BMW E32 7 series...

[ShiteRider]

Just bought/saved from engine rape an '87 735i, what should i be aware of (aside from the obvious problem i have of booze+ebay=empty wallet )
Am i right in thinking they like a head gasket?
Also i drive like a fanny, (mainly on motorways, around the 60-65 mph mark) would high twenties be achievable MPG wise, bearing in mind it's a 25 year old, 3.5 litre auto, with more mass than Dawn French being sucked into a black hole.

[ShiteRider]

This is the beast, to be known from now on as moby. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140973791176? ... 1497.l2649

[cort16]

I'm jealous of that car it has the potential to be fantastic. The straight sixes are tougher than the v8's (especially the m30) so I can't see you having many problems.

Most problems with them come from neglect and your one's low mileage and fsh so I think you'll be able to spend your time doing the bodywork.

[Six-cylinder]

Well done it needed saving.

 

I have had my 735i SE for over 4 years now and it has been great. The mileage is now 144,000 miles and I have done 16,000 miles in that time including driving the Nurburgring. Regular maintance, plus brake discs and some suspension bushes have been all that has been needed. It has never used any water and very little oil. Fuel consumption has been strange I struggle for 20mpg local and I don’t live in a city but give it miles of motorway even pushing speed limits and it does around 27mpg. Have you found the 7 Series Register Forum yet, a good place for 7 series owners. Best of luck with it and I hope to meet up some time.

 

The photo is my 735i SE.

 

[Charlie Croker]

Stunning cars those. I ran one on loan from my very dodgy motor trader pal in 2007. It wasnt what i would call a prime example BUT what a car!!! It was a 1990 735 with i think around 177000k on it. The engine was the usual BMW tappety but who cares when a car drives like they do. Im not sure of mpg but i like my right foot and i wasnt easy on it and i live and drive in a city but i would say i was getting around 20 to 25 mpg. Oh and ignore the fuel computer......it kept telling me i was only getting between 5 and 7 mpg. He sold it with 10 months (legit) test for £520.

[Charlie Croker]

Oh and by the way that white one is VERY well bought. Your gonna enjoy that my friend.

[TagoraSX]

Good save

[Spiny Norman]

That looks a cracking example bar the body damage, which I can't see being too big a PITA to replace since these things often die from electrical or gearbox decrepitude rather than body rust.

Nice cars the E32s, If I could find a nice one locally I'd have it.

[Lord Sterling]

Excellent save there MM5. This and the smaller e34 are really the only BMWs I actually like, got a soft spot for low spec E30s too.

 

Hopefully you can get the body sorted on this one. The E32 is one BMW I must try as an everyday car one day.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I've had mine now for ten years, a manual 730i from early 1989. I bought it as a clean full history car with 200k and have added another 100k. Ibuleve it's still on the original clutch as the gearbox appears never to have been off. It's not slipping and bites nice and low but fuck me, the pedal is heavy. I've had both sides and the bonnet painted (I fitted a V12 bonnet in 2009) and have gradually made it into a minter. It originally had grey leather but I replaced it with black hid 7-8 years ago, added cruise control, OBC etc. I fitted a new BMW exhaust in 2006 when the original just could not be repaired anymore - it was £500 but it sounds really nice. It's had new shocks all round, a new rad, a water pump in 2001, a fan coupling in 2006 (all replacing original parts) but the rear axle beam bushes are still original and fighting fit. It's had oil changes every 7-8000 milesd and I check the tappets and spray bar banjos every year. It was my every day car from 2003-2011 but is too expensive to run now so I use it now and again, taxing it every other year. It's worth fuck all so I wouldn't entertain selling it.

The wheels are original 1987-88 750iL dished rims. Took me 10 years to find a set, and £150 to get them blasted and powder coated. Prestigious.

