1988 BMW 735i
Humble Tafari
Hello folks, I planning on buying a 1988 735i (3.5L 6-cyl) for 7.5K.
It's an auto (unfortunately) with 121K miles. It looks pretty good with no
visible faults. I want to know is this a good deal I'm getting.
Respect
Humble
--
" But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear: "
1Peter 3:15
http://www.ionet.net/~wildfire/
James M. Blaschak
Automatic transmissions are the the only type of transmission available
in 7-series vehicles.
The M30 motor is damn near bulletproof. At 121,OOO miles, assuming the
oil has been changed reasonably frequently, it should be expected to
last at least another 121K miles. 300K miles on the M30 is not unheard
of.
The numerous electrical gadgets on the car may (or may not) give you
fits, depending on your tolerance for non-functional items and/or your
technical acumen for diagnosis and repair.
"Visible faults" are not generally difficult or expensive to correct.
It's the invisible ones that will break your wallet. To detect an
invisible fault, you will need time and an experienced and un-biased
(i.e. doesn't work at the place that you're buying the car from)
technician who specializes in BMW general repairs. You want somebody
who knows the car from bumper to bumper.
Expect to pay for 2 to 3 hours of labor time at the prevailing shop
labor rate for this service. It will be worth it, and the current owner
of the vehicle might be willing to share in this expense.
If the price you quoted is in US Dollars, the vehicle is in the correct
range.
People from all over the world post here. Try to remember to include
your local medium of exchange and your locality next time. Let the
reader worry about the exchange rate.
-Jim
Humble Tafari
I live in Oklahoma City, and the car is in Oklahoma City as well. I saw it
at a used car lot (can't remember the name off-hand).
Thanks for your advice so far.
Humble
--
" But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear: "
1Peter 3:15
http://www.ionet.net/~wildfire/
James M. Blaschak <jbla...@ameritech.net> wrote in article
<351D99...@ameritech.net>...
Humble Tafari
Also, are they're any known traits I should look out for when I inspect
this car. This will be my first BMW, so forgive me if this is a silly
question.
Timothy
I have a 1988 735i and I think it is the best car I have ever owned...
however at 7500 there is probably something wrong with it...
Humble Tafari wrote in message
<01bd5ad6$9b90c820$f875...@wildfire.ionet.net>...
Tim Schreiner
Humble
If you would have any interest, I have an 84 533i available for sale in
the Denver area. Asking $ 3500
Please email me for more info, if interested
Tim Schreiner
Kevin Krooss
Timothy wrote:
>
> I have a 1988 735i and I think it is the best car I have ever owned...
> however at 7500 there is probably something wrong with it...
>
I bought the same car (1988 735iL) from a exotic car dealer on Long
Island last October for $12,000. 83K miles, very clean. Blue Book value
was $15,000. So $7,500 seems a bit too cheap to me also.
Cheak ALL the electronics. Read though the owner's manual and try all
the features. Check the computer, the guages on the dash, the power
seats front and rear, the seat heaters, the tilt and memory mirrors,
etc. Get the VIN number and go to a dealer and get the repair history
they have it on computer. Check the rear shocks for leaks, they are
hydrolic self-leveling shocks and expensive to repair. See if you can
get the dealer to pull the fault codes from the ECM. Depending on the
production month you may be able to do this yourself. Read the FAQs on
the Internet for more details.
Be sure your tranny is strong. It's several thousand for a rebuilt.
Check the trany fluid color, it should be clean. Smell the fluid, a
burnt smell is bad.
While you're at it join the 7 series regestry which is the definitive
(IMHO) source for 7 series info on the Internet. Check out their home
page they have tons of info there on these cars.
http://www.transarc.com/afs/transarc.com/public/fpb/html/bmw-7er/html/7-Series.html
But beware that reading their archives can be frightening. Remember that
most people post there when they have a problem so you'll see a lot of
problems and solutions. You can get the impression that the car is a
lemon.
