I have four cars right now, and have had many more. In a word- I love cars!
And of all my cars, I love to drive this one. The 94 740iL is big, comfortable, tight-handling, powerful and nice to look at. And it gets surprisingly good fuel economy for a big luxury cruiser- I get over 24 on the open road!

Now, about maintenance. Yes, this car is expensive to maintain, because nearly everything must be done by a professional- there is little under the hood you can do yourself. But if you maintain it properly, my experience is that it is utterly reliable.

When I bought mine in the summer of 2003, I took it in about 6 months later and it needed about $3,000 in repairs, including front-end parts, a transmission mount repair, etc. That was at 120,000 miles. I have not been back for service since, except routine oil changes and new tires. It now has 156,000 miles.

And about the engine issue: Yes, these cars did have an engine corrosion problem, that I understand was related to east coast U.S. gas formulations. And BMW replaced engines on these vehicles under warranty, when they failed. So if you are looking at a 7 that is from the east coast, ask whether it had a new engine installed. Mine had the engine replaced at 70,000 miles.

You'll get a lot of pleasure out of this car!
Amount Paid (US$): 12,000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1994
Model and Options: 740iL