stever
01-21-2004, 01:06 AM
It's late, but I made notes in the car (dangerously, I know!) while driving back from JFK airport tonight after paying the guy for the 14k mi, Anthracite/Blk 740i Sport. Breathtaking night! I felt like I was driving my 911 at times, and totally forgot I was in a 740i. I never felt this way in my 95. The biggest difference is that small, miniscule steering wheel (compared to the HUGE one in a non-sport). It's not as easy to lazily drive with the right hand, leaning the elbow on the right armrest as the wheel is much smaller and you can't reach it as well. No problem there, though. That steering wheel is the reason I bought the car (don't laugh!). It makes the driving experience so much more sensational.
Xenon lights have always been a dream for me. Now I have them. I can't believe how much sharper the light is. I feel blessed to now own "the perfect large car" (that's not too expensive!). BMW really got it right with this car. From owning the 1st of the E38's to now owning the last and best of the E38's, it is a stunning difference. This car feels SO close to my 91 M5 in terms of cornering and speed, with the luxury of the automatic for city driving. This car is so smoking hot in itself, I'm kind of glad the wife nixed the Imola Red car. In that color, it would be too hot a combination for me to have truly felt stealth and comfortable in. At rest stops on the turnpike, I would walk back to the car, parked all the way at the end of the lot, and just laugh when I saw it. It's one thing to see pics of M// wheels, but when they are on the cool looking car you actually own, it's very intense. They are so damn beefy looking.
Now I get it, BMW. I get the excitement over your 740i sport model. I never really got it till today. I feel like I'm driving a time capsule for everything that was great, powerful and the height of large car beauty in the BMW lineup. I say "was", as I feel this will be lost forever in the new models. Maybe my car will look totally dated one day when it too is worth only $11k (like my 95 is), but I doubt it. BMW really created a new mkt when they built the 740i sport. My 95 felt kind of old mannish at times. Not this one. I feel like I'm literally driving a 3 series, it's that different than my 95.
18" vs my old 17" wheels? Was a bit worried about the ride, but it turns out it's just the opposite. I LOVE the feel for the road. Reminds me again of the 911. You give up some comfort (gladly) for that feel. 22mpg average the whole way home. Excellent. You don't realize how fast this car is when you're driving 80mph for hours till you stop at a rest stop, get back in, punch it out of the parking lot, hit that exit ramp, the car feels planted like a sports car, and it goes like a bat out of hell. NOTHING like my 95.
Autodimming mirror seemed a bit excessive. I could hardly see out my rear window. It wasn't till I got practically the whole way home that I realized he must have tinted the windows kind of heavy, but very nice. They certainly seem tinted. I like it. Hopefully the cops won't care. Don't know much about this stuff.
I can't believe I got a $70k car for $39 and it's almost new. Thank god they depreciate so heavily and fast. Compared to an used 01 S55 Mercedes, this seems to be the MUCH cheaper and better deal. The Vavona redwood blew me away seeing it in person. I can't get enough of this beautiful wood. I just want to hug whoever was in charge of creating this wonderful car.
The widescreen NAV - incredible. I haven't the faintest idea how to get the stupid Menu screen off once you engage it, other than turning the car off and turning it back on. I was grooving on FM for a while, fascinated that it could recognise stations, when I decided to delve into the "menu". Once it hit this button, I could never get the default FM screen to stay on again. Any ideas before I have to spend hours pouring over the manual? I promise this is the only question I'll ask for now. I love the look of the widescreen Nav. It is so well done. I was in awe of it, never owning and always wanting one. The stereo in this car is nothing short of awesome compared to my 95 base unit. My Grateful Dead CD's NEVER sounded better. I put the concert hall setting on and played Winterland 6/9/77 and was utterly transported back in time. I didn't start seeing them till '79. Went to 135 shows and 65 Jerry Garcia Band shows. Those were the days...
The Sport Seat... ahhh, let me count the ways I love this seat. Am I driving an M5 or an M7? This seat is miraculous. I can't wait for twisties. I can see why some people wouldn't want a sport. It is REALLY sporty. Much more sporty than luxurious. I can see why some would prefer the wider seat, regular wheel, not as severe tires. It's great that BMW, up till 2001 truly listened to it's owners and built a car for everyone's tastes. It's like the end of the air cooled 911's. We own a perfect piece of history, whichever E38 we have. Nothing against you E65 or E32 owners. They of course are all great cars. I just really like mine - I'm totally biased. Each car has it's benefits whether it's price, features, whatever.
The phone in this car just looks - jiggy! It is so hot looking. I wish I was single. This phone HAS to get chicks:clap: It's so sleek and beautifully integrated. I don't even know how to connect it. I wonder if I could get my Cingular Wireless service transferred into this car? That's for another day.
Steptronic - tried it for 2 minutes when I was near my house, 5 hours later... It is very nice. I'll have to really explore this feature soon. Holds the road like a go cart, not a luxobarge.
The black interior is much classier than my 9 year old fading grey interior. I always wanted black like my M5. I only had that car for 5 months as I hated shifting gears all day long.
Looking down at the odometer and seeing 14665 miles instead of 121000 miles is really a trip! I truly can't believe this is mine.
There's hellish windnoise when the sunroof cover is open (not the sunroof itself, just that cover). Kind of surprised me. When I close that felt cover, the noise goes away. I guess I just have to deal w/it. Maybe they can check it out one day. No biggie.