I've driven 13,000 miles in my 735 since I bought it and have had a few
minor problems. Which were mostly bad contacts on connectors and cracked
solder traces on relays. Easy and cheap to fix if you are handy with a
soldering iron and a DVM. Get the electrical manual from Rod Sydney.
All in all this is the finest car I've ever owned. It is a wonderful
vehicle. The biggest problem is the cost of parts. Labor is high because
it's a BMW and you don't want Tommy down at the Shell station to be
working on it, it takes quite a bit of know-how to work on BMWs. But if
you're handy you can do most of the work yourself. The info is available
(again, read the BMW FAQ and join the 7 series regestry) but the parts
will always seem expensive unless you're used to BMW prices.
For example a left front brake caliper can cost over $300. But the
rebuild kit is under $20. Another piece of advice I was given... Fix the
little problems while they are still little. Don't let little glitches
pile up.
As soneone told me "This is a rich man's car". Hopefully either you're
rich or the person/s who owned it before you were rich enough to take
very good care of it. The maintenance bill can come down quite a bit of
you're handy and willing to learn. BTW I have NOT had many problems at
all. Just warning you of the pit-falls. The bright side is that this may
be the best driving machine you've ever owned and a pleasure every time
you get behind the wheel.
Bisham Singh
I had similar problems with my E28 520i.
It turns out that some solder contacts on the PC board that holds the
instruments was cracked. I took the instrument panel out (far easier
that it sounds), reheated all the contacts with a soldering iron, and
have had now problems since.
Bisham Singh
mar...@earthling.net wrote:
>
> I have a 1990 535 with 145,000. Over the past month or so
> my speedometer has started giving me problems. Specifically
> it stops working for a while. Usually, the speedometer will stop
> working then will work fine the next time I use car. The problem
[snip]
>
> I have been also having some strange readings from my
> temperature gauge lately. Sometimes when I am driving it
[snip]
Mike Brown
On 29 Mar 1998 05:47:09 GMT, "Humble Tafari" <wild...@nospam.net>
wrote:
>Also, are they're any known traits I should look out for when I inspect
>this car. This will be my first BMW, so forgive me if this is a silly
>question.
>--
> " But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
>an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
>with meekness and fear: "
>
>1Peter 3:15
>
I would have to disagree with those that cite a high maintenance cost.
If the car has been properly maintained by the previous owner(s) then
it should be okay. It does have a couple of weak spots:
The HVAC system - The compressor is a vane type, the advantage being
that it has linear output (it is as cold at idle as it is at high
speed) the downside is that it isn't quite as efficient as the typical
style and is a bit more fragile. The temperature knobs and selector
buttons tend to be a bit fragile as well, make sure the HVAC system is
working completely.
The OBC system - The On Board Computer is a frill so you can live
without it you need to. The temperature probe can go out so that it
reads -68 degrees and the light goes out so it's difficult to read.
The maintenance lamp - also a frill that can be ignored. The system is
run from two nicad batteries that keep the memory so it can track when
you need to change oil and other maintenance items. When the batteries
die then it always tells you to service the car.
There are also some wear items in the front suspension but there are
fixes for them once they wear out and you have to make sure that your
local tire place REALLY torques the wheels instead of using an air
gun, several replaced rotors will help you remember.
My engine (M30) currently has 223,000 miles on it and is still doing
quite well. My opinion may be biased but I consider the big bimmers to
be among the finest automobiles made (the smaller bimmers are great
too but I have a family so...)
If you need additional info, let me know.
--Mike B.
Mike Brown
On Sun, 29 Mar 1998 12:43:39 -0500, Kevin Krooss <k...@echonyc.com>
wrote:
>Timothy wrote:
>>
>> I have a 1988 735i and I think it is the best car I have ever owned...
>> however at 7500 there is probably something wrong with it...
>>
>
>I bought the same car (1988 735iL) from a exotic car dealer on Long
>Island last October for $12,000. 83K miles, very clean. Blue Book value
>was $15,000. So $7,500 seems a bit too cheap to me also.
