No more short wheel base?????

[Stormbitch]

Dealer uk said to me no more swb only long???
Is this true? Does this spell the shortest ever lifespan for a model?

[x5mannn]

Originally Posted by Stormbitch

Dealer uk said to me no more swb only long???
Is this true? Does this spell the shortest ever lifespan for a model?

Originally Posted by Stormbitch

Dealer uk said to me no more swb only long???
Is this true? Does this spell the shortest ever lifespan for a model?

We only have the long wheelbase model in USA
There was a rumor that the redesign will offer a short wheelbase in the USA

[Pelo Cat]

Haven't seen this on any other sites and the BMW website (UK) still shows you can build a SWB 7 series as well as a LWB model (in both normal and i versions).

Maybe they were talking about the engine specifically? I noted today for the first time (to me at least) that the SWB only allows a 750i petrol model or the diesels (730/740d's)...

I thought there used to be a 740i SWB but no longer on the website.

There is a 740i on the LWB configuration page but no 750i there! (so strange one model only petrol on SWB and separate model on LWB (in addition to the 760 of course).

Hoping that they'll continue the SWB model, even if I am thinking the 14 cm difference is so small that I'll go for the LWB model next time...and a 760 if I can manage it before they go the way of the wind as well...

Were you looking for the 740 petrol? Then the dealer was correct it seems. If not, not seen this elsewhere and seems you can still configure so either they are wrong or this is still to be introduced and you could still get one if you ordered soon.

Safe travels.

[Milemuncher]

There are some odd quirks in the UK range. 750i is SWB only at the moment. Also been told that M760Li is no longer available for factory order. Must be the shortest lived model ever if true.

[FastLaneJB]

Originally Posted by Milemuncher

There are some odd quirks in the UK range. 750i is SWB only at the moment. Also been told that M760Li is no longer available for factory order. Must be the shortest lived model ever if true.

That cannot be true about the M760Li because it's still on the website where you can configure and order it. If they weren't going to build them, they'd have removed it off the website for you to build and buy one.

There is a believe quite a few pre-built and sat in dealers show rooms that I imagine are hard to shift. Maybe your dealer has one and is trying to steer you to taking that off their hands.

[Milemuncher]

Yes, they were certainly trying to steer me towards a stock car. I’ve asked the question of another dealer to see what response I get.

[Pelo Cat]

Originally Posted by Milemuncher

Yes, they were certainly trying to steer me towards a stock car. I’ve asked the question of another dealer to see what response I get.

Welcome to the forum and the 7 subforum Milemuncher

As others have indicated, no current plans by BMW to stop the 760Li (although there was a rumour going around that has been put to bed).

A quick look at just the approved used ones (so not including the dealer showroom new cars) shows 15 available with 13 of them being 2017 reg's and between £80k and £100k, so indeed with the showroom stock and these AUV around, the dealers are likely trying to shift those where possible instead of getting a new order, especially as the interest rate on the AUV is ridiculous so earns their finance depts far more money.

Mind me asking what has made you consider the 7 going forward (over another Merc?) Just curious to hear, many of us drove the S and found the 7 to be better for us but not everyone's taste...so always good to know what brings others over to the 'fold'!

Welcome again, look forward to your views and comments should you find the right 7 for you.

Safe travels.

[FastLaneJB]

Originally Posted by Pelo Cat

A quick look at just the approved used ones (so not including the dealer showroom new cars) shows 15 available with 13 of them being 2017 reg's and between £80k and £100k, so indeed with the showroom stock and these AUV around, the dealers are likely trying to shift those where possible instead of getting a new order, especially as the interest rate on the AUV is ridiculous so earns their finance depts far more money

Exactly the reason they cannot shift the registered ones. They are then no longer eligible for BMW's new car contributions and 0% APR. They cost more than a new one so unless you need one extremely quickly I don't see why you'd go that route.

I mean with all the discount and 0% they really are selling the new ones close to £100k anyway. Pretty much discounting the first years depreciation.

The show room ones that are yet to be registered however are eligible for the new car discount plus the dealer likely will give a stronger offer to get it off their hands. Those could be worth going for however you still lose the ability to pick colours / spec so need to find one to your suiting.

[Milemuncher]

Thanks for the welcome!

Thinking of moving on from Mercedes to the 7 for various reasons;

1) I think I prefer the styling of the 7
2) Exterior and interior colour choices are preferable to Mercedes current offerings
3) BMW dealers will actually sell you one with a petrol engine (every interaction I’ve had with an MB dealer has led to them trying to sell me a diesel)
4) The V12 is affordable(ish) with the right discount...
5) I fancy the security of 4WD which isn’t available on UK S-classes for reasons best known to MBUK

Both good cars but I think overall the 7 has more going for it.

