How reliable is the 740i (E38)?

"My citroen won't start" (lucasboechat) 09/20/2014 at 15:54 • Filed to: None

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Especially one from 2000 and with about 50k miles.

Conan > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 15:55

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I wouldn't say extremely so. More reliable than a Citroen? Definitely.

My citroen won't start > Conan 09/20/2014 at 16:05

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So, my BMW will actually start?

CRider > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:07

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It should be fine as long as you don't expect most of the stuff to work.

My citroen won't start > CRider 09/20/2014 at 16:12

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I only need 5 things to work, the engine, transmission, suspension, the lumbar adjust and the utter cool looks.

Conan > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:12

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From my limited experience, yes! We haven't really had any 7 series in the family, just 3s and 5s though, so you'll have to get some more detailed advice from other people on Oppo. What I will say is that manual > automatic almost always for them and not just for the traditional reasons but reliability reasons too.

marshknute > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:13

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It won't be reliable. It doesn't matter how well maintained it is, it WON'T be reliable. Longevity just isn't BMW's thing.

Too many M's > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:14

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German vs French? Where have we heard this tune before...

Like most German cars they are reliable to a point. If they are cared for greatly (aka beyond factory recommended intervals). Tolerances are pretty tight and when things go wrong it can be expensive. Don't go lax on maintenance and you'll have a fun big-body German barge :)

Steve in Manhattan > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:14

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My brother-in-law has one of this vintage - I think it's got 240k+ and runs fine - after he did the top end with about 60k on it. The issue with these cars is that a lot of people leased them, did the first oil change for $150-200 and said "well, we won't be doing that again." When the cars are turned in at 40-50k the engine is nearly gone, smokes heavily on startup, and a lot of people spent a lot of money on their 7 series lease turnins. This is one of the reasons BMW went to free oil changes. To anyone interested in one of these, I'd say have your mechanic look very carefully at the top and bottom of the engine. Or get a CarMax warranty like DeMuro.

My citroen won't start > Steve in Manhattan 09/20/2014 at 16:28

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The one I'm looking looks brand new, owner really took care of it. Shocks might be shot though, because Protection.

My citroen won't start > marshknute 09/20/2014 at 16:29

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Is it insanely expensive to fix like a P38?

My citroen won't start > Too many M's 09/20/2014 at 16:30

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The one I'm looking at was extremely well cared for, the only problem might be shot shocks because Protection.

Too many M's > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:36

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If I was in the market I'd do it, get a PPI done from a shop you trust and preferably knows BMWs. That $100 or so could be worth its weight in gold if they find any additional problems.

CRider > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:37

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Will 3 out of 5 be ok?

My citroen won't start > Too many M's 09/20/2014 at 16:39

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PPI is always a must on older cars, I'll take it to a german mechanic if I decide to buy it.

My citroen won't start > CRider 09/20/2014 at 16:39

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Perhaps, what 3?

Textured Soy Protein > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:46

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Isn't the Protection ridiculously heavy? Unless you have some need for an armored car, that sounds like something to stay far, far away from.

My citroen won't start > Textured Soy Protein 09/20/2014 at 16:49

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Well

"The numbers make Brazil the seventh most violent nation in the world, behind war-torn countries such as Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. "

CRider > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:52

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The engine, lumbar adjust and cool looks.

My citroen won't start > CRider 09/20/2014 at 16:55

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I'm ok with that.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 16:56

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I own an e38 740il, a 50k 740i will not have many problems. The M62B44TU is fine at that mileage, the only noisy parts are the VANOS solenoids. If you do get a high milage 2000 make sure the timing chain guides and tensioner have been replaced. Change the transmission fluid when you get a chance because the lifetime seal for life thing is utter bs. Short wheelbase e38s don't have rear hydraulic struts unless optioned with. The e38s aren't horrendously unreliable like a w140, just give it the proper care. My 96 has 189,901 miles on it and doesn't skip a beat.

My citroen won't start > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 09/20/2014 at 16:59

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Wow that is some really good advice, thanks! The one I'm looking at is Protection, does the e38 have any suspension/shock problems?

Too many M's > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 17:02

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Hah! I'm convinced.

My citroen won't start > Too many M's 09/20/2014 at 17:04

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Besides, most of all the other 740 in the market are armored, not by BMW but aftermarket companies and they tend not to last, at least the Protection has some factory adjustments.

Too many M's > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 17:05

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Only use it for good. And to relive Transporter scenes.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 17:06

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No problem, I can check the vin to see if it's a protection model build tag usually says "740iP or 750iLP" . Like all bmws, they eat suspension components every 100k. My rear hydraulic struts are fine but the fronts bounce like a 72 cadillac. Protection models are tad more heavier so they probably use the rear self leveling hydraulic struts and the front EDC struts.

My citroen won't start > Too many M's 09/20/2014 at 17:07

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I plan to recreate some of the scenes, and I would only drive it on weekends. I'm planning to buy a sunday cruiser, at first I was thinking about the P38 or a Alfa 164. I'm looking at S8's and 740i's now, I'll add them to the mix.

