1994 US Spec 740IL What do I need to look for!?! PLEASE HELP!!!

[boozshey]

Thank god I found this forum...

I am going to look at a 1994 BMW 740IL tommorrow. Here is what I know from the owner... He's asking $15000 (WAY TO MUCH) I offered him $9000 and he said that we can definatly talk about that price. Though that sounds fishy, it's not... It's typical, I live in Germany right now but am in the USAF, people post their cars at outrageous prices all the time hoping some new airman will get sucked in and buy it for that much. Since that's not me... I didn't... anyways... Here is what I know...

81k Miles
Engine block was replaced.
Transmission was rebuilt.
New Radiator.
Back Drivers door lock was fixed from a sized motor or something.
AC Pump needs to be reinstalled (would be repaird per the contract)

Other than the the car looks nice, clean interior things like that. I will be going to test drive it tommorrow and get a better look at things then. But I want to be sure I don't over look anything. What kind of things should I be looking for?

[ibew595]

www.E38.org will have all the questions and answers you need. If you are buying it to import back home then talk to customs first. The cost to ship it to the east coast is about 1k unless you get to throw it on a C130 for free. Even at $9k seems high. See edmunds.com or kbb.com for pricing. Now for the balloon popper, you may spend up to $2.5k a year to maintain the car. Brake jobs are >600 if you DIY. If you do want a BMW 7 then wait until you get back, buy here and find a warranty.Fantastic cars to drive but hell to maintain.

[libertylover]

First let me tell you that I absolutely love my '93 740iL and believe it's worth every penny that I've put into it. My wife, who usually drives it, loves it as well. It's just soooooo smooth and refined in every way. I was provided a rented 2004 Cadillac when my van was in the shop for transmission repair and let me tell you, a 2004 Cadillac is nice, but "it ain't no 1993 BMW 740iL."

I mainly agree with ibew595. However, I believe a '94 is still an E32, not an E38 but E38 advice is still probably 95% applicable. Here's another link of what to look for for the E32: http://bimmer.roadfly.org/e32/messag...w14/54855.html

For reference I paid $7750 for my '93 740iL about a year ago but it had 113,nnn miles on it. And just like ibew595 wrote, I've had to spend around $2,000 to get it up to the shape where I like a car to be, which is damn near perfect.

-Driveshaft was a LITTLE out of balance so I had it replaced with a rebuilt one (I'm picky). ~$700 It's a difficult job at home because you have to drop a large part of the exhaust system. I paid 3 hours labor to have it done.

-Thrust Arm Bushings replaced: My tires were wearing badly, so much so that I had to replace them later. Another symptom is vibration when braking hard. Anyway, the Bushings don't cost much but it's a difficult job because there is little room to work and they are in there TIGHT. There's good help for doing this though. Also need a professional alignment.

-Valve Cover gaskets replaced. Again, cost is not that much but some tight working space. I have a good write up for doing it.

-I had to replace the brake pads after about 5k miles but that's normal wear and tear. Also the battery-same thing.

-My Check Engine Light came on/off at times and idled a bit rough. Replaced the Oxygen Sensors(2) and problem went away. Hint: use the Bosch website to find the correct sensors and then buy on ebay using that part number. Installation is DIY.

-Had to replace BMWs fancy version of PCV - had to remove the intake manifold. Cost was only about $100 for new gaskets but was fairly hard to do. Again, there's help.

-Replaced the fuel filters (there's 2). DIY for $40.

-I changed the transmission's liquid gold transmission fluid but since your's was rebuilt you may not have to. Try to find out if they used new fluid or re-used to old stuff. This fluid is expensive, ~$20/liter, so if you have the invoice you should be able to tell. If they re-used the old stuff you'll want to change it out around 100k even though BMW originally claimed in was a "lifetime" fill. This cost several hundred dollars.

-I changed the fluid in the differential. Not much cost but there is a tool issue.

Probably a few other things that I can't remember. Repeat: I love this car!

[boozshey]

So it looks like I will most likely be joining the 7 series family with this 740IL.

The military will pay for the transport so importing isn't a problem.

This guy is the second owner and is selling only cause he bought a 2002 750il Euro Specs. He said the motor that is in it is the E38 and M60 as far as the US is concerned. Also that the previous owner had the block swapped with the warranty. He couldn't provide any documentation on it, so we arranged to meet again on Monday and take it to a dealership to make sure, before I buy it. The car was appraised at 10990.00 So I guess it's an alright deal.

He did mention though that the AC needs the clutch to be installed and also that the heater fan needs to be replaced and we would work something out to get that fixed. Anyone have any idea on what either of those would intale? Thanks

[boozshey]

I just was doing some research cause I didn't know waht E38 and M60 meant. But isn't the E38 just the Chassis number?

[ibew595]

Aye, the E38 is the chassis for the 99+ and the M60 is a motor designation.

[libertylover]

No ibew595, that's not right.
E32 and E38 are chassis designators but
E32 is a 7-series car 1988-1994 in the U.S.
E38 is a 7-series car 1995-2001 in the U.S.
The 2002-on have designators of E65/E66 but I don't know the difference.

The M60 is the same 4.0 liter V8 that's in my '93. At some point ('96?) I know they went to an M62 which is a 4.4 liter V8. Correct me if I'm wrong.

ibew595, you seem to quite a photograper as well as electrician(?) and car buff.