Selling my Viper -- BMW 750 and 760 advice needed
 

Typing on the iPad, so i'll have to be brief here. I need a back seat more and more lately, and most of my cars are either two-seaters or the back seat is too small for anything but a child. The BMW 750 and 760's have really caught my eye. Has anyone had one for any reasonable amount of time? Anything I should watch out for when buying one? Any specific years I should be looking at?

I plan to replace my daily driver, which right now is my 2004 Dodge Viper with 33k on the odometer. It's a 6 speed convertible. Offers welcome before I wholesale it to the doughbag dealers at some silly price.

http://www.edgeprod.com/dom/viper1.jpg

http://www.edgeprod.com/dom/toys/viper-front.jpg

My friend is selling a 740, great condition, its 2-3y.old in LA [email protected]

Is the 740 of today still a big step down from the 750/760 lines? I understood that to be the case. My 745li (2005) wasn't even in the sam league as the current 760's seem to be.

Avoid the BMW. They depreciate like crazy and the 7 series will be in the shop constantly.

What's your price range? How much will u get for a viper trade in?


I'd suggest an E series Benz or CLS (though smaller back seats).

I'm fairly settled on the BMW. Depreciation isn't a concern -- the Viper will be down 50% at least. ;)

Dunno what I can get if I negotiate hard with them. I have about 4 years left on the bumper-to-bumper on the Viper, so that adds a bit to what I'd want. They made an offhand offer without backing it up in writing, which I feel is about 10k-15k less than I can do if I go through the trouble of aggressively shopping it privately. I just hate to take the time.

Don't get anything older then 2008 - lots of issues fixed, earlier years maintenance comes often and is ridiculous.

750 is more then enough engine for the car, the 6 liter just eats even more gas

make sure no weird rim defects or warping, the wheels aren't cheap and car is heavy :)

Good advice on the wheels. I just got an ICQ to watch out for the automatic volume control on the radio, too.

Gas mileage isn't a huge concern, considering I daily drive an 8.3L V10 right now, LOL.

Nice Viper. I drive a 335i which I like. What I don't like is that we've had the turbo wastegates replaced (under warranty), the washer fluid reservoir neck replaced (not under warranty), and the engine sprung a leak near the transmission leaving a quart of oil on the driveway overnight (under warranty), and it also required a $400 alignment (not under warranty). The passenger side power lock stopped working, which was fixed by replacing a fuse. This is all within 1 year of ownership.

I've not driven a 750, just sat in them at the dealership. The upgraded leather over the the 3 series is quite nice. Much more supple feel. The ventilated seats are quite nice. What I don't like about them is the width of the seat bolsters. I'm 127lbs and don't quite fit in them properly no matter how the bolsters and lumbar are adjusted. There's quite a few features in the 7 series that I think you would rarely utilize. How about the one where you can move the passenger seat forward, being controlled from the right rear seat?

The other drawback to the 7 series is the weight; 4900 lbs. The 5 series is 4343 lbs. However, the M3 weights 3726 lbs.

Personally I think the M3 and it's much better power to weight ratio, and the fact that it has a normally-aspirated engine that will likely be more reliable in the long-term makes more sense. It has a back seat that's fairly comfortable and has a decent amount of head room.

The other issue that I would take into consideration is the fact that you can buy 3 year old 750's for half of the price of a new model. If I were to go in that direction, I'd get a 2009 model.

Some definite meat on your post. Without hooking my Bluetooth keyboard to my iPad, let me try to respond to at least some of it.

When I bought my first 3 series in my early 20's, I swore I'd never go back to that series again. While they're definitely nice cars, they're too cramped for me. Sorry to hear about all of your troubles ... All of my BMW's have lasted me without any major issues. I'm very picky about maintenance, though.

The draw of the 7 for me is less about features and more about room. The majority of my cars are little sporty things like my Viper or my Porsche, so when I am rolling with more than one extra person, I really like the room.

I'd never use the 7 for any type of driving even resembling what I do in the sporty cars.

