Used 1997 BMW 7 Series Consumer Reviews

Seriously Amazing car. I love this car <3

Super positive this car is the best. Bought this car in 2010 and I've had it for 5 years. I would recommend it to anyone. Girls love the roomy bmw. The leather luxurious interior makes you feel like a boss from the way the steering wheel heats your hands up to the wood grain and super comfortable seats. Everyone that sits inside the car compliments it. I've had numerous people offer to buy it but I would never sell it. The car grows on you. I took out the sound system and installed a beautiful nav gps with aux cord and it get better sound than any vehicle I've ever sat inside. The whole look and feel of this car is the perfect balance of cool and classy.

This is a car to haul dignitaries around.

Finally we own an excellect automobile

After a three month search on line for the perfect E38'-- I was prepared to drive up to 1500 miles to get the right car--I found "my" vehicle 6 miles from home. It has been running flawlessly, except for a short circuit in a wiring harnace which BMW of El Paso seems to have fixed at no charge. Car is total pleasure to own and drive. mileage in town is 14.5 MPG. On the highway, I'm getting 25 MPG all day @75 mph using the recommended mid-grade gasoline.

97 740iL

My 1997 740iL is the best car I have ever driven. It has incredible power and I absolutely love it. The 282hp V8 engine is smooth going down the highway.

Wonderful car

This is a truly wonderful car. The ride is smooth and the build quality is great. I haven't owned a car that was built with more attention to detail. One must treat it with utter care, and go very easy on the car and all its amenities and it will last you. From new, mine has almost 110,000 miles. The only work done was the brakes, at 100,000 miles, the navigation dvd stopped working at about that time, too, and there seems to be a strange clicking noise coming from the dash. It could be the computer or navigation, or just a leaf in the a/c. Bar those mishaps, this is one of the most beautiful cars inside and out. My only complaint is that it doesn't have an electronic sport suspension setting.

Exceptional luxury car in every way.

In the 8 years of BMW 740iL ownership, mine has been a very sturdy, dependable and reliable auto. Exceptional luxury car in every way, shape and form. Have talked to many other 740 owners, and very rarely have run across a dissatisfied owner. The only complainers are those who bought the cheapest junker possible just to say they own a BMW, and for them, constant problems. Guess what (?), you get what you pay for. If you think you can buy a good used $70,000. luxury auto for only pennies on the dollar, your sadly mistaken. --- Prior to my used 740iL purchased, my son also owned a 740i, and he never had a single issue with his either, ran like a top, perfect the 5 years he owned his. --- Pros: Luxury at its finest. Perfect fit, dependable and SAFE. Timeless styling, always in fashion. Overall I favored my 740iL, over my SL500 for comfort, style and reliability. --- Cons: Quality comes at a price.

1997 Bmw 740iL Luxury Luxury And Performance

I recently bought a 1997 Bmw 740iL Luxury Sedan with 154,000 original miles. I bought it for $1,500 and all it needed was a hood latch. Then I finished it off with fifteen inch chrome and black wheels and a premium navigation system. The power is amazing and it has all the options to make it considered a luxury vehicle. It is simply five out of five stars.

BMW 7 Series The Ultimate Starship

This is BMW's flagship sedan and it does not disappoint in any way. Power, comfort, styling, safety and technology are all present here. One can easily go from 0-60 in less than 7 seconds, and at high speeds feel as if you are going half the pace with room to spare. More fun to drive than Mercedes, or Lexus combined!! The feel is rock solid and it handles like the 5 passenger sports car it really is. Plenty of creature comforts and cutting edge technology even in the older models. I have owned several hugh end luxury vehicles, domestic and foreign and this one is the best of all. It deserves the title "Ultimate Driving Machine" - I just can't see or imagine myself in any other car at all.!!

BMW 740iL 1997 Fan

Wonderful to drive. Maintenance is pricey.

Love our Bimmer

We bought the car used and had to sink some money into it right off the bat, for items not covered by the seller's warranty. Wondered about the choice for the first year. Then the car settled down and we've had routine maintenance since. It's a joy to drive, city or highway, and it's a joy for passengers. If you don't keep up with routine maintenance, and replace things at the first sign of trouble, expect to sink a lot of money into repairs. We do routine maintenance, and change the oil frequently, and we've been very satisfied. We plan to run the car for ten more years at least.

