Re: 750iL questions from a soon-to-be owner ...(lo (archive)

That's a bueatiful car. I'm a bit partial to the blue interior though. I don't know the answers to most of your other questions but the massage feature in the front seat is supposed to relax your buns and promote blood circulation on long trips.

I've been looking around for a used 750iL and have been astonished by how much the price has dropped on the 2000 and 2001 models. The economy and the soon-to-arrive 2002 model with new body style and engine are probably influencing this.

Before I settle on the one I want to buy, I want to understand the important mid-model changes so I don't run into the same problem I have with my 2000 540i 6-speed. My 540i was built on 10/99, just two months before BMW changed the main harness to a digital buss. This means I can't upgrade my stupid obsolete analog phone to the CPT8000 with voice recognition. Can anyone tell me if a similar situation exists for the E38 750iL? Is there a cutoff build date before which I cannot install a CPT8000 phone? Are there any other gotchas associated with build dates that I should be aware of?

I test drove a 2001 750iL today with 10,000 miles on it. That V12 engine is great! I liked the exterior color, but the interior wasn't my cup of tea.

Here's a shot of the exterior:

However, I don't want a blue dash and carpet. The car I test drove had this interior:

Way too much blue!

I would prefer a sand interior with less contrast between dash and carpeting and seats. Something like this would be perfect:

I noticed that a newer build 2001 740iL on the showroom floor had a larger navigation system and radio display with a different aspect ratio. Can anyone tell me what the build date was when they went to the new display? Can the bigger display be retrofitted into an older car?

The legroom of the 750iL was fantastic. Here's a shot of a friend relaxing in the back:

If we carpool to work, I think I'll ride in the back. :-)

Finally, I have a question on the "comfort" seats. I pushed a button on the dash to the right of the heated seat selector and immediatly felt something like a fist moving slowly around under my butt. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn someone in the back seat was sliding his hand under my seat and grabbing my ass! It would almost be worth it to buy this car just to subject unsuspecting front seat passengers to this treatment and watch them accuse the back seat passengers of getting fresh. :-)

But the serious question is, does anyone actually find this feature to be comfortable? I found it unnerving and distracting. But perhaps you get used to it. Or perhaps there was something wrong with this car. It was very strange.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

Dave Z.

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