Advice On Buying An E38 728I

[poshbloke]

Dear all

New here so hopefully I've put this in the right place. I'm new here and looking to buy a turn of the century 728 (or 740 but am worried about the extra expense) and would appreciate any advice.

I live in the London 'burbs, have a family and don't do a lot of miles, this would be a 2nd car, probably doing about 5000 pa.

I'm just concerned because, despite the low miles I'll be doing, I'm scared of buying something and it seriously backfiring on me if a gearbox or something goes.

Stories / experiences of others, costs etc much appreciated!

Thanks

[Guest DazH]

Quite a few 7ers here mate, so your asking the right people.

IF you are CLEARLY on a budget, you need to admit this to yourself quite early as there are some differences between the base 728i and the flagship 4.4ltr V8 one.

If you was to ask me, your safest bet is the 728i as the engine she has dropped in her is one of the BEST engines to ever grace this earth (If not THE best IMO). The M52 has power and reliability stamped into its block.

Saying that, sometimes in life you have got to just say; "Fack it, Im getting a V8".........

The 740i is just as reliable as the 728i (IMO) buuuut... it has more to go wrong like all premium versions of... well, anything I suppose. As long as you have your bag o' spanners and access to this forum, we will all chip in as much as possible to help you out if something happens

Daz

[SILVER SURFER]

hi there,i bought my e38 728i last year and i woundnt be with out her, its perfect eithier just for you or for when all the family are on board u can just cruise along or uve got the power there if you need it. the ride is lovely and comfortable even with a full car load.loads of room inside, plenty of space for eveyone and the boot is huge can get 2 peeps inside lol engine is bullet proof .running costs are just the same as any other car.you can get parts of ebay etc if you need too.just make sure when you buy one it has service history with it ....

[Guest Mister Dabsy]

Cannot argue with any of the above :D

Common issues are...

Leaking Power-steering pipes from res.

Pixelated computer display.

Air-bag light (Well documented here).

LCM - Light Control Module being sporadic and illuminating the lamps at random.

Comfort Relay - Giving issues with central-locking and window operation.

Factory Alarm - Is really great when it works LOL.

Fantastic cars... The 2.8 straight-six has plenty of balls to give the kids a scare... If you want RAW POWER then the V series petrols will even scare you, but be aware of the V-series as they are of the "Nikasil" variety and can often corode above the piston rings.

Aim for a 2000 ish model ;)

HTH (hope this helps)

[Jas]

My advice?

Buy one.

Fall in love with it.

Live happily ever after.

HTH :)

[Guest Mister Dabsy]

Likey likey Jas ;)

[Jas]

You know that's how all of us got ours! ;)

[kee1173]

+1 to all the aboves, i was looking for a 740 to start with but reading about the head gasket probs etc decided to get my 728i sport and absolutely love it, not bad on juice and still has a bit of get up and go. If you go to the tech guides forum, click on 7 series and i posted a site that gives you all the info on the 7 series, also a post on all the common problems but think dabsy covered most and not alot he dont know about 7 s

[SILVER SURFER]

totally agree with jas dabsy and kee1173,buy one fall in love with her and never look back, i bought mine last year and ive never looked back wouldnt be with out her and i use her as my everyday car :D

[poshbloke]

Brilliant, thanks all! I've found a 3-4 that I'm interested in. One has only 45k on the clock but only about 4-5 services in it's 17 years and a 7 year gap in services. Another looks perfect,with 60k on the clock and some gaps in the history but generally all there.

Have seen some others with mileage over 100k, which is not bad at all for the age and with a SH should be ok, I think. What sort of mileage do these cars do, if looked after?

I'm going to go 728i, I think, that'll be enough, I've 2 kids now so am a bit more sensible than I was!

[Jas]

Well mine's currently on 134k and still feels tight as a drum so don't worry too much about mileage! The M52B28TU engine is an incredibly well built engine!

[Guest Mister Dabsy]

Good choice, Paul... I hope I didn't discourage you with the common issues as these can apply to ANY vehicle TBH...

Be aware of the little-things like the two filters in the bonnet-lid, spare-wheel well filling with water because the boot-seals fail and the interior "fogging" because of the heater matrix/connections !! (Again, can apply to all vehicles)

The M50/M52 straight-six, have been well documented way past 300K (maintained of course!)... I've physically seen a '96 "P" with 370k and still mint !!