The guy I bought the car from is 32 y.o., owns an Italian restaurant in Manhattan, and has a gorgeous MB CL500 too. He's buying a new 745li, he thinks. Really nice couple. It was such a pleasant experience because of them.
That's all I can think of now. Hope I haven't bored you all or turned anyone off. I'm just happy. I think I need to go to a homeless shelter and help the needy for a day after this... life is too good sometimes. I just have to pinch myself.
Steve
Xenon lights have always been a dream for me. Now I have them. I can't believe how much sharper the light is. I feel blessed to now own "the perfect large car" (that's not too expensive!). BMW really got it right with this car. From owning the 1st of the E38's to now owning the last and best of the E38's, it is a stunning difference. This car feels SO close to my 91 M5 in terms of cornering and speed, with the luxury of the automatic for city driving. This car is so smoking hot in itself, I'm kind of glad the wife nixed the Imola Red car. In that color, it would be too hot a combination for me to have truly felt stealth and comfortable in. At rest stops on the turnpike, I would walk back to the car, parked all the way at the end of the lot, and just laugh when I saw it. It's one thing to see pics of M// wheels, but when they are on the cool looking car you actually own, it's very intense. They are so damn beefy looking.
Now I get it, BMW. I get the excitement over your 740i sport model. I never really got it till today. I feel like I'm driving a time capsule for everything that was great, powerful and the height of large car beauty in the BMW lineup. I say "was", as I feel this will be lost forever in the new models. Maybe my car will look totally dated one day when it too is worth only $11k (like my 95 is), but I doubt it. BMW really created a new mkt when they built the 740i sport. My 95 felt kind of old mannish at times. Not this one. I feel like I'm literally driving a 3 series, it's that different than my 95.
18" vs my old 17" wheels? Was a bit worried about the ride, but it turns out it's just the opposite. I LOVE the feel for the road. Reminds me again of the 911. You give up some comfort (gladly) for that feel. 22mpg average the whole way home. Excellent. You don't realize how fast this car is when you're driving 80mph for hours till you stop at a rest stop, get back in, punch it out of the parking lot, hit that exit ramp, the car feels planted like a sports car, and it goes like a bat out of hell. NOTHING like my 95.
Autodimming mirror seemed a bit excessive. I could hardly see out my rear window. It wasn't till I got practically the whole way home that I realized he must have tinted the windows kind of heavy, but very nice. They certainly seem tinted. I like it. Hopefully the cops won't care. Don't know much about this stuff.
I can't believe I got a $70k car for $39 and it's almost new. Thank god they depreciate so heavily and fast. Compared to an used 01 S55 Mercedes, this seems to be the MUCH cheaper and better deal. The Vavona redwood blew me away seeing it in person. I can't get enough of this beautiful wood. I just want to hug whoever was in charge of creating this wonderful car.
The widescreen NAV - incredible. I haven't the faintest idea how to get the stupid Menu screen off once you engage it, other than turning the car off and turning it back on. I was grooving on FM for a while, fascinated that it could recognise stations, when I decided to delve into the "menu". Once it hit this button, I could never get the default FM screen to stay on again. Any ideas before I have to spend hours pouring over the manual? I promise this is the only question I'll ask for now. I love the look of the widescreen Nav. It is so well done. I was in awe of it, never owning and always wanting one. The stereo in this car is nothing short of awesome compared to my 95 base unit. My Grateful Dead CD's NEVER sounded better. I put the concert hall setting on and played Winterland 6/9/77 and was utterly transported back in time. I didn't start seeing them till '79. Went to 135 shows and 65 Jerry Garcia Band shows. Those were the days...
The Sport Seat... ahhh, let me count the ways I love this seat. Am I driving an M5 or an M7? This seat is miraculous. I can't wait for twisties. I can see why some people wouldn't want a sport. It is REALLY sporty. Much more sporty than luxurious. I can see why some would prefer the wider seat, regular wheel, not as severe tires. It's great that BMW, up till 2001 truly listened to it's owners and built a car for everyone's tastes. It's like the end of the air cooled 911's. We own a perfect piece of history, whichever E38 we have. Nothing against you E65 or E32 owners. They of course are all great cars. I just really like mine - I'm totally biased. Each car has it's benefits whether it's price, features, whatever.
The phone in this car just looks - jiggy! It is so hot looking. I wish I was single. This phone HAS to get chicks:clap: It's so sleek and beautifully integrated. I don't even know how to connect it. I wonder if I could get my Cingular Wireless service transferred into this car? That's for another day.
Steptronic - tried it for 2 minutes when I was near my house, 5 hours later... It is very nice. I'll have to really explore this feature soon. Holds the road like a go cart, not a luxobarge.
The black interior is much classier than my 9 year old fading grey interior. I always wanted black like my M5. I only had that car for 5 months as I hated shifting gears all day long.
Looking down at the odometer and seeing 14665 miles instead of 121000 miles is really a trip! I truly can't believe this is mine.
There's hellish windnoise when the sunroof cover is open (not the sunroof itself, just that cover). Kind of surprised me. When I close that felt cover, the noise goes away. I guess I just have to deal w/it. Maybe they can check it out one day. No biggie.
The guy I bought the car from is 32 y.o., owns an Italian restaurant in Manhattan, and has a gorgeous MB CL500 too. He's buying a new 745li, he thinks. Really nice couple. It was such a pleasant experience because of them.
That's all I can think of now. Hope I haven't bored you all or turned anyone off. I'm just happy. I think I need to go to a homeless shelter and help the needy for a day after this... life is too good sometimes. I just have to pinch myself.
Steve