New to BMW - Is this a good 7-Series?

[69stingray]

Here is 7 series I am looking at. What do you all think? The owner has all of his records. Some of the repair bills have a good chuck of change on them. If I keep this car for 5 years, what am I looking at repairing?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEBWA%3AIT

Here is more pictures and service records:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cvwormer/bmw/index.html

[libertylover]

Fantastic car with super low miles and lots of things replaced with new BMW parts. New brakes, radiator, tie rods, front struts, starter, power steering hoses, distributor cap, rotor, plug wiring harness, 6 fuel injectors, valve cover gaskets. Probably has expensive tires in excellent condition.

As you can tell from the maintenance records, parts and labor at the dealer are very expensive, which is why some people call them "the stealer". The current owner likes to keep the car in tip-top shape and has the money to do it. Lucky you. This car is probably as close to being "like new" as you'll ever see, and new 2004 V12 models cost around $120,000!

If you have to depend on the dealer for maintenance and repairs, this is probably not the car for someone of average income. However, if you can do some repairs yourself, this is a great opportunity to own a car that drives and feels like no other, based on my experience with our 1993 740iL (bought used with 113,000 miles). Also, there's LOTS of help for these cars. Number 1 is the Bentley's repair manual plus forums like this and others, www.roadfly.org for example.

What are you looking at? Almost all of these cars need to have the thrust arm bushings changed at 10+ years of age. In the maintenance records it says they tried to change them but couldn't get the bolts loose. I can tell you that I had a helluva time getting the bolts loose when I changed mine but I'm not very strong so I hired some help. Two high quality thrust arms will cost about $250 plus "uuuumph" to change them.

Another common problem is that the driveshafts often need to be replaced. You can buy a rebuilt driveshaft for around $500. Most of the exhaust has to be removed first to get to it. I had mine installed for 3 hours labor.

Here's a link to a list of common problems:
http://bimmer.roadfly.org/e32/messag...w14/54855.html

And here's a link to one of many repair sites available:
http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_2.htm

Here's a link to the Kelly Blue Book site- came to $12,435 using my zipcode: http://www.kbb.com/

Good luck and let us know if you win.

[maun]

libertylover gave a good reply and hints.

I would carefully read the forum on bimmer.roadfly.org to see if you really want to get involved with this car.

[newbeemeer]

Please try to physically see the car, and drive it also, as buying anything sight unseen is always risky. I paid more for my 735i since I took it out for a drive before I purchased it. I could of got a better deal on ebay, but I would rather see and drive it before hand. Good luck. JM:>)