I might buy this 7 long. Your opinion

[Mordan]

Posting here because the 7 forum is quiet

What do you think about this car for 1500 euros (a lil more in dollars)

manual
3L
Long one.
OBC, ABS, AC, Electrical SunRoof
1989 250K kilometers. I guess it is a M30. So I heard the block is pretty solid so this should be ok. for this price I'm really tempted. Phoned the guy but got an answering machine. It is surely a gas guzzler but it looks awesome. It is also sweet that there is no airbags. I hate airbags as a DIY and safe driver.

http://www.mordan.biz/bmw/bmw_7long_1.jpg
http://www.mordan.biz/bmw/bmw_7long_2.jpg
http://www.mordan.biz/bmw/bmw_7long_3.jpg
http://www.mordan.biz/bmw/bmw_7long_4.jpg

it looks like a big big E34, my favorite chassis. I have an E30 and E34. And the E34 is definitely my favorite over the E30

[632 Regal]

Looks nice, see how she drives, that will tell you if its good or to walk away.

[shogun]

It is a 730 with M30B30 straight six engine. 1.500 EURO might be o.k. for Belgium, if the car was serviced good and there is no backlog with maintenance such as the complete front axle, upper arms etc., basically the same linke on the E34.
See my website below under before you buy, there is all written.
Manual gear is a +, as these are seldom, even in Europe.
Technical data are here
http://www.7-forum.com/modelle/e32/technische_daten.php

If it is an L, it has hydraulic rear self levelling. LAD shocks are not the cheapest, but are usually repairable. Hopefully it has no EDC, EDC shocks cost more than the care is worth, but usually the solution is to modify to normal shocks.

[BMWCCA1]

Did that "L7" badge actually come on anything other than the leather-covered U.S. E23 short-wheelbase version in 1986/7?

[shogun]

E32 never had an L7, even the "Highline" E32 is not an L7. Highline was just an optional extra in the price list.
The option code Highline includes a lot of other optional extras. For example the tables for the rear were also availble as single items.
Main Highline items are the 2nd aircon in the rear, second alternator, the cooler box in the rear in combination with the 2nd aircon, the remote switch for the passenger seat in the rear center console so that one can operate the front passenger seat from the rear seat, and all other items could be ordered separately such as the blinds, the foot rests etc.
On the German 7-forum there is a copy of the price list with the details of all optional extras under Modelle.

[Rick L]

Looks nice. Like the blue. And it is a stick. Don't see that in this side of the pond... Does that security system come with the car? :p

[BMWCCA1]

Long one.
I'm not so sure. That back door doesn't look like a LWB model. But I might be confused by the color mis-match from front to back door. Or maybe the front is a LWB car and the rear clip is a SWB? ;)

[shogun]

probably a normal SWB, in 1989 only 14619 630 R6 were built.
http://bmwe32.masscom.net/johan/information/production.html

[BMWCCA1]

probably a normal SWB, in 1989 only 14619 630 R6 were built.
I'm guessing you meant 730, not 630. But I'm not sure how that data helps decide the SWB v. LWB question. Looking at the back door should tell you that. ;)

[Ross]

No doubt a short wheelbase car. L7? Hinkey badge engineering always makes my suspicion meter twitch.

[BMWCCA1]

And it is a stick. Don't see that in this side of the pondActually, we could get sticks in the 735i in the U.S. through the 1990 model year.

[Tiger]

Get the VIN and have the dealer print out the spec.

[Ken35i]

Only 1 smiley? :(

[Mordan]

No doubt a short wheelbase car. L7? Hinkey badge engineering always makes my suspicion meter twitch.

longing for the right E32 ? :p

take heart buddy, you will succeed

[Ross]

longing for the right E32 ? :p

take heart buddy, you will succeed

The problem here is not a lack of E32s, there is in fact a zillion of them. But good ones? Virtually all have fallen into the wrong hands and disrepair, that coupled with rust in this part of the world make good ones practically non-existant.
I've made two efforts at making nice cars from elderly 750s only to pour in tons of work and cash to make them mechanically sound but was still left with some rust and slightly tired interiors. Subsequent owners got the deal of a lifetime since they weren't put off by the lack of freshness.
And regarding the long wheelbase; my ideal combo would be a standard wheelbase M70 with manual. The long chassis looks out of proportion to me.
My desire stems from an E32 I had when very close to new. It was the finest car I ever drove. While my memory has remained static time for the cars has marched on. I suppose my old cheerleader girlfriend is pretty rough looking these days too.
Too bad cars and women don't age like wine and whiskey.

