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BMW 7-Series 2006 and earlier

1317 messages,  Last post on Sep 16, 2012 at 11:07 AM

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What is this discussion about? BMW 7 Series

Messages Page 46 of 133

#442 of 1317 New 7... by merc1

Jan 21, 2002 (10:24 am)

Well I have finally been able to examine the new 7 up close. I'll start with the good news first. The interior is made of the highest quality materials around. The seats are some of, if not the best around. The car looks a lot smaller than it really is. From a few feet away it looks small and 5-Seriesh, but when you get right up on it, it's huge. The car I looked at was in the showroom so I didn't have the chance to start it and check out the idrive system. I was generally shocked by the LACK of buttons in on the dash. Only the "basic" functions are represented by conventional buttons/knobs/switches. The car's overall build, construction and sheer size remind me a lot of the W140 (1992-1999) S-Class Mercedes-Benz. It's a larger than life car that will unfortunately be either hated or loved with very little middle ground.
 
Now for the bad news.....the car is ugly. As much as it pains me to have to say this about a BMW it's true. The car's rear end belongs on another car from another era. It's true what they say about darker colors, but the 7 I examined was a darker color! Wait, it gets worse. The wheels are NOT centered in the wheelwells. The car is very akward looking from the side because of this. Even the front end doesn't look "right". The headlamp openings are just too large with too much space between the lamps and the hood. So the typical BMW "shark" look is now gone too. At this point I would be among the board members that are saying that Chris Bangle has to go. There is only one more styling test of mine that this car hasn't been through yet, hopefully it will look better then if not its truly an "ugly" car.
 
I can only hope the 2004 5-Series doesn't look like a minature version of the this new 7-Series. I'm still in disbelief.
 
M

#443 of 1317 Having an intermittant steering wheel shake - need help by jerryberger

Jan 21, 2002 (1:03 pm)

I've been back to the dealer 4 times for a recurring but sporadic steering wheel & body shake on my '95 740iL. I replaced half worn tires - to no avail. I've rebalanced the new tires three times. The car still shakes badly but only occasionally at exactly 50 Mph (& is not noticable below 47 and above 53). This is driving me crazy. Nothing appears obvious other than the shake. Any suggestions?

#444 of 1317 shaking by millerro3

Jan 21, 2002 (2:16 pm)

have you checked all four wheels to see if one is bent? That's what it sounds like to me.
 
I had the same thing with my car. It would only shake at about 65mph amd it was smooth at 60mph and 70mph, turns out I had a nicely bent rim.

#445 of 1317 merc1 by ljflx

Jan 21, 2002 (7:48 pm)

Appreciate your honesty and frankness. Now what exactly was that design team thinking when they approved it for production? I saw some beautiful designs that they passed on - one in particular that would have made me very interested on my next shopping trip in 2 years. Now I guess it'll be the LS vs. the S again and maybe the A-8 though that's a long-shot - god willing of course. I didn't notice the headlamp problem until you pointed it out which made me take a closer look at the pix on Edmunds and I agree with your observation. I also agree that the front doesn't have that hawkish hunter look of the past model (which I'm starting to appreciate more and more when I see it in my rear-view mirror) but it's still the rear that is a turnoff to me.
 
By the way did you get any indication if demand for the car is hot, lukewarm or cold?

#446 of 1317 ljflx by merc1

Jan 21, 2002 (10:39 pm)

Yeah it's a real shock for me. I was so turned off by the car I didn't ask about demand for it. Though there were a lot of ooohhhs and ahhhhs going on around the car. It seems that I and the others that were looking at the car were seeing the car for the first time. Some liked it, some didn't. Sales numbers will tell the story. Stay tuned.
 
M

#447 of 1317 merc1... by millerro3

Jan 22, 2002 (10:47 am)

what is the test of yours that the car has yet to be put through? If it's driving the car, I doubt you would be disappointed. As far as looks, I can't argue on such a subjective thing. As you said, some will like it, some will hate it(sounds like it should be in the love/hate attitude topic).
After reading your post, I went out to look at our car, which has the 19" wheels, and I didn't really notice the wheels not being centered. Did you notice whether the car you looked at had the 18" or 19" wheels?
 
Rob

#448 of 1317 ljflx by lenscap

Jan 22, 2002 (11:33 am)

If you get a loaded LS 430 (Ultra), it stickers for around $70,000. A comparably equipped S430 is around $90,000 - $95,000.
 
That may be the $25,000 referred to earlier.

#449 of 1317 lenscap by ljflx

Jan 22, 2002 (4:31 pm)

When I was pricing - both cars had options that the other didn't. Lexus had its fridge and massagers and I forget what the S had but it of course offered things Lexus didn't have. But for the most part a loaded S-430 very comparable to the ultra was in the 78-80k range. A pretty loaded S-500 was mid 80's and then you got into the 90's with the S-500 sport and amg models. I'm not sure if there is a S-430 amg or whether it even would sell because most people would be in an s-500 at that point. The dealer told me the S-430 is usually sold pretty spartan because once you add a few things you are in the S-500 price league which is better equipped and powered to begin with.
 
Have you posted any sales data recently?

#450 of 1317 millerro3 by merc1

Jan 23, 2002 (1:55 am)

Well there is a test that has always worked for me. It's going to sound wierd but here goes. If I'm riding in the right most lane of a 3-lane expressway and I see a car in the left most lane travelling about 1 1/2 to 2 car lengths in front of me it gives me just the right "profile" to judge the styling of the car. It's a rolling 3/4 view, the three quarter view of a car being the best angle to look at in my opinion. Almost always if a car doesn't pass this test it's been an ugly car to me. I hope I explained it right, I guess I could show better than tell. But try it (without causing an accident) sometime. The 7 I looked at had the 18 inch wheels, good point I"m sure the 19's would look better. I just noticed in your post you have one?(!) Do you have some pics you could post? What color/options did you get? Are you an idrive expert yet?
 
M

#451 of 1317 ljflx by lenscap

Jan 24, 2002 (12:32 pm)

Not to get off topic here on the 7 board, but here's a comparison of an LS 430 Ultra vs S430:
 
LS Ultra -- Right around $70,000
S430 comparably equipped -- $89,860:
 
72,495 -- base car w/dest charge
2,000 -- ventilated front seats
1,155 -- xenon lights w/washers
820 -- wood wheel and shift knob
1,825 -- power rear seats
1,880 -- rear AC controls
140 -- NAV CDs for entire country
1,015 -- Parktronic
820 -- upgraded leather
1,565 -- ventilated rear seats
2,875 -- Distronic speed control
2,960 -- active suspension
310 -- rear side window shades
 
That's a nearly $20,000 difference. By the way, the S500 starts at $80,845.
 
No new sales numbers, but I'll see what I can find.

Messages Page 46 of 133

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