Bmw e38 - 7 series

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E CLASS

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Hopefully in the right section.

Has anyone had one of these - what are they like?

(I'll await dogs abuse also - but would prefer helpful info!):ban:
 
Hopefully in the right section.

Has anyone had one of these - what are they like?

(I'll await dogs abuse also - but would prefer helpful info!):ban:

I cannot help directly but my 1988 E32 has done 266000 miles and is still a great drive.....735 straight six. Indicative?

Mic
 
grober said:
The " biggie" was premature wear on the Alusil bores of the early V8 models irrc that and dodgy electrics. 7 Series E38 1994 | BMW | Car Reviews | Honest John

The general rule on this is if it's a problem, it has likely come up earlier in the cars life and been resolved.
 
Don't know if they're reliable but I like them,a lot.
 
Had a 730 V8 1996 for three years.
Was ok mechanically but few electrical issues (lights module died,computer kept bringing faulty bulbs which were working-annoiyng),also ac problems - took me a while to get it sorted.
Overall would buy one again but facelift model 740 in sport with wide screen sat nav.
 
Had a 750il with a ton of service history and thousands upon thousands spent on upkeep. To which I added even more!

Brilliant drive but by far the most unreliable piece of junk I have ever owned.
 
The " biggie" was premature wear on the Alusil bores of the early V8 models irrc that and dodgy electrics. 7 Series E38 1994 | BMW | Car Reviews | Honest John

Bore wear was only prevalent on the very early 4.0 V8's. Any V8 beyond 96 will be a 4.4 Ltr or a 3.5 and are fine.

I ran a 99 740 for a few years until 2010. Lovely cars, very reliable comfy and quick. (and they don't rust ..... !)

Things to watch for are leaking rocker cover gaskets, failing auto boxes, suspension component wear and (very occasionally) leaking fuel tanks. All are preventable if maintained correctly so don't consider one without FSH.

You will pay more for a Sport model but don't walk away from a well maintained non Sport or one without a tv/sat nav - the TV will be obsolete with the digital switchover and Tom Tom's are much more reliable and cheaper to update.

Avoid the V12's.
 
I'd echo the avoiding V12 comment.

728 is probably a bit underpowered.

Friend had a 1996/N 730i (V8) and it was fine overall. However in the end, it started getting a lot of interesting electrical issues and started stalling quite a lot (in drive when stationary).

Handy.

Was great being a passenger - very comfy.

I would choose a late 740i 4.4 V8 as your budget will stretch to. Sport or non-sport is a personal preference but a 'sport' luxury 7 series seems a bit of an odd concept - like having a really soft and comfortable Aerial Atom V8.

Facelift lights came in at 2000/X and these look much fresher.
 
If anyone has a spare moment could they suggest some 730 / 740 sub £3k 'ish links.

No super super mega milers and FSH a must!

Matters not if its pre March 2001 (r/tax)

Thanks in advance!!
 
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This is the kind of thing I'd be looking at picking up for £3k, worse-case £3.5:

BMW : BMW 740i ***FULL SPORT'S PACKAGE***

I wouldn't bother with the 730 as it is very nearly as juicy as the 740, with a lot less pace.

However, there aren't a huge number of 2000 examples at that price, but on the other hand, there isn't a massive demand for 4.4 V8 petrol autos.

For reference, my Alpina B10 V8, of which this is the same engine in the 7 albeit standard tune, did 21mpg all the time - so reckon on getting this and maybe 23mpg for the 730...

Forget about the turdy SATNAV and buy a unit if you need to. It will be crap and if it has TV, as said this will die soon.
 
Yes i had one for six years 740iL as a working car. Bought it new when they first came out, could not face the ( The Tank ) W140 so i went for the BMW.

A fantastic car never let me down. I was going to buy the next model until i saw it and fortunately Mercedes bought out the W220. The new BMW was as ugly as the W140.
 
I have to admit that when the E60 7 first came on in very very late 2001 or early 2002, I hated it.

However it has grown on me and I now think, certainly the facelift in the mid noughties makes for a car that still looks very fresh 6 years on.

Bangle's styling was off the wall but I love the cars he's styled now.

I can see it being marmite styling though.
 
BMW designs tend to be a little ahead of their time, people using start liking them after a few years. I recall absolutely hating the E36 after the E30 until I caught up with the design theory.
 
I had an early e38 (1995) 740i for about 2 yrs, which had over 221,000 miles on it when I sold it and was still very tight and drove superbly. One of my favorite cars ever, the 740 is certainly the one to get imo, I drove a 728 once and it felt much the lesser car. They don't seem to rust, but suspension needs checking carefully as they are of course heavy cars, so bushes etc can wear. The nicasil issue, is pretty much not a concern now, as many engines were replaced under warranty/good will by BMW. So they car you go to look at may have an engine that has done considerably less miles, than the odometer readout.

My main thing I would check if buying another is the cooling system. They can over heat if the coolant has not been religiously maintained. I would probably replace the water pump and radiator anyway on any 740 I bought, so peace of mind.

Sometimes get bulb warning lights on the dash, this is often due to rain water getting into the rear light clusters and causing a short that trips various dash lights.

They are great cars and a real bargain now, a very good choice imo.
 

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