[shogun]

don't give up, Ross, sometimes you find the Pearl.
My shade tree mechanic buddy just made such a deal. He found an Alpina B12 5.0 A elderly gentleman owned since the purchase as new car. A car lover. Always kept it in the garage, was the third car to be used, daily driver was a Toyota, then he also had a Porsche 911 about 20 years old. So basically he used the car on sunny summer weekend days to make a nice tour and enjoy the drive.
Always serviced by the Alpina shop here. Showroom condition.
As he is over 70 years old now, he wanted to reduce the number of cars, as he seldom uses them. So he was looking for someone who would take care of 'his baby', highest sales price was not top priority.
He once got to know us while we were working on our cars and he was convinced that 'his baby' would be in good hands. That's why he got the car now.

Such stories come up every few months, there are still many E32 somewhere in the garages of elder people.
Just wait for the right moment.

[Tiger]

So how much was that car? Japan eh?

[genphreak]

ROFL... so true Ross, so true! I have 2 elder e28s in the same situation as your e32. I really need to get rid of both... but I have manual, LSD, B34 motors, big brakes, all the good bits to go with them. Just the bodies to fix- not exaclty my thing. Here in Oz, even e28s can survive the weather.

[Ross]

ROFL... so true Ross, so true! I have 2 elder e28s in the same situation as your e32. I really need to get rid of both... but I have manual, LSD, B34 motors, big brakes, all the good bits to go with them. Just the bodies to fix- not exaclty my thing. Here in Oz, even e28s can survive the weather.

Nick,
Two E28s? For what reason were you interested in the stuff I had a while ago??

[shogun]

So how much was that car? Japan eh?

only about $ 2.500, as mentioned, price was not the point, the previous owner was looking for a person he knew that he would take care of.

Of course needed some further investment such as we replaced the sagging headliner material, installed new beer cans, new sway bars, some rubber parts and some cosmetic works, transmission fluid, brake fluid and engine oil change.
Of course that price was exceptionally low due to the owner, but there are more chances, for example this with only 94.000 km, E21 323i from 1982
for $ 1.600
http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m56719300

or this 1994 E32 750iL with only 118.000 km for 1 Cent starting price
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w31974469#enlargeimg
scroll down , many pics, excellent condition

E34:
525 from 2/1992 for abt. $ 2000, 132.000 km
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w31857092

525 Individual from 1995 $ 3.500 87.500 km
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w31857092

12/1995 525 $ 3.500 80.638 km
http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k105254174

and no, I cannot help you to buy these cars, you need an official exporter for that, here are the addresses
http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35325&highlight=export+japan

[Mordan]

Hi

here the VIN is WAGA71060DA69738

if anybody could confirm it is indeed a long one. thx!

I drove the car. He dropped the price down to 1060 euros because I'm young and it is hard to sell the car.

minuses- some body work, old used cream interior but no tears, OBC does not work. worn leather on the gear

pluses-awesome look. Car look in good used condition, daily driver. new high speed muffler, M30 runs smooth and sounds click like my 21years old M20. Minor compression wave out of the oil cap when I rev the engine. Nothing serious. Manual gears change OK.

I think I'm going for it.

Mord

EDIT: I just checked with my insurance, they don't have Long 730 BMW!!! Seller assured me it was a long one. He bought it 3 years ago. Maybe it is a 735? ****. Can someone check the VIN? I need to get back in touch with the seller soon. thx

[ThoreauHD]

What country is this? That VIN doesn't exist in any database I'm checking.

[BMWCCA1]

I already said it wasn't a long-wheelbase model. You can see that in the picture. It is what it is:

Chassis number DA69738
Vehicle code GA71
Series E32
Model 730i ( 730i M30 )
Body type saloon
Catalog model ECE
Production date 1989 / 02
Engine M30
Transmission Manual
Steering Left
Catalyzer YES

[Morgenster]

Hi

here the VIN is WAGA71060DA69738

if anybody could confirm it is indeed a long one. thx!

I drove the car. He dropped the price down to 1060 euros because I'm young and it is hard to sell the car.

minuses- some body work, old used cream interior but no tears, OBC does not work. worn leather on the gear

pluses-awesome look. Car look in good used condition, daily driver. new high speed muffler, M30 runs smooth and sounds click like my 21years old M20. Minor compression wave out of the oil cap when I rev the engine. Nothing serious. Manual gears change OK.

I think I'm going for it.