BMW 740il

This car is awesome it has very great speed it flies like a plane. great comfort all electronic. awesome v8 engine

Fun to drive, but mostly SAFE

I have owned both a 525 and now the 740il BMW and have loved them both. For luxury, style and comfort you can't do much better than the BMW. I also had a Mercedes and when I wanted to get a new vehicle, considered their 300 series. But for the money I would have spent to get a new Mercedes, I thought I got a better car by buying Pre-certified/used thru BMW!

True Money Pit

Do BMWs courtesy inspection before buying an older BMW. All seals are super expensive to fix, actually everything on this car is expensive to fix. Given it's huge base price when new should clue the owner into its costs to maintain. I have spent $9k in maintenance and the costs keep adding up. DO YOUR HOMEWORK before buying

Great Car!

Great car fun to drive but when something breaks prepare to spend at least $200 in repairs.

Can't go wrong with this vehicle

This is an incredible car. There is not a fault I could find in it.

The Ultimate Driving Machine!

No doubt, the late 90's 7 Series were by far one of BMW's most beautiful cars ever! I bought my 97 740i with 175K miles on it. It's not in perfect condition, it's been a project car. If you're willing to shop around you can find good parts for really good prices. I replaced all four struts, upper, lower control arms, tie rods and sway bar linkage for about $1000. I did all the work myself. It has that stupid Nav system in it and it doesn't work. The bugger is that it's not wired like a normal stereo so replacing it is near impossible. All in all, this one is a rocket ship! I'd love to drive a new one!!!

love it, but.....

this is the ultimate driving vehicle...the only problem i have is when i have to put it in the shop for repairs. expect to dig deep... nevertheless, when i get back behind the wheel it seems all worth it.

THE BMW 740IL

ITS A GREAT CAR

Bills Beemer

The car is very sound (structurally). Reliability is poor. Too many expensive repairs for a expensive car. (radiator, steering, backfire plate, window controller) Think twice about this cas due to high cost of repair.

Piece of junk

This is the only car I have ever owned that literally falls apart before your eyes. BMW should be ashamed to put such a poor quality car on the market. It's only redeeming quality is that it looks good. The list of things wrong with my car are incredible for a car that has just over 100k on it BMW shame on you.

Awesome

This is the best car I have ever driven. The ride is fast and smooth. The stereo is unbelievable-- it lets you block out the outside noises and traffic jams. Although expensive, the used prices are a bargain for what you get.

Great Rig!

Looks great: sleek, fast. Definitely turns heads. Awesome stereo, loud, hi- def, great CD changer. Loads of unexpected but nice "extras": heated steering wheel, power sunshade, memory seats. Expensive to maintain and every little items costs $$ for parts and service.

dream car

It has only been a short time, but from the first time with the car, my life has been improved. Not to mention the compliments from others. I am just completely taken with the car.

Great Overall Car!

Very fun car to drive, I always look forward to driving somewhere. It has a lot of power and a lot of options. It is the ulitmate luzury package. No car drive better than a BMW 740!

Motor Trends For BMW

Trouble experienced with cooling system (water pump & thermastate) and shorts in wireing systems.

Great car but not cheap to run.

I love my 740i. With the Dinan engine upgrades and stage 1 suspension it is like a large sports car. Smooth and powerful with a navigation system/TV. So far, only the cooling system (radiator, water pump and resevoir) has broken. I hope that will be all but that is a lot for a 1997 with 60,000 miles on it. Certified warranty keeps costs down up to 50,000 miles.

No more MBZ for me!

I had always owned MBZ and although I was quite happy with what I drove, it wasn't until I got behind the wheel of this 740i that I understood the meaning of the ultimate driving machine. What a pleasure!

this review

Love the car, but hate the dealer repair capability. Must seek out and find independent quality repair site.

NICE!!!

I love this car! When I purchased it though, it had some problems and slightly abused. Digital displays not functioning properly, radio buttons broken, no floor mats, paint splatter on the side, etc... However, the ride and performance of this car have more than made up for these minor glites (not to mention the great price I got on it). Center console should have a hidden compartment for the phone and be covered with the same soft leather that the seats are covered in.

