1996 BMW E38 740i
Discussion
I'm no stranger to old BMWs, having had (I think) 17 of them so far. I've happily owned an E39 530i Sport Manual for the last 6 months as my day to day car. It ticked many boxes - big enough to seat 4, small enough to zip through London effectively, engaging enough when on an empty lane, comfortable enough for a motorway, easy enough in town, not bad on fuel, fast enough for safe overtakes, sounds great, looks great, etc. I have an E36 323i drift car for fun stuff, a standard 328i coupe tucked away and a 350z sitting around with a blown bottom end thats awaiting space for me to break it for parts so I already have my hands full. The E39 is the car that needed the least work and served its function in the best way, and yet its the one I most wanted to replace. It was competent - and it felt special in its own way, but I resented how much of an all rounder it was. A perfect only car, but it feels pointless having an all rounder when I have something else thats so focused already. I wanted something big, auto and preferably with a rumbly V8.
LS400s were out because the interior is grim (IMO). S Classes aren't my bag, and I've always been a BMW man, so that of course led me to the obvious choice of a 740i. I used to have an early facelift 740i two years ago while at uni but sold it as I couldn't afford maintenance as a student, nor was I able to appreciate its talents; something which I was aware of at the time. I had previously struck off the idea of an E38 as none are ULEZ friendly, however TFL's recent announcement means that the congestion charge will soon be 7 days a week 7am-10pm. If I can't drive through the CC for free then why bother having a ULEZ car anyway? There is also the small matter of a new job which contractually requires me to have a car, and involves a 40minute traffic ridden borough to borough commute. I wanted something which felt happy in traffic, a requirement that an auto and V8 fills nicely.
I had a browse online and straight away found one that caught my eye. Prefacelift on 16" Style 5 Mesh wheels, it was exactly what I was after. E38s are one of those cars that can look generations apart depending on spec, with an early prefacelift on small wheels and full chrome trim looking reminiscent of E34s and E32s; while a facelift Sport with no chrome, 18" M Parallels, glossy clear lights and bodycoloured trim looks very Y2K to me.
It had a sunroof, which was a must, and benefitted from the early non vanos 4.4 which doesnt suffer as badly from the timing chain guide issue. Aside from that its probably the lowest spec E38 I've ever seen with pretty much no other optional extras - fine by me though given that my last one was almost fully loaded with extras (people use that term alot but I'm pretty sure the only things it lacked were EDC / SLS and hydraulic boot) and yet I never really used any of them.
It doesnt suffer from the steering wobble, the engine runs quiet, the box is smooth. The fuel tank seems okay, but I have yet to have brimmed it. The stereo works and doesn't spit out a tape deck adapter like some BMW stereos do. The sunroof didnt work when I bought it but is fine after some fiddling (doesn't retract all the way still but its good enough). All the windows work and aside from lacking a remote central locking key it pretty much has everything I need. Aside from some laquer peel on the top of the drivers side doors and two small dents, it cleans up well although I am desperate to replace the plates with some plain ones fitted straight (on the hunt for some retro font dealer plate style ones). I replaced the fan clutch shortly after getting it home as it was stuck on and sounded like a bus. It is thankfully rust free.
First impressions are that I absolutely love it. It is nowhere near as athletic as the E39, which is surprising given how similar their underpinnings are. The E39 felt like a slightly bigger E46 whereas the E38 feels like an old Chevy Impala in comparison. It will cling on but its best driven at 6/10ths keeping a nice smooth burble. The M62B44 V8 breaths through an exhaust that is blowing in numerous places, something which I have no intention to fix. It sounds absolutely brilliant, with a heavy burble on cold start and an absolutely manic sounding snarl above 4k. It reminds me of my old E34 540i 6-speed in the general feeling that it has and feels about a decade older than my E39. It's not quick off the line - the non vanos engines don't have a huge amount of bottom end torque and the non sport E38s have extremely tall gearing, but once wound up it absolutely shifts. Its also surprisingly easy to park despite no PDC as if you perk your head up a bit, you can see the front of the bonnet and the back of the boot easily.
Beyond all that, it just feels great to drive. There is and always will be something about E38s, particularly an early prefacelift V8 like this with the big 4 spoke thin rimmed steering wheel. Its the only car I've ever driven that is actually enjoyable to drive in a 20mph limited gridlocked London, and having all four windows and the sunroof open burbling down a country lane is just great. Where the E39 constantly egged me on, the E38 is more than happy just cruising along leisurely, yet more than happy to oblige if you're in a rush. It's also the only car I've ever driven that actually feels better 4 man up. So far averaging 16mpg which is better than expected, so I'm happy enough with that.
There is the immediate issue of the fact that I now find myself with 5 cars - particularly as I live in South London and aside from one underground parking spot tucked away north of the river, everything is street parked. The E39 has had a deposit put on it but I'm just waiting for the DVLA to let me pull my plate off before it goes. The eventual plan is to whittle it back down to 2, with just a 328 and a 740i, and then eventually pick up an M3 when life allows.
