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Originally Posted by rumatt
Don't just about all 7's make the list of cars to avoid?
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Hardly. My early (1995) 740i and my Mom's late (2001) 740i have been very good cars. I have a friend that had his Toyota bought back under the Lemon Law so - It's all a matter of perspective. There are many many good examples of 5's and 7's out there.
The only major thing that has been done to mine was a new engine due to the Nikasil issue (covered under warranty several years back and is very well now past being a current issue for these cars). That was only on the M60 powered cars (1993 through 1995) so probably out of scope due to the age of what you're looking at.
That being said - These are very complex cars. When something could go wrong - bring your wallet. The E38 & E39 are nearly identical in terms of systems so the issues that apply to one generally apply to the other (and for the V8's - the engines/transmissions are also the same).
My Mom's has ~65,000 miles and mine has 98,000 miles.
It all comes down to finding a good example by getting a VERY thorough PPI and dealing with whatever is found. Suspension issues aren't too common other than just 'wear' items that would apply to pretty much to any BMW.
Take a look here for some info-
http://www.e39garage.com/
http://www.bmwtips.com/
http://www.e38.org/ (this is a great compilation of info)
http://www.seattle7s.com/tips.htm (this is some more stuff to look through)
Those links have some FAQ's on things to look for in selecting a car and other good info-
Have fun.