Hello everyone,
New to this board. Nice to be here.
I'm looking into getting a more luxury car. One of them is beamer 7 series, possibly a 740 ('96-'01). One of the factors I'm considering is the maintenance/repair costs to own such a car. I'm a DIYer who likes to take care of maintenance/small repair by myself, and I have been pretty cool with the cars I have owned so far (mostly mid-end American and Japanese cars). I have never owned a highend German car. So, I need some advices from good folks on this board for the following questions:
- Is 740 easy to maintain on my own? Is there any maintenance item that has to be performed by BMW mechanic?
- If the car ever has a problem, is it easy to diagnose and fix by myself? Let me be more specific. For example, I owned a Ford Taurus before. When I found out the transmission was slipping big time and needed a rebuild. I just replaced it with a re-manufactured one by following the instructions from good old Haynes manual. Is this doable on a 740?
- I have browsed throght several Beamer boards. It sounds like 740 has numerous control/electrical issues. My experiences told me this is the hardest area to crack w/o specialized factory instruments and tools. Any one has any expereince to comment for this?
Thanks for the advice in advance.
Marty