Hey guys,

I was reading a few other threads today and I noticed someone made a very valid point : e38's are a great deal right now : I'm wondering why are they so cheap right now? Also do you think they'll go back up in value?...

thanks guys

It's not just 7 series, its any car thats getting older. For example, I bought my CLK430 for $27k and I can probably pick one up now for $17k-$20k

I understand that concept but when these cars were brand new they were $80k on average, it just seems a bit steep to have that kind of drop...simply because of age...I know your car is having alot of problems, but most of these cars are extremely hardy cars...

Considering I bought my 2001 740i Sport in pristine condition with 99k on the clock for $18k OTD last February I would say that is pretty darn cheap. I mean, a $50k depreciation in 5 years? I see your point, that is A LOT for any car.

I read something a while back and it said that the reason these cars are so cheap (as well as Audi A8s, Jaguar XJs and MB "S" series) are because wealthy people or business execs lease them new every 3-4 years and turn them in. They wouldn't buy a used one so there is a continuous flood of used luxury sedans on the market. The reason the value is low is because not many people find these cars fit into their lifestyle for some reasons unknown but mostly because of stigma, ownerships costs and insurance premiums.

They just don't sell well as used cars to the masses, thus prices are low because demand is low and supply is high.

I just bought a 2000 740iL with 90K miles on it for $17,500. I thought that was a great deal considering the condition. What I found was that there are a LOT more i's available and they seemed to be going for a lot less than the iL's. Also, there are a lot of them that are strippers - no heated seats, no automatic sunshades, no active suspension, no cold weather package/rear heated seats, etc. which loweres the resale value of them.

I thought they were closer to $65K when new in 2K? That would make the depreciation over 6 years a bit more reasonable....

I have no idea why mine says this but on my title it says : list price : $69,000 ... why is my i so much more expensive than your quotes?

My next purchase will be a used 2002 or 2003 745li. If we sell our e38's now for about 16,000 or so and buy a used 02 or 03 745li for about $40,000, maybe 45K, that means the 745 will cost about $24,000. And you get a 6 year 100K warranty. That is looking pretty attractive after my alternator experience last week.

My next purchase will be a used 2002 or 2003 745li.

You really shouldn't.

2003 E65 (745li) can almost be described as a lemon. There are several things wrong with it, ask anyone who owns one (there are several on these forums).

BMW fixed all of the problems with the E65 by 2004 (I think).

I just dont understand how bmw can put out these products and have these kinds of problems for what they charge. Hell you can buy a $20k honda and not have the problems the new 7 series are having :nono

I personally will not be buying a newer body style 7 series, i'll be leaning towards an Audi A8.

I looked at getting a 00 or 01 A6. I really like the styling and they are nice cars. Out of my price range though I think.

im really liking the new body style, im going to give it 2 years, to come down into a suggestive price range, from there i think i found my new dream car :)
...i heard there supposed to be realiable as well.

Also do you think they'll go back up in value?...

Ha, ha.

We can only dream...

I personally will not be buying a newer body style 7 series, i'll be leaning towards an Audi A8.

I agree with the newer body style, it looks like a camry in many angles. Yes, the inside looks nice, but you should pull up and have people saying "Whoa"

The Audi A8...I was considering the L edition for a while, but I saw how many problems people had with those, which detered me greatly. It is amazing though how Lexus keeps its value so much and Audi, BMW, MB do not.

The Audi A8...I was considering the L edition for a while, but I saw how many problems people had with those, which detered me greatly. It is amazing though how Lexus keeps its value so much and Audi, BMW, MB do not.

I looked at the A8L, but I had great concerns about the reliability too. Plus, insurance was more....presumably because of the all aluminum body and the extra costs associated with fixing them.

The relsale costs of the Lexus vs BMW, MB and Audi is interesting to me too. However, I don't care how reliable it is, it's boring as hell to look at and has no 'feeling' to it when you drive it.

I don't care how reliable it is, it's boring as hell to look at and has no 'feeling' to it when you drive it.


lexus

-boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring , its a camry in disguise
-excellent overall value

bmw

-adrelin pumping, blood gushing, beautiful, se*y, brilliant, and more and more
-maintanance - ouch ouch ouch

First post here. I recently discovered just how inexpensive the 750iL E32s are going for on eBay and CraigsList. I've been a fan of these cars for a while from a distance because I didn't think I could afford one. However, with a buy-in of $4-6K for what looks like a decent condition early nineties car with 120-150K miles, I know I could swing that. Research on maintenance costs for these cars cooled my desire a bit to jump on one. The supply and demand theory above for the low car prices on E32s and E38s certainly makes sense to me, but how much of a contributing factor do you believe the maintenance costs are?

To take this to a more personal level, I own a 94 Caprice (former cop car) ,<insert ridicule here> and I'm fairly mechanically inclined. I replaced the transimssion without assitance, replaced the heater core, radiator, 90% of the front end suspension, all springs and shocks. I've done disc brake conversions on other cars, as well as swapped enginges, wired headlamp relays and coverted an older car to factory cruise controls. I realize the complexity of an E32 will be beyond the cars I'm used to working on, but I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I guess I'm asking whether buying an older 7 is going to be a money pit. I'd be okay with buying in at $5K and spending another $2K in the next two years in maintenance and repairs, but I'm not comfortable beyond that. Also, I'd want this to be my daily driver and I can't afford a lot of down time.

If my post is taking things too far off topic, please let me know and I'll start a new one.

TIA

why so cheap?

1. ppl rich enough to buy a bmw 7 series won't ever bother w/ previous generation used cars

2. gas prices

3. BMW reliability issues

First post here. I recently discovered just how inexpensive the 750iL E32s are going for on eBay and CraigsList. I've been a fan of these cars for a while from a distance because I didn't think I could afford one. However, with a buy-in of $4-6K for what looks like a decent condition early nineties car with 120-150K miles, I know I could swing that. Research on maintenance costs for these cars cooled my desire a bit to jump on one. The supply and demand theory above for the low car prices on E32s and E38s certainly makes sense to me, but how much of a contributing factor do you believe the maintenance costs are?

To take this to a more personal level, I own a 94 Caprice (former cop car) ,<insert ridicule here> and I'm fairly mechanically inclined. I replaced the transimssion without assitance, replaced the heater core, radiator, 90% of the front end suspension, all springs and shocks. I've done disc brake conversions on other cars, as well as swapped enginges, wired headlamp relays and coverted an older car to factory cruise controls. I realize the complexity of an E32 will be beyond the cars I'm used to working on, but I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I guess I'm asking whether buying an older 7 is going to be a money pit. I'd be okay with buying in at $5K and spending another $2K in the next two years in maintenance and repairs, but I'm not comfortable beyond that. Also, I'd want this to be my daily driver and I can't afford a lot of down time.

If my post is taking things too far off topic, please let me know and I'll start a new one.

TIA

In my opinion, maintenance costs are a BIG driver of low BMW resale, especially with 7s.

That said, you appear to be a strong DIY person, and given that, you may be a good candiate for an E32 7. If $5K is your limit, E38s are pretty much out of reach. If you can stretch that to high four figures, you can find a 100K to 150K miles E38 and get a notably more refined car...just a thought.

I think this would be a great thread, but not just a post....you are missing out on great advice with just this one post on a non-related thread...just a thought!

Good point. I'll restart a new thread. Thank you for the responses so far.