Comments from Henkka J.
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This page is commentary just from Henkka J. of Finland, also generated from the posting I placed on the BMW enthusiast's discussion forum, telling of my750.com. He had so much to say, I gave him his own page.
Can't afford luxury car - buy a Toyota then.
I'm really surprised about you whining to BMW about the car, we are after all
talking about a 10-year old car with plenty of miles on it, being bought second
hand and obviously having had the living daylights kicked out of by the former
owner. How on earth could it be BMW's fault if the private stealer is doing
an enormous rip-off fixing up this poorly cared for beast. Is it because it
IS a bmw? I can't imagine anybody buying a second-hand old Toyota and then whining
about it to the company... Well, desperate men do desperate things and I can
imagine how you have felt about it. HAd a Ford once where I replaced everything
and never really got it restored to perfection. Then again that car was 27 years
old. The point is that bmws are not meant for anybody who thinks Toyota and
BMW can even be said in the same sentence (oops now I did that). BMWs are cars
for rich people and hot rodders. Rich people can afford to buy them, rich people
can afford to have them fixed at outrageous prices at the stealers if they should
fail after warranty and rich people tend to trade them in for NEW bmw's as the
cars age. The "Hot Rodders" then again buy bmws usually second hand,
bear the costly parts since the reliability seems to be very good - despite
your experience - and DO THE WORK BY THEMSELVES or have cheap reliable non-dealer
shops working on them. Also we like to tune the already very well handling cars
to reach handling & performance perfection. (Naturally the base models make
exellent durable daily drivers for anybody but above I'm talking about the top
models) I'm just SO surprised - as everyone else in this board seems to be -
that you kept taking the car to the stealers after lousy jobs at astronomical
prices. I bought a 750i with problems that I knew of - since I naturally HAD
IT CHECKED - and the problems were accounted for in the price of which I got
a huge discount as well, because of the problems. It's gonna cost me some $1000-4000
to have this baby in perfect condition but if I took it to the stealers' the
bill would reach $10,000-20,000 easily. For instance today I paid one big operation
with a case of beer and a bag of chips :-D It's not who you are, it's who you
know! Thanks Ville K! And as you say yourself, the car has incredible performance,
handling and feel - not to mention the magic of the V12 under the hood that
always tends to put a big smile on one's face... I wouldn't trade it in for
anything (exept a new 6 litre 750i) although I admit that it's a bit gas-guzzling,
complex and the parts cost a lot. And come to think about it it's not really
gas-guzzling for a two ton five-litre engined mammoth. Better luck in the future,
try a 535i or 735i perhaps? Henkka 1990 750i 4th BMW, 1st e32, never buying
other than BMW or MB again Chipped, painted pearl silver, with M5 wheels, H&R
springs, Bilstein shocks Bentley's 900-page repair manual is in the mail and
a lot of work awaiting :-) but that's half of the fun, all you need is a big
garage and plenty of sixpacks ;-) ps: My wife's beat up POS 300,000km 1983 BMW
316 1.8 that I got for free had the water pump break this week. Perhaps I should
write to BMW Finland and demand them to install new one for free and pay me
compensations for having to humiliate my bmw loving front yard by the precense
of a tiny Ford Ka for a few days? I could of course have it fixed at the stealers
for estimated $300-500 which is roughly what the now-registrated ugly old 2d
sedan is worth...
Henri J. (1990 750iL) <email address on file>
Kuusjoki, FINLAND - Thursday, April 19, 2001 at 22:29:23
Although my post might appear as hostile, I really
do feel for you. I had a big fight with the local stealer the one time I accidentally
took my mint 1988 316 1.8 there (problem NOT fixed, some parts NOT changed,
parts that did NOT have to be changed WERE changed, cost me $500 to not fix
the problem that would have taken a $50 part and 15 minutes of installing) before
I came to my senses and started using independents. And I'm not surprised you
write to BMWNA and ask them to help out on your next Bimmer. I'm pretty sure
that is very close to what I would have done. It's just that all this net publishing
(VOICEMAILS and all, is this guy for real?) and stuff seems to me like you're
on a personal crusade against BMWNA when you should be on a crusade against
those stupid f--ks who don't fix your car but charge you ten times the real
market price of every part and labour. FACTS OF LIFE: Sometimes new cars break.
Sometimes used cars break. 10-year old cars break down a lot. Sometimes the
cars are fixed right and the problem disappears for the next 10 years. Sometimes
something is fixed but the cause of the problem remains and the problem will
reappear sooner or later. If a car costs $80,000 new (or $160,000 and then some
here in the taxpayers hell called Finland) it means you get a lot of horseys
and great handling, all kinds of electric gadgets, gizmo's and thingamajigs,
a lot of the latest technical advances all wrapped into a huge, safe body that
looks like a million $ and doesn't rust. What you do NOT get is a car made of
titanium with parts that are unbreakable. There are tracktors of that kind that
were made in the early 1950's. There are so little moving parts that they just
won't break. They don't top 300 km either. So sue the stealer, or accept your
loss like a man, but face it: you're driving an old car and even if it is top-of-the
line like our cars certainly are, it's made of a zillion moving little bits
and pieces that have been clicking and whirring for ten years and something
is bound to go wrong every now and then. Henkka ps: My wife just passed a Russian-built
cheap Lada that actually drove off the road to give room for her in her 30 times
more expensive 750i. Sounds ridiculous and it really was but I have to admit
this is one of the things that I really love in the 750i!
Henkka again (1990 750iL) <email address on file>
Kuusjoki, FINLAND - Friday, April 20, 2001 at 17:53:25
(in response to "i hear mopeds are cheap
to work on too") And so easy to tune up. Up here you get to
drive a 50cc moped at age of 15, light motorbikes at 16 and cars at 18. Needless
to say we tuned the little mopeds so much that the best ones beat those 125cc
light motorbikes! Henkka Former owner of a 1988 Suzuki PV 50
(swapped to 80cc, bored, carburetted, racing exhaust, 250cc chain drive, top
speed rose from 40 to 100 km/h with original brakes. I'm surprised to be still
alive)
Henkka J. (1990 750iL) <email address on file>
Kuusjoki, FINLAND - Friday, April 20, 2001 at 11:38:35
Axel's replies: Okay then. In response to your first comment- I'm not sure how you reached the conclusion that the car "had the living daylights kicked out of" it by the former owner. My impression was that the former owner maintained the car as required, even more so, and was about an average driver. I also have to disagree with your theory on BMW's being only "for rich people and hot rodders," because I am neither. I just expected more from a BMW 750iL.
In response to your second comment- I wouldn't be asking if I am for real, but if a car requiring this much work is for real!
In response to your third comment- I did have a moped when I was 15, and my first BMW when I was 17, a 3 series, but I'm not a teenager anymore and expect more from my cars.