BMW 740i E38

[strangehighways]

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.

Edited by strangehighways on Sunday 10th November 17:51

[yosamuel]

So great.

That’s a lot of car for the money.

[orangesrule]

Loverly car, those wheels look great too. The exhaust does ruin it a bit. A lot of car for the cash though, top buy.

[Remagel2507]

Lovely car OP, I think that exhaust would look ok if the bumper was cut and the pipes lined up properly. Mine has two cut outs as apparently it had a full quad exhaust system fitted at some point

[Frances The Mute]

Nice choice. Particularly on those rims.

Is the aptly named spoiler staying?

[strangehighways]

Frances The Mute said:

Nice choice. Particularly on those rims.

Is the aptly named spoiler staying?

If I could click my fingers and it would be removed, then I would remove it.

But it's probably a pain in the arse to remove it, then fill, then paint etc.

[Max M4X WW]

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.

[strangehighways]

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.

[sparks_E39]

The E39 5 Series does not have fuel tank issues. I like your E38, but not the spoiler or exhausts.

[ukzz4iroc]

Hate to say but the fuel tank is the one thing that will ground mine. If it's been fixed, it will leak again that is for sure. If you can even get hold of a replacement it will be approx the same cost as the car and approx £700 fitting.

Trick is to drive it so fast that the tank hasn't got time to leak and enjoy

[Court_S]

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?

[Luca Brasi]

Lovely car but ruined by the quad exhausts and spoiler imo.

[Amirhussain]

Love these, there's one local to me, but its in silver, the quad exhausts and the deep dish alloys make the car look the business. Same guy also owns a BMW 840ci.

Only thing I would change on your one is the spoiler, a smaller lip spoiler would probably look better.

[strangehighways]

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?

Will probably take the grill off...

Edited by strangehighways on Sunday 10th November 17:48

[Max M4X WW]

strangehighways said:

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.

Oops, meant to say 728i!

[ukzz4iroc]

Max M4X WW said:

Oops, meant to say 728i!

Tanks big problem. It's what will kill it and quite common.

[Jw Vw]

Fantastic VFM. Congrats OP.

[Max M4X WW]

ukzz4iroc said:

Max M4X WW said:

Oops, meant to say 728i!

Tanks big problem. It's what will kill it and quite common.

Is there an easy fix? Assuming not? How do you check the tank when viewing and is it a lottery if it will cause problems?

[nagsheadwarrior]

I loved my 740, twas the 4.4 in se spec on little wheels making it the most comfy car ive ever owned!
14mpg average from its slightly borked engine made it kind of less comfortable!

[0a]

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...