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I'm glad that you get better mileage than I did. Mine also comes from direct personal experience to the best of my recollection with two e38s. As with all cars, mileage does vary to a certain degree.
Yes, but the hundreds of owners I know tend to report mileage figures closer to mine, and the pictures from two random ones back that up, rather than hazy memories of one a number of years ago.
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Having the skills to work on the vehicle dramatically changes the ownership experience, and lowers the cost dramatically. I don't have the time/patience to deal with my own maintenance/repair, much less the innate talents/skills that many may have, so any vehicle that I would touch would likely measure "0" on the reliability scale -- not to mention the cost overruns from attempting to DIY and then having to end up taking it to the professionals.
I agree with that first sentence. But the rest, well, it's a choice. And if the choice is to spend more money because you don't want to be bothered, that can hardly be blamed on the car, now can it?
A lot of owners of these cars are actually doing their first DIY with them as they find that they can cut costs by close to 90%, have the same enjoyable owner experience in driving the car, and not pay out the a$$ for someone else's mistakes or greed. And by joining with an owner's group, you can have support of people who have been there so you're not doing it blindly on your own.
As an example, one of the guys who recently joined Midatlantic7s had his car start smoking heavily on startup, so he took it to the dealer who wanted $4500 to rebuild the top end of the engine. He then took it to an independent who agreed with the dealer, but only wanted $3500 to rebuild the top end. He then saw my car out on the road, and started chatting with me about E38s and the owner's group, and told me the story. I asked, is it making a slight whistling sound occasionally? Yes. Fire it up and let's test something. Pulled the dipstick while it was running and got a lot of suction. That meant it was the OSV (Oil Separator Valve, BMW's equivalent of a PCV). A $100 part and we swapped it in his driveway in about an hour and a half. Which is when he joined up wth the owners group.
Point is, any excuse to say it's exorbatantly expensive to own one of these (or any car other than an exotic, really) is just that, an excuse, and not necesarily reality.
I'm glad that you get better mileage than I did. Mine also comes from direct personal experience to the best of my recollection with two e38s. As with all cars, mileage does vary to a certain degree.
Having the skills to work on the vehicle dramatically changes the ownership experience, and lowers the cost dramatically. I don't have the time/patience to deal with my own maintenance/repair, much less the innate talents/skills that many may have, so any vehicle that I would touch would likely measure "0" on the reliability scale -- not to mention the cost overruns from attempting to DIY and then having to end up taking it to the professionals.
I'm on this same boat. But the biggest obstacle for me is not having enough room for DIY projects.
I use to be a BMW person and had several of them until I had an epiphany after being charged $1100 at the dealer for nothing but routine maintenance involving a few upper engine seals and fluids. They are a great driving experience, but you can spend a couple of thousand dollars just repairing the throttle potentiometer and servo motors (did you know that BMW does not connect the throttle to the engine but through two electric motors, one to increase the throttle and one to decrease. (I'm sure Merc63 will correct me on some detail of this).
I have five Mercedes at the present time, all in good operating condition. the 1984 300SDL I was referring to, a 560SEL in new mint condition, a 300SEL, E320 Cabriolet, and a 300TE. I have six other cars all insured and licensed.
The 300SDL will go down the road at 80mph as silent and surefooted as any car I have ever had. All W126 vehicles are truly splendid safe cars and don't have a system on them that I would not be competent to repair if I were so inclined. I have had the 300SDL for the last 100,000 miles without a major repair of any kind. It is probably worth $2500. I doubt you could spend $7500 on a perfect low mileage version of this car. Start browsing here to learn about these fine cars:
My dad had a 97 7 series for a couple of years, think it was a 740i. Never a problem with the engine but the A/C was being worked on pretty often. The rear also squeaked sometimes whenever going over a speedbump or something like it. Long story short he sold it to a guy that buys luxury cars and got a '01 5-series instead which has given him no trouble.
A couple of points I would like to clear up about my remarks in this thread before I leave it, as further discussion would delve into the subject matter of personal preferences/abilities as opposed to ownership experience with the referenced series of BMWs.
1. My memory is not "hazy," but I do not have a spreadsheet that tracks the mileage of the cars owned. I generally remember what mileage I get from each car, and that's what I recall as being my average for the ownership period with two of them. Mileage is subjective and does vary.
2. I am not a DIYer -- which many would qualify as a "good thing," those who know me. Many people are not, and some use independent mechanics, whereas others do most of the work on their own cars. Whether or not I have the time/skills is immaterial, since I did not/do not bemoan the cost and recommend not getting a 7 series on that basis. Most owners are between the polar opposite of a skilled DIYer and someone who does not possess the skills, so costs, too, can vary.
