Sean

The 745 is starting to grow on me...particularly since its technology driven and they have done a great deal to make it look and drive well.

However, I chose to purchase the 2003 S 430 4matic due to its advantages over the 745 including comfort, interior, and all wheel drive. Also, I know the car is proven and does not have any bugs. I would however like to get some opinions off this board in regards to comparing the 2 cars together.

Thanks,

Sean.

mookie

I have a friend who always leases 7 series Bimmers and got the new one and had too many problem so he brought it back to the dealer and they took it back and swaped him a 540 for it. He is very happy now, his 540 has alot a M gear all over it. He told me that the dealer has alot of problems like that where they took cars back and they are discounting new sales heavely.

Tezta

BMW has a pretty good buyback offer, i read a lot of owners had problems with pre april builds and most were bought back from their dealers. Too bad though, i know there must be a whole lot of buybacks at the dealers that they cannot move since everyone knows about their problems.

Sean

I love the way the car looks, although I admit that they have too many toys that will cause initial problems.

The interior looks good, but does not feel that roomy and comfortable even though it is.....I feel very comfortable in the S.

The S also has many little things that I thought the 7 should have had....for instance:

The S has the v 60 phone, the 7 series is still with the Timeport
The S has mirrors integrated with a turn signal indicator, the BMW does not.
The S has sporty, cross-drilled front rotors, the BMW does not.
etc, etc, etc...

The 7 series only looks good if you put the 19 inch rims on it....you'll be wearing those out once a year....and forget about driving it in the rain/winter.

MBEnthusiast?

Hi there- this is my first post here.

Listen, I am a big BMW fan, and I also have nothing against MB, but let me tell you something. Ive gone through a very difficult process with a few new 7 series and they are all problematic. the truth of the matter is that the software system has flaws in it and it will always cause the cars software to be a problem. until they sort it out, my advice is to stay away from the 7 series. the S class is very, very nice.

as to your points, one of them I find to be not correct- the crossed drilled rotors- they look cool, but the fact is that for most typical driving situations they really dont do much and can actually cause you problems. I suspect MB does this because they look cool. the big performance increase would be if you track your car and I somehow just dont think youre putting the S class on the track.

Carnaught

They're needing some time to get the "bugs" out and I heard that the iDrive system will be simplified like that of the upcoming 5 series. You can't go wrong with the S, also much prettier than the 7.

Sean

Thanks for your comments guys!

The most important thing for me was the fact that in the S, particularly after a long drive, I felt very spacious and comfortable, but with the 7, I felt that it hugged me too much and didn't give me the space that I needed. The front dash sticks in your face too much...that type of stuff.

LowTech

Generally, I agree... I heard from usually reliable sources that there will be all-weather 19's available next fall.

Despite the venting on a few internet boards, they have kicked the seeds out of most of the 7's problems (not all, however).

Won't comment on aesthetics (too subjective), but in prior years i have owned a 7 and an S at the same time. Great cars, but very different "feels" to each.

One piece of free advice (worth exactly what it costs): If you test drive these cars, ignor all the gadgets. Concentrat on the performance characteristics. Of course, if you have the car a few days, messing with the gadgets is fun.

I think we'll all benefit from the one-upsmanship going on between the 7 and the S. in fact, I'll probably go back to an S next year.

MBguy_850

I have driven both the 745Li and an S500. They are both VERY different cars.

The 7 has a more open feel to it. You feel like you are driving a larger car, I am only 5 foot 6 and I felt like it was hard for me to adjust every thing to fit me. The S-Class on the other hand, was very easy to find a comfortable spot and I found it to be easier to operate. One complaint about the Bimmer, the radio controls (through the I-Drive system are very difficult to operate at first)

The 745 has a bit more power on the road, and seems to ride about the same as the S. I like the look of the new BMW, but the S500 just does it for me.

It would be a hard choice between the 2 cars.

P.S. - - Hey Low Tech, it's thevolvoguy from Autopia.

Caliz_Finest

I almost bought a 745 but decided to save my money, i dont need another car that costs as much as my S430. didnt see much point in having both right now. but when im sick of my older S420 i know what im trading it in for

LowTech

I agree that they are quite different, although some folks feel the differences are less pronounced that I do. It was a hard choice for me, but, design aside, the 7's anti-roll stabilization was the clincher.
Hey there, you guys at Autopia are the greatest! I've learned a lot from you. Thanks!