Mord

EDIT: I just checked with my insurance, they don't have Long 730 BMW!!! Seller assured me it was a long one. He bought it 3 years ago. Maybe it is a 735? ****. Can someone check the VIN? I need to get back in touch with the seller soon. thx


Kijk eens even op de roze kaart: daarop vind je de cilinderinhoud terug alsook het vermogen.
Is de verkoper iemand uit het Brusselse?

Regarde sur la carte rose: la cylindrée et la puissance sont marqué dessus.
Le vendeur est Bruxellois...?

[sal_park]

6303

[Ross]

It's NOT a long wheelbase.
Your recent description and the fact the seller is lying to you about the most basic characteristic of the car leads me to believe you will be a very frequent poster here if you buy that car.

[Mordan]

Kijk eens even op de roze kaart: daarop vind je de cilinderinhoud terug alsook het vermogen.
Is de verkoper iemand uit het Brusselse?

Regarde sur la carte rose: la cylindrée et la puissance sont marqué dessus.
Le vendeur est Bruxellois...?

Hi, you are Belgian?

I live in Wallonia. Yes the seller is from Brussels, apparently a private guy. He has a flemish accent while speaking French. A diplomat. He was nice and gave me a price drop.

I told him I would buy it.

yes I looked at the pink card. It is indeed a 3L. I told him some people on the forum told me it was not a long E32, just by looking at the pictures. The badge is misleading. He told me he bought it 3 years ago (I checked that on the pink card) and the L7 badge was already there. he says he is the 2nd owner, which I doubt, but I don't care.

He sounded really honest thinking it was a rare long Seven. damn:p how much would you give for that car?
From the start price of 1500, he now sells me the car for 1060 euros. He told me he wanted to sell it at the export market for 1250, minus 250 euros because I'm young and sympa. + 60 for the control technique (MOT)

[Mordan]

6303

nice.. didn't know that trick :) thx

[Morgenster]

depending on the state of the car the worst that could happen is that it turns out o be a crappy one needing all sorts of repairs. So a repair and service history is your best friend here.
If the seller doesn't have a service history you'll have to do some investigating by checking everything by yourself.
If you need this car as a daily driver however, I'd be a little more cautious.
Still, at 1060 euros the worst that could happen is that you lose time, because if there are any salvageable parts on the car you can still sell it on in pieces, if you're patient and have room to store the car, and make a little money.
You could also strike a deal with the seller to have him sell it to you with a fresh technical checkup (controle technique de vente = the blank form for registering the car). Say you'll pay 1200 if he can deliver the car with a blank checkup. That way you'll be guaranteed to have correct paperwork at least and you'll be allowed to drive the car for a year in Belgium.
I'm flemish.
also, the reason I asked if the seller was from Brussels is because I know for a fact that there's plenty of people there that do some really shady cardeals that can burn you. Especially 'foreighn diplomats'.
Still, like I said, 1060 is very little for a running car even if you'll need to do some repairs afterwards.

ETA: forgot to add this: It may seem like a very obvious thing but did you check if the seller was the name on the pink card? If not then you need to be cautious, but if he can get it through technical without problems then it's okay. But if he's not the name on the card and he tells you he can't take it to a controle technique, do what I have done before: call in the VIN number to the DIV and ask if this car is reported stolen.
I know, I'm suspicious and all, but I've seen some really nasty people trying to make a quick buck off some unsuspecting and eager buyer.

[Ross]

he says he is the 2nd owner, which I doubt, but I don't care.

He sounded really honest thinking it was a rare long Seven

He wants to sell at an export market?? With the Euro strong against all foreign currencies? Perhaps to keep the buyer a long way away.

A diplomat? Things must be tough in the diplomacy business these days, with having to drive two decade old cars.
Come on open your eyes, this deal stinks an ocean away.

You are an anxious buyer, the worst/best kind. Look at some other cars before doing this.
Make sure Mr. diplomat kisses you first because you about to be ****ed.

EDIT Having said all above it's worth mentioning that a bad seller could have a good car, usually not but all things are possible.
Regardless of seller the cars will always tell the truth if you listen to what they have to say. Get an inspection from someone familiar with the model if you persist in this deal.

[BMWCCA1]

It seems to me that the original poster is still overlooking the fact that no E32s were sold with the "L7" badge. The L7 was a badge-engineering E23 model unique to the USA (yes, I said E23) basically a short-wheel-base car with the European high-line interior available in only two exterior colors (silver and diamond black). The badge is obviously fraudulent for this car, even if it were a long-wheelbase car. If it were a long-wheelbase car (which it is NOT), it could have a "730iL" badge on the trunk lid.