>
>Cheak ALL the electronics. Read though the owner's manual and try all
>the features. Check the computer, the guages on the dash, the power
>seats front and rear, the seat heaters, the tilt and memory mirrors,
>etc. Get the VIN number and go to a dealer and get the repair history
>they have it on computer. Check the rear shocks for leaks, they are
>hydrolic self-leveling shocks and expensive to repair. See if you can
>get the dealer to pull the fault codes from the ECM. Depending on the
>production month you may be able to do this yourself. Read the FAQs on
>the Internet for more details.
>
Just a couple of quick comments, the 735i doesn't have self-leveling
suspension, just the long wheelbase 735iL. As for the tranny, it
shouldn't have many problems, the clutch burnup problem should be a
non-issue on all 1988 and newer vehicles. I've found that parts
prices, overall, aren't that much more than they are for the average
automobile these days.
Have you seen parts prices these days? An alternator for a late model
Sentra is around $350... not cheap huh! BTW, I have heard that it's
not too unusual to lose the memory board for the power seats, press
the memory button and hold it for a bit and see if the green light
comes on, if not it could be a problem if you want that feature.
BTW, if you want, I can do a tsb search and see if there is anything
unusual for that year model. Let me know via e-mail.
--Mike B.
sle
I agree, $7500 is probably too low. These are going around $10K these days.
Sle.
Humble Tafari
So I should pay a closer inspection on this car then if it's too low in
price?
Gee! I thought I was getting a good deal. But then the cheapest item always
ends out been the most expensive in the long run.
Humble
--
" But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear: "
1Peter 3:15
http://www.ionet.net/~wildfire/
sle <sher...@hotmail.comNOJUNKMAIL> wrote in article
<351F3316...@hotmail.comNOJUNKMAIL>...
Brett Anderson
My opinion is to save a few extra dollars and find a 90 or later. 88 and 89
models can harbour some nasty surprises.
--
Brett Anderson
BMW and ASE master technician
http://frontpage.bestweb.net/~bretta
To email me, go to the site above
Humble Tafari wrote in message
<01bd5bb0$a569fbc0$1775...@wildfire.ionet.net>...
Brett Anderson
James M. Blaschak wrote in message <351D99...@ameritech.net>...
>Automatic transmissions are the the only type of transmission available
>in 7-series vehicles.
>
Jim, the 7 series was available with a stick shift transmission until the
release of the V8. Not sure if you can buy an E38 728 with a stick, but I'd
bet you can , in Europe of course.
E23 and E32 models were sold in the US in manual form.
Brett Anderson
BMW and ASE master technician
http://frontpage.bestweb.net/~bretta
To email me, go to the site above
James M. Blaschak
I stand corrected!
I have a page from the BMW (North America edition) factory service
training manual that states that all 7 Series vehicles have automatic
transmissions. (That's where I got the info from.)
I'll scan in the page and e-mail it to you. Check out the rest of the
page for any other errors or omissions.
That'll teach me to believe everything I read!
Thanks, Brett!
James M. Blaschak
Re the reply below... Below the chart, there is a discaimer that
indicates that the chart only applies to the 1995 model year lineup. I
didn't read quite far enough.
Jeez... Replying to my own message... That's sad! Oh, well. I had a
rough weekend!
-Jim
Humble Tafari
What kind of surprises can the 88/89 7-series harbour?
Humble
--
" But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear: "
1Peter 3:15
<substitue "nospam" with "ionet">
http://www.ionet.net/~wildfire/
Brett Anderson <Got...@website.tomail> wrote in article
<6fpi68$fhb$1...@usenet51.supernews.com>...
> My opinion is to save a few extra dollars and find a 90 or later. 88 and
89
> models can harbour some nasty surprises.
> --
>
> Brett Anderson
> BMW and ASE master technician
> http://frontpage.bestweb.net/~bretta
>
> To email me, go to the site above
>
>
> Humble Tafari wrote in message
> <01bd5bb0$a569fbc0$1775...@wildfire.ionet.net>...
> >So I should pay a closer inspection on this car then if it's too low in
> >price?
