RE: SOTW: BMW 740i (E38)
Discussion
Laird said:
And the wrong wheels...
Yes, they definitely are alloys from an E36 323i / 328i Coupe. They look wrong on that E38.Still, you can pick up a set of decent, genuine E65 alloys for around £300 ish (with good tyres), which will sort out this issue.
Then flog these for about £150!
nav p said:
The wheel design was available on E38,E36 and E39, they were called Classics.
The ones fitted to this car are the wrong size altogether.
The ones fitted to this car look like they come off an E36..
The 'Classics' were an extra cost option on the E36, though may have been standard on the other models. My brother had a set on a 328 convertible in the mid 'nineties. I quite like them.The ones fitted to this car are the wrong size altogether.
The ones fitted to this car look like they come off an E36..
The tyres are the wrong size on this one and substantially smaller than they should be. I think the 'Classics' were 16"? Most large cars had 15" wheels in the 'eighties and early 'nineties - my Jaguar does, for example. The tyres are very tall though - 225/65 ZR15s in the case of my XJ40. This car looks to have the tyre profile of a three series and it may be the wheels were taken from one. It would be interesting to see what the tiny tyres have done to the gearing...
All in, this is a good shed of the week. For me they come from a rather bland era of BMW styling (the E32 is sharper looking than the E38; the E36 makes the E46 look dull) but is a very fine car.
TristPerrin said:
Love these great beasts!
Fancied one as a second, more comfortable car in the winter when the '5 is locked up and cozy, but alas group 19 insurance and 1 years no claims soon put a stop to that
Very cool shed!
I insured mine on a classic car policy for around £200-£300 per annum fully comp. It was a very cheap car to run, that looked expensive and classy. Only thing to really watch out for, is maintaining the cooling system very religiously.Fancied one as a second, more comfortable car in the winter when the '5 is locked up and cozy, but alas group 19 insurance and 1 years no claims soon put a stop to that
Very cool shed!
exgtt said:
Nice shed, 3x the car compaired to last weeks. Also like the wheels, big cheap barges need conservative wheels if you don't wanna look like a skint gangster. Conservative wheels and ambers, it's the future!
Cheap runners says to me it's not the best up close, but for £1k!? With 12 months ticket! Bet it gets snapped up by a polish guy, all the cheap sevens round my way are driven by big bad looking polish guys!
Spot on. Conservative barge with conservative alloys so you look old school rather than drug dealer.Cheap runners says to me it's not the best up close, but for £1k!? With 12 months ticket! Bet it gets snapped up by a polish guy, all the cheap sevens round my way are driven by big bad looking polish guys!
Edited by exgtt on Friday 29th July 04:15
Edited by exgtt on Friday 29th July 04:17
theironduke said:
In the same way that Blenheim Palace is cheap to run....
Apart from fuel, they really aren't that bad.They're built properly, so don't go wrong often.
If you get a well-maintained example, from an owner that has cherished the car, then you should be ok.
Forget buying a boring new E90 320d! Buy one of these, and use 'some' of the left over cash to fuel it!
ITech said:
TristPerrin said:
Love these great beasts!
Fancied one as a second, more comfortable car in the winter when the '5 is locked up and cozy, but alas group 19 insurance and 1 years no claims soon put a stop to that
Very cool shed!
I insured mine on a classic car policy for around £200-£300 per annum fully comp. It was a very cheap car to run, that looked expensive and classy. Only thing to really watch out for, is maintaining the cooling system very religiously.Fancied one as a second, more comfortable car in the winter when the '5 is locked up and cozy, but alas group 19 insurance and 1 years no claims soon put a stop to that
Very cool shed!
I get 35mpg on a run with my 4.4 740 sport as a result of my fanaticism but can't sell it for love nor money unless I dropped the price to sub-3k, which is the going rate for a (no) maintenance headache one. That's the problem with a well maintained one - you spend so much getting it in good shape and few people appreciate that even at 4 or 5k it would still be a bargain having refreshed it but I can't afford to keep it advertised all the time.
I've also never ever put my foot to the floor and used the kickdown (which I did do fairly frequently on the 735 I had). There's just too much power available for normal UK road situations to ever need it.
Ah well...it continues to be my weekend car.
theironduke said:
In the same way that Blenheim Palace is cheap to run....
By the way, do you know there was a diesel version available on the continent - 725 TDS?!Fitted with the same 143bhp engine, fitted to the E36 / E34 / E39 TDS models.
That would return reasonable fuel economy, whilst being relatively refined.
pSyCoSiS said:
Yes, they definitely are alloys from an E36 323i / 328i Coupe. They look wrong on that E38.
Still, you can pick up a set of decent, genuine E65 alloys for around £300 ish (with good tyres), which will sort out this issue.
Then flog these for about £150!
I know they were available on the E36, but they were also available on the E38.Still, you can pick up a set of decent, genuine E65 alloys for around £300 ish (with good tyres), which will sort out this issue.
Then flog these for about £150!
http://felgenkatalog.auto-treff.com/
pSyCoSiS said:
By the way, do you know there was a diesel version available on the continent - 725 TDS?!
Fitted with the same 143bhp engine, fitted to the E36 / E34 / E39 TDS models.
That would return reasonable fuel economy, whilst being relatively refined.
