Buying A Bmw E32 730I 1994. Need Pointers!!!

[ssahank]

hey guys. thinking of buying a 1994 E32 BMW 730i. can u give me some pointers on what to look out for and also whether this model would be a wise buy if the car had done 70k. also it would be greatly appreciated if u could tell me the price that it would go for if the car was in mint condition. thanks. cheers!!

[VVTi]

Is this the Maroon colour car that has been in the market for quite a while? Best bet will be to get the reg number and check with the agents and Milroy to get an idea of its service history. A car that has only 70K on teh clock after 17 years will have its own unique set of problems. IMHO, for an old car thats not a good thing. Also, this will have the 5 speed ZF Auto and trust me on this, when a ZF busts, you will cry... ask me how I know...

But having said that, if you really really want it, and is prepared to fork out a bit of money, then go for it. YOu will not regret it.

But before you do plunge in, check the websites for all reveiws and tech bulletins and what not.

Personally I would go for a E38 if money and space allowed it. I cant park a E38 in my garage... 7 inches too long

[VWvortex]

I hope you didn't bust your E39's gearbox ??

[rangerover]

Talking about E38's, saw a beautiful specimen at the agents. A white one with 301- series registration. The Ex Dilmah chairmans car. Never seen one as well kept as that. Was told by the agents that every single aspect of that car is perfect. The current owner apparantely does his maintanance extremely well

[VVTi]

I hope you didn't bust your E39's gearbox ??

No, the E39 has 5 speed manual, the throw was like in a CTB bus till I dropped a M5 short throw shifter. The ZF issues were with the e36 323i I had. Though it says lifetime oil, it needs to be changed and the previous owner just followed what the brochure said and never chaged it till I started hearing a loud crack whenever the car down shifts. Took it to Prestige and they swapped the oil twice, at a massive cost of Rs. 6500++ a liter, (Total 14 lires on two occasions) but was not sorted. Eventually I sold the car to Bugatti who managed to get it sorted after buying all the clutchpacks from Thailand. Now she hums like a baby. But if you ask hime, he will cringe at the cost... :)But that incident put me off BMW Autos for good. Now I prefer to change the gears myself, no matter how much of a pain it is in Colombo traffic.For the OP, chenk the GB ID plate if you can, if its green its a ZF lifetime oil, if its black it is a ZF or GM Dextron equivalent.

[VWvortex]

Yes this lifetime fill is just BS. I'm a little paranoid about this matter myself.

In Malaysia the ZF oil itself (not from BMW) is available at RM42 per litre. I've bought this and planning a ATF change next month. No issues with the GB, so far though...If this goes bust you are looking at 600-700k repair

[VWvortex]

So who did the repair on Buggati's car?

[rangerover]

Ya need to change mine as well. Car has done about 33,000 Km, but is 5 years old. So better be safe than sorry.

[terrabytetango]

VWvortex, your list of cars looks very familiar...shouldn't there be a Hyundai Stellar somewhere there as well?

Edited November 17, 2011 by terrabytetango

[terrabytetango]

double post

Edited November 17, 2011 by terrabytetango

[VWvortex]

At 33k I would say this is about the best time.

[VWvortex]

Terrabytetango, of course bro! How did i forget that :-D

[CARBON B4]

Maybe slightly off track but is it true that most of the BMW X1 and the 3 series are made in India ?

[kush]

Dont know about 3 series, X1 assembled in Malayasia

[Rukster]

Hey ssahank

Here is a good source to get some information, check the what's bad tab: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/bmw/7-series-e32-1987/?section=bad

Cheers

R

[4age]

the e32 is a brilliant car.. i had one for 4 years... loved it.. would have never sold it untill the frequent stops at the fuel station started taking its toll on me.. was a real pleasure to drive even with its size.. maintaince was not really an issues i used to get all my parts from engsoon in singapore.. ask for a lady called pauline, she's very helpful..

if at all, try to go for a car with less options.. since its usually the electronics that usually starts giving trouble..

i too had a look at the maroon one when it was advertised at hunters.. that car is in super shape i even did apply for the tender offering 1.2mil but some car sale guy had got it and resold it.. afaik its for sale again..

p.s. the maroon is a v8.... my e32 was a v6 and in colombo i never saw anything better than 4.5km/l.. but managed 7.5 a couple of times driving to kandy...

[VVTi]

An E32 with a V6, eh? How was it on maintenance?

[The Stig]

An E32 with a V6, eh? How was it on maintenance?

Interesting, an E32 with a v6

[Watchman]

@4age: BMW v6 eh? hehehehheee!! nice nice!

I smell some BSer being stripped and hung out to dry...

<note to self keep track of this thread>>

[Watchman]

Remember Cali who never washed his hybrid wheels? I bet its a simple case of a MW that didnt have its hood popped for 4 years

[4age]

my bad... ia typo... an "inline" six,

its amazing how i made one mistake and am categorized as a BSer!!! typical AL

anyways here's a picture of the said car.. missed dearly...

[The Don]

my bad... ia typo... an "inline" six,

its amazing how i made one mistake and am categorized as a BSer!!! typical AL

anyways here's a picture of the said car.. missed dearly...

A sad side effect of the number of BSers who have graced this forum Don't take it to heart mate!

[VVTi]

No hard feelings machang. We are fine tuned to pick out the BS...

Seen this car advertised sometime back and was tempted to buy, But I have a small space issue in my garage....

Beautiful specimen. However IMHO the white walls sort of kills it though.

Edited November 22, 2011 by VVTi

[k9master]

Guys,

OT but isn't there a E31 in SL? I have seen this a couple of years back but not lately.

Anyone know any info on this car? Which model is it and other interesting stuff?

[beemer]

i think the l6 (m30b30) engine was a better engine when it came to maintenance compared to the big v8 (m60b30),

i have seen a few m60b30 engines around, i would say the v8 is a nice car to have. a properly maintained one ofcourse.

because i heard the v8 do give problems.

correct me if im wrong guys

:-)

[Alfisti]

VVTi, is this the BMW inline 6 which was at Indika's workshop?