RS69 Posted November 29, 2010 Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 BMW Guys, I am looking into purchasing a 2001 BMW 740 with 105k on the clock. The questions, I have are what should I be looking into concerning wear items? What big maintenance issues will be coming up. This car looks very good and has nice factory wheels(18inch?) on it. I know corvettes/mustangs/volvo's and other gm products but need need some assistance on the bmw field. Thanks, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FST94TSI Posted November 30, 2010 Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 Nothing major to look for. The radiator end tanks went bad and cracked on just about every one of these but at that mileage it should've already been taken care of. Other than checking to make sure it had regular servicing and fluid changes there really isn't much to look for. Great car that's really great to drive. Also put a decent set of all season tires on it and it will outdrive a lot of svs in the snow. I had a set of conti extreme contacts on mine and it would flat out fly in the snow when a lot of SUVs had issues. Overall great car and at that late in the model run all electrical issues from earlier in the run were gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansonivan Posted November 30, 2010 Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 Short answer: pay for a pre-purchase inspection at an independent bmw shop. - valley pan gasket - leaks coolant - must pull intake manifold to replace - slight pain in the ass - oil separator - can cause massive oil consumption - not a terrible diy job - assuming they're original - all cooling system parts will need to be done by 100k - radiator, both rad hoses, expansion tank and water pump. - Valve cover gaskets and vanos solenoid to timing cover seals are common oil leak sources. Brakes are simple and fairly inexpensive Front control arms/sway links/center link are all fairly inexpensive as well I'm probably forgetting a couple large wear items but those are the issues I see constantly. A well maintained e38 is a wonderful thing, a neglected e38 will drive you mad. If I bought one it would have to be the 2001 740iL. http://www.e38.org Slightly dated but still very helpful site on the e38 chassis cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got-Boost? Posted November 30, 2010 Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 Great cars, just expensive if anything major goes wrong... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littleguy Posted November 30, 2010 Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 Yes, an LS2 will fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianZ06 Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 I have a friend who has one and I rode in it last week. Nice car all around. Add LS2 even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS69 Posted December 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 Thanks for the help, but I passed on this one. It had too many small things wrong with it and no service records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Das Borgen Posted December 2, 2010 Report Share Posted December 2, 2010 Short answer: pay for a pre-purchase inspection at an independent bmw shop. - valley pan gasket - leaks coolant - must pull intake manifold to replace - slight pain in the ass - oil separator - can cause massive oil consumption - not a terrible diy job - assuming they're original - all cooling system parts will need to be done by 100k - radiator, both rad hoses, expansion tank and water pump. - Valve cover gaskets and vanos solenoid to timing cover seals are common oil leak sources. Brakes are simple and fairly inexpensive Front control arms/sway links/center link are all fairly inexpensive as well I'm probably forgetting a couple large wear items but those are the issues I see constantly. A well maintained e38 is a wonderful thing, a neglected e38 will drive you mad. If I bought one it would have to be the 2001 740iL. www.e38.org Slightly dated but still very helpful site on the e38 chassis cars. I can t stress this enough my recommendation in Columbus.... Best Motorwerks (by CMH airport) but honestly, if you're going for an E36, the 4.0 V8(in the 740) is the way to go....the 750's V12 is a nightmare...... the V8 almost gets really damn good gas mileage (over 25mpg easily while cruising) good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Das Borgen Posted December 2, 2010 Report Share Posted December 2, 2010 Thanks for the help, but I passed on this one. It had too many small things wrong with it and no service records. link to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS69 Posted December 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2010 link to it? No link, it is located off Sunbury road just west of Hoover. I don't have the phone number with me, but can pm you once it get it from my other mobile phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Das Borgen Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 No link, it is located off Sunbury road just west of Hoover. I don't have the phone number with me, but can pm you once it get it from my other mobile phone. please do with the guy's contact info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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