My citroen won't start > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 09/20/2014 at 17:16

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I might need to have my German mechanic take a look at them then, the car looks super clean so perhaps the previous owner already looked into that (Brazilian potholes have a tendency to destroy the suspension on heavy cars). I think from your car and photo I can guess your answer but I'm looking for a sunday cruiser, options so far are the 740i, a P38, Alfa 164 and a S8, what would you pick?

Conan > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 17:17

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Some things are, which is why it is good to see if the particular issues for your model are already done/do them early.

My citroen won't start > Conan 09/20/2014 at 17:19

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The car looks extremely clean, I'll have my mechanic look into it but there isn't a single scratch on the entire car.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 17:23

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740i do Brasil is the choice for me. S8 is cool too but what year you have in mind?

My citroen won't start > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 09/20/2014 at 17:25

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1999, before the power bump.

Steve in Manhattan > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 17:26

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If owned since new, then probably few issues. Still, look at the book and make sure everything was done. Brother-in-law paid, I think, about 5 grand to rebuild the top end of the V8, but he knew a guy who knew a guy. After that, the thing was pretty reliable, which is saying something for a big complicated car that old. Niece drove it to school - now parked in favor of a 1 series 6 speed. Of all things.

My citroen won't start > Steve in Manhattan 09/20/2014 at 17:30

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I would kill myself if I was left parked because of a 1 series. Only one owner since new, probably used by a chauffeur.

Conan > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 17:33

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The exteriors tend towards more resilient than the interiors. I'd be more concerned about how the engine/suspension look and whether there are maintenance records. I'd also hope it was a manual.

Steve in Manhattan > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 17:34

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He commutes to work and between the 740, his Dodge Dakota crew cab, and a Grand Cherokee (and my sister's T&C) had nothing that got decent mileage. Plus, none of his 3 kids can drive a stick. It's HIS car.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > My citroen won't start 09/20/2014 at 17:34

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It's a hard choice. If you're a diy person, the e38 is practical and parts a little cheaper than audi. If your mechanic does most of the work, the s8 is a good pick. Both are old german luxury sport sedans, so they both need care.

My citroen won't start > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 09/20/2014 at 17:41

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My cars are my most precious possessions, both of them will be really well taken care of. But I need to find out which will hurt my wallet the most. I like the looks and the interior of the 7 series, but the Quattro and 335hp are really appealing.

His Stigness > marshknute 09/20/2014 at 18:25

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Are you speaking from personal experience which involves many BMW's you've owned, or are you just perpetuating the stereotype that German cars aren't reliable?

davedave1111 > My citroen won't start 09/22/2014 at 15:17

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Whereabouts are you from? Here, it got a little harder to roll back the odometer towards the end of the nineties, but I'd still assume a '50k' car has actually done at least double that unless there's extensive paperwork to prove it.

My citroen won't start > davedave1111 09/22/2014 at 15:27

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Most of them are under 60k in Brazil, no matter how old. Very rarely do people drive in-between states here so mileage is always low.

davedave1111 > My citroen won't start 09/22/2014 at 15:33

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Fair enough. I wasn't quite sure where you were from - the pic at the top looks an awful lot like England. If it was actually the one in the pic, I'd say it would definitely be clocked just because of the houses in the background ;)

My citroen won't start > davedave1111 09/22/2014 at 15:39

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Nah, the one I'm looking at looks like this: http://www.webmotors.com.br/comprar/bmw/74…

Captain_Spadaro > My citroen won't start 09/23/2014 at 17:41

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Depends on the owner.

M > My citroen won't start 10/15/2014 at 18:13

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Find a solid indie BMW mechanic to take a look at it.

I almost bought a 740il Sport (just like the one in the Bond movie) in immaculate condition a few years back, full maintenance, garage kept, low miles, spotless, butter smooth V8. Took it to my mechanic and he found all the mechanical repairs that I would have never been able to identify. Gave me an estimate on how much it would cost to fix, but I wasn't able to get the seller to lower it enough to make it a good buy. There was something about a vacuum system that was really expensive to fix and I would have never found.

I'm guessing he probably got close to his asking from someone who didn't get it inspected because the car looked damn near perfect.

Beeler > marshknute 12/31/2014 at 09:56

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Had an E34 5 series was at about 215k (when I sold it) and an E46 that was at 182k when I sold it. The only repairs besides regular maintenance that had to be done were trivial gaskets and some sensors here and there. Both cars always started, drove and never left me stranded. Compare that to the Jeeps, Fords and Toyota that I owned....and, the BMWs have been the MOST reliable.

marshknute > Beeler 12/31/2014 at 10:29

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Your E34 is believable. My dad had an E32 735iL which remained extremely reliable until it got to the 170K mile range. That era of BMWs was reliable, especially when cared for meticulously like my dad's was.

I'm genuinely surprised by the E46 though. I know dozens of people who have owned/currently own an E46 ( myself included ), and all but one have lots of horror stories to tell. The one reliable example is a 2003 325Ci (cabriolet) with just 40K miles and driven by a physics/calculus tutor who exclusively drives it on well-paved CT back roads to/from students' houses (and never drives it in the snow or rain).

I'm sure there are plenty of good eggs out there, but the chances of actually finding/buying one are too low for me to recommend an old BMW to anyone.