19 year old in search of a 7 series

[whatcha/got/racer]

ay im new to 7 series im 19 and i want a car that is kind of cool and a decent performer and the car that im attracted to is a 97 7 series ive seen them in places for anywhere from 10,999 to like 15,000 i love the 7 series style is there any info i can extract anyone that will aid in my search or should i move on to another car. thanks for any info.

[ibew595]

Look at E38.org
It's a great car and I hope you have enough $$ to maintain one of these. It does take quite a bit .

[whatcha/got/racer]

$$ is limited but if i can do the work i doubt it could be to bad this is being optimistic. thanks for the web site.

[zdude]

work is expensive, but so are parts.
just to install a heater core in my 85 (yeah a big difference in years) i had to tear out the whole dash, there are so many wires and other shit in there. the car started running wierd, and i never did figure out what was wrong with it.
the seven and five series are, so i heard, the most complicated of the bmw series'. i dont know much about them, but i know that they are a pain in the ass to work on. im only 17 with decent experience for my age, and i know for a fact that these cars are a pain in the ass to work on compared to say a corolla, or a nissan 240sx. one thing id say to invest in is a very good shop manual.

-2 cents

[ibew595]

But.........
would a Toyota or Nissan save your ass in a head on or drive like 735?

[whatcha/got/racer]

the car is a big body and on the websites that ive been through teh issues are as follows the radiator at 100,000 the tie rods, and trans filter.

[zdude]

Originally Posted by ibew595

But.........
would a Toyota or Nissan save your ass in a head on or drive like 735?

haha. no probably not. i have to say though, i did enjoy driving the nissan more than the european sedan. maybe its because i had the nissan longer and 'grew one with the car' but the 735 was hard to control and spun out very easily. it was an automatic, and a very big car, but i didnt like the roll and feel of it overall. it definetly had some balls ill tell ya that, and it did corner well, but i like the rigid feel of a small sports coupe. the corolla has nothing i want in an enjoyable car, but it gets me around till i ship out. once i have some cash layin around, ill buy myself a decent car. besides, the systems of the euro sedan are way different. same concepts, different technology. it took me two weeks just to figure out the OBC. i guess a good shop manual would have helped. and a good and busy forum just playin

i am a small guy, and the big comfy leather seats with so much room it was almost too much. i usually drive alone to school about a half hour away and work is 20 minutes, its boring, i like the feel of a smaller car.
again, i had 3 small cars before the big un so i was used to it. and i drove the nissan 3 times as long.
again, my two cents.

[Antiburn]

If you plan on doing any maitnence at a dealer expect to get owned by them. If your gona do it yourself and save that 100$ per hour charge its not that bad. One problem with the 7's are the cooling systems like said before. Water pumps are a major thing, havent heard much about radiators going at 100k but its possible. If your doing all general maitence then these cars are cake to work on. Ofcoruse if you have the correct tools it is. If your starting to get into the computers and electonices of these cars good luck trying to figure it out with out a scan tool or a BMW DIS machine.

if your willing to spend this kind of money on a 7 why not buy a 540 with a 6 speed? Its the same engine as the 7 but a little smaller car. Becides theres less crap your need to replace on a 5 then a 7.

[whatcha/got/racer]

Taken that having a car that is lite and responsiveis fun but haveing the big bodied bmw its kind of a family issue to having this car would be a boost. i drive an 85 chevy blazer and im working on a 72 mgb. the 5 series would be nice but it doesnt have the presences that the 7 has. if the price is right then decisions can be made. i used to big vechiles i can but them pretty much any where and i know there

[whatcha/got/racer]

little cars are fun to drive the descion come from knowing that i will be transporting my family around. im used to big vehicles i drive a 1984 chevy blazer with 33 inch tires and i get that truck sideways on occasion the police think its on accident but no its just fun putting a huge vehicle sideways the reactions are priceless when the big suv doesnt roll . my 72 mgb is the sporty auto cross vehicle. im worryed about the computer on a bmw im used to carburators so im defintelly afraid but if anyone knows of any guides let me know.

[maxexec]

I bought a 1989 735i with just 47,000 miles on it. It has been sitting in storage for the past couple of years. This is the second 7 series I have ever owned, my first was a 750, i fell in love with that car. Upkeep on these type of cars, as with most european cars, are sometimes unbearable. So if you are a 19 y/o, like i was with my first 7 series, be prepared to spend some money, even if you are mechanically inclined.