1997 BMW 7 Series 740iA review from North America
"Pierce Brosnan drove one, Jason Statham did too, so did Michael Douglas and Clive Owen... questions?"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The only thing that I have to blame on the car is the little knob at the end of the wire that connects the gas pedal to the engine (if pulled, the car accelerates) which came loose, but a bit of epoxy took care of that.
Pilot brand headlight bulbs are useless in this car, they can't handle something the car does and burn out within two weeks - Phillips seem to work perfectly fine.
General comments?
The BMW 740iA is a full-size luxury sedan with sports car performance. If switched into sports mode, I can outrun a lot of cars that I wouldn't think I could take on.
The interior is in BMW-typical high quality, fine leather and wood trim. In the case of my car, black inside, black outside. The paint is, unlike the Cadillac's I had owned before, very tough and doesn't chip easily at all. Also, there seem to be no spots where the 740iA is notorious to rust at (not the typical bottom of the door or such).
I feel bad mentioning this because people in the position to acquire a BMW shouldn't have to be concerned about fuel expenses. However, whoever chooses the BMW 740iA is in for a surprise - I easily get 30 miles to the gallon highway and about 18-20 city.
Overall, if you're looking for luxury, style, performance and reliability merged together into one car, this one would be it.
I'd recommend dealer maintenance only since it isn't significantly more expensive than independent shops, but the mechanics are specially trained to work on BMWs.
Recommended reviews
| Expensive to maintain, but SOOO worth it! |
|
| 1994 - 7 Series 740iL 4.0L 32-valve V8 Timeless, striking appearance and serious Autobahn cruising credentials make this big ride a winner! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1997 |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 2009 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.4L V8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 10 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 125000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 132500 miles |
| Previous car | Cadillac DeVille |
| Date of Entry | 25th May, 2009 |