RE: SOTW: BMW 740i (E38)

RE: SOTW: BMW 740i (E38)

Author
Discussion

poshgit

169 posts

219 months

Sunday 31st July 2011
quotequote all
WTF....! How many pointless posts about ooh, errr are they the correct sized wheels/tyres.....does it really matter!

Great cars....cheap to buy , reasonably cheap to run thanks to gsf and ecp but they are heavy old tanks and all that braking and nose diving eats through front suspension components. Great ride quality (for a BMW!)

Had a 728 with quarter of a million miles on the clock and an LPG conversion. Cheaper(er) comfy motorway mile muncher......kids loved it too! But make no mistake, the old 7 is one big heavy car!

Howrare

302 posts

205 months

Sunday 31st July 2011
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Very good shed. I'm rather liking this though as over the channel in Euroland a the mo. International Shed anyone?

http://www.autoscout24.de/Details.aspx?id=v4qt4q2n...

a sniff over at £1050 todays exchange rates, but I'm sure they'd take the round grand. Sorely tempted.


Edited by Howrare on Sunday 31st July 22:56

Howrare

302 posts

205 months

Sunday 31st July 2011
quotequote all
Very good shed. I'm rather liking this though as over the channel in Euroland a the mo. International Shed anyone?

http://www.autoscout24.de/Details.aspx?id=v4qt4q2n...

a sniff over at £1050 todays exchange rates, but I'm sure they'd take the round grand. Sorely tempted.


Edited by Howrare on Sunday 31st July 23:00

martynr

1,076 posts

173 months

Sunday 31st July 2011
quotequote all
Great SOTW this week!!! The most comfortable car I have ever driven, but it was the 725tds smile A bit underpowered, but rather economical and so quite. Moreover, it was manual and was rather uncomfortable to change gear due to rather wide section between seats. Auto would be so much better.

Although, I never liked the way it looks and would rather prefer e32...

740 is a bit too much, 730 with LPG should be fine...

VeeFour

3,339 posts

161 months

Sunday 31st July 2011
quotequote all
poshgit said:
WTF....! How many pointless posts about ooh, errr are they the correct sized wheels/tyres.....does it really matter!

Great cars....cheap to buy , reasonably cheap to run thanks to gsf and ecp but they are heavy old tanks and all that braking and nose diving eats through front suspension components. Great ride quality (for a BMW!)

Had a 728 with quarter of a million miles on the clock and an LPG conversion. Cheaper(er) comfy motorway mile muncher......kids loved it too! But make no mistake, the old 7 is one big heavy car!
Yes, it does matter when the under specced tyres fail, you plough into a bus stop full of people and your insurers invalidate your policy....

Big heavy cars need wheels and tyres designed for big heavy cars.

NAS

2,543 posts

230 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
Fuelbrother DC said:
Garlick said:
A manual 7'er? No ta.
...this thinking is the reason for the real gems being underrated - thankfully, for us conaisseurs smokin
Yup smile

BertieWooster

3,217 posts

163 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
Could the 728 be classed as being underpowered at all? I'm looking at moving closer to work with the aim of reducing my daily commute from around 60 miles to about 8 and am seriously thinking about getting something German and barge like. I've just seen this on autotrader and my wallet is starting to twitch! FSH and just over 84k on the clock seem pretty good to me - although I wonder whether there is anything nasty lurking under the surface.

Bertie W

ianwayne

6,212 posts

267 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
VeeFour said:
Yes, it does matter when the under specced tyres fail, you plough into a bus stop full of people and your insurers invalidate your policy....

Big heavy cars need wheels and tyres designed for big heavy cars.
If you 'ploughed into' anyone, the insurance company would have to pay out. It's the 3rd party risk that they are obliged to cover. If they could find a way to avoid paying out for damage to your car (if fully comp), they would, and they may prosecute to recover their costs.

I doubt very much an insurance company could use the excuse that the wheels are smaller than original spec. as just cause. Illegal / bald yes. But if they are on the car when you buy it, especially with BMW writren on them and not some after-market monstrosities, I expect you're OK.

In any case, it wouldn't be worth taking out fully comp cover on a shed, would it?

Frances The Mute

1,816 posts

240 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
BertieWooster said:
Could the 728 be classed as being underpowered at all? I'm looking at moving closer to work with the aim of reducing my daily commute from around 60 miles to about 8 and am seriously thinking about getting something German and barge like. I've just seen this on autotrader and my wallet is starting to twitch! FSH and just over 84k on the clock seem pretty good to me - although I wonder whether there is anything nasty lurking under the surface.

Bertie W
A lot of uninromed (read non-owners) feel they're underpowered. They're actually geared quite nicely so they make a good job of hiding their bulk.

In did several track days in mine and thanks to the monstrous OE 4 pot stoppers, managed to surprise more than a few people. I've a real soft spot for them and I'm currently looking for another.

