BMW 750i – why not?

So after my mental breakdown I got rid of my fancy cars and things, and have been running around in an oldish Vectra estate that a friend sold me for 900 “quid” – it’s been to the moon and back and is a rough old dog but it’s great for ferrying the dog and bike 🙂

I miss the feel of big German steel though; something with a bit of class and style would be right up my street – currently I’m looking at BMW 750is on the trader and I can’t believe how much they depreciate. I know why they do; high running costs and for such a big car are not very practical. However I would probably only put 3 or 4 thousand miles on one a year; no advantage in getting a diesel; the insurance is also surprisingly cheap.

Has anyone run an older (6 or 7 years) big motor, and can you offer any advice?

Keith

PS look at what you get for about 8 grand!

Running costs I expect are high like fuel economy, servicing, replacement parts etc. lot of kit for your buck on the plus side though.

I want an old V6 car.

Nothing to add to the thread, just thought I’d say that.

£475 a year vehicle excise duty? Ouch!

I’ve been running a 330i for 8 years now, from 28k to 100k miles. I do get the urge to buy a new car but as its paid for and I’m doing 2-3k a year.

Servicing etc (at BMW ) attracts thier “older vehicle” (over 6 year) prices which are often cheaper than the specialist Independant I use if they are not – both are around Ford prices.

Having the big engine is excellent on bike trips over long distance as is the setup of the car (especially with cruise control) you basically sit and let the car take you home – it’s low effort cruising.

If you can get one old enough (As mine is) your Tax is reduced to £250 – cant remember the threshold but worth looking into.

Didn’t they have flakey nikasil…8k will buy a nice 735

And as you say – you get loads of toys for your cash.

A mate of mine runs an old 750i, the LWB V12 version.
He’s converted it to LPG and on a recent trip to Switzerland he averaged something like 48mpg 😯

Do it, you know it makes sense 😀

The VED won’t be £475 because the car is per 2006. It will be about half that I think.

That is a lot of car for £8k. Look at it like this. You can buy half the car at twice the price and half the age and mileage and still spend on servicing and parts. To put put it in context last year I bought a Volvo V70 2.5T, two years old on a 58 plate with 23k miles. I paid £14k for it with a top spec (leather, sat nav, heated seats, volvo polestar engine upgradenetc) and the VED is £420.

You could buy this Beamer for £8k and spend £5k fixing it over the next three years and you’ll still have spent less than I did on my Volvo.

I’d do it. Why not. Sounds like you should love yourself a little and cosset yourself in that creamy five litre eight pot.

Nice. Jag XJs and S Classes can be had for cheap too, given the choice I would prefer an XJ or DoubleSix.
It’s the extra costs which put me off. You know hw much tax & insurance will be but you can spend hundreds on tyres (frequently!)
.
Saw a Maserati Ghibli for £5k just before I bought my Yeti, was seriously tempted to change tack entirely…

Looks lovely but shit for bikes compared to a Vectra estate

yeah check for nikasil, but otherwise, why the f not?

A mate of mine runs an old 750i, the LWB V12 version.
He’s converted it to LPG and on a recent trip to Switzerland he averaged something like 48mpg

Presume that figure was based on “equivalent petrol cost” rather than actual 48mpg on LPG ?

its a lot of car for the money, with lots of toys, although expensive if anything major goes wrong.

and the bike would fit easily in the boot….

I reckon that as long as you purchase such a car knowing full well that it is going to cost more to keep on the road than your average saloon car then you should go for it! You only live once after all.

I run a 51 plate 530i and it now has 101k on the clock and I bought it 5 years ago with 42k on the clock. I did my research beforehand and I knew what to expect in terms of running costs.

Most of the main things that could go wrong have gone wrong and I have it regularly serviced and I reckon it costs me about £1500 a year to run (excluding petrol). It is a lot of money to fork out, but is it any different to the hidden cost of depreciation? Particularly when the car is in really good nick both inside and out and a joy to drive.

Running costs I expect are high like fuel economy, servicing, replacement parts etc. lot of kit for your buck on the plus side though.

I ran a 535i for over 4 years, from 80k to 120k. Servicing and parts were surprisingly cheap, and no more than an average car except its needs more of them (mine was 8cyl, but you’ll have half as many again).

But I’d only pay £8k if you are happy to loose it all, but then if you get 2-3 years out of it that is no more than a cheap new car.

For example; I’ve now a V6 Jaguar, and a set of discs and pads was only £72.

its a lot of car for the money, with lots of toys, although expensive if anything major goes wrong.

I think it depends on how you go about it. If you take it to a main dealer for parts/servicing, it’s gonna cost you an arm and a leg, no doubt about it. If you’re willing to spend the time diagnosing, tracking down parts, and doing it yourself, you’ll inevitably save a lot of money, and you might really enjoy it. Or you might hate it.

And this is the thing. For many people, owning a nice car is a labour of love. Some people are absolutely fanatical about it and will dedicate pretty much all of their spare time and money to it. Whilst others are lucky enough to have the money to spend on getting someone else to do it. Either way it will require some sort of love.

Although you will pay for it over time, it’s amazing what you can buy for very little money, and you could be driving around in a very, very nice car.

I’ve run a 2003 RS6 for over 7 years. 4.2 V8 twin turbo.

The main cost of running is the fuel. £100+ a tank and generally get between 270-300 miles out of it.

I say go for it on your mileage. Yes parts can be pricey for a BMW but no more so than a one series. What can cost is the labour as there is NO room under the bonnet so even simple jobs can need big chunks of engine removed to get to them. For example my water pump went. £150 odd for the part but cost over £700 once fitted and thats at an indie garage. Way more at main stealers!

