Like the title says. I looked for BMWs on Craigslist and 10 year old 740s show up for as little as $1700. It looks good in the pictures,has 159K on it, says little else in the ad. What goes wrong on these things? I'll assume they're expensive to fix, but just how bad can they get?
Thanks
Nothing depreciates faster than a high end luxury car. The electronics would be my biggest worry on them when it comes to repair.
Every once in awhile, we've seriously considered buying an old 7 series to serve as a winter beater for my g/f's 10 mile commute. When too many things start breaking, dump it and get another one. It would keep abusive winter miles off her beloved MINI. 
The electronics are complex and expensive, but at 159k I'd be worried about the powertrain as well. The M60-series engines leak from basically everywhere and eat timing chain guides (expensive fix). The transmissions are generally considered to be good for about 100k; everything beyond that is borrowed time. Consumables aren't too bad, all things considered, but repairs can easily amount to multiples of the purchase price.
I am amazed every time I run across one in the PullAPart. How it made it to the grave in such a short time....
lots of electronics (Which should not be too big an issue at less than 10 years old) big car, heavy car, big thirsty engine.. and of course.. it is a luxury car for the affluent.. which, unless it is a 50 year old Roller, nothing is worse than an older luxury car for the country club set
^ I've sorta been looking (half-heartedly, since I don't have the time to finish it) for a 740 with a finished transmission. You know, so that it 'needs' a 6 speed manual swap. I figure, as a winter car, as long as the stereo, heated seats and steering wheel work....
Well,as usual this forum knows their stuff. There's one listed locally with a transmission the seller admits is suspect, and another requiring "engine work".I always have liked the look of the cars and could swallow the fuel consumption, but not 4 digit repair bills. I'll move on to other daydreams then.
they are like my Aurora... too many electronics to let them be reliable.
Nice car, nice shape. a 20 year old civic fetches 4x the money
DeadSkunk wrote: Well,as usual this forum knows their stuff. There's one listed locally with a transmission the seller admits is suspect, and another requiring "engine work".I always have liked the look of the cars and could swallow the fuel consumption, but not 4 digit repair bills. I'll move on to other daydreams then.
Engine work=LS1 swap. Trans work? LS1 and the tranny for it swap!
Still lots of electronics in the cabin that'd be worried about.
Luxury is nice, but outside of good sound deadening, nice interior, and lots of room, I don't need all those extra gizmos. Well...maybe heated seats.
A buddy who is a BMW club member said the wire harnesses are F****D......
Rog
While the electronics can be problematic, and the complexity and number of integrated systems make some problems unnecessarily difficult or expensive to repair, my experience with BMW electronics of the era in my ten year old E39 525i is that they are a lot better than they used to be. We're not talking about 1980's-era Audis here. If you are not fixated on having every last gadget working, I wouldn't get too hung up on the potential electronic issues. The engine and transmission are far more likely to cause very expensive failures in cars of this age and mileage.
In reply to 02Pilot:
Yeah, a 525 is a paragon of reliability compared to a 740. A 740 is a car I wouldn't be that excited about even if given to me. There is a reason why 10-15 year old BMWs cost about the same regardless of model. If you want an old luxury car, get an LS400.
My mother had a '92 735iL that was a nice cruiser. I tried to talk her into trading it around '05 just based on age, not mileage (~115k). About 6 mos. later I was riding in it with her when the torque converter broke. About 6 mos. later I got a junkyard controller for the speed sensitive steering after my dad wasted about $300 on a new solenoid he didn't need. About 6 mos. later it started overheating. They had the cooling system flushed and renewed but it turned out to be a cracked head. The bill for replacing the head was more than what they got for trade in....,
There was one in the local tell-n-sell with a stroker kit and a manual conversion for about a year at $2,700. I don't know if it sold or he gave up.
FWIW - The 60,000 mile service for my wife's E39 530i cost us $1,500. This month, the repair/maintenance estimate for the car's 100,000 mile service was $2,800. The car is worth maybe $5,000. Seven Series cars break more often and service costs are even higher.
nderwater wrote: FWIW - The 60,000 mile service for my wife's E39 530i cost us $1,500. This month, the repair/maintenance estimate for the car's 100,000 mile service was $2,800. The car is worth maybe $5,000. Seven Series cars break more often and service costs are even higher.
Holy heck, are you taking the car to the dealer for those services? I don't pay anywhere near that for service on my E66 750Li. My local independent will change the oil for $60, and the remainder of the 60k service and even the 100k service are mostly just inspections that my guy will do for an hour's labor, another $60. I did the spark plugs myself in the driveway in about an hour as part of the 100k service.
Just for giggles, here are a few Edmunds.com 5-year 'True Cost to Own' estimates:
pigeon wrote: Holy heck, are you taking the car to the dealer for those services?
Nope, reputable local BMW service shops. Here in Atlanta, a car can't pass the required annual emissions inspection if the CEL is lit. At the most recent service, the car was showing 6 ODBII error codes and needed: CCV and hoses; valve cover gasket; spark plugs, wires and boots; power steering lines; termostat and water pump; drive belt and tensioners; and a couple of other minor things. New engine mounts, radiator, expansion tank and rad hoses cost me another $700 in the past year.
i got the impression the transmissions fail because bmw told people not to service them. not because they're actually bad.
We went ahead and got our trans fluid changed at the 60K service - if I remember, that alone was over $400. It's not hard to guess why people are deciding not to opt for an expensive service that BMW itself says isn't necessary.
belteshazzar wrote: i got the impression the transmissions fail because bmw told people not to service them. not because they're actually bad.
It sure doesn't help. "Lifetime" fluid seems to mean "the lifetime of the transmission," i.e., drive until the trans dies, then put in a new one with new fluid. The cost of service is high enough without regular transmission fluid changes (most of the BMW indies I've spoken with argue that 30k changes are necessary to keep it alive indefinitely) that most customers aren't willing to pony up the extra funds.
nderwater wrote: Nope, reputable local BMW service shops. Here in Atlanta, a car can't pass the required annual emissions inspection if the CEL is lit. At the most recent service, the car was showing 6 ODBII error codes and needed: CCV and hoses; valve cover gasket; spark plugs, wires and boots; power steering lines; termostat and water pump; drive belt and tensioners; and a couple of other minor things. New engine mounts, radiator, expansion tank and rad hoses cost me another $700 in the past year.
The CCV on the M54 should be added to the cooling system as a 100k mile replacement item. Costly if you have it done, but not hard to do: maybe 2.5-3 hours and $150 in parts. At least they didn't put the oil separator inside the timing cover like they did on the M60s....
BMW 740s are not cheap.
You can acquire one for a small amount of money... but they aren't cheap.
Otto Maddox wrote: If you want an old luxury car, get an LS400.
The LS400 will need motor and transmission mounts, instrument cluster replacement (or DIY repair which involves removing the cluster and replacing LED's), new ball joints which require a new arm, new window regulators, possibly a new crank position sensor, possibly new door panels, etc...
The Lexus isn't immune to the expensive old luxury car repair needs.
You'll need to log in to post.
