Buying 12 yr old BMW 7 series - What to look for?

[waqar747]

Hey friends. A close relative has set his eyes on a low mileage 7 series (740Li I think) model year is around 2007 don't know exact. He's not very auto savvy but wants some assurance before buying. What would be the basic things to check besides getting a service history and maybe getting it checked with local BMW dealership. How much would dewan charge for this? Any specific checklist to follow when inspecting?

[capsat]

documentation as in custom papers & registration shall be top priority before checking mechanicals & history.

[Marschall]

Staying away would be even better....these 7 series are being sold at a very cheap rate now....i dont know about deewan but shahnawaz charges 35k for S class inspection....get it computer scanned it will surely have many many electrical gremlins

[ryu.iori]

yar in gadion k kharchay bohat atay hain poranio kay. spear part miltay hi bohat mahngy hain gemirny ki gadio k. poranio say banda dur hi rhy to bhtr hay mera zati khial hay yh. ghalt bhe ho skta hay.

[mhaderaziz_official]

Check the documents first. Everything should be complete. You should be able to get it's UK registration number if it was a used, UK import. If you are able to obtain it, check it's MOT history on the UK government's MOT website. It's free and very easy to do. Anyone can do it.
Check the tires; they should be relatively new. The e65 740li came with 19s as standard and tires cost around 150k rupees for all fours. Check if the car shows any errors on the dash. All parking sensors should be working. Check if there are any signs of leaks around the sunroof since the seals dry out and owners don't bother changing them. I've seen many e65s with leaky sunroofs in Pakistan. Check if the lights are clear; they should not be yellow-y or fuzzy. Check if all the seat adjustment functions work and ensure no button is missing (which they usually are if the car isn't taken care of).
I've seen lots of 7 series with faulty Logic 7 units. Check if the speakers work and don't hesitate to play a song with some bass. A new logic 7 unit costs around 350k from Dewan (cheaper if bought kabli). Check if the air conditioner blows cold air consistently and there is no excessive vibration when the cooling fan for the engine turns on. Check to see if the alternator is charging properly (should be at 13.5-14 when the car is running). Failing alternators are also very common. Check if the adjustable steering buttons function correctly. Check if the I-drive system (the infotainment unit) is laggy or not. Check for any vertical lines in the infotainment unit screen. Most 7 series in Pakistan have broken I-drive knobs from previous, botched repairs so be aware of that. Lots of 7 series have sagged roof liners at this stage and expect to pay upwards of over 80k for a proper Dewan job. Check to see if the suction doors and trunk work properly. They are a very expensive fix if anything goes wrong. All buttons in the interior should work.

When test driving it, check if the transmission shifts smoothly. If it vibrates/jolts when you slow down, walk away from the car. Transmission replacemet is very common and is NOT cheap. There should not be any oil leaks when the car is stationary. The car should not feel to wallow-y, but somewhat taut.

I would recommend taking an OBD-2 scanner along with you. Dewan charges approximately 8k for a pre-purchase inspection last time I checked.

[mhaderaziz_official]

If it was repainted by Dewan, the human eye would have a hard time telling if it was painted so have a good paint thickness gauge with you; ETG or Elcometer will do great.

[usama1]

With due apologies, wheather its merc or BMW, Both are highly un reliable and halariously expensive to maintain. Totally problamatic cars and with worst ACs as per pakistani weather. People can have difference of opinion but its my reading since last many years and from 5 countries. BTW Range Rover is even more worse. While living in Pak, if you have a lots and lots of money to waste, only then u should think of these cars otherwise it is better to stay with local or japanese car, whereas Accord and Camry are the best options if we chalk out a feasibility plan keeping in mind the maintenance cost, resale, availability of spares and value for money. Yes, as the affordability is a relative term and varies from person to person, so if someone is damn adamant to buy BMW, MERC OR RANGE ROVER , then no body should stop him. The Nutshell of my sincere advise is that if you have a very heavy bank balance to spend on the vehicle, only then you should buy it, otherwise AVOID.

