1997 BMW 7 Series 728i 2.8 litre petrol from UK and Ireland
Summary:
A great car, incredible amount of machine for the money - I'd buy another
Faults:
Windscreen washer pump failed.
Some of the interior lights have failed.
Some digits fail to light up on the instrument panel.
Brake lights and tail lights are constantly in need of fiddling with to keep them all working.
Knob on switch for drivers seat adjustment broke - works fine without it!
Plastic handle for releasing handbrake broke off - replacement from BMW was surprisingly cheap.
General Comments:
I bought the car for a tenth of the price paid by it's first owner.
It's a fantastic car even just to sit in. It is as luxurious as I will ever need and it's much nicer to look at than the new one.
The boot is cavernous, even for this class of car.
It's smooth, comfortable and very fast on the motorway, but the acceleration from a standstill is nothing sensational - the 2.8 engine simply doesn't have enough horses for rocketing away from traffic lights.
When I bought it I was wondering how expensive it would be to run. I've been getting about 24mpg, mostly in urban use. I once achieved 28 mpg on a long trip.
Tyres (if you buy Pirellis) are about £400 a set.
A set of front discs and pads cost about £85 pounds (not from BMW).
I find that the wheels need balanced every 3 months or so. Other than an oil change that's all I've had to do so far.
It's been incredibly reliable, especially considering the high mileage on the car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd December, 2005
9th Dec 2005, 17:49
Could you please compare this car to your SAAB 9000? I will buy one of these two in the future and would like to hear it from an owner. Thank you.