[Milemuncher]

Re- the AUC option, I struggle to see how they will shift these at the usurious used car finance rates for the reasons FastLaneJB states.

I can only see them sticking around and getting cheaper.

[FastLaneJB]

Originally Posted by Milemuncher

4) The V12 is affordable(ish) with the right discount...

That's exactly why I've got a M760Li on order as well. Hopefully be with me first half of April is the current estimation. I ordered it in Jan I think it was but I've gone for an Individual Paint Colour so that delays it a bit.

I punched it into CarWow initially and got some pretty good deals. Spoke to my local dealer who I've no issues with and has always treated me well, he beat all their deals comfortably. For the amount of car you get for the money I'm very happy with the deal. Happy to put you in touch with him if you like?

One of those kind of things I can say I had a V12 before they stop making them and we are forced to have 4 cylinder hybrids, etc.

Have you managed to secure a test drive of an M760Li? You drive it and if you've any doubts about it, they'll likely vanish in an instant... as does anything behind you and also the fuel in the tank

[Milemuncher]

I'm in very much the same mindset of trying to enjoy a V12 before they're legislated out of existence.

Interestingly I had quite a hankering for the Alpina B7 for a while but the 760 seems to have a similar level of performance, is perhaps a little more comfort oriented, is better equipped and has manufacturer support available. And has 4 extra cylinders!

I've also used Carwow to set some benchmark offers and unearthed some pretty good deals but would be interested to have details of your contact. New on here so not sure if PM is possible?

I haven't had a chance to drive one yet but trying to sort this out at the moment.

[Stormbitch]

Whoa slight hijack... but interesting reading. Here are my responses.

1. Id like to find out the answer to op

2. 7 is way noisier than S but way nicer - get one.

Here is my old car I shot a review of.
You will buy one after watching

3. I do sense that this has been the hardest car for them.

I saw a 16 plate for £35k with laser, head up, harmon, sunroof, an F01 took a lot longer to go that low... What was worse was that it trades at £30k - so the dealer had up to 5k across it with no money spent!

4. Mine was 46k - ended up being a refund - looking to get another, but looking at how LOOOOOONG the current stocks of G11 and F01s have been sitting online for ... its a worry - starting to think no UK people give a toss and its a flop... of a car....

[FastLaneJB]

Originally Posted by Milemuncher

I'm in very much the same mindset of trying to enjoy a V12 before they're legislated out of existence.

Interestingly I had quite a hankering for the Alpina B7 for a while but the 760 seems to have a similar level of performance, is perhaps a little more comfort oriented, is better equipped and has manufacturer support available. And has 4 extra cylinders!

I've also used Carwow to set some benchmark offers and unearthed some pretty good deals but would be interested to have details of your contact. New on here so not sure if PM is possible?

I haven't had a chance to drive one yet but trying to sort this out at the moment.

Sent you a PM, shout if you don't get it for some reason

Yeah I looked into the B7 however as you say the reviews have it down as being more sporty / firm than the M760Li. I'm sure in the scheme of things it's still extremely comfortable.

The bigger turn off is it's only RWD in the UK but can get it AWD in other countries. That kind of power is just going to struggle to put it down most of the time with our weather, trust me from owning an M5 So in reality with day to day driving I think you'll be able to go far quicker if you want in the M760Li most days. Even with all it's power and torque you can still just plant it from a standstill without issues.

Originally Posted by Stormbitch

4. Mine was 46k - ended up being a refund - looking to get another, but looking at how LOOOOOONG the current stocks of G11 and F01s have been sitting online for ... its a worry - starting to think no UK people give a toss and its a flop... of a car....

Obviously they don't sell many but even Mercedes which is the top of the pile with the S class aren't all that common to spot on the roads. These cars just don't sell in huge numbers. I kind of like the fact that my car will be a little rare. I think I see more M5's even than I generally ever see a 7 series around here. Or maybe I'm not noticing them because they don't hugely stand out.

Selling the car when I'm done with it is ultimately the dealers problem so I don't have to worry about that.

[Pelo Cat]

Originally Posted by Stormbitch

Whoa slight hijack... but interesting reading. Here are my responses.

1. Id like to find out the answer to op

2. 7 is way noisier than S but way nicer - get one.

<snip>

I saw a 16 plate for £35k with laser, head up, harmon, sunroof, an F01 took a lot longer to go that low... What was worse was that it trades at £30k - so the dealer had up to 5k across it with no money spent!

