2000 BMW E38 728i

[Challo]

E38Ross said:

Challo said:

Whats the MPG like on this?? Looks lovely

I've done about 600 miles so far and averaged a shade over 30mpg. If you can peg them back to 70 it'll hit 35mpg on a run at that without any issues, maybe more. At 60 mine hits 39mpg. Around town more like 25 though.

25 around town seems very good for a big old barge...

[mig25_foxbat2003]

Looks fantastic - I wish my car was this shiny! Where did you get your machine polisher from, and is it simple enough for a clumsy oaf to use?

[E38Ross]

mig25_foxbat2003 said:

Looks fantastic - I wish my car was this shiny! Where did you get your machine polisher from, and is it simple enough for a clumsy oaf to use?

The machine I used was a makita 9227cb but I wouldn't advise someone to use a rotary on their first go for machine correction without reading up quite a bit about how to use a rotary. If you get one I really like Gtechniq P1 polish because it runs at so much lower temperatures than other polishes do far less likely to burn through the paint. It's very fast with their wool pad too.

I put gtechniq C1 on it which adds scratch resistance so it should stay looking like that for a long while yet!

[Jw Vw]

As said on some of the other thread's Ross. Stunning.

[F1GTRUeno]

Genuine love for the E38, this looks like a very nice example.

Would be great if as a young man you could get cheap insurance on cars like this, I'd have one in a heartbeat.

[sparks_E39]

F1GTRUeno said:

Genuine love for the E38, this looks like a very nice example.

Would be great if as a young man you could get cheap insurance on cars like this, I'd have one in a heartbeat.

I have never payed over £700 to pay for my E39 528 fully comp in the 3 years since I've had it. Got it when I was 21.

[jonnydm]

I've said it before but it looks great, and combined with my current fondness for BM Sports I've been looking (and bidding) on any nice ones I can see.

[F1GTRUeno]

sparks_E39 said:

I have never payed over £700 to pay for my E39 528 fully comp in the 3 years since I've had it. Got it when I was 21.

How on earth did you manage that.

I'm 21 and I'm paying more for a Corsa, ridiculous.

[sparks_E39]

F1GTRUeno said:

How on earth did you manage that.

I'm 21 and I'm paying more for a Corsa, ridiculous.

I don't know really- A 2.0 Focus (not the ST170) is more for me to insure. I have it on 8000 miles year fully comp and parked on a drive. I had a play around a while back and can insure an Aston DB9 for £950 fully comp at 24, not that I could afford one mind!

[West9]

Very nice. I am looking for a 2001 740i but not having much luck in finding the right one..

[bmthnick1981]

West9 said:

Very nice. I am looking for a 2001 740i but not having much luck in finding the right one..

I would suggest browsing the barge thread, lots get posted on there.

[chorus]

Ross, you're now reckoned to be the current expert on E38s (even Zwölf himself said so a few pages back.)

I've noticed that there's isn't universal love on the barge buying thread any more- there's a distinct coolness from some quarters. Some seem to resent yet more Siebener content, probably because these are clearly the most fantastic cars of their wondeful ilk currently available..

So... Any advice for prospective buyers? How about a buyer's guide, or a pointer to material you've used yourself?

[E38Ross]

chorus said:

Ross, you're now reckoned to be the current expert on E38s (even Zwölf himself said so a few pages back.)

I've noticed that there's isn't universal love on the barge buying thread any more- there's a distinct coolness from some quarters. Some seem to resent yet more Siebener content, probably because these are clearly the most fantastic cars of their wondeful ilk currently available..

So... Any advice for prospective buyers? How about a buyer's guide, or a pointer to material you've used yourself?

http://www.meeknet.co.uk/E38/

check the fuel tanks for rust, it's a really common problem and costs about £1k to get another one fitted. check all the electrics work (there is a lot on them!), check the gearbox, it should be very smooth and not make harsh changes, or make no funny noises/clunking. kickdown should be fast.

they have their problems, but get a good one and it's a really nice thing. the 6 cylinders are supposedly smoother and more refined than the V8 ones, the V8s offering much more speed though.

i've not been in any other E38 other than a 728i, and they're brisk and move along very nicely and not the slouch i expected. they're brilliant on the motorway, it does under 2100rpm at 70mph indicated and returns well over 30mpg at that.

i'd love a V12 one, but i'm only a 22 year old student

oh - if looking for a V8 try to get a later one with the 4.4, not the 4.0. if getting a 728i then try to get a later one (after sept '98 i believe) as they introduced double vanos which flattens the torque curve and gives slightly better economy.