 

 

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[ShiteRider]

Thanks for all the positive comments everyone, i think i've done well with it. I've always been a closet beemer fan ( 80's models, mainly e28's) so i am quite happy to give this car a good home, it now seems all the cars i own i've saved from death.....maybe i should change my monicker to 'Dr shite- resusitator of chod'

P.S reverand your car looks gorgous in that colour.

six-cylinder, the guy i've bought the car from is the series registrar for the BMW car club uk. Maybe you know him? he's called Andrew. Anyway i will join a marque specific forum in due course, as i've found them an invaluble resource when it comes to parts and know how.

[tooSavvy]

looks like it was attacked by Warwick Davis, and he didn't want glass in his eyes! Did the vendor give any insight into the saddo responsible/motivations??

 

tooSavvy

[Six-cylinder]

Thanks for all the positive comments everyone, i think i've done well with it. I've always been a closet beemer fan ( 80's models, mainly e28's) so i am quite happy to give this car a good home, it now seems all the cars i own i've saved from death.....maybe i should change my monicker to 'Dr shite- resusitator of chod'

P.S reverand your car looks gorgous in that colour.

six-cylinder, the guy i've bought the car from is the series registrar for the BMW car club uk. Maybe you know him? he's called Andrew. Anyway i will join a marque specific forum in due course, as i've found them an invaluble resource when it comes to parts and know how.

There is also an independent Forum, you have to resister to read the best bits and post but there is no cost to that. They are a good group who sometimes out number the BMW Car Club at events.

http://the7seriesregister.co.uk/forums/

The photo is 7 series forum at Duxford Aug 2012 including my car in the centre.

 

[AnthonyG]

If ever a car needed saving, it was that one - good move.

[ShiteRider]

I've been running this bad boy for two weeks now, so here's the latest.

The good;

The most well built, solid car i've ever driven. Even more so than current BMW's

Supremely comfortable.

Looks gorgeous........from distances greater than 50 yrds

The Bad;

The radio comes on for around 5 seconds then slowly fades out, to be replaced by a whine which rises and falls with engine speed.

Nearside front electric window and central locking are both inoperable

Fuel consumption was frankly shocking in week number 1 ie £120 (the cortina would do the same miles for £65/£70), That said so far ive only put £50 in it this week.

The computer-y thing in the dash board likes to scare the shit out of me, think 'WARNING COOLANT!' (the level was fine, didn't get hot, drove okay). And tonight on the way home from work i heard a ping and then...'WARNING LOSS OF BRAKE PRESSURE! this was in the fast lane of the M6 at 110! (lets pretend i mean kilometres ) Cue instantaneous explosive diarrhea as i realise i'm traveling at warp speed in the tirpitz, with only a minibus full of kitten stroking nuns in front of me.......so i sucked the turtles head back in and mirror signal manouvre into lane two then one, keep a steady speed till i had a 100yrds clear road fore and aft and dab the brakes...seemed okay so went for the slip road and they worked fine. In fact they worked perfectly for the next 8 miles home.

It's got crappy remoulds on, unfortunately they're metric tyres (240/45x415) and cost £300+ each to replace, so i'll be going for some 17" bmw alloys (i'd love some alpina style rims a-la B10 7-series)

It's got a bad shimmy in the steering from around 58mph to 65mph obvious answer would be the tyres want balancing, but a bit of googling reveals this is well known in BMW circles "THE SHIMMY OF DEATH!"......so that's comforting.

The ugly;

The panels are about as straight as the elephant mans' cock, aside from that she's a wonderous site behold

 

 

 

IT would seem there is a lot more bad than good, but...and it's a big but, the good things are all inherant of a quality car and the bad things are just the normal problems you'd expect of a twenty five year old motor that want's a bit of love.

So all in all i'm a happy (if not poor) camper

[cort16]

Most of it just sounds like normal old BMW stuff (other than the brakes). Every BMW I've owned old or new bar one has had that bloody shimmy. I got about 23 mpg from my old e34 535i which is probably a bit lighter.

[Partridge]

Well done for saving it!

