Mine is a not for North America 730 Li. Basically it is a 530 powertrain with the space/luxury of a 7. Admittedly it has less gadgets (no EDC, Dynamic Drive, V8) but it does have the backseat toys (power recline and curtains) - and the N52 engine is pretty easy to live with.
The V8s, which is used in many other BMWs of the same era - do have the valve seal issue - yes it is expensive to fix, but an independent shop should be able to give you a better deal, and it is a one time/rare thing - unlikely you will need to do it twice.
The ZF6HP tranny is bulletproof if you maintain it right. Take care of the seals and regular oil changes and it will go on forever.
Give it the right wheel and the E65/E66 still looks modern to this day, especially in LCI form. Even the early ones like this still looks damn fine.
LCI