I struggle to leave cars standard but I genuinely love how it looks on the mesh wheels and stock ride height, and will likely leave it exactly as it is - aside from a better stereo and any paint / bodywork defects sorted. The front tyres are a size too small at 225/60/16 so I will get some 235/60/16s on there asap as it looks slightly under tyred as it is, and I'm also booked in for a new key from BMW as no remote central locking is a pain in the arse. Aside from that, the only thing I can say is that if you haven't tried a V8 E38 already then please do so before it's too late!
LS400s were out because the interior is grim (IMO). S Classes aren't my bag, and I've always been a BMW man, so that of course led me to the obvious choice of a 740i. I used to have an early facelift 740i two years ago while at uni but sold it as I couldn't afford maintenance as a student, nor was I able to appreciate its talents; something which I was aware of at the time. I had previously struck off the idea of an E38 as none are ULEZ friendly, however TFL's recent announcement means that the congestion charge will soon be 7 days a week 7am-10pm. If I can't drive through the CC for free then why bother having a ULEZ car anyway? There is also the small matter of a new job which contractually requires me to have a car, and involves a 40minute traffic ridden borough to borough commute. I wanted something which felt happy in traffic, a requirement that an auto and V8 fills nicely.
I had a browse online and straight away found one that caught my eye. Prefacelift on 16" Style 5 Mesh wheels, it was exactly what I was after. E38s are one of those cars that can look generations apart depending on spec, with an early prefacelift on small wheels and full chrome trim looking reminiscent of E34s and E32s; while a facelift Sport with no chrome, 18" M Parallels, glossy clear lights and bodycoloured trim looks very Y2K to me.
It had a sunroof, which was a must, and benefitted from the early non vanos 4.4 which doesnt suffer as badly from the timing chain guide issue. Aside from that its probably the lowest spec E38 I've ever seen with pretty much no other optional extras - fine by me though given that my last one was almost fully loaded with extras (people use that term alot but I'm pretty sure the only things it lacked were EDC / SLS and hydraulic boot) and yet I never really used any of them.
It doesnt suffer from the steering wobble, the engine runs quiet, the box is smooth. The fuel tank seems okay, but I have yet to have brimmed it. The stereo works and doesn't spit out a tape deck adapter like some BMW stereos do. The sunroof didnt work when I bought it but is fine after some fiddling (doesn't retract all the way still but its good enough). All the windows work and aside from lacking a remote central locking key it pretty much has everything I need. Aside from some laquer peel on the top of the drivers side doors and two small dents, it cleans up well although I am desperate to replace the plates with some plain ones fitted straight (on the hunt for some retro font dealer plate style ones). I replaced the fan clutch shortly after getting it home as it was stuck on and sounded like a bus. It is thankfully rust free.
First impressions are that I absolutely love it. It is nowhere near as athletic as the E39, which is surprising given how similar their underpinnings are. The E39 felt like a slightly bigger E46 whereas the E38 feels like an old Chevy Impala in comparison. It will cling on but its best driven at 6/10ths keeping a nice smooth burble. The M62B44 V8 breaths through an exhaust that is blowing in numerous places, something which I have no intention to fix. It sounds absolutely brilliant, with a heavy burble on cold start and an absolutely manic sounding snarl above 4k. It reminds me of my old E34 540i 6-speed in the general feeling that it has and feels about a decade older than my E39. It's not quick off the line - the non vanos engines don't have a huge amount of bottom end torque and the non sport E38s have extremely tall gearing, but once wound up it absolutely shifts. Its also surprisingly easy to park despite no PDC as if you perk your head up a bit, you can see the front of the bonnet and the back of the boot easily.
Beyond all that, it just feels great to drive. There is and always will be something about E38s, particularly an early prefacelift V8 like this with the big 4 spoke thin rimmed steering wheel. Its the only car I've ever driven that is actually enjoyable to drive in a 20mph limited gridlocked London, and having all four windows and the sunroof open burbling down a country lane is just great. Where the E39 constantly egged me on, the E38 is more than happy just cruising along leisurely, yet more than happy to oblige if you're in a rush. It's also the only car I've ever driven that actually feels better 4 man up. So far averaging 16mpg which is better than expected, so I'm happy enough with that.
There is the immediate issue of the fact that I now find myself with 5 cars - particularly as I live in South London and aside from one underground parking spot tucked away north of the river, everything is street parked. The E39 has had a deposit put on it but I'm just waiting for the DVLA to let me pull my plate off before it goes. The eventual plan is to whittle it back down to 2, with just a 328 and a 740i, and then eventually pick up an M3 when life allows.
I struggle to leave cars standard but I genuinely love how it looks on the mesh wheels and stock ride height, and will likely leave it exactly as it is - aside from a better stereo and any paint / bodywork defects sorted. The front tyres are a size too small at 225/60/16 so I will get some 235/60/16s on there asap as it looks slightly under tyred as it is, and I'm also booked in for a new key from BMW as no remote central locking is a pain in the arse. Aside from that, the only thing I can say is that if you haven't tried a V8 E38 already then please do so before it's too late!
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