Dodge Viper as a daily driver. You must have a really small penis.

Most people who can afford a Viper would have a Civic or Soul or Camry or something to drive to work, or buy groceries with.

It's so small that if you cut off an inch, I'd have a scab. I don't "drive to work," nor do I shop for groceries. But yes, if I did those things, I would likely drive something less like a Viper. No need to drive a beater, though.

If I wanted to drive an "expensive" car around, a DODGE would certainly not be my pick. If you think a DODGE is somehow flashy, I'd hate to see what you're carting your massive cock around in to maintain your low profile. :winkwink:

I think I'd be comfortable owning a 750i if I owned the Porsche GT3 or perhaps the CS as a second vehicle. I'm just kind of risk-averse with vehicles and the thought of having so much invested in a rapidly depreciating asset kinda freaks me out.

Out of curiosity... what's the maintenance on the Viper been like?

Agreed. I'm just swapping one daily driver for another, hehe -- keeping all the rest of my toys. I'd never put all of my eggs into one basket by getting something crazy.

The 2004 Viper hasn't cost me a dime in maintenance. When the factory warranty ran out, I elected to get the extended bumper-to-bumper, and they've waived my $100 deductable in every case. I've gotten huge value out of it, usually get a decent loaner, and they often give me free oil changes (11 quarts) if I let them know I'm coming in advance.

My other Viper is a bit newer and still under the original warranty, and it's had zero mantenance beyond oil and tires (Viper tires last about 4,000 miles if you don't abuse them).

The 2009 750i is the new body style, and also where they changed to a 4.4 liter V8 Twin-Turbo layout. Personally I really love the turbo torque, love the rapid acceleration from any speed. I don't love that I can easily drive 155mph wherever I go and can't because I'm stuck in the Bay Area behind some jackass that wants to assert his slowness on the left lane.

Nice... multiple Vipers. Why did you decide to go that route? In my mind there's value in diversity...

Oh, I have a bunch of toys, hehe. The Vipers were to have something more practical for playing around town, much like the BMW will be. The second Viper was more of an accident than anything. Dealer had a $20,000 incentive on it, so it was hard to say no to it.

Every couple of months, when I'd get something new, I'd let my Dad drive it. I broke my 3 series rule and picked up a 335i with the bells and whistles. Now keep in mind that at this point my Dad has driven Astons, Porsches, a Lambo, etc, etc .... He said that the 335i with the turbos gave him the biggest rush. He said he never felt it in his face before. Weird, eh? To each his own. :winkwink:

Maybe he's referring to the fact that you don't have to wind it up in order to ring the power out of it? Personally the 335i is fun, but I've never hustled like I've hustled in the 911. And the 911 feels a lot more capable in general. I'm quite a quality-snob and I absolutely love the quality of craftsmanship that goes into Porsche's... the stitching along the front edge of the dash, the way the doors close... the way the switches feel... They just feel fucking fantastic. And then there's the feel of the shifter, the feel of the clutch, the way your feet sink into wool floor mats. That's some shit I really enjoy. The appeal of those sorts of details is almost on par with overall performance for me.

I haven't driven the Lamborghini yet.

kick ass ride ;)

How much for the viper?

Based on your concerns about room and also your need for the latest and the greatest I would recommend you stick with your original thought and go with the 760's. Your state may even have a buyer's remorse law allowing you to bring it back up to 15 days after signing.

Either you will enjoy the car and keep it or have a great story to post about bringing it back and "test driving" a 750 for another 2 weeks before ultimately going to a Mercedes.

;)

Daily driving a Viper? Come on man, you will be bored sitting in a lame 7 series.

Get something that's still fast and fun to drive. Who needs a $100,000 rolling luxury office for business executives? :)

I'd go with a CTS-V with some nice wheels and pulley to make it fast as hell!

Plenty of style

http://www.auto-power-girl.com/high-...s-v-2009-4.jpg

Plenty of luxury

http://newcarnewmodel.com/wp-content...rior-cts-v.jpg

Plenty of performance if you wanna go that route. :1orglaugh

Toss a ad on craigslist looking for a dealer to run car through "manheim" car auction for $250.

test drive the Audis!