Endless money pit

Great road car when it's running, but plagued by extremely low realibility and extremely high repair costs. Bought this off lease and have had it in shop at least once every month since for various things breaking or not working. The A/C has been repaired twice at $1800 per trip, and still doesn't work all the time, new driveline, suspension, seat motors, DMK motors, the list is endless. I've paid nearly as much in repairs as I did for the car. As soon as the last payment is made I'm buying a Lexus.

lots of fun/problems

Great drivers car!!! pleasure to drive, get lots of looks.

Good Car, High Cost to Own

Love the car, hate the car. Most beautiful car I've owned. A joy to drive, when everything works. Replaced 4 window motors, 1 seat motor, a radiator, 2 water pumps, an alternator, a drive shaft, a CD player, and dash read outs. The other day the exterior door handle just came off in my hand. This car has been maintianed by BMW and certified mechanics, yet the build quality work against the owner. It's a shame considering the cost of the car.

Hate to love it

I love the car and the compliments. Legroom for everyone. But too much maintenance on things that shouldn't go wrong. When I ask, I hear "yeah, the 7's do that." $3500 in the last year or so...this is ridiculous.

BMW 7 Series poorly build

I love driving this car and the way it looks. This is why after having a bad maintenance exp. with my 1992 BMW 7 series and purchased a new 1998 series, all to find I have the same on going maintenance. I have now given up and I am selling to buy another car from another manufacture.

If only it would start.

What a dream to drive - if only I could get it started. I have only owned this car for 6 months and have had it in the shop 6 times. The battery keeps getting drained, the heater needed to be replaced and the cup-holder replaced twice. I know the service people on a first name basis. Not a good sign with a car that only has 28000 miles on it.

In the Shop

While I'm impressed with the luxury, I'm not happy with the ongoing maintenance. This is the "Flagship" marquis of BMW. So then why so many problems? I've been an owner of Jaguar and I must say I've had fewer misques than with BMW. I enjoy the feel of the 740il, but think they could have done a better job with the overall quality of the vehicle.

poor selection never again

in discussions with many other 740 buyers i have yet to meet even one that was happy everything breaks the cup holders at 500 dollars 3 times radiator transmission both exhaust pipes at 2 grand each seats on drivers side crack check and you will find this on half even the lcd's burn out on dash

The Ultimate Ride & Repair Costs

Fantastic car to drive! Plenty Leg Room and comfort features but don't plan on leaving the repair shop for less than $1,000 per visit (for instance, I needed $30.00 in parts and the total bill was close to $900.00). If you buy one, do yourself a favor and STRONGLY consider getting an extended (high performance) warranty...You WILL forget about the repair costs while driving though! The best of the best (unless you have the pleasure of driving the 2004 535i)!

Finally

Well I now own a '97 740 iL Artic Metlic Silver with 98K and really do like it. However, I had to put some money into it after I got it to fix a major problem: Cataly. Convertor which cost me $2,300 p/L. I also other repairs done that were under CPO warranty: Radiator, Elect.fan, new valve cover gaskets and a new int. sensor alarm. I hope I am done with repairs for a couple of years, other than oil changes. I am still happy I have this car because its my dream car and I think I have everything fixed that may go wrong in the future, but if I have any other major problems I will need to look else where.

Finally

Well I now own a '97 740 iL Artic Metlic Silver with 98K and really do like it. However, I had to put some money into it after I got it to fix a major problem: Cataly. Convertor which cost me $2,300 p/L. I also other repairs done that were under CPO warranty: Radiator, Elect.fan, new valve cover gaskets and a new int. sensor alarm. I hope I am done with repairs for a couple of years, other than oil changes. I am still happy I have this car because its my dream car and I think I have everything fixed that may go wrong in the future, but if I have any other major problems I will need to look else where.

Repairs & More

Although the extended warranty to 100,000 miles covers the repairs, the repairs never stop nor to the headaces of having the car towed back to the dealership. Replaced stereo 3 times, valve cover gaskets, water pump, replaced radiator 2 times, trouble with the electronics, and now the A/C. BMW can make a great car, have a 92 525i with 182,000 miles and no repairs, plus it's fun to drive.