My Opinion of the E38 is that it's Long, Flattish appearance commands presence on the road... By far the most Iconic Flagship shape BMW made ! ( Effin' SWEET IMHO )

[Jas]

It turns heads as Dabsy says, the looks are something you'll never tire of.

Those lines are absolutely sublime, I've loved the car since it first came out and 10 years later I got one and I'm still not over it!

[kee1173]

Same here, always wanted a 7, especially the E38 as it such a stunning looking car, absolutely love mine, got the 728i Sport 2001 and she still turns head, but as dabsy and jas say its the way they sit, lovely and straight .........having a moment like in days of thunder when the old mechanic ( name right out my head) talking to the car as he is building her .....LOL

[SILVER SURFER]

totally agree with jas,dabsy and david :D there not as common as ya fords vauxhalls etc they turn heads where ever you go ,as there are the flapship of bmw,, luxury comfort and build quality :D i wouldnt be without mine,im on 177,000 and she is still going strong :D

[Guest Mister Dabsy]

If I had the spare cash to run another, I would never hesitate :)

[Jas]

I'd literally just have a fleet of them on my driveway... All of them in black with no front number plates... And tints!

[kee1173]

I have owned 318is at time 2 years old, 3 x 5 series starting with a H-plate 518- 2 years old, p plate 520 1 years old, 530d Mtech modded sport 05 at time 6 months old, 330 mtech sports convertable 02 plate 1 year old at time, X5 3.0 sport y plate 8 months old at the time and now got this gorgeous 7 series 11 years old, always loved the shape, dont know why when i had the money why i never bought one, but would honestly say out of all the BMWs i have had ( sure 1 or 2 missing) my 728i sport has got to be the best, for looks, how she drives, luxury everything......now just got to keep her in the A1 condition she is in with everything working....LOL

[SILVER SURFER]

I have owned 318is at time 2 years old, 3 x 5 series starting with a H-plate 518- 2 years old, p plate 520 1 years old, 530d Mtech modded sport 05 at time 6 months old, 330 mtech sports convertable 02 plate 1 year old at time, X5 3.0 sport y plate 8 months old at the time and now got this gorgeous 7 series 11 years old, always loved the shape, dont know why when i had the money why i never bought one, but would honestly say out of all the BMWs i have had ( sure 1 or 2 missing) my 728i sport has got to be the best, for looks, how she drives, luxury everything......now just got to keep her in the A1 condition she is in with everything working....LOL

ive had a E34 518i,E46 coupe ,E39 525I and now ive got me E38 728i wouldnt be with out her just got to get her spend a bit of time and money on her to get her back to A1 condition :D

[kee1173]

They are an awesome car :D

[Guest Mister Dabsy]

E38 over the newer 7's ANYDAY ;)

[kee1173]

+1 Dabsy, dont like the new shape, the E38 has to be the most perfect shaped car, rather than buy a new shape if i had the money would just make an old E38 immaculate in everyway and add the mods.......

[Guest Mister Dabsy]

Sub 200bhp (Standard) on an 1800kg Cruiser can be quite sublime, coupled with the "ride" experience can be something to ONLY admire... And she doesn't hesitate at the lights either... Many a boy racer has turned off in my mirrors in the past, and this from a 2.8 LOL ;)

But the fun starts when you get accustomed to the "Step-Tronic" box... Effin' mucho funny :lol: B) (NEW TYRES PLEEZ) LOL

[Guest DazH]

E38 has got to be my favourite BMW chassis. ANYTHING and I really mean ANYTHING newer then the E38 shape does nothing for me. Not even a wiggle. The newest BMW I will ever own is E38 all the way up to it was discontinued in favour of the E65

Of course this is only my opinion :)

[poshbloke]

Dear all

Thanks so much for your advice! Sorry for the delayed reply, work's been mad & I couldn't login for some reason for ages but anway....

I BOUGHT ONE! So pleased, can't wait to drive it again every time I park it up! It's a 2000(W) 728i, 122k and very nice so far (5 days!) I did a trip to the coast in it. Only issue is that the battery is dodgy, the dealer I bought it from were supposed to replace it, and they are going to.

Now I need to get it serviced, especially after the battery issue, I don't trust the dealer and it's not been stamped up for a couple of years, although does appear looked after & no lights on.

Am I well advised to use a proper BMW specialist? I used to have Saabs and found anyone who'd not been trained by them was pretty much incapable of doing a good job.