Party like it’s 1999

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
08/22/2018 at 10:18 • Filed to: None

I know I would if I was the owner of this immaculate blue ‘99 BMW 750iL. A V12 E38 is high on my want list, and this one in particular is awesome.

DISCUSSION (19)

fintail > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/22/2018 at 10:28

I bet that’s fun to maintain. I can’t recall the last time I saw a running V12 model.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/22/2018 at 10:30

*grew up working summer jobs in a bimmer garage*

*has irrational hatred of bimmers now*

*wich is to say... i like em except for the whole working on them thing... and with the rates bimmer garages charge not working on them aint an option for me.... soo ill stick with cheap and reliable.. like anything lucas electric or british leyland:p)

LOREM IPSUM > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/22/2018 at 10:39

An e38 750 is pretty much the only BMW on my to buy list. Last good one I found for sale locally was $13,500.00 though and it wasn’t even an Alpina, so, nope. Not yet.

TheCarsInYourPostIfTheYearWas1990 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/22/2018 at 11:37

You said it!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/22/2018 at 11:50

V12...check

LWB... check

Blue...check

GIB

LOREM IPSUM > fintail
08/22/2018 at 11:59

They’re actually not too bad. More reliable than the V8, actually.

They are more difficult to work on due to less space underhood, and can be more expensive when buying parts because there are 2 of everything as it's essentially 2 straight 6's welded together. But I'd trade my e38 740i for one in a nanosecond.

fintail > LOREM IPSUM
08/22/2018 at 12:13

The engine anyway, I can believe it. Kind of like with W140 V12s, the engine isn’t the issue, it’s everything around the engine, especially on early cars with wiring hiccups.

I’ve known/read of a couple people who had E32 750s, and ownership was quite dramatic.

LOREM IPSUM > fintail
08/22/2018 at 12:18

Yeah, it is an older BMW, after all. There will be plenty of opportunities to learn more about how it works and goes together than most would ever really want to know.

I haven’t had mine on the road in roughly 2 years and still have the last 7 digits of the vin committed to memory. That right there is pretty much all anyone needs to know, lol.

Nice interiors on those e32's though... but my heart is with the e38 exterior styling.

fintail > LOREM IPSUM
08/22/2018 at 15:09

From what I have seen regarding how cars age, I might trust the old MB more.

The later run E 38 with the sport cladding and wheels really l ooks right.

LOREM IPSUM > fintail
08/22/2018 at 15:23

Trust is a strong word for such a topic, lol.

fintail > LOREM IPSUM
08/22/2018 at 15:47

lol.

substitude “start 10 times in a row”(without massive issues) for “trust” :)

LOREM IPSUM > fintail
08/22/2018 at 15:49

Mine always started, but that was no guarantee I wouldn't be getting a hot coolant exfoliation treatment at some point during the day.

fintail > LOREM IPSUM
08/22/2018 at 15:57

What is it with BMW and cooling systems?

I should have said started, drove, and returned to its original position under its own power.

LOREM IPSUM > fintail
08/22/2018 at 15:59

They have to save a buck somewhere I guess. As long as the plastics mostly hold for the warranty period, selling replacements is good business. They've sold more expansion tanks than vehicles.

fintail > LOREM IPSUM
08/22/2018 at 16:06

Som e 80s-90s era MBs have an issue with a plastic radiator neck deteriorating with time and use, but nothing along the lines of BMW issues.

Then again, BMW didn’t have the wiring harness years - but that’s a one time fix, and is in a narrow timeframe. Maybe there are reasons beyond ownership care why old MBs seem more common on the road.

LOREM IPSUM > fintail
08/22/2018 at 16:14

I had a w124 that had the filler neck issue, but aside from the failed water pump I never had any major cooling sytem issues, thankfully. Luckily mine was pre-biodegradable wiring harness era. Unfortunately, when I had to replace the car I had to omit almost all of the MB’s in my price range at the time . I really wanted an S Class too.

fintail > LOREM IPSUM
08/22/2018 at 21:06

I had a W126 300SE with the M103, but the prior owner replaced the radiator (and maintained it obsessively, so the car had few issues during the time I owned it). Good car, and probably easier to keep on the road than a period BMW, as it only had one electrical glitch, a relay that failed soon after I bought it.

124s can still be really cheap, even for decent ones - they just made so many of them, and survival rates are high. I saw a nicely kept-looking early 90s one (burgundy-red color) today.

LOREM IPSUM > fintail
08/22/2018 at 21:31

If only 500E’s were more plentiful!

... though a 400E would do as well.

Really well built cars.

fintail > LOREM IPSUM
08/22/2018 at 22:07

Designed during a different era and ethos.

500Es aren’t as expensive as some predicted they’d become - only the best of the best seem to bring big money.

Here’s a fun one from a local car show several years ago. Yes, it was towing a tractor, and driven by a ~70 year old woman. It had something like 250K miles on it, I think:

Kinja'd!!!