Further, there's nothing magical about a long-wheelbase E32. The short version is plenty big in the back seat and the extra 4.5" is really a waste unless you always have someone in the back, makes the car heavier, and takes away from the handling and feel of a stick-shift car.

[Mordan]

You could also strike a deal with the seller to have him sell it to you with a fresh technical checkup (controle technique de vente = the blank form for registering the car). Say you'll pay 1200 if he can deliver the car with a blank checkup. That way you'll be guaranteed to have correct paperwork at least and you'll be allowed to drive the car for a year in Belgium.

ETA: forgot to add this: It may seem like a very obvious thing but did you check if the seller was the name on the pink card?

well he actually told me during the very first minutes of our meeting, 1060 euros. he asks 60 euros for the technical checkup and the paperwork for registering the car. So this is a big positive aspect. Plus as you said Morgenster, this is really cheap for a running car. However insurance and tax will cost 1000 euros :(
I checked the car and there is no obvious problem. Sure it will drip some oil from the circular joints, the 2 BMWs I bought on the cheap did.

I will check the name on the pink card. thx.

the only other buyer was an african Mauritanian he told me who wanted to make the transaction over the Internet. lol
Frankly he told me unless you wait 5 years so the car becomes an oldtimer (no tax, cheap insurance), those old BMWs are cheap right now because nobody wants them. I heard in the UK they are even cheaper.

[Morgenster]

Then I'd say go for it.

[Mordan]

it sucks.

someone doubled me. He phoned me saying the car wouldn't go through Technical Control/MOT and he had to sell it right there for peanuts. BULLCRAP.
Red card because of rust on the body, direction leaks, headlights, locked right passenger door, seat belts.

arghhhh...except for rust, nothing terrible damn it.
it wasn't that rusty when I looked at it.

is that you Morgentster ? oh well. Kharmic Curse on whoever screwed me #$@#$!!@#

[Morgenster]

it sucks.

someone doubled me. He phoned me saying the car wouldn't go through Technical Control/MOT and he had to sell it right there for peanuts. BULLCRAP.
Red card because of rust on the body, direction leaks, headlights, locked right passenger door, seat belts.

arghhhh...except for rust, nothing terrible damn it.
it wasn't that rusty when I looked at it.

is that you Morgentster ? oh well. Kharmic Curse on whoever screwed me #$@#$!!@#

Nope, I'm not that interested in a 7 series yet.
A red card is a red flag to me though. When I had my MOT on the old 5er a little rust here and there was no big deal so if he got a red card for rust it must have been pretty serious. Those MOT guys aren't fools these days and if they suspect something's rotten they'll start poking at stuff that looks OK from the outside but might be dangerous. I've seen them do it and occasionally they'll find serious chassis integrity problems after poking at something that looked harmless at first.
I don't know what you mean with directional leaks. Are you saying it leaked fluids or that rain gets in easily?
This would probably have been a bad buy.

[Mordan]

Nope, I'm not that interested in a 7 series yet.
A red card is a red flag to me though. When I had my MOT on the old 5er a little rust here and there was no big deal so if he got a red card for rust it must have been pretty serious. Those MOT guys aren't fools these days and if they suspect something's rotten they'll start poking at stuff that looks OK from the outside but might be dangerous. I've seen them do it and occasionally they'll find serious chassis integrity problems after poking at something that looked harmless at first.
I don't know what you mean with directional leaks. Are you saying it leaked fluids or that rain gets in easily?
This would probably have been a bad buy.

hi Morgenster. I have no idea. "he said "fuite à la direction". THe point here is not the red card. It's that he decided to sell it to another guy at a higher price. Last time he phoned me asking if I was still sure to buy it, because some people phoned him to buy it. He said it was because of the fuel price drop last week.


well it is not big deal. I will reinvest that money in my 325i. It needs new tyres. What's your best brand for All Weather tyres?

by the way are you happy with your Audi? No BMW anymore?

[Morgenster]

well it is not big deal. I will reinvest that money in my 325i. It needs new tyres. What's your best brand for All Weather tyres?

by the way are you happy with your Audi? No BMW anymore?

The 5'er had Bridgestone Turanza all weather tires that were pretty good and lasted real long.

I'm pretty happy with the audi. It's a big change going from a big gasolinepowered naturally aspirated RWD cruiser to tha small turbodiesel FWD hatchback, but I'm liking it. Especially because my employer is picking up the tab on this one and the 5'er was on 312000kms and in need of some big repairs.
I still look longingly at any E34 I happen to run into and secrertly try to figure out what general state it is in. As soon as a bimmer is on the list for me as an employee to choose from it'll be the choice I make. I keep thinking the Audi is a temporary thing.