Considering 1999 740i

[Al Gray]

I am considering the purchase of a 1999 740i. My 1992 525i runs well but has 183,000 miles and needs a few minor repairs such as door panels and and a cat-back exhaust as the original is still on the car.

My question is this: What repairs and what kind of service needs should I have in the future for a 1999 740i? I have located a nice 1999 740i in Cosmos Black that looks to be in pristine condition. I have perused the car from the outside and talked to the sales manager on two occasions. He assured me that I can have my own mechanic check the car. I will also do a car fax to make sure there are no untold tales. The car has a beige leather interior also in pristine condition and many desireable options. The mileage is 68,000 and the asking price is $18,900.

What other questions should I be asking about the car and what are your impressions of this opportunity. I am a 58 year old financial advisor/insurance agent. I have always liked the 740i but refuse to pay for it new since I will have two sons in college shortly.

I would appreciate any and all responses regarding this opportunity.

Best regards,

Al Gray

[Interceptor]

I am considering the purchase of a 1999 740i. My 1992 525i runs well but has 183,000 miles and needs a few minor repairs such as door panels and and a cat-back exhaust as the original is still on the car.

My question is this: What repairs and what kind of service needs should I have in the future for a 1999 740i? I have located a nice 1999 740i in Cosmos Black that looks to be in pristine condition. I have perused the car from the outside and talked to the sales manager on two occasions. He assured me that I can have my own mechanic check the car. I will also do a car fax to make sure there are no untold tales. The car has a beige leather interior also in pristine condition and many desireable options. The mileage is 68,000 and the asking price is $18,900.

What other questions should I be asking about the car and what are your impressions of this opportunity. I am a 58 year old financial advisor/insurance agent. I have always liked the 740i but refuse to pay for it new since I will have two sons in college shortly.

I would appreciate any and all responses regarding this opportunity.
E38 is a nice car, but it's much more expensive to maintain than an E34 M50 you currently have. If you do buy it, I hope you'll keep the E34.

Btw., what is cat-back exhaust?

[Kalevera]

1) If you thought the front suspension components on the E34 are a "bad design", get ready for lots of fun with the rear setup (as well) on any E39 or E38. In particular, there are a set of bushings in the rear lower control arm that go south and are a pain to replace. Only LOW mileage cars seem to not have the problem -- every single higher mileage E38 or E39 that I've seen seem to have bad ones (unless we'd replaced them recently). To test: get the car up on a lift. From the inboard side of the chassis, push/pull back and forth on the lower part of the tire. There should be zero play at the lower bushings.

2) These cars eat cooling systems. The V8s operate at a higher temperature than your 6. That, and the significant use of plastic in the cooling system, means that the car needs a radiator every few years. I seem to end up replacing EVERYTHING -- water pump/tstat & housing, hoses, expansion tank, radiator, radiator cap -- at the same time because they tend to blow up.

3) Dash module, not to mention other electrics. But the check control in all E38/39 cars seems to lose pixels and requires a fix or replacement. Radios, body control modules, and the like all seem to die, as well (the car contains more controllers than your E34), and they're all still very expensive to fix or replace.

Having said all of that, the E38 is generally a well put together car, and I think the interior fit and finish are on par with the E34. I just haven't seen any well cared for 200k+ cars yet, so I can't say for certain.


best, whit

[Alexlind123]

A "cat-back" exhaust, i believe, refers to the exhaust components to the rear of the catalytic converter.

[liquidtiger720]

Listen to whit. haha.

We didnt have to worry about too many problems because we got ours with only 35k, but it still needs new pixels, a cps, and the passengerside mirror is funky. Sometimes it works- when you park, sometimes it does. The memory for that side is also bunked. It keeps turning itself in, when its not suppose to.

safe to say. the electronics suck. We bought the car out on a limb, $25,000 740i with 35,000 miles. I wish we could have done a ppi, but time didnt let us. Get a Pre purchase inspection!

[Interceptor]

A "cat-back" exhaust, i believe, refers to the exhaust components to the rear of the catalytic converter.
So, basically, he means front + rear silencer together with the pipes? I didn't know there's a need to specify "cat-back" exhaust since in front of the catalytic converter there are only exhaust headers which stay stock in 99% of the cars. :)

[SRR2]

The exhaust system from the catalytic converter back to the tailpipe. Cat(alyst) -> back.

[gtopaul]

you should be safe for a while. Expect to pay for front end around 90-110k miles, cat convertors can go any time but check to see if they have been done already. Missing pixels in instrument cluster display and radio display common. Thermostat, water pump, radiator, intake gaskets, PCV valve, PS hoses, and bad coils all areas that are problematic. Double check windshield glass to see if it's been replaced because noise is usually a by product of a poorly sealed windshield. The only E38's I recommend are the 99-01's because they're the best of the bunch but they still have their issues. Personally, the only one I'd own is a 00-01 Sport model. :-)

Paul L

[Al Gray]

you should be safe for a while. Expect to pay for front end around 90-110k miles, cat convertors can go any time but check to see if they have been done already. Missing pixels in instrument cluster display and radio display common. Thermostat, water pump, radiator, intake gaskets, PCV valve, PS hoses, and bad coils all areas that are problematic. Double check windshield glass to see if it's been replaced because noise is usually a by product of a poorly sealed windshield. The only E38's I recommend are the 99-01's because they're the best of the bunch but they still have their issues. Personally, the only one I'd own is a 00-01 Sport model. :-)

Paul L


Do you have any other sources or web sites that I could go to? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am still happy with my E34 but I have a couple issuses notably a transmission fluid leak that I have had since owning the car this past five years. I still runs great but needs some help with the ussual bings and bongs of owning an E34.

[shogun]

Yes,
ask the boyz at the E38 board
http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/e38/

Tips and tricks
http://www.e38.org/

[emw525E34]

Hi Whit,

Your second point is enough to turn any potential owners away from the E38!. "They tend to blow up" meaning the cooling system is a rather nasty experience for most becuase such things tend to happen in a "Murphry" scenario.

If I were Al, I would not touch it with a barge pole!.

Go E34 with M50 motor, I would say. A nice balance of fuel consumption/power and relatively similar in luxury. Go E34 Touring, for more internal and trunk space!.