4. Mine was 46k - ended up being a refund - looking to get another, but looking at how LOOOOOONG the current stocks of G11 and F01s have been sitting online for ... its a worry - starting to think no UK people give a toss and its a flop... of a car....

1. You can still buy SWB 7's (petrol: 750i or diesel: 725d, 730d or 740d) in the UK, on the BMW website. No notices online anywhere that SWB is being discontinued so the dealer was simply trying to steer you towards stock cars. (unless you were looking for a 740i which is indeed only available as a LWB.)

2. I'd suggest noise perception can be subjective, I found them to be about the same personally and the carwow reviews / comparison showed them within 1dB from memory, not sure which was quieter.

Re: AUC prices and relative availability: The £35 16 plate was likely very high mileage that you saw? Which would drastically reduce the pricing IMO. Generally, when I checked back about 6 months ago, they were careful to maintain pricing above £40k for G models as long as the mileage was low as well...they dump the high mileage ones to get rid of them (regardless of spec) from what I have seen. I saw 2 off G12's with 32k miles and less than a year old go for £32k...so mileage is a key factor in my opinion.

4. It is a niche market and actually the 7's are doing well as a global number (combined G11/G12) as I pointed out in the other thread: the 7 sales for 2017 were up 4.5% over 2016 and they sold 64, 311 G model 7's in 2017! So good news for the model globally. Don't personally believe the 7 is in decline at all, yMMV.

As an aside: The BMW group sales were heavily supported by Asian sales, there the sales figures are up (for all three brands (BMW, Mini, RR)) in double digit percentages. In Europe, less change from last year, with overall sales down (across the group) in the UK by 4 percent. Interestingly, sales were up in Italy and France for the group though so this helped EU numbers. The US market was down slightly as a group but mostly due to the X models being down on previous year due to delivery issues. All figures from BMW press release as of yesterday, available on their website.

So, to answer your OP, unless you are looking for the 740i, you can indeed buy a SWB 7 and the sales are up globally for 7's with no indicator that any stop or decline in the model is occurring.

Hope this helps.

[Pelo Cat]

Nice review by the way, very well done! ^

I agree with all your points in the review and the comparison to F01 comments. (steering, noise, space, insurance). Insurance sure took a hit as I'm guessing it is far more expensive to replace the high tech bits in the new G models than previous F's.

[Stormbitch]

Pelo - very good post. I rang the dealer and the head of sales had no idea.
Again maybe a lame technique... i.e. very lame. Who would buy a car that was discontinued. May aswell get a high spec 535d gran tourismo.

You make sense, and again I think the forums would be awash if that WAS the case.

The car was a £35k 16k mile car with massive spec. But Brown Dash and Steering wheel and beige carpets also in rubbish grey. £30k trade is crazy a 15 plate is booking at £28k!!!

I do note that the stock movement is slow however on AT in uk cars have been there for months literally one 740d 14k miles F01 up at £31k has been there 4 months! Same applies for another grey G11 up at £36 ish.

Car Giant had 4 at 32k no spec 15/16 plates.

The fact that they don't sell as fast as the F01 is a consideration, considering I also get free cars to roll around in with my side gig. Hence £35k is plenty for one and arguably a good car for the money. Noise can be done with tyres I am sure in due course.

Warranty tho OMG - renewal on a 7 is £1300 from AUC

Renewal out of Network is £2300 yes £2300!!!!!!

X5 is only £730 - makes no sense I know

[Pelo Cat]

Originally Posted by Stormbitch

Pelo - very good post. I rang the dealer and the head of sales had no idea.
Again maybe a lame technique... i.e. very lame. Who would buy a car that was discontinued. May aswell get a high spec 535d gran tourismo.

You make sense, and again I think the forums would be awash if that WAS the case.

The car was a £35k 16k mile car with massive spec. But Brown Dash and Steering wheel and beige carpets also in rubbish grey. £30k trade is crazy a 15 plate is booking at £28k!!!

I do note that the stock movement is slow however on AT in uk cars have been there for months literally one 740d 14k miles F01 up at £31k has been there 4 months! Same applies for another grey G11 up at £36 ish.

Car Giant had 4 at 32k no spec 15/16 plates.

The fact that they don't sell as fast as the F01 is a consideration, considering I also get free cars to roll around in with my side gig. Hence £35k is plenty for one and arguably a good car for the money. Noise can be done with tyres I am sure in due course.

Warranty tho OMG - renewal on a 7 is £1300 from AUC

Renewal out of Network is £2300 yes £2300!!!!!!