[usama1]

One more point, Accord and camry are most reliable japanese cars which require minimum maintenance and have lot of driving pleasure. Particularly Honda Accord from 2002 onwards, wheather CL 9, CL 7 or Thai all were made with unprecedented effort and research. There is Almost zero design defect or manufacturing fault in these models. Acceleration, brakes, interior, exterior, Air con, features, driving position, driving pleasure every thing matchless.

[ryu.iori]

One more point, Accord and camry are most reliable japanese cars

I am agree in you . japani cars reable. don't matching cheap spearpart

[Marschall]

One more point, Accord and camry are most reliable japanese cars which require minimum maintenance and have lot of driving pleasure. Particularly Honda Accord from 2002 onwards, wheather CL 9, CL 7 or Thai all were made with unprecedented effort and research. There is Almost zero design defect or manufacturing fault in these models. Acceleration, brakes, interior, exterior, Air con, features, driving position, driving pleasure every thing matchless.

Sir i agree with you on the relaibilty part the ac part and the cost of maintaining them and finding a good mechanic.However i would disagree with you on the comfort and drive pleasure.....i think its only recently that japs have caughtup in terms of driving pleasure, although the lexus did screw both merc and bmw in the 90s...but driving a 2018 camry and 2010 e class i have felt that the E cass w212 is far superior and quite plus well built...but thats just me

[8502]

German and Japanese technology can't be compared. Both are relatively good but German is far superior. The problem is no one understands these Germans our minds are stuck at Japanese.

[ryu.iori]

but driving a 2018 camry and 2010 e class i have felt that the E cass w212 is far superior and quite plus well built...but thats just me

chalo yar ap kh sakty ho q k ap ny dono chlai hay. ic lye apki bat man li . bas masla inka itni mhnge mhnge spearpart ka hi hay. porani gadi sambhlna bada moshkil hay pasy k hisab say. wasy apki comfort wali bat man li.

[waqar747]

Thank you guys. That's more help than I expected. I know it's not very wise to go after a 10+ yr old German car but if someone sets their mind at it, with careful checks before buying, it can be a pleasant albeit expensive experience.

[waqar747]

BTW I think this is the model.
https://www.pakwheels.com/used-cars/bmw-7-series-2005-for-sale-in-karachi-2858891
A typical low mileage 7 series from 2005/6. Physically it doesn't look bad at all but what would give away wrong mileage from such a condition as an example? I see the seats and door sills don't quite match with 7,000 km though.

[anon35615524]

To add further, I would like to say that complete inspection by pakwheels carsure / car inspection service can also prove beneficial, if one has short-listed 1-2 cars and is not familiar with cars (especially high end, luxury cars like Mercedes, BMW, Audi, etc.).
The team will take all the pain on one's behalf and are much professional.

[waqar747]

How much would such an inspection cost? We will already be paying Dewan for the scan.

[anon35615524]

You can get complete details as per following link:

https://www.pakwheels.com/products/pakwheels-inspection

It will cost around 3000-4000 PKR for BMW, I think, but do confirm before scheduling inspection.

At the time of booking the inspection, address all of your queries, ask for the charges, etc. and after booking, when the team comes; ask as many questions as you can upto your full satisfaction.

Charges will be less as compared to Dewan.

[waqar747]

By the way, who else would do a pre-purchase inspection for this model besides Dewan or Pakwheels? Dewan would surely not be the cheapest and Pakwheels should be ok but don't know if they would have the equipment to scan for errors etc.

[mhaderaziz_official]

Shahnawaz will do one too, but cost almost 3x more than Dewan. I think it was 30k-ish for a S Class.
For body and paint, even Honda centre can do a good check.

[usama1]

Yes, you are right on your part...my point is that once you compare pros and cons then Japanese cars are ahead. Rest BRAND NAME makes a difference BMW or Merc cant be compared to Accord or Camry. Its all about personal choice, preference and affordability. We obviously can not outrightly say that German cars are crap..infact they just need more and frequent maintenance and break down ratio is much more then Japanese counterparts.