My monumentally moronic mega-miles 760Li purchase...
Discussion
J4CKO said:
I like that, but I would have thought half that money, if that, at that mileage ?
Like I said, it was an eBay auction and other people wanted the car too. It had already reached £5100 before I started bidding in the last ten minutes, and there was a minor bidding war to the end, which drove it up to £7750. The seller kindly gave me a £700 discount due to the idle misfire. Is 7k a bit much? Maybe, but that's market forces for you. Other bidders thought it was worth up to £7550, I had to beat that by £200 or lose the car.RoverP6B said:
Like I said, it was an eBay auction and other people wanted the car too. It had already reached £5100 before I started bidding in the last ten minutes, and there was a minor bidding war to the end, which drove it up to £7750. The seller kindly gave me a £700 discount due to the idle misfire. Is 7k a bit much? Maybe, but that's market forces for you. Other bidders thought it was worth up to £7550, I had to beat that by £200 or lose the car.
Those other bidders were his mates.Epic old car though.
Given his willingness to discount the car, giving me the opportunity to walk away from it (I refused), and fitting it with a new battery at no charge, I don't think so. Besides, if I'd dropped out, "his mates" would have been stuck with the bloody thing, unless it got relisted again... and I would have rung alarm bells at it being relisted multiple times over. Anyway, it's had the day off today, the weather is utterly foul here in the SW... pouring rain and gusting wind. Welcome to summer.
Don't be trying to piss on the OPs chips; maybe he could have got a car he didn't want as much in a colour he didn't like with a rubbish interior colour and saved a grand, but then he wouldn't like the car as much. It's almost impossible to sensibly price something like this as it's so rare, and the selling price is very dependent on who is shopping for such a thing at the time.
It's magnificent, kudos to the OP.
It's magnificent, kudos to the OP.
Valley pipe has been done quite recently (not at my expense, thank goodness!).
I wouldn't be surprised if someone else, like me, saw it when relisted and decided to bid on it. I wasn't bidding first time and I have to take my share of the responsibility for pushing the price up. As I said, the seller offered me a way out or a hefty discount when he discovered the misfire at idle and couldn't have been more helpful generally, so I really don't believe he was trying to push the price up. 7k is still a tiny fraction of the original value and the car has had that much and more spent on it in the last couple of years.
Did an 80-mile round trip on Monday, from near Launceston to Exeter and back, bit of winding country road, bit of traffic-jamming around Exeter, and miles of A30 in between... aside from that little misfire below 1000rpm or so, it didn't miss a beat all evening. I'd expected it to feel a little bit loose and tired at this mileage, but it just doesn't, not one bit. My nearest comparison would be with my 540i, which had 225k on it when the header tank blew - it was still very good to drive, but it did develop a few little rattles and clonks in the 10k I put on it. I still have that car, it's going to get fixed once the 535i is done and will then become my son's daily hack/crap-hauler, but I didn't have the luxury of time to get it back on the road before the 535i went in for (and inevitably failed) its MoT. Hence this.
Anyway, I've put about 200 miles on the big beast so far and reckon I've done alright. While I am by no means rich (even financially comfortable is a bit of a stretch), I've had other expenses in life recently that have cost me far more and have given me nothing back but a bitter aftertaste... if I paid a grand more for this car than might otherwise have been the case, well, frankly, it pales into insignificance in comparison.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone else, like me, saw it when relisted and decided to bid on it. I wasn't bidding first time and I have to take my share of the responsibility for pushing the price up. As I said, the seller offered me a way out or a hefty discount when he discovered the misfire at idle and couldn't have been more helpful generally, so I really don't believe he was trying to push the price up. 7k is still a tiny fraction of the original value and the car has had that much and more spent on it in the last couple of years.
Did an 80-mile round trip on Monday, from near Launceston to Exeter and back, bit of winding country road, bit of traffic-jamming around Exeter, and miles of A30 in between... aside from that little misfire below 1000rpm or so, it didn't miss a beat all evening. I'd expected it to feel a little bit loose and tired at this mileage, but it just doesn't, not one bit. My nearest comparison would be with my 540i, which had 225k on it when the header tank blew - it was still very good to drive, but it did develop a few little rattles and clonks in the 10k I put on it. I still have that car, it's going to get fixed once the 535i is done and will then become my son's daily hack/crap-hauler, but I didn't have the luxury of time to get it back on the road before the 535i went in for (and inevitably failed) its MoT. Hence this.
Anyway, I've put about 200 miles on the big beast so far and reckon I've done alright. While I am by no means rich (even financially comfortable is a bit of a stretch), I've had other expenses in life recently that have cost me far more and have given me nothing back but a bitter aftertaste... if I paid a grand more for this car than might otherwise have been the case, well, frankly, it pales into insignificance in comparison.
dme123 said:
Don't be trying to piss on the OPs chips; maybe he could have got a car he didn't want as much in a colour he didn't like with a rubbish interior colour and saved a grand, but then he wouldn't like the car as much. It's almost impossible to sensibly price something like this as it's so rare, and the selling price is very dependent on who is shopping for such a thing at the time.
