"Mark J. Amero" > wrote
> Can those of you who own a 1988 735 please give me your opinions and
> experiences. How does the 7 series compare to the 5 series? I have taken a
> 1988 735i for a drive and I like it. What are some things that I can
> expect
> to go wrong? How does the gas mileage compare from a 5 to 7 series? The
> one
> I drove was an 8 cylinder and my 525i is a 2.5 6 cylinder. It seems like a
> more solid car compared to my 525. I would really appreciate any
> information
> you can give me before I decide if I should buy a BMW again in the near
> future. Thanks for the feedback everyone!!

You'd better check again. An '88 735 has a 3.5L inline-6 (M30), not
a V8. The "big 6" is a very good engine; the only real weakness (as
with all iron-block/Aluminum head engines) is if you ever overheat it.

The 7-series has more "goodies" to go wrong than the 5-series, and
is therefore generally more maintenance intensive. It's also a fair bit
bigger, and will probably get no more than 20-22 mpg highway, probably
mid teens in normal mix.

Floyd