Newbie seeking some advice

[martys]

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

[mwdfdolan]

The only maintenance that I know of that has to be done by a bmw mechanic is the xenon headlights, though I am sure that there are other things...

[TheScientist]

probably the E38 generation BMW 7-series have been the best of the 7-series. My dad had a 98 740i, and had absolutely no problem with it. The only thing was around the end of its thrid year, the AC heating core burned out so he had heat in the AC. Other wise, it is a very good car. I recommend the last two years of the 7-series, 2000 and 2001. It's when BMW made the best of the best in the 7-series. They fixed all flaws, and crap, before they moved onto the E65 generation 7-series. I highly reccommend this car, and it is easy to maintain, for its quality, reliability, and its great warranty.

[jeffreyb4me]

any of the normal maintenence items are easily serviced by a knowledgable owner, which you appear to be. As you mentioned though, troubleshooting is no longer, 'really' doable by an owner or most technicians without a MoDiC or GT1 diagnostic computer. The good news is no major flaws have developed in the later E38's..............jeffb.