Faults:

Front suspension bushes, replaced at 110.000kms 30€ each.

Petrol tank caliper (90€).

Air conditioning belt.

Some pixels of the BC display are wrong.

Regular replacement of oil, all filters, etc.

General Comments:

Fantastic car and reliability.

Smooth, rides nicely, comfortable and sporty at the same time.

I replaced standard shocks for Bilsteins.

Expensive spares, but as I don't go to official dealers, it's reasonable.

Probably the best car I have ever had.

With the optional 18 inch rims, it looks superb.

I paid for it 10.000€ with 85.000kms 3 and a half years ago. Probably the best buy I´ve ever made. It puts a smile in my face every time I drive it.

I strongly recommend it. Cheap to buy, reasonable to maintain if you find a good unit.

Faults:

- GPS stopped working.

- Stereo sound muted when turning left (!)

- Engine started running uneven and misfiring, £4000 later and the problem was fixed.

General Comments:

I love the design of the old E38 7-series and I was really out to get a 740 V8, but this 750 V12 looked stunning with its low mileage and well documented history in Monaco. The car seemed perfect on the outside...

I have a good friend who has gone through 3 of these V12s and never had a problem, but my car seemed to have every annoying little fault possible. When it worked, for the first few months it was truly astonishing, performance, acceleration and comfort was top class and I still love the clean look of a standard, well kept E38. When things started going wrong, it was not so fun anymore. Settle for a 740 and you probably have one of the best cars ever, the 750 is for the few who appreciate, and can afford the refinement of a V12.

What is interesting is that I got the same long-distance mileage on the 750 as on my current 530.

Faults:

Passenger Seat Airbag Sensor - $500

Faulty Front Calipers - $800

Cracked Tail Lights - $200

Fan Clutch - $1000

MAF - $1000

Radiator - $300

Catalytic Converters - $400 (Replaced with After-market)

Oxygen Sensors - $400 (all 4)

Squeaky Moon-roof - not fixed

Missing dash pixels - not fixed

Seats starting to wear out - not fixed

Cracked shifter knob - not fixed

Rear suspension creak - not fixed

Carbon buildup on cylinder heads - quote $8000.

General Comments:

The 1998 BMW 740iL is certainly a sexy head-turning car, it handles amazingly well for a 2.5 ton car and is plush and very comfortable on long trips. VERY SAFE, got rear ended on the highway and it only left a small dent on the bumper while the other car was almost totalled! Incredible rear leg room. Gas mileage for highway is decent, 25mpg on a recent 200 mile trip. City mileage is not so great at 11mpg.

If you're thinking of buying it used, Don't! I've learned not to buy German cars used, if you don't have too much money, lease new! Overall, the repair costs for 2 years is over $12600 and the depreciation is about $5000. Overall running costs: $17600, should have leased a new 5 series or A6 and save the headaches.

However, if you are determined to buy a used 7 series, do your due diligence before buying. Also know that the after-market "extended warranties" are useless because everything is "wear and tear."

If the 7 series had ls400 like reliability, I would recommend it without hesitation. However, it's far from the case, consumer reports rates the 7 series one of the worst used car buys due to reliability. The ls400 or acura RL may not be as sexy, but it sure saves you time/money/and headaches. If you REALLY want sexy, go lease a new Bentley Continental GT for $2500 a month.

Oh, and I still have the car, anybody want it for $7000? NO? Well I don't blame ya.