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Opinions of the 1988 735i ---Should I buy one??



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 15th 04, 12:53 AM
Mark J. Amero
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Default Opinions of the 1988 735i ---Should I buy one??

Hello everyone,
I am posting this because I would like some feedback, details and opinions
regarding the 1988 BMW 735i.

I currently own a 1989 525i and have had it about a year. It is my first
experience owning a BMW. Unfortunately (due to my own fault of not
thoroughly checking the car first) my 525i has a series of issues. After
getting the car inspected recently, I have realized that it will cost more
to get my 525i fixed than I feel it is worth. SO... I am looking at selling
or trading in my 5 series. Although my car has issues, I do like BMW's and
am seriously considering buying a 7 series of the same period.

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!!

Mark


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  #2  
Old November 15th 04, 05:50 AM
fbloogyudsr
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"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

  #3  
Old November 16th 04, 06:28 PM
Mark J. Amero
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Default

Any other opinions anyone?


"Mark J. Amero" > wrote in message
...
> Hello everyone,
> I am posting this because I would like some feedback, details and opinions
> regarding the 1988 BMW 735i.
>
> I currently own a 1989 525i and have had it about a year. It is my first
> experience owning a BMW. Unfortunately (due to my own fault of not
> thoroughly checking the car first) my 525i has a series of issues. After
> getting the car inspected recently, I have realized that it will cost more
> to get my 525i fixed than I feel it is worth. SO... I am looking at

selling
> or trading in my 5 series. Although my car has issues, I do like BMW's and
> am seriously considering buying a 7 series of the same period.
>
> 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!!
>
> Mark
>
>



  #4  
Old November 19th 04, 04:52 AM
JRC702
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Early E32's (7 series) had tons of problems and they are all ****ters by now.
Don't do it.
  #5  
Old November 19th 04, 11:06 AM
Dave Plowman (News)
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In article >,
Mark J. Amero > wrote:
> I currently own a 1989 525i and have had it about a year. It is my first
> experience owning a BMW. Unfortunately (due to my own fault of not
> thoroughly checking the car first) my 525i has a series of issues. After
> getting the car inspected recently, I have realized that it will cost
> more to get my 525i fixed than I feel it is worth. SO... I am looking at
> selling or trading in my 5 series. Although my car has issues, I do like
> BMW's and am seriously considering buying a 7 series of the same period.


The chances of finding a good 7 Series of that age are remote. They had
all sorts of electrics/electronics problems and will invariably have been
bodged by now.

Go for a 535. They're one of the BMW classics.

--
*Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
  #6  
Old November 20th 04, 04:12 AM
JRC702
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The first E32's were made in early 1987, even though they were designated as
1988. Those 'early' E32's had tons of issues and most of them never were
corrected. Anyone who saw the 1988 E32 update manual that contained all the
campaigns that needed to be done to these ****ters would never consider buying
one.
If you think I am full of it, buy yourself an early (or any) E32. You will get
tired on sinking an endless amount of money in a hopeless piece of ****. If you
feel really confident, and get a 750iL to double your learning experience.
There are no good E32's anymore, just polished turds.
  #7  
Old November 20th 04, 09:39 PM
Mr Fix It
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Oh i don't know about that.....

I bought a 1987 E plater 18 months ago ... knowing
it needed a camshaft job due to the usual problem of the
spray bar bolts working loose.
Also the air con condensor was holed.
And one of the interior bulbs was blown.
The passenger side mirror was dull.
It had two tiny stone chips on the front of the bonnet. (1mm jobs).
And it had a "not to excessive" 108k miles of interior wear.
(E.G: None).
No dents.
No respray work whatsoever (trust me, i can spot a respray).
A book full of service stamps, coupled with two folders worth
of receipts and a phone call to the local independant to confirm
a few for good measure.
Not the first car i viewed ... in fact it was the ninth .... and so far i
had travelled 950 miles looking at the others.

18 months later:
Head completely overhauled ... done by myself so i could plough
more money into parts and less on labour. (Besides, i've done 8
different M20 head rebuilds in the past ... so an M30 is a nice
change).
All oils and filters changed.
Brakes overhauled.
Air con overhauled.
New tyres.
New radiator to match the new water pump and thermostat
already fitted.
Tons of other stuff sorted (dash. capacitors, angel eyes fitted,
1500 watts of ice,etc).
It is now 100% fully functional.

Also its 100% thrashable ... it won't break ... besides the last
car i did a thorough overhaul on has been extremely reliable
over the past 7 years ... my 525e ... so why should i expect
something with a much better chassis to be any worse??

Not everyones cup of tea, more of an enthusiasts car ... but
every marque has its fans.
There are some completely absolute heaps of **** out there,
often being sold by car dealers, who always lay on the sales pitch.
Mould ridden boots, dented floor pans, rust crawling up the
doors, electrics failing left right and centre due to damp/lack
of use ... all picked to pieces and the seller advised to not
waste anybody elses time. (Some get nasty in return!!).

How on earth someone can advertise these ****ters with
the words: Genuine mileage, full service history, nice condition,
blah,blah is beyond me ... these people shouldn't drive if
they can't see what they are selling.
But then there are mugs out there who buy them!!



--
Regards....
Steve





"Dave Plowman (News)" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> Mark J. Amero > wrote:
> > I currently own a 1989 525i and have had it about a year. It is my first
> > experience owning a BMW. Unfortunately (due to my own fault of not
> > thoroughly checking the car first) my 525i has a series of issues. After
> > getting the car inspected recently, I have realized that it will cost
> > more to get my 525i fixed than I feel it is worth. SO... I am looking at
> > selling or trading in my 5 series. Although my car has issues, I do like
> > BMW's and am seriously considering buying a 7 series of the same period.

>
> The chances of finding a good 7 Series of that age are remote. They had
> all sorts of electrics/electronics problems and will invariably have been
> bodged by now.
>
> Go for a 535. They're one of the BMW classics.
>
> --
> *Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?
>
> Dave Plowman London SW
> To e-mail, change noise into sound.



---
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  #8  
Old November 20th 04, 09:47 PM
Mr Fix It
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Posts: n/a
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"Dave Plowman (News)" > wrote in message
...

> The chances of finding a good 7 Series of that age are remote. They had
> all sorts of electrics/electronics problems and will invariably have been
> bodged by now.
>
> Go for a 535. They're one of the BMW classics.


Funny .. the last time i went to a scrapyard i mistook a
headlight-less E34 for an E32.
Only when i opened the door and saw the face vents squeezed
onto the doors did i realise. (Sevens have them in the dash).

Everything around the E32 is identical to the E34 .. there might
have been a few E32 specific options, but essentially the E34
is just a trimmed down version of the E32 (7 was made first,
5 came out later).

So why can a car with the same electrics as the larger version
be any more reliable??

Unless you mean E28 535i .... then i'll definatly say get one!!

--
Regards....
Steve



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