Used 2004 BMW 7 Series

"completely unreliable super car"

"This car spends more time at the dealership than in my garage it seems. Almost everything on the car has broken down at one point or another and BMW is fairly awful at scheduling appointments and fixing things. Having said that, this car is extremely beautiful and powerful beyond belief. The inside comfort is simply incredible and the ride is smooth and very powerful. You get noticed in this super car. If you can handle this unreliability, this is a great car, but you need to have a backup car in your garage (I do) because you'll frequently need."

"Owned Since New - Looks Like New - 745Li"

"I keep waiting for something really expensive to break on this vehicle, like the transmission, or one of those computers. Outwardly, it looks like a brand new car - always garaged, waxed and well maintained, never been in an accident, flood, tornado, hailstorm, and in snow only once (not recommended!). Even the windshield is the original. After 14 years, I just cant get rid of it. It always starts immediately, even after sitting for weeks. It has never burned a drop of oil between oil changes (unlike the new ones). It gets about 22 mpg on the highway and about 16 in the city, just like it did when it was new. It doesnt leak, doesnt smoke, doesnt smell like an old shoe, and the engine is as quiet and as smooth as it was when it came from the factory. I always changed the oil with synthetic every 5000 miles rather than the recommended 15,000. I think it likes that. It continues to pass annual smog and safety inspection without problem. I still feel great when I drive it. Its a tremendous highway car, very comfortable seats, quiet cabin, and with the radar cruise control - just set it and leave it, and the car adjusts speed up and down based on the vehicles in front (maybe a bit ahead of its time back in 2003), massaging and air ventilated power seats, great headlights, fine sounding factory radio/stereo, soft closing doors -- exemplary ride and handling -- all very comfortable . I even prefer the feel of the hydraulic steering in this car (the new BMWs are electric steering - to improve gas mileage - I have a new BMW too and road feel just isnt there). It still stops on a dime and straight as an arrow. And the Li is about 5 or 6 inches longer than the standard 745, and that extra long wheel base just makes driving a dream. It is showing signs of age however, even though mileage is fairly low for a fourteen year old car. These cars can cost a bomb to maintain. Here are a few items that were replaced under the original factory warranty: the radio (complete failure), the gas gage (sender inside the tank), one small suspension part. Here are a few items that were replaced after the warranty expired: the two coronas surrounding the headlights (very expensive), the disc brake rotors and pads (very expensive), the transmission filter and pan (very expensive), two key fobs (very expensive, to replace the two originals that failed), the 12V battery in the trunk (twice - not cheap), all of the engine hoses and belts (preventative maintenance - expensive, the guibo (relates to the drive shaft, like a universal joint) expensive. Did I say this car costs a bomb to maintain? Ok it really doesnt if its just regular maintenance, but if something fails, its always expensive, and the dealerships really know how to work those billing hours such that you pay luxury prices for a luxury vehicle even if it is now just a mere shadow of its former self. Here are a few items that have failed but havent been replaced/repaired: the front hood support struts (they dont hold the hood up any more); the rear trunk support struts (they dont hold the trunk open any more); the rear trunk hydraulic motor (it doesnt lift the trunk any more); the GPS navigation unit (2003 was the last year of the CD disc type rather than DVD, it works intermittently but usually not when you need it - iPhones with Google maps are so much better anyway). If I knew that the transmission would last another five years, I would replace all of this, but..... Here are a few black clouds hanging over the car waiting to fail: the transmission. Just google BMW 745 transmission problems for the year of the car, and youll see all kinds of odd behaviors that I wont repeat here. Expensive to repair (very specialized) and very expensive to replace (starting to be close to more than the entire car is worth). The electronic suspension and directional stability control. One of the computers has been throwing a lot of warning codes up on the digital display when the car takes a corner, especially when cold - and something about See your BMW dealer immediately. Hard to tell whether its the computer thats messing up, or the suspension is actually having cardiac arrest. Turning the car off and then back on clears the code. So far, so good, but I keep waiting for the big one. In summary, if I spread the cost of repairs over its 14 year life, and add in the depreciation (which is very high for almost any luxury vehicle), and maintenance, a car like this doesnt make any economic sense whatsoever. But the longer I keep it, and the longer it runs without a major failure, the more cost effective it becomes. I hope that expensive failure is still a few years away, as the car is a joy to drive just like it was when new."

"Fantastic"

"I have had my 2007 BMW 750Li with Individual Composition. Car is fantastic and drives like a dream. Love the upgrades with the individual package and with snow tires, this thing gets around just fine in our winters. Would highly recommend as long as the car is under warranty. If it does not have a warranty, and you are not handy, many repairs reach the $500 level pretty quickly. Other than that its a great ride! I am 6'7" and I can have a friend that is 6'5" behind me while I am driving and his knees do not touch the drivers seat. This is a huge plus for my line of work."