745i V8 and 760Li V12

Author's Rating:

Pros: Techological Advances, Styling, Performance, Interior.

Cons: Computer Glitches

The Bottom Line: 
I recommend this car to anyone who can deal with minor problems, and who can afford it. And who has the patience to deal with the controversial iDrive.

Author's Review
My wife and I decided we wanted BMW's and we like the 2002-Present 7-Series. I test drove the BMW 760Li, and was immediately sold, I sat in the 760 for 30 minutes trying to figure out how to work the (at the time) infamous iDrive. All of the other electronics were pretty self-explanatory. I test drove it and had a 45 second difficulty trying to shift from Park to Drive. The little shifter is a cute technology idea, but shouldn't be in such a big and luxurious car. I love the V12, had PLENTY of get up and go, and acceleration. But what do you expect from a 12 Cylinder car? The technology in this car was unbelieveable, and the sticker price showed it. $133,000. My wife went with the small 745i ($71,000), which is okay COMPARED to the 760Li. I expected computer glitches from the 760, and that's exactly what I got. The airbag light illuminated numerous times, and after several trips to the dealership, the problem was not solved. Still isn't, it just went off and stayed off, so far. The Check Engine light came on 4 times in a course of 7 months. Which they said was a sensor problem. I took the 760 to New York for a business trip, and the car developed a rough idle in New York City, and I had no choice but to stay on my business trip, and return as scheduled. Imagine you have a $133,000 car, and your embarassed because of a rough idle. When I got back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the dealership told me, a vaccumm hose came loose. He said it was caused from top speeds, and continuous hard acceleration. The 745i computer just announces that there is some kind of malfunction. The iDrive takes some getting used to, it just takes time and patience. I actually paid my car off after 2 years of owning it, and I'm waiting on the 2005 or 2006 BMW 750/750Li, which is replacing the 745i/745Li. The styling I think is the best, the interior, the power, and the performance. The Remote Keyless entry is great, on a hot day I can roll down the windows before I get to the car.