get a shagged out heap than a car that's been maintained properly.

[spreadsheet monkey]

J4CKO said:

Buy later in the model run, after they sorted the problems out.

Buy on condition, not just mileage.

Check for parts commonality with other models.

Check parts of consumables, brakes, suspension, tyres upfront

Good advice for any used car purchase - the last two are particularly important when buying older luxury cars.

[Krikkit]

Stedman said:

Christ i'd love an E65, but the costs really scare me....and that's coming from an XJR owner!

Realistically Ross has spent this much getting this car into extremely good condition - that's always a way to frighten yourself before diving in.

A little more frugal spending would probably halve your costs without too much trouble, but at the expense of it being near-perfect.

[JD2329]

If you have what's essentially a good car, then it's worth spending good money on it. This probably has most of the qualities it had when new, at a fraction of the original price.

The OP has probably gone a little further in terms of expenditure than I would, given the age of the car, but it's probably got years left in it.

[Barchettaman]

This remains one of my favourite cars on PH Reader's Cars.

Best of luck with the sale, Ross.