> >Gee! I thought I was getting a good deal. But then the cheapest item
always
> >ends out been the most expensive in the long run.
> >
> >Humble
> >--
> > " But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to
give
> >an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in
you
> >with meekness and fear: "
> >
> >1Peter 3:15
> >
> >http://www.ionet.net/~wildfire/
> >
> >
Kevin Krooss
Humble Tafari wrote:
>
> So I should pay a closer inspection on this car then if it's too low in
> price?
> Gee! I thought I was getting a good deal. But then the cheapest item always
> ends out been the most expensive in the long run.
>
> days.
> >
> > Sle.
> >
> > Mike Brown wrote:
> >
> > > On Sun, 29 Mar 1998 12:43:39 -0500, Kevin Krooss <k...@echonyc.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > >Timothy wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >> I have a 1988 735i and I think it is the best car I have ever
> owned...
> > > >> however at 7500 there is probably something wrong with it...
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >I bought the same car (1988 735iL) from a exotic car dealer on Long
> > > >Island last October for $12,000. 83K miles, very clean. Blue Book
> value
> > > >was $15,000. So $7,500 seems a bit too cheap to me also.
> > >
Well, I paid $12K and it was worth it to me. With 3 month & 3K miles
coverage. Check out the car carefully. I had the dealer bring the car to
my mechanic (who happens to own a 87 745, the salesman at this dealer
also owns a 87 735!) He checked out the car, made a few suggestions as
to things that should be fixed, they fixed them all, I bought the car.
If you can't find anything really wrong with the car, buy it. But look
closely. Have someone who repairs BMWs check out the car. Even if it
costs you a few dollars, pay them to do it. It's worth it.
What kind of coverage are they offering you?
Kevin Krooss
James M. Blaschak wrote:
>
I have a page from the BMW (North America edition) factory service
training manual that states that all 7 Series vehicles have automatic
transmissions. (That's where I got the info from.)
>-------
There are some grey market imports around that may have sticks. But I
believe it's true that all US 735s were born as automatics.
Again, this is a great car. It's a fine luxury/performance car. What can
go wrong with them is basicaly anything that can go wrong with any car.
I do not think they are unreliable. I think they are as reliable as any
BMW, which is quite a bit better than your 1988 era American luxury
cars. But when things break you'll pay BMW prices for circa 1988 parts.
Aviod the dealer if possible but stick with OE and OEM parts.
Brett Anderson
The nastiest one is the vent control motors for the centre dash vent, the
brackets break causing hot air from one and cold from the other in most
instances. Repaired properly will give you a bill of around $1400
You have to remember that the 88 is the first of the body style, as a result
, there were teething problems, the 750 was worse as it was also the first
of that engine............
Chances are the vent motors have been fixed by now, but it may also be why
the price is low.
The cars also suffered some electrical problems which one would hope have
been fixed by now, 10 years later..
--
Brett Anderson
BMW and ASE master technician
http://frontpage.bestweb.net/~bretta
To email me, go to the site above
Humble Tafari wrote in message
<01bd5c78$9cd86460$c374...@wildfire.ionet.net>...
>What kind of surprises can the 88/89 7-series harbour?
>
>Humble
>--
> " But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
>an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
>with meekness and fear: "
>
>1Peter 3:15
>
><substitue "nospam" with "ionet">
>
>http://www.ionet.net/~wildfire/
>
>
>Brett Anderson <Got...@website.tomail> wrote in article
><6fpi68$fhb$1...@usenet51.supernews.com>...
>> My opinion is to save a few extra dollars and find a 90 or later. 88 and
>89
>> models can harbour some nasty surprises.
>> --
>>
>> Brett Anderson
>> BMW and ASE master technician
>> http://frontpage.bestweb.net/~bretta
>>
>> To email me, go to the site above
>>
>>
>> Humble Tafari wrote in message
>> <01bd5bb0$a569fbc0$1775...@wildfire.ionet.net>...
>> >So I should pay a closer inspection on this car then if it's too low in
>> >price?