BertieWooster

3,217 posts

163 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
Frances The Mute said:
A lot of uninromed (read non-owners) feel they're underpowered. They're actually geared quite nicely so they make a good job of hiding their bulk.

In did several track days in mine and thanks to the monstrous OE 4 pot stoppers, managed to surprise more than a few people. I've a real soft spot for them and I'm currently looking for another.
What are they like for overall reliability? Presumably at that age there won't be as much computer stuff to go wrong as opposed to a more modern car? I assume servicing isn't particularly cheap unless you go to an indy - or are BMW main dealers reasonable if it is an older car?

Bertie W

Riggers

1,859 posts

177 months

Monday 1st August 2011
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crostonian said:
louismchuge said:
Riggers & Co

I think it's time for the winds of change! How about upping the budget?

Blame inflation, blame the scrapage scheme, but I think 2k would see a lot more diverse and interesting metal
Yes but then perhaps it would have to be renamed 'Summer House of the Week'....
I like the idea of Summer House of the Week'. If you upped it to £4k would that make it 'Conservatory of the Week'?

treetops

1,177 posts

157 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
When the gearbox let's go you get it trailered and weighed in.

Anyone on here buy that 1996 N 740i 'with all the work done to it' for about £1500 this weekend?

Its been removed from PH.

GBB

1,737 posts

158 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
treetops said:
When the gearbox let's go you get it trailered and weighed in.

Anyone on here buy that 1996 N 740i 'with all the work done to it' for about £1500 this weekend?

Its been removed from PH.
The one in Northampton?

I emailed about it, but someone viewing Fri pm so I guess sold.

BW's one looks good but too far to go and have a look.

treetops

1,177 posts

157 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
It had its gearbox oil done recently - I wonder what brought that on...

Very useful as a barge wafter for a project I had in mind - a disposable car if you like...

poshgit

169 posts

219 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
treetops said:
When the gearbox let's go you get it trailered and weighed in.
.
Yep, that ZF gbox is a real weakspot on e38, e46, XK8 and so many others.... BMW and ZF deserve a kicking for claimed it's service free and sealed for life!
Sealed yes!....service free....err, no. But then do an oil change as a conscientious owner at 100k and watch it disintegrate within the next 10k!!

B'stard Child

28,282 posts

245 months

Monday 1st August 2011
quotequote all
poshgit said:
treetops said:
When the gearbox let's go you get it trailered and weighed in.
.
Yep, that ZF gbox is a real weakspot on e38, e46, XK8 and so many others.... BMW and ZF deserve a kicking for claimed it's service free and sealed for life!
Sealed yes!....service free....err, no. But then do an oil change as a conscientious owner at 100k and watch it disintegrate within the next 10k!!
Not sure what you were aiming at with that comment - please explain?

thewheelman

2,194 posts

172 months

Tuesday 2nd August 2011
quotequote all
Still the best looking 7 series BMW ever made in my opinion, the styling was spot on, & a great range of engines.

Frances The Mute

1,816 posts

240 months

Tuesday 2nd August 2011
quotequote all
BertieWooster said:
Frances The Mute said:
A lot of uninformed (read non-owners) feel they're underpowered. They're actually geared quite nicely so they make a good job of hiding their bulk.

In did several track days in mine and thanks to the monstrous OE 4 pot stoppers, managed to surprise more than a few people. I've a real soft spot for them and I'm currently looking for another.
What are they like for overall reliability? Presumably at that age there won't be as much computer stuff to go wrong as opposed to a more modern car? I assume servicing isn't particularly cheap unless you go to an indy - or are BMW main dealers reasonable if it is an older car?

Bertie W
In my experience, they were great. The alternator on my 728 lunched itself. To be fair, it was just under 200k so it's to be expected. Other than that, it just need petrol and service items.

The 740 was much of the same - just brakes and tyres.

SuperHangOn

3,486 posts

152 months

Tuesday 2nd August 2011
quotequote all
FCK said:
Hahahahaha, that reg on the Beemer. Feels soooo wrong.
Saw a nice E38 with the plate "V12 BMW" the other day- more like it? (if it really was a 750i!)




Edited by SuperHangOn on Tuesday 2nd August 18:01

poshgit

169 posts

219 months

Tuesday 2nd August 2011
quotequote all
B'stard Child said:
Not sure what you were aiming at with that comment - please explain?
Have a look on bimmerforums for loads of e46 with gbox probs. Same with e38. I had an XK8 that lunched itself on it's gbox at 120k after an oil change on it at 110k. Expert opinion (from the forums and the 11 - yes 11(!) independent auto gbox specialists that I consulted before getting the gbox rebuilt) indicates that the sealed for life gbox oil shouldn't be changed. But you are caught between a rick and a hard place. Leave the oil too long, generally over 100k and it degrades so much that the gbox lunches itself. Or get the oil changed at this level and run the risk that you dislodge all the cack that then lodges itself in the fine oilways....and the gbox then lunches itself!......loads of web info on it on the forums and from the specialists......hope that helps (I experienced it first hand too!)