[chorus]

E38Ross said:

i'd love a V12 one, but i'm only a 22 year old student

When I was your age we were happy with a cowboy hat and an orange!

I gathered you were running it as a student, and it's encouraging me to be a little more adventurous next time. That and the general egging on in the barge forum...

Thanks for the advice! 750 would be lovely but is out of the question. I'm torn between 6s and 8s; I'm worried about the V8's greater ability to go through gearboxes in particular but I accept there are no guarantees either way. I haven't driven any 7 yet, but the project is slowly gaining momentum and I hope to contribute some sort of update in the next few months.

[E38Ross]

chorus said:

When I was your age we were happy with a cowboy hat and an orange!

I gathered you were running it as a student, and it's encouraging me to be a little more adventurous next time. That and the general egging on in the barge forum...

Thanks for the advice! 750 would be lovely but is out of the question. I'm torn between 6s and 8s; I'm worried about the V8's greater ability to go through gearboxes in particular but I accept there are no guarantees either way. I haven't driven any 7 yet, but the project is slowly gaining momentum and I hope to contribute some sort of update in the next few months.

they're lovely cars. as said, supposedly the straight 6 is quieter and more refined than the V8s. i'd love a bit more power but in all honesty the straight 6 never feels sluggish, i've not taken it above 100 yet though. it has enough power to make normal overtakes absolutely fine and returns surprisingly good economy, so far i'm on 30.3mpg over the last 1000 miles.

i've driven 3 E34s by the way, a late 525i is a wonderful thing, but in terms of refinement and general bargeyness the E38 is in a totally different league (as you'd expect). the step tronic box is very good too.

[E38Ross]

if anyone is interested, the other weekend i detailed the car and coated it with gtechniq EXO.

thread available here....

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.p...

if you don't fancy reading the text and just the piccies then here's a quick summary of what was done:

due to time restraints i didn't touch the wheels, interior, engine bay, any door shut etc etc and it was just an "outside paint work" job. it was washed, clayed, polished and then prepped using panel wipe/surface cleaner and had the brand new gtechniq EXO applied. this is a very expensive but AWESOME coating using latest technology (waxes, eat your heart out). i've had gtechniq C1 on the car basically since i got it and that was still working absolutely fine but fancied trying this new one out so had to prep it right. for those who are interested....beading piccies at the bottom

please leave some comments

in non-detailing news - the car has been totally bork-free in the last 6 months since a broken GPS head unit (big whoop) which was duly replaced....have i jinxed it now?

[Stedman]

I was just about to write on this thread asking how you found EXO

Your thread was a good read.

[E38Ross]

Stedman said:

I was just about to write on this thread asking how you found EXO

Your thread was a good read.

Not had it on long enough to really say but so far it's been outside for a week and I've done over 300 mikes and it's still looking lovely and shiny despite the weather. Other than the panels being too cold to start with for application (hence the hair dryer!) it was a doddle to apply, think application like C2 or C1.5! The only issue is needing to let it cure for 2 days.

So far I'd say it's performing better than fresh C1,and that's saying something! I'd thoroughly recommend it but probably only to those with access to a garage and to those willing to do the prep work, same with C1 but you don't need a garage for that really. Hopefully I'll be applying exo to the wheels soon, but it's a wheels off job, and will take all day really bit having had C5 on, it's well worth it

Cheers.

[gf15]

Gliptone on the leather works wonders and creates a wonderful aroma. The comfort seats in Buffalo leather are well worth looking out for.

OP: Stunning work on a superb piece of kit. E38's have a timeless elegance that has not been surpassed in the more recent BM's. I also think the parallel alloys are the nicest wheels ever and it worked well on Falken FK452's.
Little things like the sun visors ooze quality! It is the quality that one only appreciates once it is gone! :-(
One that SWMBO uses on me "the quality remains long after the price (of fuel / parts) has been forgotten" Enjoy!
I ran my 1999 740 from 70k to 190k over 6 years with minimal issues, although it did need a few bits sorting that made it uneconomic to continue.

[AMGpower]

Stunning car, i want to own a black E38 750iL one day. Ever considered tinting the rear clusters with red lamin-x? Looks the dog's danglies