RE: BMW 740i (E38): Spotted

[anonymous-user]

BSSBMW said:

bmthnick1981 said:

The V12 of course shares its engine with a Rolls Royce.

Two different engines all together.

?? He means the old Seraph not the Phantom.

Some comparisons made with the E39 on this thread is relevant, unless you need that slightly extra room/refinement seek out a 5. I love the E38 and think it looks great, just at this level I think the S-Class is better, well not the 220, but still.

[Shiv_P]

It's a nice car but is it really 10ks worth?

[Wadeski]

Trouble with the Z3 was it just felt a bit....cheap inside. Maybe it was the re-used e30 bits, but it felt nowhere near as solid as a same-year larger BMW.

and it made the Boxster feel like it was from a different league.

[B17NNS]

Lovely thing.

Article said:

Nowadays Bangle's design looks rather smart

You having a Turkish?



BMW design seems to ebb and flow... Handsome saloon, another handsome saloon, BANGLE!

Okay, let’s go back to making handsome saloons, another handsome saloon, COMEDY CHINESE GRILLES!

Hopefully normal service will resume soon.

[XB70]

I've had a e38 750il. Very much a drivers car compared to a w140 and felt far smaller than it was.

it's not that spacious inside, particularly compared to a w150 lwb, and felt like a stretched 5 series.

Front seats with the upper folder lumbar section (can't remember the name) made for a very comfortable seat.

but....one of the most unreliable of all the cars I have ever owned. Air con problems, electrical problems, overheating, gobbled up suspension parts but to name a few. Went to have a look at one recently and it just felt old.

The w140 also had it's fair share of issues as a model generally but the coupes and sedans that I owned were great. they could also be hussled along B roads at a fair clip too but while the e38 definitely had the edge on that environment, it was left far behind on the natural environment of motorways and autobahns. You really could see where the money went on the w140s.

[2 GKC]

XB70 said:

I've had a e38 750il. Very much a drivers car compared to a w140 and felt far smaller than it was.

it's not that spacious inside, particularly compared to a w150 lwb, and felt like a stretched 5 series.

Not that spacious inside a long wheel base 7? It’s bloody enormous

[anonymous-user]

pSyCoSiS said:

Lovely car and the pinnacle of BMW quality in the mid-90s.

I've had most iterations of the E38, and they really are great cars. Drive better than the equivalent W140 S Class (of which I have also had a few), and definitely more of a driver's car compered to it's rivals.

Build quality is immense and they still feel solid at over 20 years of age.

Agreed, the E65/E66 is a better a better car to drive, but not as good looking as these old barges.

Good ones are only going up in price and they seem to all be disappearing now from the classifieds.

E65 is possibly one of the ugliest rear ends on any BMW ever made - I mean just look at it, not even it's mother could love it and it's no surprise they can be picked up for little more than the price of a packet of crisps these days.



Even my grandad who was a die hard 7 series fan skipped the E65 version. Not a patch on the lovely E32 or those that went before it.

[E65Ross]

Andy20vt said:

E65 is possibly one of the ugliest rear ends on any BMW ever made - I mean just look at it, not even it's mother could love it and it's no surprise they can be picked up for little more than the price of a packet of crisps these days.



Even my grandad who was a die hard 7 series fan skipped the E65 version. Not a patch on the lovely E32 or those that went before it.

They are, I'll admit, truly hideous from the rear. The front isn't too bad. The facelifted rear end is a marked improvement.

They are, however, leaps and bounds ahead of the E38 (and therefore the E32) to drive though. Quieter, more comfortable, less rolly-poly in the corners and the interior is, despite what some seem to think, very well laid out.

I think their low price isn't just the styling, it's the repair bills that also put people off

If you can get past the looks, their low price makes them an absurd amount of car for the money....many are dogs because they aren't looked after though.

[pSyCoSiS]

E65Ross said:

Andy20vt said:

E65 is possibly one of the ugliest rear ends on any BMW ever made - I mean just look at it, not even it's mother could love it and it's no surprise they can be picked up for little more than the price of a packet of crisps these days.



Even my grandad who was a die hard 7 series fan skipped the E65 version. Not a patch on the lovely E32 or those that went before it.

They are, I'll admit, truly hideous from the rear. The front isn't too bad. The facelifted rear end is a marked improvement.

They are, however, leaps and bounds ahead of the E38 (and therefore the E32) to drive though. Quieter, more comfortable, less rolly-poly in the corners and the interior is, despite what some seem to think, very well laid out.

I think their low price isn't just the styling, it's the repair bills that also put people off

If you can get past the looks, their low price makes them an absurd amount of car for the money....many are dogs because they aren't looked after though.

