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I was wondering if there's anyone here who currently has a 98 BMW 740il to tell me about their experiences with this car. Looking to buy one but its about 100,000 miles and concerned about maintainence on a car with such high mileage. Will it be expensive? Will it require lots of fun$$$$ visits to a mechanic? Does the gas mileage drop significantly? Anything will be useful. Thanks.
Watched this afternoon as it went down the driveway on the bed of a flatbed truck. Headed to the dealer for a 4 day stay - combination light control module dead in the water.
Guess I'm part of the club now.
Best thing you could do is check out the car's total service history at the dealer or with the help of the seller. If the car has been well-behaved (some are, some aren't) that might give you a sense of which way to go.
So my point is that many owners DEFER all this to the next buyer, rather than address these "expendables" as they arise.
If you have a car with a clean title history, good service records and no "bad past" of rec-urrent problems (from dealer records), you are way ahead of the used car buyer who buys blind.
96 has 84k mls and was asking $16k (should be $15k) the 99 had 90k mls with 10k left on warranty and asking $18+k
any thoughts on what is better? older with lower miles and price or the newer version even if I pay a few more$ for it?
thx!
I have an '04 745Li and I enjoy all aspects of the car but mostly the joy of driving such a great machine. My family love the space and interior appointments so we're all happy.
The iDrive is simply a tool to set certain preferences; and once set I rarely deal with it other than working the navigation system when necessary.
Anyway, I think the auto magazines simply need something to gripe about because if they would take a moment to reflect on their complaints they would realize how dumb they sound.
My two-cents.
JR
RE: 740s -- I recommend opting for lower miles rather than lower price. As the used car guys say "you can buy new upholstery and new paint, but you can't buy miles".
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(Horn Tooting Mode On)
- We've narrowed it down to the following:
2004 BMW 7 Series
745Li 4dr Sedan (4.4L 8cyl 6A)
MSRP Invoice What Others Pay
National Base Price
$73,300 $66,865 $69,729
ZPS Premium Sound $1,800 $1,640 $1,714
ZLS Luxury Seating Pkge $1,600 $1,455 $1,522
268 19" Star Spoke Wheels $1,300 $1,185 $1,239
ZCV Convenience Package $1,000 $910 $952
416 Power Rear/Side hade $750 $685 $715
508 Park Distance Ctl $700 $635 $665
655 Satellite Radio $595 $540 $566
524 Adaptive Headlights $300 $275 $287
248 Heated Steering Wheel $150 $135 $142
693 Satellite Radio Prep $75 $70 $72
438 High-gloss Wood Dark $0 $0 $0
Color Adjustment - - $215
Sterling Gray Metallic
Destination Charge $695 $695 $695
Total with Options $82,265 $75,090 $78,643
(Horn Tooting Off)
The dealer here in Jacksonville is offering it for $1000 over invoice - which is @ $76,000.
We're not sure if we'll be leasing over purchasing this monster, but we're locked in on the price.
My questions for the site E65 fans:
- 1) In today's market -- is that a decent deal, $1000 over invoice? Last month, he would have sold the same car for $500 under invoice, but he said his cash incentives from BMW expired 6/30 (I checked Edmunds, and that all bears to be true).
- 2) I'm considering 2-3 other vehicles that are slightly different equipped and wonder if folks have any negative/positive feedback on these options:
- Rear Comfort Seats (they worth the extra $3500?)
- Adaptive Ride Package (I like the current ride of the E65, we don't carry large loads typically, except for the rare 4 folks to dinner night) -- Any additional ride improvement/sacrifice with this package?
- Active Cruise Control - the dealer says its too new for this option; he's not seen many cars with it so he can't offer his opinion. Any have this option? Your experience with it?
We're gonna make the final choice by Tuesday night -- I'd appreciate your thoughts on my questions.
Take care all.
Lord Z
Also, does anyone know the difference between the 750il for 1995 & 1996? Thanks.
private party retail
$39,756
dealer retail $42,776
dealer certified vehicle $44,126
So it looks like you and the dealer could close a deal at around $40K with some bargaining. I don't think he'll let it go at $38,5K but it's worth a try, who knows?
Clean - $40,175. No body scratches, dents, rust or other signs of wear. Interior is perfect. Very low mileage. Very few vehicles qualify for Clean when a vehicle is traded in.
Average - $35,800. Body is very clean with only a few minor scratches, no dents and no rust. Interior is very clean with very little noticeable wear. Mileage less than 15,000 miles per year.
