E32 750il - Am I mad.

[Olivergt]

So, following on from my E34 or E32 thread, I have kind of decided that it will be an E32, I think you get a lot more car for your money.

Anyway, I've found a 750il for sale, see link at bottom of post and I'd like to ask you, the experts, am I mad!

It will be garaged and only used at weekends, special occasions, maybe 3-4k per year max.

I'm not scared of a bit of mechanical work, I can do basic brakes/suspension/oil changes/general servicing etc without too much trouble. I don't have a lift, but will be able to get the car up high enough to get underneath.

I will also have a reasonable budget, maybe 1-2k per year for maintenance.

Given that this might be the only chance I ever get of having a V12 in the garage, should I go for it?

This is the car, the price, I know is at the top end, but "find another" as they say, and post brexit, prices from the UK are prohibitive given the tax and VAT that has to go on. The dealer has a reasonable reputation:

https://deanemotors.ie/product/bmw-e32-750il/

[Maxus]

I'm no expert on these but of course you are mad spending €19k on a 33 year old V12 BMW. It will drink fuel like it is going out of fashion (appropriately!) and will empty your wallet at every opportunity.

It is an awesome car, looks amazing and appears to be a beautiful example.

I think the quote is "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up"

Look forward to the readers cars.

[Olivergt]

Thanks for the confirmation of my madness.

Given that it won't drive more than 3-4k miles a year, I can probably manage the 15-20mpg, there will be no real town driving so shouldn't be the worst. (see how I'm still trying to convince myself that I'm not mad!).

The engines, I believe are quite reliable, I'm happy enough to do most jobs myself or with a little help from my friends (still trying to convince myself!).

The scariest part would be all the electronics and the hydro pneumatic suspension.

The price is very much at the top, which is turning me off, but if it has been as well maintained as they make out. Then it might not lose too much over the next 4-5 years, if I keep on top of the maintenance.

Because I'm in Ireland, there are probably only a handful of these in total in the country and post brexit no more will be imported. If someone was to import one, it would probably end up being more expensive than this one after all the import taxes and VAT.

There is a lovely 735i for sale as well, at half the price, but I'm having trouble contacting the seller at the moment. That would obviously be much cheaper to keep going.

[Panamax]

With a 750iL the fuel bills will be the least of your worries.

Cheap for a reason. Cars that are expensive to run when new don't become cheap to run when old.

[davettf2]

Go for it, one should minimise the 'what if's' in life. It it does not work at least can't look back and wonder what might been.

Cheers
Dave

By the way been there and done that. Sold and immaculate E28M5 for aTVR!!!!!! because I fancied one. Did not work, but at least I can't wonder 'What if'

[Stick Legs]

Not mad at all.

Eminently sensible, these are magnificent cars, that one looks stunning, they are very rare, the running costs will still be less than the depreciation on something new.

Quite jealous.

[markirl]

Deane motors have a decent enough reputation but I understand they've had that car in for a while.

I see that you've considered an e32 and e34 but out of interest, have you considered an 850i?

[Wills2]

Looks fabulous inside and out, go for it.

[Dinoboy]

That is an absolute cracker,only thing I noticed is the non original alloys. An 88 750iL should have the disc style alloys. Other than that it looks spot on!

[Mr Tidy]

Fantastic car!

If you want it why not? I only regret the cars I didn't buy and some I sold, but never those I have owned. YOLO!

But if you are in the Republic from what I have read your road tax may be a bigger issue than fuel costs.

Good luck anyway.

[Pickled]

I had an E32 750 (swb) mechanically they are probably the simplest V12, working room is a pita for access to things like spark plugs it really is two M20 2.5 engines running a common crank, it’s the suspension that can be a nightmare if it’s got the original switchable suspension.

And honestly you’ll never see 20 mpg - mine used to do between 6-16mpg

[Olivergt]

Mr Tidy said:

Fantastic car!

If you want it why not? I only regret the cars I didn't buy and some I sold, but never those I have owned. YOLO!

But if you are in the Republic from what I have read your road tax may be a bigger issue than fuel costs.

Good luck anyway.

Road tax will be ok, it's over 30 years old, so classic tax of 56 euro. Will also be able to get classic insurance, so that side of the running costs should be no more than 500 a year.

[fttm]

Jeez , braver man than me . Looking forward to the readers cars thread . WTF are you thinking ? Lol

[Olivergt]

Pickled said:

I had an E32 750 (swb) mechanically they are probably the simplest V12, working room is a pita for access to things like spark plugs it really is two M20 2.5 engines running a common crank, it’s the suspension that can be a nightmare if it’s got the original switchable suspension.

And honestly you’ll never see 20 mpg - mine used to do between 6-16mpg

Thanks, that's good info there. It does have the switchable suspension, and that was one of my biggest concerns.

I'll do my sums again on 15 mpg and 4 k miles in the year, see what that comes out to.

As others have said, you only live once and this might be the only chance I ever get to own a V12.

[helix402]

Is it a Japanese import, rear lights look different to how I remember them?

[sbk1972]

Hi,

You need to watch this guy on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/M539Restorations He has refurb a number of BMW v12s include a 750 so that should give you more light into whether you should buy / swerve.

I love the look, very retro, and used to love them back in the day. Prices are rising.

Simon

[Olivergt]

I don't think it is a Japanese import. This is a petrolicious article on one and the rear lights look the same:

https://petrolicious.com/articles/new-old-school-b...

I already consume M539's videos avidly, some of the suspension work does scare me a little as I don't have a lift so any work underneath can be a pain. It would definitely be a weekend car, so I'm happy to spend time working on it, which is actually part of the enjoyment of owning old cars for me.

I'm not looking for an investment, but I'd like to think it wouldn't lose any value and would just be the maintenance costs, which as someone else has pointed out would probably be cheaper than the depreciation on a new car.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I'm hoping to go and see it at some point in the next couple of weeks, I'll definitely update again with further information after I have seen it.

[helix402]

It’s a while since since I worked on one!

[naturalaspiration]

Very nice car but the price seems crazy. If importing from UK, only VAT is charged; as per the TCA there are no tariffs between UK and EU. The question is whether Irish authorities accept the price one would claim to have paid in UK as a VAT relevant baseline. Croatian authorities do not, instead they use their own valuation methods which inflate the baseline price so much that in the end the import makes no sense.

[d_a_n1979]

Mad for that E32 yes; IMO its far too expensive and personally a well looked after E38 750i would be a better purchase/investment IMO

But it's your money and your decision etc...