It's magnificent, kudos to the OP.
Seconded.It's magnificent, kudos to the OP.
Great car OP, enjoy that fantastic V12.
Re the misfire. Mine had one, (similar by the sound) which baffled everyone who had a look at it, so finally I took it to a main dealer. It was two sensors in the end, but I’m abroad, so don’t have the bills to hand to review.
It started out as a hiccup at idle, but got progressively worse - to the point where any sort of progress was a juddering mess until it ‘cleared’ - at which point the throttle was usually at high demand, so you’d shoot off down the road like a 1st lesson learner driver.
If I remember, I’ll dig the invoice out on Friday & post the part numbers.
It started out as a hiccup at idle, but got progressively worse - to the point where any sort of progress was a juddering mess until it ‘cleared’ - at which point the throttle was usually at high demand, so you’d shoot off down the road like a 1st lesson learner driver.
If I remember, I’ll dig the invoice out on Friday & post the part numbers.
Thanks, that would be useful. I've learned most of the M54 and M62 foibles, but this N73 and the level of tech it embodies is a whole 'nother level for me. I'm betting it's just a knackered O2 sensor or somesuch... kind of to be expected with a car this age. It was definitely running a wee bit rich at cold start on Monday, with a bit of a smell of unburnt petrol, which was totally gone by the time it was warmed up, and did not reoccur on either one of two restarts in Exeter - I'm guessing there was a fair bit of residual heat there, whereas on the first start it hadn't run in about 90 hours.
I had it parked right next to the west end of the cathedral (I'd popped in for Evensong while my younger son did a bit of shopping nearby), but the weather was so utterly miserable that there was no point trying to photograph it...
Oh, one other little thing - the wheel centre badges are starting to peel off, and the O/S rear one actually has come off (I retrieved it just before it fell off). Is there an easy fix for this? They're all a bit faded and yellowed too. A new set wouldn't go amiss, but I wouldn't want to have to buy new centre caps as the plastic is fine. A wheel refurb will also be on the cards at some point as the rims are pretty scuffed, and I need to get the bonnet stone chips sorted (they're down to bare metal), and there's the question of the peeling lacquer on the rear bumper where it adjoins both wheelarches... ah, but I'm relieved it isn't too pristine, I'd be paranoid about using it. Aside from that one wheel centre badge, it has yet to deteriorate in my custody, but my cars do have a habit of picking up scratches...
I had it parked right next to the west end of the cathedral (I'd popped in for Evensong while my younger son did a bit of shopping nearby), but the weather was so utterly miserable that there was no point trying to photograph it...
Oh, one other little thing - the wheel centre badges are starting to peel off, and the O/S rear one actually has come off (I retrieved it just before it fell off). Is there an easy fix for this? They're all a bit faded and yellowed too. A new set wouldn't go amiss, but I wouldn't want to have to buy new centre caps as the plastic is fine. A wheel refurb will also be on the cards at some point as the rims are pretty scuffed, and I need to get the bonnet stone chips sorted (they're down to bare metal), and there's the question of the peeling lacquer on the rear bumper where it adjoins both wheelarches... ah, but I'm relieved it isn't too pristine, I'd be paranoid about using it. Aside from that one wheel centre badge, it has yet to deteriorate in my custody, but my cars do have a habit of picking up scratches...
Regarding your wheel centres, I bought these for my 3 Series.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001AV4CNO/ref...
They look right, but I doubt they are genuine. Still at that price I'll just buy some more if they start to look tatty!
You might want to check the size though.
Off-topic I know, but judging by your user name I'm guessing you've had barges for years! Loved my old P6B 3500S back in the 70s.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001AV4CNO/ref...
They look right, but I doubt they are genuine. Still at that price I'll just buy some more if they start to look tatty!
You might want to check the size though.
Off-topic I know, but judging by your user name I'm guessing you've had barges for years! Loved my old P6B 3500S back in the 70s.
I was 27 when I bought my Mexico Brown 3500S TTS874M in 1984. Ran it as my daily for eight years until tinworm and lack of rear belts made me take it off the road. Stupidly stored it in a damp leaky lockup until 2008 when I eBayed it as a terminally rotten engine donor.
My other cars:
First car: my father's Humber Sceptre Mk2, ex-demo with a very high compression engine and hairy cam... refused to run properly on anything less than five star.
Then a Mk3 Cortina 1600E, also had some use of my father's 2-litre (which ended up becoming a parts donor for mine before I sold it)
Then a Mk2 Capri 1600E which got stolen and burnt out
Then the Rover
Got married, Mrs P6B then had a base model Peugeot 205 D96 PGO which I also drove. Glorious chassis with no power at all. It got traded in for a 1.4 Roland Garros with 72bhp - a bit peppier.
