2001 BMW 740iL

This is my fourth 7 Series BMW. These cars are not for the faint of heart. When they break, it costs, but I have had very good reliability issues from my first in 1985. With only 4 cars in over 25 years, you might say that I have been happy with the car brand and will continue to purchase a 7 series in the future. Find a good mechanic, do the routine maintenance and take the car in at the first sign of a problem. This will save you money and NOTHING rides better than a 7 Series.

This is my fourth 7 Series BMW. These cars are not for the faint of heart. When they break, it costs, but I have had very good reliability issues from my first in 1985. With only 4 cars in over 25 years, you might say that I have been happy with the car brand and will continue to purchase a 7 series in the future. Find a good mechanic, do the routine maintenance and take the car in at the first sign of a problem. This will save you money and NOTHING rides better than a 7 Series.

Are you kidding me? For a car that looks good, it is just a POS. So many issues, I really don't know where to begin. I really wish I would have read the other comments BEFORE I bought my BMW. I have only had it 30 days, and already, I have had problems with the radiator, suspension, windows, lights, cat converters, and a/c. The cost of these repairs will be more than double what I paid for the car. I can not beleive it. Well, lesson learned. I will just cut my losses and sell it. I refuse to pay for these intial repairs. I can tell by reading other comments, that this will be just the beginning. The best thing about this vehicle will be the tail lights when I see it going down the street with someone else. BUYERS BEWARE

Worst car we have ever owned. I have 20 year old Porsches that I drive daily that are more reliable than this POS. I work on my own cars and after the first couple of wrench sessions you start to see how cheap this car is put together. There is an ABUNDANCE of PLASTIC used everywhere in this engine so expect a new radiator and coolant over flow tank every 40-50k miles. Also the serpentine belt tensioner pullys are plastic and are known for letting go around the 80-90k mark. Then you have your other common issues warped PLASTIC intake manifold, WARPED PLASTIC valley pan, CATs, and CAM postition sensors. We bought are car with 55k on the clock and we have pretty much replaced everything before I finally gave up on it this year and sold it. The alternators are watercooled and will set you back over a grand. This car has a lot of electronics so expect to eat this things for lunch are car went through three from 55k miles to 118k.

However this biggest pain in the butt on this car is BMW's POOR attempt at making a MAF sensor. This car will go through MAF's every 2 years nothing you can do about it!! You will also go through cam position sensors as well. At around 100k EXPECT the whole front end to be worn out and need replacing.

Don't get me wrong is a fantastic driving machine just poorly engineered with substandard parts. If you don't mind the servicing by all means knock yourself out. Simply put after owning numerous 20 year old Porsches the reliability of this car was a real shocker. Quite funny that my 20+ year old Porsche 928 was more reliable than this and it has over 120k miles.

In closing BMW needs to STOP using so MUCH PLASTIC in there engines it just doesn't hold up the heat cycles. If this car didn't have so many stupid seals it would be much more reliable. I'm still trying to figure out the point of a valley pan?? Most V8's don't have them so why put a seal there? Why does the intake manifold come apart in 4 different sections... this just leads to more failure points. All in all fabulous car to look at and drive, horrible car to pay for the repairs.

Transmission problems are common problems with these cars. "Tranmission Program" translates to about $1750 in repairs at some dealerships. There are several hoses that have to be replaced in order to resolve the colling system issues. $400 a pop is common for many repairs. This car is grossly over engineered compared to other cars that deliver the same performance that are cheaper to maintain.

Gas mileage is horrible, but perfomance when the car is functioning is much better. Eletrical issues remain a problem with this model along with the transmission whining sound. I have noticed this with many BMWs of this same model. An improvement since the 1993 version of the automobile, but not by much.

Several people including myself have had radiator and water pump issues. Repair costs are very expensive. My local dealership wanted $1840 for LABOR alone to install a radiator and water pump. Also has some electrical issues as well.

I love this car. It requires attention, but is a pleasure to drive.