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Re: 89 735iL thinking of buying.....help (archive)
[ Follow Ups ] [ 7-series (E23) Message Board ] [ Msg. Board FAQ ]
Posted by Stevecots on April 07, 2001 at 23:22:57:

In Reply to: 89 735iL thinking of buying.....help posted by JBachmann on April 07, 2001 at 16:54:07:


I have been a Volvo owner for quite a while. I am considering buying a 89 BMW 735iL. It has 157,000 miles but the mechanic who owned it rebuilt the top end at 149,000 because it had a head gasket leak and it was convenient. It appears to be well maintained and drives like a dream compared to my Volvo 240. All the electronic bells and whistles scare me a little. I've also read a few posts on the internet where people have experienced driveshaft vibration problems. There also seems to be AC and blower motor problems with some of the late 80's models. Those things really scare me due to expense. Can anyone give me an idea of the overall reliability of the 735i sereies vehicles and personal opinions? Do these cars have undercarriage rust problems? Also, since I since these cars are new to me (I don't think I've ever ridden in a BMW much less driven one) what do the E23, E32 and E38 mean? The guy is asking $7,800. It seems like a fair price. I tend to buy a car and drive it till it dies. I'd be grateful for any input.


E23 is the 7 series 1980-1987
E32 is 88-94
E38 is 95 to current

You're looking at an early e32, undercarriage rust is not a typical problem with these cars, though any car can rust. The E32's are considered by mechanics to be the most reliable of the 7's with the exception of course of the late e32's 93,94 which were 740i's with the bad block. Avoid a 93,94,and first nine months production of 95. The early e32 had the most refined 3.5 liter 6 and the electronics are bullet proof compared to the E23's. Us E23 owners do love our cars though and if you know how to fix the problems, they're a great value. price sounds fair, but I can't see the conditon and inspect service records. You're looking at a 12 year old car so the condition of all the systems and the maintenace of the engine are most important. steve

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