29th Jan 2006, 20:51
I am the original reviewer of the 2000 740i. I bought a 2004 Mercedes S430 in June of 04 and while it is a great car I have to admit I still miss the BMW. The handling, sound of engine during acceleration, and general comfort were outstanding. I do maintain my cars. I stand by my comments about it's shortcomings, but you tend to remember positives and minimize negatives when looking back.
2nd Apr 2006, 10:33
I have owned my 2000 750iL, yes the v12, for about 3 months now. My first foreign car. My wife has an Altima and previously a VW Golf. I keep telling my wife how much I love this car. After all, for what I paid, and bugging the heck out of her for 3 months to get one I have to say that. The truth is, I don't. From all the hype I've heard over German engineering, and the car having an original window sticker price of $99,870, I expected a lot more.
This car has 57,000 miles on it. My 2000 F150 and my wife's 2001 Altima, both with 60,000 miles have not had even close to the maintenance and repairs this BMW has had and continues to need.
First, little things break far to easily. The notorious cup holder for one. My rear cup holder was also broken. My son pressed the button for the warning flashers and the button pushed right through the console. I had to remove the whole console to make the repair. The transmission has an extremely annoying whine at low speed and it seems to hold the car back from coasting freely. The dealer says, "nothing seems wrong". I bought this car from a Dr. who had recently purchased an extended warranty and am I glad he did. I've already had it at the BMW dealer for claims. They replaced a leaking radiator and expansion tank, the second replacement set on this car. Two park sensors were bad. Several front end parts were worn and replaced. The headlight washers had fallen apart. The power steering hoses were leaking.
I slammed the driver door, yes hard, and the $300 insulated glass cracked. I just expect a lot of headache and repairs ahead.
And the Germans apparently have no idea what AUTO climate control is. My 1994 Lincoln Mark 8 had a better system. I could actually set it to 70 degrees and forget it. I did not have to hit an AC button in the summer or fiddle with any dials warm/cold dials on the dash. 70 is 70 no matter what the season. And if it was a beautiful 70 degree day and I wanted to open the windows and sunroof, it had an OFF button! Imagine that!
If you want to delete my post, go ahead. But potential buyers of this car should know both sides of opinion.
This is my last BMW folks.
1st May 2006, 13:08
Regarding the 740iA / 740i thing, manuals were apparently an option in some countries, ergo the need for the A.
Regarding the 750 owner with the problems, I agree with the person that said join BMW CCA. Also more importantly, sign up on the BMW forums. All the problems you list are well documented on the forums. The CCA will get you a 10% discount at most dealers, and if you've any aptitude with tools, you can do a lot of the repairs yourself. I replaced my cracked expansion tank myself, only cost about $70 for the repair. BMW's aren't THAT bad to maintain if you can wrench on them yourself.
1st May 2006, 23:18
As I said before, you will never see any 7-series, in any country, badged as a 730iA nor a 740iA nor a 750iA.
The A is added in advertisements by dealers who are just trying to emphasise the fact that the car they have for sale is an auto.
3rd Sep 2006, 04:21
Here, in the end of the world, the A is for the automatic transmission.. if does not have the A is a mechanical one.. a lot more fun when you are driving it.
17th Sep 2006, 18:47
Hello I am looking to buy a 2000 BMW 740i with 121000 miles on it. I am taking it in to a BMW mechanic on Wednesday to check it out. But I was just wondering if I should be expecting and problems with the car here in the near future. Thank You.
1st Feb 2007, 21:13
I purchased the 740il 6-30-06 and I have spent $2200 on the car already and the car is in the driveway now because it won't catch the gears and the power steering is leaking again. I got the light fixed, the cup holder twice I could go on, but I don't have enough ink.
7th Feb 2007, 21:19
I bought a 2000 740i approximately four weeks ago and am utterly amazed at the care the car received from the previous 2 owners. It is absolutely immaculate. With the exception of minor paint scratches that have been touched up and about 8 pixels burnt out on the dash display, it appears virtually “new”. The ride is indeed “stiff” compared to a Lexus, as my X wife had a 1999 SC400, and as described in previous posts here, was too isolated from the road.
I totally agree about the cup holders, not only are they too small, but are hazardous to the center console from possible spillage and splashing as any container is basically held AGAINST the control buttons. For all the amazing engineering that goes into these autos, the Germans REALLY missed the mark in that respect.
I have to totally disagree on the negative comments I read regarding the sound system. The only thing I can imagine is the commenter above must've had damage to his sound system, or had no idea how to adjust the DSP settings. This car may have the best sound I have ever heard in OR out of a vehicle. I actually prefer the Bimmer’s sound to my $1,200 den speakers. Although having an in-dash tape player really dates the car. I’ve even toyed with the idea of removing the tape and adapting the slot for an mp3 device.
Overall, I am overjoyed with getting an immaculate 64k car for a song (14k).
9th Feb 2007, 18:24
It sounds like you got my old car. It was pristine when I turned it in in 2003. (Sterling silver with grey leather). I could never get the sound from the radio I thought it should have and compared it to the nakamichi system in the lexus I had previous to that. Perhaps it was me, but I don't think so. It is a great car and I can honestly say it is the only car I have had that I really miss. Good luck with it.
27th Dec 2005, 20:26
I purchased a 2000 740i about 3 years ago and for the most part the car has great performance and handling. Previous I owned a 400LS Lexus and enjoyed the car. Recently, the 740i has developed a coolant leak that would require a change in the Gally pan gasket. To get to the Galley Pan requires taking the engine apart to below the manifold. Furthermore, the automatic transmission fluid should be changed at about 60,000 miles, based upon many recommendations of other 7 series owners. Unfortunately, dealership refuse to change the fluid. The 740i is a great perfromance automobile, but does have difficult maintenance issues to be aware of.