Soon to own a 95-98 740il ...?

[Cush]

I'm a newbie, and I dont actually own one yet. I have owned several nice Caddy's and my wife owns a 97 Volvo 850 turbo Wagon. I grew up in audis (74 100, 88,89 4000 and 5000) But the Bavarias were my Dad dream car. I dont currently own a car. I loved the 2002 Caddy Seville STS for many reasons...and then I drove a 96 and 98 740il and I feeling I had, but needless to say, I fell in love instantly. Simply sitting in the Big BMW was like I had finally found my home. I was debating an LS 400 too. My only concern, of course, is maintenance and reliability. And advice anyone can offer would be great. I will buying a 95-98 740il for between 5000-7000 us dollars come the holidays. I have been hesitating but my wife , knowing how much I love to drive, says go for it and buy one and we can deal with the expense. We are not rich by a long shot...but man, that BMW 740il made me so happy to drive. Plus I'm a big man and we have kids. It's perfect for the whole family. Can anyone please advise? Thanks in advance. - cush

[witeshark]

The best start is a check of service records. Look for complete records in detail. Happy hunting!

[german-speed-demon]

OK, the 7's had a serious problem with electrical gremlims, from everything i have read about, mainly taillight issues.

Also the front thrust rod bushings fail occasionally, check the records to see that that issues has been reseolved previously.

Occasional cooling problems have been noticed, as well as some transmission issues, but specific where never actually noted.

I hope this does not deter you in your pursuit of the Super 7, just a friendly word of caution.

[brettski]

Welcome to the Werkz.

If your budget can stretch to a slightly later model, the double Vanos (M62TU) engine came out around 1999 which improved power and efficency. I have a Oct 99 built 2000 740iL which now has 160,000 kms on it, and is going fine, however I have had to change the radiator and intake manifold cover. The rest of the car seems to be ok, although the green selection inidicators on the climate control blink intermittently. The LED displays on the climate control and dash are also know weak points.

[Cush]

thanks for the replies