3. If you ask any owner, there will be a variance of opinions, form the best car in the world, to a horrible nightmare. Ownership experiences, by nature, are highly subjective, since what I would consider minor, someone else might think is absolutely unacceptable for a vehicle in this price category. There is no "right" or "wrong" answer, since I cannot analyze another's ownership and project my own opinion on to it.
Let's get back to the topic at hand and not focus on ripping each other apart because one of us may have had a different experience. I am sure that the OP and subsequent posters looking into these vehicles welcome all opinions.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
(did you know that BMW does not connect the throttle to the engine but through two electric motors, one to increase the throttle and one to decrease. (I'm sure Merc63 will correct me on some detail of this).
Yeah, I'll correct you. My car (the E38) has a throttle cable tied directly to the pedal, and then to the throttle body butterfly. No potentiometers or electric motors driving the throttle. Maybe a much newer E65 has drive by wire, but not these cars.
This is the issue I have with people -who are not mechanics and take things only to dealers- giving advice of a technical nature about cars like this. Most of the time, you simply regurgitate something a dealer has told you and really don't know what you're talking about.
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Originally Posted by wilson1010
All W126 vehicles are truly splendid safe cars and don't have a system on them that I would not be competent to repair if I were so inclined. I have had the 300SDL for the last 100,000 miles without a major repair of any kind. It is probably worth $2500. I doubt you could spend $7500 on a perfect low mileage version of this car. Start browsing here to learn about these fine cars:
WOW, alot of replies since I was last here.. yes, BMWguydc, I do appreciate all of this info. Very helpful. Seems some have had different experiences with these cars for sure, but sound like solid, sound cars.
I am indeed more familiar with the Mercedes S-Class, particularly the W126 chassis, which is a simple car to work on. I have owned two, I have gave my last one to my mom... its the 300SEL, long wheelbase, inline 6-cylinder. No powerhouse for sure.... alot of car, little engine, but it did well for me and her for sure. She is 55 and a very conservative driver. We consistantly get 20 mpg in town with that car... exactly what I get with my 1995 Lincoln Town Car... strange, the Lincoln is heavier and bigger engine, but runs at lower RPMS.
Now, the owner of the white BMW has not contacted me back, so that car may be out of the cards anyway. I had found another 7-Series I liked, but it was a 1989 model... 735iL. Sounds like the older ones need to be watched. I have also been wanting another Mercedes perhaps, but this time a W140 (1992-99), but these are much more complex than the 1991-back W126, so it would be new to me. My uncle has a 1992 S-Class and he has told me all about their issues.... a 96-up is a better one to have.... the 92-95 had that bio-degradable engine wiring harness, but if replaced, they are said to be fine. Also, A/C evaporators are issues... entire dash has to come out to replace. Very costly.
Just put new brakes on my Lincoln and some new steering parts... its like new again, so I kinda want to keep it now, lol. May end up keeping it as a work car and just purchase something else outright. Also have the fever for a 1996-2000 4-Runner or T100 truck. lol.
Thanks again for all of the replies! Much appreciated!
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Originally Posted by bmwguydc
I am sure that the OP and subsequent posters looking into these vehicles welcome all opinions.
I have a 1995 740i BMW a new motor was put in 3-4 years ago @220mi and there has been trouble with the transmission ever since All 5 mechanics that diagnosed my car said it is NOT the transmission but something electrical. They said the technology system is not communicating properly. The automatic transmission feature does NOT work but the standard part of the transmission DOES? BMW says $7000 for a new one! These transmission shop guys ALL say if they put in new trans it will still have same problem?! Will still need to take to dealer to reset technology system. One other mechanic says I need an engine wire harness $2000 new from dealer will find me a used one... Does anybody out there in the BMW club know what is wrong with my car? How can I become a member of the BMW club? I read just and viewed the pics of the post during a BMW club extravaganza the dealer told a guy $4500 to rebuild top of engine. Another mechanic agreed it was the same problem but would do for $3500. The guys got together and found out it was something simple that cost just $100 bucks for 1 hour in a 1/2?! Are you that guy that knew what to do?!
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bmw 740i 1995
All 5 mechanics that diagnosed my car said it is NOT the transmission but something electrical. They said the technology system is not communicating properly. The automatic transmission feature does NOT work but the standard part of the transmission DOES? BMW says $7000 for a new one! These transmission shop guys ALL say if they put in new trans it will still have same problem?! Will still need to take to dealer to reset technology system. One other mechanic says I need an engine wire harness $2000 new from dealer will find me a used one... Does anybody out there in the BMW club know what is wrong with my car? How can I become a member of the BMW club? I read just and viewed the pics of the post during a BMW club extravaganza the dealer told a guy $4500 to rebuild top of engine. Another mechanic agreed it was the same problem but would do for $3500. The guys got together and found out it was something simple that cost just $100 bucks for 1 hour in a 1/2?! Are you that guy that knew what to do?!
