1995 BMW 7 Series iL from North America - Comments

Right rear window motor went bad, but only because my kid abused it.

Left tie rod end needed replaced.

Brake and tail lights are a bit fussy.

This is the greatest car I have ever owned. Anyone who is not buying a 3 or 4 year old 740iL that some rich guy has taken the depreciation on, instead of shelling out 28K to 30K for a Toyota or a Honda... ought to have his head examined.

This car has cabin room galore. My 6ft 3in. 285lb. buddy loves to stretch out in the back seat. Plenty of room for a foursome, and clubs and luggage.

Exactly what I thnk!!!

Spend the same money as a new Camry and get a Mercedes Luxury Sorts Limousine. With 5 speed auto and an economical sporty revving 4 litre V8!!!

How good is that?

Actually also looking at buying a Rolls Royce, think the Merc is MUCH more fun and practical.

A Rolls Royce may be not for me yet.

Take care.

Andrew.

Large German cars are incredible used car values if you can afford the maintenance. The ultimate values are the 12 cylinder cars.

Used car lots around here (Silicon Valley) are littered with thousands of S Classes, 7 series, XJ's, A8's and so on at rock bottom prices. Even insurance is low since the target market for these cars isn't young hot blooded 20 somethings like my WRX is.

I can understand both views, really. The people who buy Toyota's or Honda's just want reliable, cheap transportation. If you're not into cars very much, and just want transportation, there is nothing wrong with buying a Japanese car. A lot less trouble than a BMW. I myself drive a BMW because I love cars, and need the little extra. I think it's worth paying a little extra money to keep it running. My BMW is reliable, but has a lot of minor problems that are not so common on Toyota's, but it has more style and more appeal than a Toyota, and it drives better than most Toyota's. It all comes down to what you appreciate in a car. BMW's is for people who want a lot more than just transportation. Not everybody needs more than transportation. So I can understand why not everybody want a BMW.

I always thought I would be driving German cars. I've owned 4 Mercedes since 91 and 2 BMWs. I loved all the cars, but German cars nickle and dime people. I was always replacing little things like window switches or light bulbs.

The only major problem I had was on my 91 Mercedes 560SEL. The a/c went out and was close to 3 grand to fix.

I bought a Lexus for my wife in 2000, but I ended up driving it because it was such a nice car. The GS400 performs just like my old BMW 540i. I now have about 70,000 on the GS and have done nothing but routine maintenance. 6 months ago we bought the RX400h and couldn't be happier. I'd give Lexus a try although it's not a German car, it's as close as you can get.