>> >Gee! I thought I was getting a good deal. But then the cheapest item
>always
>> >ends out been the most expensive in the long run.
>> >
>> >Humble
>> >--
>> > " But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to
>give
>> >an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in
>you
>> >with meekness and fear: "
>> >
>> >1Peter 3:15
>> >
>> >http://www.ionet.net/~wildfire/
>> >
>> >
>> >sle <sher...@hotmail.comNOJUNKMAIL> wrote in article
>> ><351F3316...@hotmail.comNOJUNKMAIL>...
Humble Tafari
Hmmmm, I'll definitely look out for those areas you referred to. That
could explain why the price is so low.
Humble
--
" But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear: "
1Peter 3:15
<substitue "nospam" with "ionet">
http://www.ionet.net/~wildfire/
Brett Anderson <Got...@website.tomail> wrote in article
<6fri4o$8ln$1...@usenet50.supernews.com>...
Humble Tafari
Well I haven't spoke with them yet concerning coverage. Also, since I've
just moved to Oklahoma City, I don't really know any mechanics yet that
could inspect the car from me.
Humble
--
" But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear: "
1Peter 3:15
<substitue "nospam" with "ionet">
http://www.ionet.net/~wildfire/
Kevin Krooss <k...@echonyc.com> wrote in article
<35210E...@echonyc.com>...
> Humble Tafari wrote:
> >
> > So I should pay a closer inspection on this car then if it's too low in
> > price?
> > Gee! I thought I was getting a good deal. But then the cheapest item
always
> > ends out been the most expensive in the long run.
> >
> > > I agree, $7500 is probably too low. These are going around $10K
these
> > days.
> > >
> > > Sle.
> > >
> > > Mike Brown wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Sun, 29 Mar 1998 12:43:39 -0500, Kevin Krooss <k...@echonyc.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >Timothy wrote:
> > > > >>
> > > > >> I have a 1988 735i and I think it is the best car I have ever
> > owned...
> > > > >> however at 7500 there is probably something wrong with it...
> > > > >>
> > > > >
> > > > >I bought the same car (1988 735iL) from a exotic car dealer on
Long
> > > > >Island last October for $12,000. 83K miles, very clean. Blue Book
> > value
> > > > >was $15,000. So $7,500 seems a bit too cheap to me also.
> > > >
>
David M. DesRosiers
> Automatic transmissions are the the only type of transmission available
> in 7-series vehicles.
The '88 735i (US) was available with 5-speed transmission. Only about
2% were so equiped.
-dmd
Graham Gibson
> > Automatic transmissions are the the only type of transmission available
> > in 7-series vehicles.
>
> The '88 735i (US) was available with 5-speed transmission. Only about
> 2% were so equiped.
The current 7 series is available in some parts of Europe with manual
transmission (auto only for the UK).
unicorns...@gmail.com
Scott Dorsey
>I'm actually wanting to sale my 88 735I BMW. It needs a head gasket possibl=
>y. It just ran hot and I parked it cuz I had to buy a larger vehicle anyway=
>. I don't want a lot for it either although I've spent 1500$ on new parts a=
>nd garage repair. Engine is super clean and well maintenance when I was dri=
>ving it. I love this car. It drove perfectly and ran smooth as a beautiful =
>dream. Contact me if u want more details. Email me at tristenmason4@gmail.c=
>om. my name is Shawna.
What you didn't say, and what is one of the most important things, is where
you're located.
These cars are kind of notorious for electrical issues, and if they have
been kept in California they're apt to be a lot more reliable than if they
were kept in Massachusetts. But this is actually one of the more reliable
older 7-series cars, with an inline six instead of some of the crazier BMW
engines that went into later 7s. Like pretty much all BMWs, though, running
the engine hot is apt to have done some real damage.
Does it have an automatic or a manual transmission? Not a lot of these
were made with manuals and there is demand for manuals.
I'd find your local BMWCCA chapter and send them an email to put an ad in
their newsletter for it. You're selling it as-is so don't expect a lot of
money, but you can get it a good home with someone who will take care of it.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."