Disagree - personally i think the rear end is smart and outlandish, especially those LED rear lights. It seemed ungainly and unconventional at launch, but they have aged well. Each to their own though! They are very colour-sensitive, and that colour in the photo does it no favours. Silver or black works well.

Totally agree about the drive - they are leap years ahead of the E38 in that department. I had a 745i Sport in Titan Silver a few years back, and it had the Dynamic Drive option. That was a amazing drive and handled in a way a big car like that shouldn't.

And they are great value for money. I've seen a few for the £1500 mark, and even checked one out at that price, but didn't need it at the time, so decided not to go for it. So much car for the cash, but they are complicated bits of kit and expensive when they fail (CCC iDrive units, gearboxes, light control modules, etc).

Having said that, I would love a nice 760Li (which does have the Phanton engine). And what an engine that is! There is one on eBay, but a face-lift (E66) individual model. All the spec you can dream off, but the 260k mileage put me off (not that it affects the drive of the car, but the sell on value and will scare most people off). Here is the link. Looks amazing and I love that colour combo:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-7-Series-760LI-V12-...

Edited by pSyCoSiS on Thursday 2nd May 10:58

[LexyLex]

I had a 728i years back. Loved it. Stunning to drive, very comfortable and solid feeling. A really great car.

[Leins]

Andy20vt said:

E65 is possibly one of the ugliest rear ends on any BMW ever made - I mean just look at it, not even it's mother could love it and it's no surprise they can be picked up for little more than the price of a packet of crisps these days.



Even my grandad who was a die hard 7 series fan skipped the E65 version. Not a patch on the lovely E32 or those that went before it.

I think an E32 in particular is a thing of beauty, but I'm not all that averse to the looks of the E65. It's so out there in its ugliness that I quite like it

[XB70]

2 GKC said:

Not that spacious inside a long wheel base 7? It’s bloody enormous

It's a long car and with a long cabin but the roofline, curve in from the side from the windowsill means that it loses a quite a bit of space.

They look long and big until you park a w140 lwb next to it. That redefines enormous and with a huge amount of interior room

[cib24]

The fuel tank rusts on these quite badly, does it not?

[E65Ross]

cib24 said:

The fuel tank rusts on these quite badly, does it not?

Yes. Typically around the neck of the filler pipe.

[judas]

E65Ross said:

cib24 said:

The fuel tank rusts on these quite badly, does it not?

Yes. Typically around the neck of the filler pipe.

And on the bottom. Found that out the hard and expensive way

[cib24]

Can you swap a 5 series plastic tank in?

[E65Ross]

cib24 said:

Can you swap a 5 series plastic tank in?

No. It's a horse-shoe style shape on the 7 if I remember correctly, and a different (larger) capacity than the 5.

[strangehighways]

I had an E38 740i, bought cheap for a grand and had to deal with the fuel tank issue, which was £300 to find a second hand tank (hard work but got one eventually from Ireland I think), and it cost £450 to change (saddle tank requiring exhaust/propshaft etc to be removed). It was a great great car to drive and looked fantastic. Thread here....

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[C.MW]

B17NNS said:

Lovely thing.

Article said:

Nowadays Bangle's design looks rather smart

You having a Turkish?



BMW design seems to ebb and flow... Handsome saloon, another handsome saloon, BANGLE!

Okay, let’s go back to making handsome saloons, another handsome saloon, COMEDY CHINESE GRILLES!

Hopefully normal service will resume soon.

Or AMERICAN grilles? They love them just as much so why not? You know, PH being a global community of true car enthusiasts (I believe so) means it's sensitive to race.

[andy43]

pSyCoSiS said:

Disagree - personally i think the rear end is smart and outlandish, especially those LED rear lights. It seemed ungainly and unconventional at launch, but they have aged well. Each to their own though! They are very colour-sensitive, and that colour in the photo does it no favours. Silver or black works well.

Totally agree about the drive - they are leap years ahead of the E38 in that department. I had a 745i Sport in Titan Silver a few years back, and it had the Dynamic Drive option. That was a amazing drive and handled in a way a big car like that shouldn't.

And they are great value for money. I've seen a few for the £1500 mark, and even checked one out at that price, but didn't need it at the time, so decided not to go for it. So much car for the cash, but they are complicated bits of kit and expensive when they fail (CCC iDrive units, gearboxes, light control modules, etc).

Having said that, I would love a nice 760Li (which does have the Phanton engine). And what an engine that is! There is one on eBay, but a face-lift (E66) individual model. All the spec you can dream off, but the 260k mileage put me off (not that it affects the drive of the car, but the sell on value and will scare most people off). Here is the link. Looks amazing and I love that colour combo:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-7-Series-760LI-V12-...

Edited by pSyCoSiS on Thursday 2nd May 10:58

That's mega - as long as you reverse park against a wall. Nearly full dealer history and less than 4k so far. Like