Brad

what's the mpg on the viper? doing around 8-10 on the caddy in town with 18 on the frwy

hennesy is pushing those to 800 ponies

come on facial hair and a viper? I am willing to bet there is a few tattoos also. fuck the bmw get a lexus ls460 0-60 in 5.4 same speed as my 10 year old porsche and plenty of room in the back seat. Go test drive both the bmw then lexus. Trust me!

thats my 2011 goal :)

Clearly written by somebody who wants but can't afford a Viper. :1orglaugh

I got one oct... great car for sure... got the coupe

I drive a Honda Civic and the license plate reads ADULT.

I must say, we got my wife the Q7 and she LOVES it (we needed 3 rows once we had our 3rd child) It drives great and doesnt look like a old Mommoy car

This is the same one we have, but we got it Black / Black with the 20 in wheels....

http://audi-q7.org/wp-content/upload...11-audi-q7.jpg

You cant go wrong with a 7 series. Get a 760 or a 750 xdrive, drove both, both great engines. 760 comes in handy when you race Porsches on the Autobahn.

E Series = Taxi :upsidedow

I'd get an Audi S6 with the v10 Lambo engine in it.

it may be just me but i think it's kind of funny to debate 750 or 760 when the max. speed you can do is 85 mp/h

I have a 2010 BMW M3 and love BMWs i worked at a BMW dealership for 3 years. The 2009 and up 750li is amazing. Class leading in my book. i wouldn't go with a 745li the electronics are extremely outdated. Let me know if you need any help my father runs a BMW dealership

you're not a car guy, that's why :2 cents:

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

thanks, that already made my day :thumbsup

they're just buckets of metal and plastic. does it really matter that much?

didn't you write that you dive an old porche? since 2000 I've had 6 new cars, and I rent cars on weekends that I would like to drive and see how they are.

FACT: if you can't figure out why a guy would want a 760 over a 750 you aren't a car guy, in fact you probably can't even figure out why I got the cts v instead or a prius :2 cents:

it's spelled "Porsche" :2 cents:

Im with nethorse, get the caddy

and? so what, you aren't a car guy. I' ve had several opportunities to buy a porche, not a very interesting car to me... though I do like the new sedan :2 cents:

Is that your house behind it? I know some people sacrifice their living space for muscle cars :)
http://www.edgeprod.com/dom/viper1.jpg

I keep it simple and use this type:

http://www.cargurus.com/blog/wp-cont...ord-fusion.jpg

I just turned in my 750LI. I hated this car for three year. I had many issues with it. I also have a Mercedes S550 and I love it. For the backseat, do what I did. The Porsche Carrera :-)
That solved my problem. LOL

the carrera has a backseat??? I though it was the panermera

http://c1.gas2.org/files/2010/07/panamera.jpg

personally I'm pretty interested in the BMW 760i

I've bought a '06 BMW 750Li about a year and a half ago.

This was one of my dream case, but slowly realized its just a money pit. Unless you are going to buy a brand new one, I would highly suggest staying away from any used model 2008 and below (even if you get CPO).

From what I heard, the 760's are a nightmare. Have a lot of transmission and engine problems and will easily set you back thousands at the dealer. Remember, this car is a frequent member to the dealership and they LOVE to rape you because no one else can maintenance them.

Rather, I'd suggest looking into the Lexus LS460 L. They have a long wheel base and the inside and ride is more comfortable then the 750 IMO. The 2002-2008 model have an enormous steering wheel which just looks retarded. If your buying a car because you want something nice to drive around, I would say Lexus for the long wheel base, otherwise you will pay more than you should for the S550 from mbenz.

The best car I ever had was a 2006 Infiniti M45. That car was awesome and I miss it. Doesnt have a LWB but is easily comparable to a 5 series

the New 760li is sexy and has a killer motor

I am a BMW fan, 7 series are very luxurious and powerful but I would choose an M3 anytime.