YACT: Does a 1998 BMW 740il with 140k miles = maintenance nightmare?

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: tnitsuj
logic and reason are competing with the desire to buy a big black shiny car when I get back to the states

Logic and reason will be met with Anger and Fury when you start shelling out money for stupid things like lights.

Expect to pay $300 for a headlight when they go because they are HID. I have lights go all the time on my car. Right now I have a dead fog light and license plate light. Fortunately, they aren't top priority to replace like a headlight.

you can pick up a hig ballast for bmw for under 100 bucks... xenon bulbs (d2s im guessing) are even cheaper. It's not like you have to replace the whole thing when one of those fail. Foglights and plate light will cost you under 10 bucks in autozone .... and now you dont need an imported german engineer to install one

<-drives an a4 quattro with 100k

Are HIDs that cheap now?

I paid $600 for my pair over a year ago but they are Philips.

 

[PKPunk]

I don't have a link but I read somewhere that a 1996 Lexus LS400 is more reliable than a 2003 BMW 745. That's got to tell you something about how good a 1998 740il would be. But anyway, I would love to drive a 740il those cars are awesome and sleak but I think everyone in the forum is rite about the maintenance costing you a arm and a leg.

 

[RU482]

isn't it kinda tacky to drive a high mileage luxury car?

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: PKPunk
I don't have a link but I read somewhere that a 1996 Lexus LS400 is more reliable than a 2003 BMW 745. That's got to tell you something about how good a 1998 740il would be. But anyway, I would love to drive a 740il those cars are awesome and sleak but I think everyone in the forum is rite about the maintenance costing you a arm and a leg.

it's a well known fact that lexus is one of the highest rated cars on the planet... overall.

 

[PoPPeR]

sigh... i really wish they weren't so expensive to maintain. One of my favorite cars looks wise

 

[tboo]

I have a 1989 750il with 185,000 miles &amp; a 2001 740il with 82000 miles &amp; both have been rock solid. If the car has been taken care of &amp; you continue to take care of it then I agree with the other poster that 300,000 miles is easily attainable-these cars are built like tanks.

That said, it does help if you can perform some general maintenance yourself. Its not really the parts that are expensive-its the labor from a BMW tech that will kill you

 

[JSmile]

Originally posted by: tboo
I have a 1989 750il with 185,000 miles &amp; a 2001 740il with 82000 miles &amp; both have been rock solid. If the car has been taken care of &amp; you continue to take care of it then I agree with the other poster that 300,000 miles is easily attainable-these cars are built like tanks.

That said, it does help if you can perform some general maintenance yourself. Its not really the parts that are expensive-its the labor from a BMW tech that will kill you

thats the thing-you know how to maintain your cars-previous owners, a maybe. I love that body style, more so than the new one, but its an expensive car to keep.


<- drives 2 benzes, and when I was a n00b I would go to Rallye Mercedes and get a $150 oil change!!!!