Discussion
Totally on a whim, I decided to sell the Alfa I have had the last year and a half.
Thread on that ---> HERE
I sold that to a friend and I have first refusal when he sells it. I will definitely buy another busso v6 next year..
Anyway, here's the 740.
12 months MOT, 6 months tax, 148k miles. £1025.
Good
- No rust on bodywork.
- Drives perfectly. Having driven it 280 miles from Dundee to York, there were no suspension or engine issues at all. It drives like new. The car has been meticulously maintained and I have a folder of work done over the last few years.
- Stainless steel quad exhaust looks a tiny bit chavvy but gives the car a nice roar when going for it.
- Easy 30 mpg on a run.
Bad
- For the MOT, the car fuel tank was repaired. This is a common e38 problem as the tanks are made from steel, and they rust. Replacing them is expensive. So I will keep an eye on this and hope that it doesn't leak again.
- Need to remove the stupid M badges.
It is so satisfying just cruising around in this thing. I'm gonna take it to Germany soon and see if it can still hit its top speed.
Thread on that ---> HERE
I sold that to a friend and I have first refusal when he sells it. I will definitely buy another busso v6 next year..
Anyway, here's the 740.
12 months MOT, 6 months tax, 148k miles. £1025.
Good
- No rust on bodywork.
- Drives perfectly. Having driven it 280 miles from Dundee to York, there were no suspension or engine issues at all. It drives like new. The car has been meticulously maintained and I have a folder of work done over the last few years.
- Stainless steel quad exhaust looks a tiny bit chavvy but gives the car a nice roar when going for it.
- Easy 30 mpg on a run.
Bad
- For the MOT, the car fuel tank was repaired. This is a common e38 problem as the tanks are made from steel, and they rust. Replacing them is expensive. So I will keep an eye on this and hope that it doesn't leak again.
- Need to remove the stupid M badges.
It is so satisfying just cruising around in this thing. I'm gonna take it to Germany soon and see if it can still hit its top speed.
Edited by strangehighways on Sunday 10th November 17:51
Max M4X WW said:
Love it, My E39 540i would 'do' 32mpg if you were sensible on a cruise but it was difficult. Usually 22mpg.
What is the deal with the fuel tanks on these? I want a 528i but keep looking at W140's as the tank puts me off.
I could be wrong but I believe it is only the E38 that has the fuel tank problem. I think it was the only BMW series made with a steel fuel tank. Can anyone here confirm this? I don't think the 5 series, or any other series, had this problem.What is the deal with the fuel tanks on these? I want a 528i but keep looking at W140's as the tank puts me off.
Court_S said:
I love these. I think they've aged really well.
My uncle had a 735 and it was a great car and reasonably quick fir the size. I drove it a few times and it never felt like a big, comfy barge.
Any more pics?
My uncle had a 735 and it was a great car and reasonably quick fir the size. I drove it a few times and it never felt like a big, comfy barge.
Any more pics?
Will probably take the grill off...
Edited by strangehighways on Sunday 10th November 17:48
0a said:
There is some good information on the fuel tank issue on the 1-5k barge thread - scroll down to chorus's post here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Thanks! I've bookmarked that page now. Let's hope I don't need to do what he did...http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I've covered a fair few miles in the 740 since purchase. This is my only car and I use it to commute 50 miles a day. With a combination of town driving and a roads, the car is averaging about 22 mpg, pretty much what I expected.
It's had a few runs down from North Yorkshire to the South East and on a run sees something approaching 30 mpg if driven in a very sensible manor, but more like 25 typically ie. a few kickdowns and manual overides on the steptronic box.
I've only had one expense so far, which was the top radiator pipe split while driving and coolant went all over the place. A new pipe is now in place and the engine bay has been cleaned.
I know these old beasts use a lot of fuel but as a commuter car, they are brilliant. Supremely comfy, quiet, no need to raise the revs often, just so relaxing. My car is on 18 inch wheels and still has a lovely ride. I can only imagine how much better it would be on 16s.
Just a rough calculation with fuel. At 1.30 a litre over 12000 miles at 22 mpg, it costs approximately £3200 a year.
It's had a few runs down from North Yorkshire to the South East and on a run sees something approaching 30 mpg if driven in a very sensible manor, but more like 25 typically ie. a few kickdowns and manual overides on the steptronic box.
I've only had one expense so far, which was the top radiator pipe split while driving and coolant went all over the place. A new pipe is now in place and the engine bay has been cleaned.
I know these old beasts use a lot of fuel but as a commuter car, they are brilliant. Supremely comfy, quiet, no need to raise the revs often, just so relaxing. My car is on 18 inch wheels and still has a lovely ride. I can only imagine how much better it would be on 16s.
Just a rough calculation with fuel. At 1.30 a litre over 12000 miles at 22 mpg, it costs approximately £3200 a year.
Well, I've still got the 740 and it's performing its daily duties admirably. This is my only car and I have covered about 10000 miles since I bought it (November 2013) so I am on for 18000 miles in a year, which seems ridiculous in a car returning 21 mpg but it is just a perfect cruising machine.
I've had one issue with the car since purchase; the dreaded petrol tank started leaking, badly. I managed to source a second hand petrol tank after searching for ages on the net and managed to get one for £300, and it had been cleaned up nicely too. A local garage fitted it for £450, so £750 all in to sort the tank. This is a very common problem with E38 BMWs and something to think about if you are going to buy one.
Overall, I'm really happy with the car and the overtaking punch is great on A roads. If you are overtaking a car dawdling at 50, and use kickdown with full force, the car will drop to 2nd and change up to 3rd somewhere above 70.
I've had one issue with the car since purchase; the dreaded petrol tank started leaking, badly. I managed to source a second hand petrol tank after searching for ages on the net and managed to get one for £300, and it had been cleaned up nicely too. A local garage fitted it for £450, so £750 all in to sort the tank. This is a very common problem with E38 BMWs and something to think about if you are going to buy one.
Overall, I'm really happy with the car and the overtaking punch is great on A roads. If you are overtaking a car dawdling at 50, and use kickdown with full force, the car will drop to 2nd and change up to 3rd somewhere above 70.
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