BMW 7-Series

I have had my 740i over two years and bought it on Ebay. I love the car. It has typical tight BMW handling. You will not find that it is as frisky as a three series nor as nible as a five series but for a quality ride coupled with handling and a larger size, it cannot be beat. I would recommend the Sport option. It gives you a slightly tighter suspension, prettier and easier to clean wheels, an upgrade steering wheel and seats that offer better leg support. Given the age of an 01, there should not be a significant difference in price so the S is a real buy. Problems were with radiators and the pixels on the dash board. The pixel problem was involved in a recall so it should have been corrected but check it out. Negatives are that it more expensive to repair than a three or five series. The complaints about the cup holders you have read in other reviews are correct. You are going to want to get an "after-market" holder. German manufactuers do not like you drinking in "their" car! The CD magazine in the trunk is inconvenient compared with the newer in dash versions. My complaints are few, however, and if you select carefully you can acquire the best car you ever owned for less than $20K

Let me start by saying that I have multiple engineering degrees, mastered in vehicle dynamics and automotive engineering at Purdue, raced GP motorcycles, and engineered cars at Ford for almost a decade… not to be arrogant, but hope to add some credibility to my thoughts.

This is my 5th BMW, and also my favorite. I’ve owned several 3 series and 5 series. All great cars but the 7 series of this E38 generation is truly special. It may sound illogical, but I enjoy the car so much I prefer to drive my truck most of the time to keep the BMW tightly stored in the garage. The powertrain is strong by the standard of the ’00, but not up to modern 400-500HP baseline of the category, but who cares? For 99% of your driving the power is more than adequate. The lines are classic, I still think the best of all BMW and the car continues to turn heads like no other. Clean, taught, uncluttered, and purposeful. The true sport package on the 740i is tighter than most would like, would recommend the non-sport for most people, but the looks of the sport package will be worth it for some. The latent load on the battery is high, if you don’t drive everyday suggest you plug into a battery tender. Comfort is great, seating position is about as good as it gets. Driving dynamics are wonderfully classic BMW. I think the stereo is good, but not great nor as pure as I would have hoped. Car has been free of issues and after 12 months of ownership, almost flaw free. It is easy to maintain if you have technical skills, online sites like E38.org are well organized and helpful.

For the price (I pd ~$17k for a 35k mile pristine model in ’09) it feels like the OUTSTANDING value.

If you are not mechanically included, or do not have a mechanic you trust, and you are totally dependent on the BMW dealership, you may want to step with more caution.

I bought the 2003 BMW 745LI three weeks ago and was impressed with all the luxury features available. It's basically a computer on wheels. The car is roomy and perfect for traveling. My only complaint is that the I-Drive System is very complicated to use. There's a mouse type wheel on the console armrest. The heater/AC, radio, CD player, Nav System, carphone and many other features are all controlled by this wheel. Basically a point and click control. It's very hard to work this control when driving. This car is very expensive to maintain. Overall it's a nice car to drive if you have deep pockets when scheduled maintnance is due.

Like this car is what the people are talking about. It has the style and performance and quality and craftsmanship. What i do not like is the fact that without a good set of pics we can not really tell what we are buying on line. It is the angle of the pics that tell the story, if the view is not clear on all points, becareful.. Then you will understand why the deal was so good you get what you pay for sometimes on e-bay sometimes we lose money sometimes, and at times it was just a bad deal altogether.

The car has a number of electrical controls bugs or glitches. The transmission does not work properly with poor and slow 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. Although much more technically advanced, the car does not seem to have the overall quality of the previous generation 7 series. The Logic 7 stereo has amazing sound quality. The car is significantly larger than the previous 7 series but considering what it is, I expected a bit more comfort. The V8 performance is solid but noticably less torque than the previous BMW V-12's I have had.

Driver seat is mountfunction ( Electronic control has not work). Passeger door broken hand opening ( only can open from inside). Other problems unknow. Refused to buy.

I'm very sorry for it, it was not my intetion to buy that item i press by mistake, that's why i don't give the positive feed back.

I would like once again to ebay team my apologize.
Regards

Cristovao da Silva

The car is the ultimate driving machine. This car is excellent, it drives very well with just a few light problems which can be fixed. But overall, the car is a super ride.

The seller did not give the full description of the condition of the car. the part about the car having an engine problem was hidden out or kind of. So i am not paying for this car.

This is a fantastic car, designed to be driven by real enthusiasts.
You can push it as far as you dare, and it will go there with ease
and alacrity. Like all race horses, it does need (and deserve) some
consideration, and regular maintenance, to keep it happy and ready
to perform... no more than a Corvette... but unlike the 'vette
this BMW will not shake the heck out of your spine, and seats 4.
Finesse definitely does beat out brute force and ignorance.