MM

I run a merc CL600 AMG? It was either that or £6k more for a diesel mondeo.

I chose the merc and blow the rest on fuel and maintenance. Yet to regret it. Did the same with an A8 which was nice but dull

I would have a look on a forum like http://www.bmwland.co.uk in their 7 series sub-forum and search on the model you are looking at to give you an idea of the ups and downs of owning one.

Borrowed a 750iL whn I was in Germany/Switzerland a few year ago. Great fun on the autobahns (gave me my top speed record coming back from Zurich one night) but not so good in the mountains. Fuel economy was also… dire.

Nice cars, but I prefer my Passat for normal driving.

I’d say go for it with your annual mileage. As long as you go into ownership with eyes wide open and have a budget for running costs and repairs you should be Ok. Just make sure absolutely everything electrical works. I’m currently looking at Merc CL55K’s which I’d use as a weekend car. Low mileage and expecting the odd big repair cost it will be far cheaper to run than my main car for which depreciation is by far the biggest cost £3-4K per year.

HUGE topic on smokin barges over on pistonheads. Lots of converts there.

The chauffeurs we use for airport trips all run big beemers, their servicing / parts costs mean they make a pittance of a living. Would put me right off having one.

WCA how much did the new discs and pads cost you?…..

Hora – big service with new disc and pads plus plugs came In at about £2k. Normal service is about £3-400. Tyres between £150 and £350 a corner depending on what you buy and where.

Never said it was cheap but don’t forget I would have lost about £14,000 in the mondeo against £6k in the merc.

I reckon it is still cheaper that a Mondeo 2.0tcdci so far. Mileage has been reduced due to new job so probably only 30,000 in 3 years.

I know that when I wake up and have to drive to Mancester and back in a day I would rather do it in the Merc than. Mondeo

For example my water pump went. £150 odd for the part but cost over £700 once fitted and thats at an indie garage. Way more at main stealers!

What you need to do is find a local mechanic you trust and have him look after it, even buying the service discs will save you.

Hora – big service with new disc and pads plus plugs came In at about £2k. Normal service is about £3-400. Tyres between £150 and £350 a corner depending on what you buy and where.

And to give you a comparison, for a 535i:

Service – Front pads, oil & air filters, oil and plugs plus labour cost me less than £300

4 discs, not just pads plus twice as many spark plugs

Biggest issue will be the price of fuel will be going in 1 direction for the next 50 years.

If the OP is only doing 3 to 4 k year then the price of fuel isn’t that much of a deal.

Same with servicing. From memory the big beemers measure when they need a service and you can get as far as 20k between services although it will be less for infrequent use

What about something like a 540i previous 5 series e39? Even cheaper.

I ran a 530 sport for a few years, bought it as a reward for stopping smoking then started again.

Without doubt the most enjoyable car I have ever owned, utterly seamless acceleration with a auto gearbox and an all alloy V8 that was a work of art. (wasn’t the nikasil a mid 90’s problem)
A month after buying it the catalytic convertors failed which were £800 for the parts alone, did wonder for a while if it was going to be worth it with that kind of repair bill and the 20mpg.

However it turned out to be completely reliable for the next two years or so until I sold it and bought a V6 Alfa which was dreadful in comparison.

If you can afford the juice I would say go for it, those big engines and auto boxes never get stressed and will run forever.

I ran a 530 sport for a few years, A month after buying it the catalytic convertors failed which were £800 for the parts alone, did wonder for a while if it was going to be worth it with that kind of repair bill and the 20mpg.

Again, if you can find a decent Mechanic who’ll buy right you can run far cheaper.

535i (2 * DIS, 8 spark plugs, new exhaust cat + labour = £380).

The DIS failed which meant it was running on 7 cylinders, not 8. The first thing I knew was the rattle as the cat disintegrated… My Mechanic was just going to cut out the cat (one per pipe) and weld up (obviously need to poke the sensor in the left exhaust for the MOT 😉 ), but on checking the price we put another in.

Biggest issue will be the price of fuel will be going in 1 direction for the next 50 years.

True, what a great reason to do it while it’s still affordable!

That said, Im not sure the bmw build quality is what it used to be – recent reports from family owners point to multiple electrical and electronic failures and several mechanical problems culminating in about 500 quid a month in repair bills on a 530d. Simple stuff that French cars get slammed for like plastic manifolds splitting, wiring harnesses rubbing through, ecu failures etc.

What BR said. I use an Independent with BMW certified mechanics. Service £140/£180, just had new pads and discs – bear in mind they are monstrous on a 330i sport – £110 a corner fitted, BMW parts not patent.

Good luck to you sir.
Hope to one day run something like that, M5 perhaps.
Not sure I’d get V12 though.
V8 anyday.

BR- That was the best price 9yrs ago when the model was relativly new, I sourced and bought them not the mechanic. Point is that you may get an occasional bigger than average expense.

I do however bow to your magnificent car managment skills.

We got a C240 Merc for free as the in-laws were offered almost nothing for it in part exchange – it’s a ’97.
We do less 3000 – 4000 miles a year so runnning costs are minimal (apart from 12 “twinspark” sparkplugs at £7 each!) and like was said above the big engines and auto gear boxes should go on forever. I love flooring the V6 and it still is quite smart.
If you can get something with a FSH, I say go for it.

IanW you are right. I had a £1400 bill last jan, although I had nothing but servicing and tyres for 8 years prior. It was all wear an tear, rocker gasket, gaiters, bushes, poly v drive belt. etc. Even the mechanic said he’d never seem so much wear and tear be experienced all at once and I would normally have experienced bits and pieces over time – but once fixed told me there’s 5 years minimum in all those parts (probably more considering my low milage per annum).

The BMW quite was £3600 btw!