BMW E38 740il...the good, the bad....questions for the Pelican Brain Trust

[Drago]

I'm looking at buying a BMW E38 740il to replace my Targa as the daily driver.

Does anyone here know anything about these beasts?

The good, the bad, the ugly...anything at all.

Things to look for, etc...

I checked the Pelican BMW 7-Series page but after the 7th tumble weed blew by I gave up and came here.

Oh, a little more detail on the car:

Year: 2001 (is this the last year of the E38?)
Color: Silver of course
Interior: Full leather in medium gray.
Miles: Just turned 59K
Options: Sport package (whatever that entails I don't know besides some extra body work) and 19" wheels.

Asking $26K but the seller is a good friend of our neighbors...they've indicated they'd be willing to deal on price.

One last question, does this year have I-Drive???

[arcsine]

Looks as fun as a family barge can be but have heard they melt down in expensive ways.

[RickM]

IMO one of the best sedans ever made. You'll get a very quick, comfortable vehicle that has just the right balance of sport/luxury ride dynamics and driver feedback...especially through the steering wheel. I've never driven a car that achieves this combination so well.

That said they can be expensive to maintain. A few quirky problems like steering column bushings and rear privacy screen gear failure.

The Roadfly forum is one of the best out there with lot's of info. http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e38/

BTW, I speak for the 8 and not the 12 (750). I also think the price is a bit high.

[svandamme]

get an older E32 735 straight 6,them buggers are indestructible
we had 2 of those in our family , both went 5 times around the clock, and then the clock failed...


299 999 km's... times 5 you do the math

btw, they kept running after that
one still does, one got totalled by a tractor with a big load of manure (what a way to go)

those engines had not been opened
worst failure i can remember was a busted radiator...

very comfortable car for long cruises, the seats are probably more comfyr then those in your living room ...

btw, and you can drift those barges , has to be wet
and it's VERY scary

[RickM]

I-Drive started with the newer 745 series.

[kaisen]

Had a 2000 e38 750iL.
Look for any displays that have dead pixels: radio, climate control, odometer, etc. You cannot fix them, you have to buy new units.

By 2001 the major mechanical stuff was good.
You will go through front suspension components like crazy.
Radiators go regularly, but they're not too expensive.
Mostly electrical crap.

The 2001's usually had the 'widescreen' navigation which is a plus. There are quite a few european 'firmware' updates for back-up cameras, bluetooth, dvd/tv, etc.

They are very complex cars. If something breaks, it will be painful.
I am done with BMW. Never say never, but no time soon.

E

[RickM]

Originally posted by arcsine
Looks as fun as a family barge can be but have heard they melt down in expensive ways.

Are you referring to the premature cylinder failure?

FWIW, the 4.0 Nikasil based engine was recalled from 1993 through 1995 1/2 on 740s and 540s. This includes the newer body style (E38) 7 series. The replacement engine had Alusil cylider linings..that solved the problem. Apparently the excessive sulphur content in US gas caused excessive cylinder wear.

The 2001 has the 4.4l engine and was not involved in the recall. It was also the last year for the E38.

[RickM]

Originally posted by kaisen
Had a 2000 e38 750iL.
Look for any displays that have dead pixels: radio, climate control, odometer, etc. You cannot fix them, you have to buy new units.

By 2001 the major mechanical stuff was good.
You will go through front suspension components like crazy.
Radiators go regularly, but they're not too expensive.
Mostly electrical crap.

The 2001's usually had the 'widescreen' navigation which is a plus. There are quite a few european 'firmware' updates for back-up cameras, bluetooth, dvd/tv, etc.

They are very complex cars. If something breaks, it will be painful.
I am done with BMW. Never say never, but no time soon.

E

Yup, they're heavy cars. On the E32 the front thrust arm bushings were pretty much a regular replacement item but were relatively inexpensive and pretty easy to do.

Here are recalls on the 2001 http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-recalls/67-int/2001/bmw/7-series/740i/index.html


Here's some interesting reading: http://my750.com/

[kaisen]

Nikasil issues were pretty much isolated to the 1995's. The '01 V8s were pretty bulletproof.

[kaisen]

www.e38.org is the best 7 specific site. Lotsa good info.

[Phat Ham]

The e38, like any luxury sedan, depreciates like a rock. Do you need the size of the 7 series? If not, why not take a look at the e39 540? It has the same silky smooth V8 as the 740 and can be had with a 6 speed manual. Similar year and condition 540s and 740s are around the same price (actually the 540 might be more expensive even though it was $20k cheaper when new ). Both can be found in the teens these days. Keep in mind that the 740 was a $70k car when new, so when stuff breaks you're paying for parts on a $70k car.

The sport package includes shadowline trim around the windows, sport seats, the 3-spoke steering wheel, steptronic tranny, sport suspension, and I'm sure some other things I'm forgetting.

Things to look out for: The M62 motor's valve cover gaskets will probably start leaking soon if they haven't already. The radiator will probably give up the ghost between 60k-80k miles, so it would be smart to go ahead and replace it, along with the rest of the cooling system while your'e at it. I think the cats tend to go on these cars, too, but they are covered up to 8 years/80k miles by law. At 59k miles this particular car is coming up on Inspection II (60k mile maintenance) which is a big one. On my old 540/6 I was quoted about $900 by a dealer and $650 by an independent; I'd imagine it's a little more for the 740.

You might be better off finding one with a little more miles on it that's had all the maintenance issues taken care of.

[kaisen]

Originally posted by Phat Ham
You might be better off finding one with a little more miles on it that's had all the maintenance issues taken care of.

I'd buy a well maintained high-miler just because they are disproportionately cheaper. No one wants high mile luxury cars, even though we all know they go lotsa miles these days.

E

[trj911]

I had an E38 and loved it. I put 100k+ miles on it in my 7 years of ownership and fount it to be very reliable. The problem areas were in the radiator and coolant connectors but they were all corrected with the later models. I had the iL and enjoyed the room. It had nice power and a great ride. Gas mileage was 20-21 overall. No major problems and no major repairs either.

[DavidSoine]

A link on e38.org will take you to:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/e38/

Which is the best forum for the car. Tons and tons of traffic and info.

It's a great car if you can bear the maintenance. The interior space is superior to a 5 series if you want/need it. We've put about 85k miles on ours (now at 191k) and it is still a fantastic car.

Maintenance costs are significant. There are several well known, mileage related failures - plenty of info on the above sites if you want to DIY or you will be well armed on a visit to the mechanic or $tealer.

Don't pay too much for one! They are unbelievably cheap to buy used - due to the maintenance costs which scare most folks away. But anyone on this board already knows about high maintenance costs and should not be shocked!

best,

Dave
99 R11S
97 740iL

[dan79brooklyn]

LOVE the looks of the 740i sport (non long wheelbase version).
I probably would never get the chance to own one but if I had the $$ and the inclination towards owning a large v8 automatic sedan I would prefer it over a new car. still very theoretical question but I admire the car and the taste of someone who drives one.