 

And this thread is pure porn.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'm not big into BMW's but I really appreciate this era of 7-series, they seemed to really move the game on when they came out in 1987 or whenever it was. I love the low-slung, wide look of them. I'd love to get Ms_Bo11ox driving one of them so i could have a blezz in it from time to time. I reckon i'd like a 735 on about an F-reg, presumably thqt will be a 6-cylinder? The V8 ones seem a bit 'dicey' to me but that might be bo11ocks.

[stormee]

I'm not big into BMW's but I really appreciate this era of 7-series, they seemed to really move the game on when they came out in 1987 or whenever it was. I love the low-slung, wide look of them. I'd love to get Ms_Bo11ox driving one of them so i could have a blezz in it from time to time. I reckon i'd like a 735 on about an F-reg, presumably thqt will be a 6-cylinder? The V8 ones seem a bit 'dicey' to me but that might be bo11ocks.

They are really good cars, 735i sport M30 6-pots. 90s era BMWs E32 and E34 are solid rides with lots of fun to drive, they handle really well and are built to last.

[Pete-M]

I ran a G plate 730iSE for a few weeks. That also had the shimmy of death, it was the track control arm bushes on that one.

 

One thing to watch for is the dreaded headlamp control relay module thing. Easy enough to fix but a pain when it randomly decides you don't really want headlights.

 

That'd do 17 around town, 24-25 on a run.

[ShiteRider]

/\ /\

I hope not, it's got a new battery on so that leaves the alternator.....

something that's probaly made of unicorn horn and attached via witchcraft.

[Spiny Norman]

/\ /\

I hope not, it's got a new battery on so that leaves the alternator.....

something that's probaly made of unicorn horn and attached via witchcraft.

 

Probably a standard Bosch part so apart from the pain of purchase price if you have to buy a new one I can't see it being much of a hassle. There's usually a decent amount of room around these older straight 6s too, seeing as there was room for a V12 in there.

May be only the voltage regulator, which is what went on the Bosch unlit on my old Saab. Costs about £10-15 for a new one and so long as you can get to it, it's an easy fix.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Scooters can fill you in about changing these voltage regulators

[ShiteRider]

Finally got around to fitting the voltage regulator today ( £11 from GSF)....only i didn't because the car appears to have a brand new alternator......cue scratching of head/balls. I then look at the alternator belt, which not only looks donkeys years old but is also as slack as a cows' arsehole.

Why the fuck would change an alternator ( which probaly cost £100+) but not the belt, which costs £9.

The bloody tensioner for it is wound out as far as it will go and the toothed bolt is chewed.

[monzaE]

I bought the Cortina and so have living proof that this bloke has the skill to get the panels up to scratch. The complexity of Moby would scare me though. Keep us posted Rob.

[ShiteRider]

I bought the Cortina and so have living proof that this bloke has the skill to get the panels up to scratch. The complexity of Moby would scare me though. Keep us posted Rob.

Hey how's it going jeff?

i've managed to tap out about most of the damage on the bonnnet and wings, the boot lid i'm going to replace aswell as the n/s/r door ( other three doors should repair okay though).

How is the life of cortina ownership going? i've got to admit i've been pining for the old girl...but she went to a good home.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Lets see a picture of this thing then!

[monzaE]

I've changed...........

the wheels

the steering column, so my feeble bones can actually steer it now.

the heater matrix was leaking 

messed with the timing and carb so that (in my cartoon world) it runs better

the radio

I like it and it has had some appreciative comments - down to your work  Rob

 

Did you say you had a stick with the pics? Be good to keep a record of your hard work. 

[ShiteRider]

Due to impending financial doom this could be for sale. I'd be hoping for a grand, i'm also hoping for a shag of Holly Willoughby which i think would be the most likely of the two!

I've done just shy of 4000 miles in it with no problems its just had a full service and all the auxiallary belts have been done. Its got 12 months ticket and will come with 6 months tax. Will also come with four very good used doors and know where a good bonnet and bootlid can be found for £90.

if there's any interest i'll put up more piccies and list all the positive and negative points........really don't want to do this but i'm running out of options.

[cort16]

You should fix it if you got the parts I've seen low miler e32s selling for well over 2 grand lately.