X5 is only £730 - makes no sense I know

Interesting points about the F series compared to G, my only thought would be that now that the G series is here in volume (both to buy new and used) the F series is likely still going to be valued for those that don't want/like the new G series (either for style or for all the electronics)...so a decent spec F (especially 740 or higher model) will be more valued than an anytime available G equivalent for the enthusiast at least. One still sees the E65/E66 series being highly valued by those that love that body style and hate the F...to each their own I say, I love them all from the E32 onwards, not so much the E23...

Might just be that there are too many on the market right now or indeed that they do depreciate quicker than in previous versions...as you say.

Agree that deals can be had, whether an F or G series and there are some stunning examples around, so a new one is not always the way to go...just need to make sure the finance can be done without the BMW option as that way madness lies (with the 10% or more terms!).

Noise can definitely be reduced in the car with smaller tires, higher sidewalls and non run flats...that made quite a difference in my previous F01 which was already quieter than the G11...but as the pressure to make the cars more fuel efficient and therefore lighter comes, the noise is only going to increase as not as much sound isolating material in any of the big beasts anymore.

Safe travels.

[Stormbitch]

Great chat.

Quite soothing actually.

Strangely I bid on an F01 the other day

Was told it was a BMW Car, then the 10 year old salesman told me to show an interest as there has been "other parties"

I bid for the car which was 4hours drive away. Bid rejected. So I called Head of Used cars and learned that it was a THREE OWNER car!

Lots of lies and network is getting worse, shocking....

Yes G11 I would pay less for - albiet one of the worlds most handsome cars - because its just not as good.

F01 yes I think you are right, value is slightly more as those who like them know its solid. As for deals... um - not in the network mate... absolute lying crooks most of them nowadays. Rare to find a good one.

[Pelo Cat]

Originally Posted by Stormbitch

Warranty tho OMG - renewal on a 7 is £1300 from AUC

Renewal out of Network is £2300 yes £2300!!!!!!

X5 is only £730 - makes no sense I know

Coming back on this point, my previous car (F01) had exceeded the service pack (50k miles) after 2.5 years, so I enquired about BMW warranty extension and was told a similar figure, somewhere between £2k and £2.5k / year. I was speechless.

Needless to say, I said thanks but no thanks and just did some savings to the side to offset any repair I might have needed for the next 3 years. In my case, not a single thing went wrong (wouldn't expect it too after such a short time from new but you never know)...and at 6 years old and 113k on the clock, I still did not have any issues (other than tires, diesel and usual services). So, had the savings at the end and could use that as I wished, whereas if BMW (or aftermarket) would lower their policies they would make some money out of plenty of people and likely still make a profit, however, getting 100% profit on 0 sales typically means they lose...not sure where the business model works on that one but they must still sell the warranty to some people to justify it.

Anyway, generally find the 7 very reliable if they have been taken care of during first years, so not sure you'd need the warranty, just put a bit to the side to save up in case anything happens and then if you don't need it, you can use it anyway you like...

Do find it good they have the 5 year, 50k servicing included on 7's but for me that is gone in just over 2 years from new....

Safe travels, hope you find a 7 (whether F or G) that you like for the right price (and again SWB or LWB as suits you and the situation).

[FastLaneJB]

Just wondering but why do you feel the F01 is better and worth more than the G11? Never driven a F01 so cannot compare but all the reviews have the G11 as a much better car.

Also I'd probably say there might be more tech in the G11 but there's plenty in the F01 to go wrong as well. Generally over time these things get more reliable plus surely with age more likely to have issues on an F01.

[Stormbitch]

Well in the UK I stand by statute of limitations, in that a product should be reasonably free from defects for a reasonable amount of time, i.e. 5 years from date of purchase.

Not only that but before that route BMW have a very nice goodwill system in place, as I have used many times.

F01 - For

1 Better bigger more comfy seat and heat rests
2 Quieter, some 20% or more
3 More feeling of being higher up and upright
4 More stable at speed
5 Cheaper to purchase
6 Paint looks nicer
7 BMW specialists, can mend it - parts are cheaper.

Against -

1 Can look clumsy in wrong colour
2 Warranty costs and servicing
3 A bit old man ish looking
4 Steering overly heavy


G11

1 Looks nicer
2 Gesture is cute
3 Nappa is a bonus
4 Air suspension
5 Feels powerful
6 Disco lights inside

Against

1 Paint looks rubbish as though its made of plastic
2 Steering too light on early cars
3 Seat too small and too narrow
4 Head up display is half displayed
5 Too noisy road and wind
6 Feels clumsy round town
7 Bullshit and lies relating to devaluation dealer 8k margins
8 Nobody seems to have bought one in the UK