SecondHandSense:AT NEXT month's Frankfurt motor show, BMW will be launching its first production hybrid engines and the demise of big conventional engines will be a good deal nearer.
The signs are already there. As you can read in our Merrion Fleet analysis on page 3, cars with large capacity engines – especially petrol versions – are dropping in value because of consumption, environmental and tax issues.
So, when looking at BMW’s 7 Series, it is impossible to state what a second-hand one is actually worth. Yet the 7 Series is a fine car and, while the Mercedes S-Class tops it for prestige and presence, the 7 has a beautifully engineered feel about it.
At its re-launch in 2002 it was transformed into a very edgy executive car. The 7 produced between 2002 and 2008 comes with petrol and diesel engines but with a car like this, a petrol-engined version does not even merit consideration.
The 3.0-litre diesel is the only option, but even this does just over 30 miles to the gallon.
Leather upholstery, automatic air conditioning and gearbox, stability and traction control, automatic bi-Xenon headlights, multiple airbags and a great stereo system are all standard. The seats are large and comfortable, there is lots of legroom although the sDrive system, which controls everything, can be hard to get to grips with.
This car is over five metres long and weighs a lot, but even the diesel seems to defy its bulk and accelerates well. You won’t find too much to criticise about the car’s handling and its ride is excellent.
There is no EuroNCAP crash test result for the car because it was not tested – its is probably too expensive to crash – but there should not be too many safety issues. There have been recalls: problems were discovered in 2005 with heated front seats overheating, fuel injection pumps failing and rear shock absorber mountings also failing.
So what will one cost you second-hand? A 3.0-litre 2006 diesel with 75,000km on the clock is on offer at one garage for €39,000 and a 2007 model with 54,000km is €44,950. The question here is how you really value a car like this?
STAR RATING: 6/10