1998 740il

[rguerrini]

Looking for advice...
I am in the process of purchasing a 740il...I think.
I was in the market for a 99 or 2000 528i for my daily driver (20k miles per year). Went to several dealers and drove this great car. Each car was nice but not spectacular. Severals showed excessive wear in the interior in my opinion. One dealer (not a BMW dealer) called another store they had down the road to see what they had and they happen to have a 1998 oxford green 740il with 48k, one owner, VERY CLEAN. I drove this big car not thinking I would like it and now I want one. I am somewhat afraid of the possibility of this car have service issues. I contacted the BMW dealer where this car was purchased and serviced to conform that the original owner serviced this car, which he did.
1. Should I be afraid of this car?
2. Is an aftermarket warranty a MUST or should I self insure?

I have owned 6 Mercedes Benz's and currently own 2 but I caught the BMW bug after driving this car.

Please help!
Thanks

[Sverige]

I too was looking at 5-series' and E's or S's but I bought my '96 7 with very low mileage and drive about 20k a year. I have had no issues and only keep the car up on oil and basic service. My plan was to use it sparingly however once I started driving it I couldn't drive anything else.

One thing though, check to see if it's had its Inspection 1 service-that's the first big one and it's scheduled at 40k. It was about $1000 (for my schedule 2-at 80k) but other than that I have put no money into the car except for Euro'ing out the lights and markers and M-Parallels-and that was worth it! Buy it and enjoy the ride!
Cheers,
Sverige

[TopShop]

2. Is an aftermarket warranty a MUST or should I self insure?

95% of the time, you will come out ahead by self insuring.

[sbbiscuit]

Originally Posted by TopShop

2. Is an aftermarket warranty a MUST or should I self insure?

95% of the time, you will come out ahead by self insuring.

Sorry - I'm pretty new to this, but 2 questions in this same arena...

1) What do you mean "self insure"

2) We're looking at a '98 or '99 740 with high miles (80K-110K). My husband has a friend (mechanic) who specializes in BMW's, who will check out anything we're considering. He is of the opinion that as long as we get service records (and it looks good when he checks it out), that we can expect 200-300K miles from a 740.

Any input would really be appreciated! Thanks!
K

[libertylover]

Originally Posted by sbbiscuit

1) What do you mean "self insure"

2) We're looking at a '98 or '99 740 with high miles (80K-110K)...friend says we can expect 200-300K miles from a 740.
K

Self insured simply means YOU pay for any repairs out of your own pocket as opposed to buying a warranty and having repairs covered by this "insurance". It's a term usually associated with health insurance but it's the same principle.

I don't consider 80K-110K high milage anymore, especially on a car that's still fairly new. An average car is driven about 15K miles per year. The cars in question are a little above that average but not grossly so.

Bear in mind that some things on a car deteriorate because of milage and others deteriorate because of time. Probably the '98 and '99 are still in great shape. Ask your mechanic to check the driveshaft, bushing in the front suspension, and the rear self-leveling struts. These seem to be problem areas but they usually don't show up until around the 10-years old mark.