Then Mum died and I inherited the Volvo 340 she'd bought after Dad's demise ten years previously. I ragged the crap out of the little beige snotter, redlining it in every gear just to make progress, for about 18 months, until it sheared a half-shaft and I decided to get rid of it, sold it to my mechanic who fixed it and then foisted the bloody thing on a bell-ringing friend of mine...
It's been BMWs ever since. Replaced the Volvo with the E30 318i Touring G508EVP. Replaced the Roland Garros with the E46 318i Touring V188DPH - quarter of a ton heavier than the E30 but no more power and no more space. Total moneypit, got written off when hit from behind while static by a schoolteacher on her phone in a VW Polo. Should have learned my lesson. Replaced the E30 with the first of three E39s, all of which I and MrsP6B still have, and each of which has presented the odd eye-watering bill (the 520i 2.2 Touring is on its second engine, the 540i Touring [an SE auto but with Sport suspension, diff & high-stall torque converter] is about to be, and the 535i has had a gearbox rebuild), but otherwise cost us bugger all. At times we only had one car on the road, but we're now up to three (she has the 520i Touring and an E64 630Ci drophead) with a fourth (my 535i) due back in days, and the 540i (currently in MJF's yard in Surrey) as a medium-term project... and my solution to all of this is to buy another even more complex and expensive BMW for a tiny fraction of its original value? I must be mad.
My other cars:
First car: my father's Humber Sceptre Mk2, ex-demo with a very high compression engine and hairy cam... refused to run properly on anything less than five star.
Then a Mk3 Cortina 1600E, also had some use of my father's 2-litre (which ended up becoming a parts donor for mine before I sold it)
Then a Mk2 Capri 1600E which got stolen and burnt out
Then the Rover
Got married, Mrs P6B then had a base model Peugeot 205 D96 PGO which I also drove. Glorious chassis with no power at all. It got traded in for a 1.4 Roland Garros with 72bhp - a bit peppier.
Then Mum died and I inherited the Volvo 340 she'd bought after Dad's demise ten years previously. I ragged the crap out of the little beige snotter, redlining it in every gear just to make progress, for about 18 months, until it sheared a half-shaft and I decided to get rid of it, sold it to my mechanic who fixed it and then foisted the bloody thing on a bell-ringing friend of mine...
It's been BMWs ever since. Replaced the Volvo with the E30 318i Touring G508EVP. Replaced the Roland Garros with the E46 318i Touring V188DPH - quarter of a ton heavier than the E30 but no more power and no more space. Total moneypit, got written off when hit from behind while static by a schoolteacher on her phone in a VW Polo. Should have learned my lesson. Replaced the E30 with the first of three E39s, all of which I and MrsP6B still have, and each of which has presented the odd eye-watering bill (the 520i 2.2 Touring is on its second engine, the 540i Touring [an SE auto but with Sport suspension, diff & high-stall torque converter] is about to be, and the 535i has had a gearbox rebuild), but otherwise cost us bugger all. At times we only had one car on the road, but we're now up to three (she has the 520i Touring and an E64 630Ci drophead) with a fourth (my 535i) due back in days, and the 540i (currently in MJF's yard in Surrey) as a medium-term project... and my solution to all of this is to buy another even more complex and expensive BMW for a tiny fraction of its original value? I must be mad.
jimmytheone said:
Op said: 201,003 miles at its first MoT in November 2008
How the feck? That’s over 500 miles every day for a year!
Looks comfy
I've been asking myself the same thing! 67,001 miles a year or getting on for 5600 miles a month, about 1290 miles a week on average, or north of 183 miles a day every day throughout those three years... I would love to have more history on this beast, and especially what it was up to then.How the feck? That’s over 500 miles every day for a year!
Looks comfy
Mr E said:
How do you sit down with balls that big?
Thanks, but it isn't balls so much as some insane man-maths, perverse logic and my sons going DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! ...and it wasn't actually me bidding on the car at the time, but my elder son, who had decided we needed the car regardless of my trepidatious protestations! At least the 540i I actually agreed to buy simply because (after haggling on price) it was cheaper than the gearbox rebuild on the 535i... but even then, only after a lot of persuasion, nagging and man-maths on my sons' part (particularly the elder one).In fact, it was he who found all three of the E39s for me. The last conscious purchase decision I made myself was the E46, and that proved something of a disaster! Even then, elder son (then 10 years old) had some input, and was trying to drag his parents towards the E39 528i Tourings... but MrsP6B was then a committed small car person, wanted an R53 Mini Cooper instead, and the E46 was the compromise we had to agree...
Edited by RoverP6B on Thursday 13th June 00:06
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