That engine is not very economical in a E34 let alone an E38. It will also turn the E38 in to a road block. 728i is 10 times better.Fitted with the same 143bhp engine, fitted to the E36 / E34 / E39 TDS models.
That would return reasonable fuel economy, whilst being relatively refined.
joebongo said:
Yep, I renewed the entire cooling system (at great cost) 18 months ago on mine along with all the other bits I know to be problematic (DSC computer, steering fluid and pump/hoses, tranny refresh and reprogramme etc blah).
I get 35mpg on a run with my 4.4 740 sport as a result of my fanaticism but can't sell it for love nor money unless I dropped the price to sub-3k, which is the going rate for a (no) maintenance headache one. That's the problem with a well maintained one - you spend so much getting it in good shape and few people appreciate that even at 4 or 5k it would still be a bargain having refreshed it but I can't afford to keep it advertised all the time.
I've also never ever put my foot to the floor and used the kickdown (which I did do fairly frequently on the 735 I had). There's just too much power available for normal UK road situations to ever need it.
Ah well...it continues to be my weekend car.
Appreciate what your saying, I would be happy to pay £5k for a really well maintained one in first rate condition. At that price it is still a bargain for what it is, compared to most other cars, like a £5k Fiesta etc. I get 35mpg on a run with my 4.4 740 sport as a result of my fanaticism but can't sell it for love nor money unless I dropped the price to sub-3k, which is the going rate for a (no) maintenance headache one. That's the problem with a well maintained one - you spend so much getting it in good shape and few people appreciate that even at 4 or 5k it would still be a bargain having refreshed it but I can't afford to keep it advertised all the time.
I've also never ever put my foot to the floor and used the kickdown (which I did do fairly frequently on the 735 I had). There's just too much power available for normal UK road situations to ever need it.
Ah well...it continues to be my weekend car.
I have owned one and know how good they are, but many will not see the 'value' as anywhere near that price, so as you say it will be very slow to sell for that money.
I would just keep it, I wish I had kept mine, it was Calypso red and one of the best cars i've ever owned, I can't recall why I sold it now. What else are you going to drive that is as good? Values, will firm up one day, if you keep it long enough, just look as Merc W116's now, even XJ s3 are £10k at Robert Hughes etc.
sir charge said:
What sort of mpg would be expected with one of these? Thinking about having one for my next car. I don't do that much mileage, but the journeys that i do are mainly quite short and sub 10-15 miles of a mixture of A road, B road and town driving.
On those sorts of journeys mine used to do around 21-24mpg, driven enthusiastically. So, lets say you did 5000 miles per year and averaged 23mpg over that period. With petrol at £1.35 per litre that equates to £1334.18, say the car cost £3k for a very good one, total = £4334.
Now, if you had spent £5k on a newer Fiesta type car that averaged, for example, 45mpg over the same distance. You would have spent £681.91 on petrol + the cost of car = £5681. Compared to £4334 for the BMW + petrol, I know which I would rather drive, it's not even a contest..
And before anyone bleats about parts/servicing/insurance. Parts are no more than any other car if you know where to get them from. Servicing is easily done yourself with basic tools, or by a cheap local mechanic and insurance is very cheap on a Classic car policy.
I have no idea why more people don't do this, but I am so glad they don't, as it really keeps the prices for these wonderful cars down!
theironduke said:
monthefish said:
Frimley111R said:
'Cheap runner'?????!!!!!!
Yes.Olf said:
I bought my E38 728i as a stand in for 6 months. Cost me £2,500 from a nice chap in Sunningdale, original owner. I kept it for two years because it was so bloody good. Couple of things went wrong but nothing major, ride comfort and quietness on the motorway were supreme. Kids used to fall asleep as soon as they got in it. A whisper conversation at 70mph on a concrete road was easy. Huge boot and reclining seats made it very practical. Sold it after two years having covered 20k for, yep you've guessed it £2,500. One of my all time best cars.
andSFan said:
My 728 (1999) cost £2200 last March and it's covered 18,000 miles since at 31.4mpg, including trips to Austria and the Czech Republic, where it Autobahn wafted at 100mph. Costs have been £1200 for a broken fanbelt, oil separator valve, two services and four tyres, which works out at £75 a month running costs, and negligible depreciation now it's on 127,000.
pSyCoSiS said:
theironduke said:
In the same way that Blenheim Palace is cheap to run....
Apart from fuel, they really aren't that bad.They're built properly, so don't go wrong often.
If you get a well-maintained example, from an owner that has cherished the car, then you should be ok.
Forget buying a boring new E90 320d! Buy one of these, and use 'some' of the left over cash to fuel it!
pSyCoSiS said:
Apart from fuel, they really aren't that bad.
They're built properly, so don't go wrong often.
If you get a well-maintained example, from an owner that has cherished the car, then you should be ok.
Exactly. And the fact that you can buy a complete working car for £999, means that spares are cheap and plentiful.They're built properly, so don't go wrong often.
If you get a well-maintained example, from an owner that has cherished the car, then you should be ok.
I rather think that insuring this particular car with undersized tyres will be difficult.
Indeed I'm not sure I'd want to go autobahn storming on tyres that might not be designed/rated for the non inconsiderable mass of a 7series.
interesting whether a dealer is selling a car unfit for the road
Indeed I'm not sure I'd want to go autobahn storming on tyres that might not be designed/rated for the non inconsiderable mass of a 7series.
interesting whether a dealer is selling a car unfit for the road
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