Rough - $30,325. Body is very rough with many scratches, dents, rust or hail damage. Interior is dirty and shows excessive wear. Mechanically needs work. High mileage.
http://www.carquotes.com/tradein_valuations.asp
On a recent trip to Palm Springs with 90+ weather, the shades do keep the interior of the car cooler while parked outside.
When it comes to complex luxury cars, I always tell people to read the price guide and then discard it and focus on buying the best car you can afford. You'll never regret paying top dollar for a truly flawless used 7 series....of course, don't pay asking prices!
I lost out on that car. However, I'm looking at another one. It's in pristine condition with 13,000 miles on it. I can't believe it! A 2001 740IL with 13,000 miles on it. The asking price is $47,000 (certified BMW). Intellichoice has the price at $44K, Edmunds & KBB $42K, $41K at Nada, $40K at Carquotes.com. The car was purchased at auction. I wish I knew how much they paid for it. :P
Above Average Below Jul 2004 Mar 2004 sept
$34,595 $29,751 $24,907 $29,822 $31,969 $34,590
Mileage
27,087 43,232 59,377 42,964 41,336 41,067
Total Sold All 118 91 143 130
Average Auction Mileage
Prices are based on more transactions than shown under 'Transactions', above.
Sep 02 - Sep 09 2004
Above Average Below Oct 2004 Sep 2005
$32,900 $29,700 $26,600 $29,100 $26,100
Est. Retail $36,000 $32,600 $29,200 $31,900 $28,700
Are there any problems I should expect with the car. I'm buying this to help myself forget about a bad experience with a mercedes. I'm getting it for low blue book trade in value in excellent condition.
I have until Tuesday to make a final decision. Thanks in advance.
Then I'd take the VIN #, check it against CARFAX and also bring the VIN to the dealer where the car was bought or serviced. You might be able to view the warranty history.
Last of all, I'd pay to have the car checked out stem to stern by a qualified technician.
Yeah, that's 3-4 hours of your time but you might be paying yourself a couple hundred dollars an hour in savings.
DB
Its right at the trade in value.
My question and main concern is this:
How much maintenance does a BMW require and what is the cost of proper care and maintenance?
Thanks
JR
thanks
JR
The price is super cheap considering that most dealers would pay more than that for it ... I would check the history, then I would have the vehicle looked at *very closely* by a Bimmer mechanic and a good body man on a lift - if all is well, then buy it ..
Terry.
It should be darn near perfect, however, and all electronics MUST be in good working order. These are wonderful cars but the repair bills can give you a nose-bleed. You really can't even park in front of the dealer for under $600 and even common items like brake pads and rotors will set you back a fair sum of money, 3 times a "normal" car.
So in other words, this is NOT a car you want to restore or rebuild. It had better be tip top right from the start and you have to have the stomach for the maintenance and repair.
The local dealer could probably give you a fee schedule for maintenance, and that might help you decide. I'm figuring $300/month average over a few years to keep this car on the road in good condition.
I'm obviously going to need to change tires to something geared toward A/S or winter. Any recommendations?
The 2001 is the last of the "best styled" BMW's IMO. Good luck!
someone here have experiments for that problems. may give me an advice
thank you.........
Hope this helps.
I have read posts here that seem to indicate that it's almost impossible to get service done on a BMW w/o going to the dealer. Is that true? I have a 1998 740i (awesome car, 2nd 740i) w/58,000 miles and the warranty just ran out (BMW certified). I would rather take it to a local foreign car repair shop, for they are much cheaper re: maint. Also, how likely is it to talk to a BMW tech and ask him to work on your car off of the BMW site (strait cash to him/her). Do tech's have anything that prevent them from "moonlighting"? My dealer has an outstanding tech I would like to ask the ? to in a "hushed" tone:). Any input would be greatly appreciated. Also, I have only been getting 13MPG in city driving. I don't "baby" it in that the car is meant to be "driven". What are other 740 series owners getting in city driving? One last ? .. what grade of gas are you guys putting in your 740 series (1995 and newer). I always use premium. Am I wasting $$ there?
Thanks in advance!
Mike
mevande
From my experience having owned a 1995 740i and my current car, a 1999 740i the "average" maintanance charges are no where near 300.00 per month. I have done the "math" and my average for both cars is 48.90 a month. I don't know where you get the high maint. #'s from.
Mike V