Used 1997 BMW 7 Series

"Really pleased"

"Having the pleasure of owning 4- 7 series Bmws both in Europe and in the U.S I can honestly say that it is and always will be the ultimate driving machine, Blasting down the Autobahn or tooling around at the 60mph limit, it is impossible for me to keep my foot out of it. But it is costly to get the car serviced and repaired here in the U.S. In Europe there is always a friendly Bosch dealer or parts store around every corner. BMW seems to have the monopoly on parts here. I buy a lot off the internet and salvage yards in California to upgrade or repair. I also bought me a ISO reader to plug in and read the fault codes every time the engine service light comes on. There is no other car for me as the E38 1995 to 2001. All the other 7 series after that look like someone left the trunk open, owned a 750i,735i,740il"

"Abysmal repair record"

"2001 BMW 740 iL, am original owner, 65,000 miles. The main point is that just because you buy an expensive luxury automobile does not mean it will be reliable. To this point have replace 2 front grills, radiator, coolant resevoir, navigation system ($2000), radio amplifier, 4 brake rotors at 55,000 miles (are you kidding me?), 3 oxygen sensors, mass air flow sensor, and the AC compressor leaks (not yet replaced). On the plus side the car is well engineered and the ride is great. Will not be buying another."

"flip a coin on the 7"

"I have owned a couple of BMW's and I swear by them. Nothing else drives like a BMW. had a 93' 3 series and put 176,000 on it and the only thing I ever replaced was the Water pump/radiator and the clutch. It started every single day! I bought this 2001 740il sport with 54,000 miles on it and have had nothing but problems. Radiator 2 windows glove box latch 2 cam sensors thermostat alignment because front tears were wearing due to toe-in and for the last month I have had the car in the shop 4 seperate times for radiator fluid leaks, first a hose, then got it out of the shop and that same day drove about 30 miles and the expansion tank blew, then had to replace the cam sensors two days after I got the explansion tank replaced, and now a week later I am leaking radiator fluid again. This is a nightmare to have this on a car with less then 70,000 miles. BUT- I this is the ultimate driving machine. Comfort is unreal, performance is like nothing else because no other sedan is this heavy. I love driving this car on the highway. The problem is they started making all these part with plactic, so they are cheap and break. So flip a coin, do you want a car when it is not having machanical problems that is just flat out awesome and stylish, well if you do be prepared to spend a lot of time and money in the shop. Word to the wise get yourself a VERY GOOD/VERY REASONABLE Mechanic, not the BMW dealership mechanics."