What would you rather get...

a 2000 BMW 740i with 50k miles or an '04 Acura TL? What do you think is a fair price for a 2000 740i with 50k miles?

BTW, im 17 years old... 18 in June.

 

are you paying for the repairs or your parents? if you are going to be paying then get the TL. BMW's are a expensive to fix.

 

TL
the new 7 series make the old model look dull..

 

BMW i heard doesnt last long and so far the TL has been great (duh its a new car).And im 17 too.I think with the TL u will not miss anything the 740 has except the BMW name

 

BMW, so that we will hear from you how much you will be spending on fixing the car

 

That's tough. Not trying to prejudge you, but when those 7 series cars break, it is EXPENSIVE to put right. There is a reason they depreciate rather rapidly. If that's no problem for you I would go Bimmer. The 7 is a SWEET ride.

Man, I wish I had problems deciding between a 7 and TL at 17.....

 

From what I have seen a 4 year old BMW is going to take about a 60 to 70 percent hit,so believe it or not your looking at low 20's to mid 20's,and you had better hope that someone took really good care of this car, if not welcome to automotive hell.. :grenade: I myself would not buy a 4 year old car,but my Idea on how long to keep a car..is different,When the tires are gone so is the car.. :lol2:

 

You can get a pretty good idea of the price of a 7 by going to some used online stores. Also, the depresion curve for BMWs is bad, but nothing like 60-70% (I believe 50% after 5 years), but you'll want to look that up.
As everyone said, BMWs have real repair problems, so w/o a warenty it can be a money sink (a bit of a crap shoot).
If you want some of the new features, you'll want the TL, since 2000 is a long time ago feature-wise.
But honestly, you will not get as smooth a ride as a 7 too many places.

Joe

 

Well the guy is asking for 27k for the 200 740i. Its in excellent condition. But as one of you said, it does seem a bit old and dull compared to the newer models. I rather spend a few k more and get a brand new car then get an old looking one. That car is going ot be worthless in 2 years. If i get a TL, i am going ot lease so i can ge ta new car every 3 years.

 

27K seems like a good price, but if you're the lease type (always wanting the newest, don't want to worry about post-warenty, etc...) then obviously it's an obvious decision.

Joe

 

I've had the older 7-series Beemer. It's a nice car but $$$$$$$$$'s to fix one. The AC goes out in them right arounf the 100K mark and it is a $2,500 fix. The features are similar in the cars (phone, etc). This makes sense when you realize that the Acura took 4 years to get the same stuff the BMW had in 2000. In it's day, it was a great car. Today, it's nothing. The styling id dated and therefore resale values are down. You can buy a 2000 740iL with under 50K miles for mid 20's so maybe there is some savings there. If it's a $10K difference, then the BMW "might" be worth it but remember that it's nearly the same Horsepower but the Beemer is significantly heavier. The TL is quicker.

 

I like the look of the old 7 series more than the new ones. The new ones definitely have a cool sleek look, but they aren't as classy.

That being said, go for a new sporty car like a TL

 

That is a tough one I think 27k is a decent price not the best. I would go for the 2001 740i instead with the sport package. The navigation on the 2001 740i is 2 inches bigger than the 2000 which is a major difference. The 5 inch doesn't look good at all way too small...If you can get the 740i with 100k maintenance or warranty included might be a good deal otherwise fixing that damn thing will be killing ur pockets even for the slightest thing...the 740 depreciates fairly quickly as well it sold for 75k brand new..i think the 5 has better resale value...plus what are you going to be doing driving a big old 740i compared to a sleek new TL

 

if you're young, and anything like me (i'm 18), i'd say go for the TL. chicks dig it and to most people.. .they see too many beamers... and the interior is where you spend the most time, so in the end i feel like techno-gadgets like bluetooth phone link and voice recognition are worth way more than an older beemer. those ARE nice cars, however.

 

740i, it's really not good for you. You don't want to drive this to Columbia or NYU, right? Find something better and more reliable for your needs instead of 7-series now, IMHO.

 

04 TL -I couldn't afford the maintenance on a 7 series.

 

TL.

The 740 will kill you with maintenance.

Our company just sold a 2001 740il to Carmax for 29,800. mint condition. 55k miles.

a BMW brake job cost us $896. Rotors & pads.

A broken radiator hose was $420 + 6 days in shop.

Very nice car, tho.

18 mpg no matter what you do. no thx.

RB

 

A nice Honda Civic will do you nicely.

 

Consumer reports says an 8 year old Lexus 4 series has less problems than a 5 month old BMW 745. My brother in law has a 3 series and the passenger headlight assembly fell off on the way home from picking up his car at the dealership, all of 8 miles on it.

TL you will love, and beg someone to buy you the navi as a present.

 

Yeah, that's true......but if you have a 7 series at 17.......wouldn't you be disappointed when you have to actually buy your OWN car and find out what you can actually afford? I think it's better to start off on a lower scale and have something to look forward to you as you mature.

 

Get the TL. BMW does not have the same quality level as Acura/Honda. I had a 2000 323i and I had numerous issues with various parts failing. Nothing that made the car bad, just became a pain in the ass taking it to the dealer all the time. My wifes CR-V has no issues after 1 year where my 323i had several by that time. I now have a TL and I'm expecting to have the same quality as my wifes CR-V. My parents both have Lexus cars and all they have to do is change the oil after several years of owning the cars. Top notch quality on those cars. BMW on the other hand is not at that level.

 

TL all the way, 1 its new... and 2... BMWs are EXPENSIVE to repair

 

BMW = Big Money Waste! :bigun2:

 

A new car every three years (on lease) means you will ALWAYS be making car payments!! Think about it... you could pay off a car completely within five years and then OWN it and drive it til it dies. THat could end up meaning you only spent ~$30,000 for a car that lasted you like 10-15 years. Leasing things your whole life is really just driving around in a rental car, where you have to watch your mileage, try not to get any scratches, etc. or you'll have to pay for it when you return the car. The money you will always spend on car payments if you continually lease could be put towards a vacation or a home or savings....

 

we could debate this for hours - but if you know what you are doing on a lease, and you like to enjoy a new ride every 3-4 years, it makes sense to lease a car over purchase. Especially a new model car b/c all of the risk is on ACURA if it turns out this car has bigger issues than all of the interior problems posted on this forum.

 

True dat.

Personally, I like to drive a new car every 3 years...it's my personal preference and it's a want that I have and act upon. I too would like to lease the car while everything is covered under the bumper to bumper warranty period...let's me sleep better at night.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

Thanks for your response everyone. Well i never really considered other cars, but would like to. The only thing i want is a 4 door car thats good on the outside and in. I like having luxory inside the car, like the TL has. My father is going to buy me a car for graduation, and the limit is about 40k that he will spend. I have been driving since 16, i at first had a pos car worth 2k and drove it for practice. For about a yr and a half i have been driving my fathers 2004 Lincoln Aviator to school and other places.

What i really want is a sport or semi-sporty 4 door car. Any thoughts from some of you guys? I was thinking about hte g35, but i just dont liek 2 door cars

 

If I was 18, I'd get the TL. You have your whole life ahead of you to buy a dream car like a 7. I think the TL is geared more to your liking with the gadgets and stuff, plus, you can rice it up if u want too (cause young people LOVE APC).lol. With the 7, you can't add Altezza.lol

Seriously, the TL dude.

 

AS for quality, the Tl ain't exactly the best built car in the world, so the BMW builds trash argument is moot here. The Tl has more than it's share of problems. Being 18, the TL offers u speed and more manuverability. It's also more low key from cops, hating friends and trouble. And 18 year old with a 7=trouble coming.