engine and drivetrain Thoughts on a 733i (sorry if off topic)

[76white02]

Hello,

I passed on the Mercedes Turbo Diesel, a lot didn't add up with the car/owner. I have found a 1983-84 733i. It is in pretty decent shape, only 1 spot of minor rust, engine compartment is wonderfully clean. The "Engine Inspection" light is on the yellow, what could be causing this, could it be as simple as an oil change? The guy was asking $2000, I got him to budge to $1200. Is this a good deal? I have never dealt with a 733i before. Could some of you give me a few tips on what to look for? I am going to look at this car in about an hour, so quick replies, much appreciated!!!!

Thanks!

[Guest Anonymous]

These cars have tempermental HVAC systems so if that works, the car is worth the money.

Check out www.e38.org/e23 for lots of links to repair procedures and such

Check out http://bimmerboard.com/forums/e23/page/0 for a good BB for the E23. There are others but these two links should get you started.

[Gordon]

HVAC systems suck from what I've heard as well, electrical problems can be a bitch on some E23 models. Try to find the rare 5 speed E23 (or rarerer E32, 2nd generation 7 series). The last 5 speed in a 7 series in the US market was 90 model year (E32). The M30 engines are bulletproof. The pik-a-part yards are full of automatic E23's, Slushbox will go south around 150K. If you live in a smog exempt area, there are grey market 7 series cars from the mid 80's out there. Don't go for the early 745i (factory turbo), unless you have deep pockets. Look for an 85 or later 745i. Avoid the L7 (luxobarge).

G-Man

[Whale]

I had an '85 735 (same car, really). The other entries are right about the heater/AC. The controls are basically run by a wheel that you spin to get more/less heat. That wheel is just about the worst bit of engineering since the thermal reactor in the later '02s. It breaks without the slightest pressure.

Another item you need to look at are the wheels. BMW offered up the metric wheels back then. If the car has those, you'll be looking at $250 a tire minimum. Either that or you can do what most people do and change out the wheels altogether for standard size (14", 15", 16") rims.

The car is not what anyone would call a fire-breather. It is an autobahn cruiser with superb handling. You can glide down the highway in comfort and ease in an early 7 series. The engine just loves to purr in those cars. With my normal feather-foot driving the best mileage I got was right around 23.9 overall.

On the other hand, it is a VERY heavy car that takes a while to get up to speed. This (for me) translated into transmission problems. I baby my cars like an elderly grandma, so when I went through two trannies in less than two years, there's definitely a weak spot that needs to be watched carefully.

Another area of concern are the idiot lights on the lower left panel. The little led lights alert you to all sorts of potential problems. Unfortunately, they also alert you to problems that aren't really there. A simple bad contact can trigger a couple of lights and all of a sudden you're wondering if you're in trouble or not.

My 735 went through 2 trannies, a brake bomb, new wheels, a hell of a lot of work on the dash (including figuring out the code to start the car again), and new struts. On the other hand, it cornered like a Ferrari. A quick look at my local salvage yard proved that there are ample parts available (which either means you can fix your car up easily or that it's destined for the yard as well).

Basically, the old 7 series are German Buicks, in my opinion. You can cruise like a king, but don't expect any kind of performance out of them.

If you have any other questions feel free to email me.

[76white02]

Thanks for the replies. I am not looking for anything special here. I am looking for something to get me back and forth to class in the winter, and something to drive if my '02 is ever out of service during the warm months. For the money I am looking to spend, I expect SOME problems, but nothing TRAUMATIC, I just need it to stay on the road. What does $1200 get you these days anyhow?

As I said before, the car drives excellent and starts right up. The Windows aren't operating and neither are the power mirriors, could this be a bad grounding or fuse? I know what you are saying about the OBC lights indicating a problem, I had an e30 that always had the coolant light on (as does this car) The car has been garaged for a while, the man is about 87 and can't drive. It shifts clean, there is no delay or lurching. I would assume the wheels aren't metric since it has brand new tires on it. ( I highly doubt a 87 yr old man went out and spent $500 on a set of brand new tires on a car he can't drive.) There are no obvious signs of any sort of oil/coolant/trannie leaks anywhere. The oil is clean, the coolant is nice and clean (but not suspicously too clean) I do beleive the diff. is in need of some fluid.

I live in an area where old BMW's are hard to come by, and I can't afford to have something shipped, I am a struggling college student.

[Grant]

I'm currently finishing up some work on my '82 735 (which is a 5-speed European model) and it's really a pretty good car. Like other people said, the HVAC can be a pain, but I'm managed to rebuild most of mine, including the broken wheel. One of the biggest problems with them is vacuum leaks. The vacuum controls all the HVAC stuff inside the car, so one leaky hose and suddenly you only have hot air coming out the defrost vents by the windshield. The engine though is really bulletproof. Mine has about 225k on it and has never been apart. It does burn a little oil from the valve seals now, and could probably use a rebuild on the head, but it's nothing that prevents it from driving just fine.

As mentioned before, it's not a fast accelerator, but it does cruise nicely on the highway at 90mph+.

If you're looking for parts, there's a guy named Steve Haywood that offers a lot of parts for the E23 series at a good price. I got my brake bomb from him, as well as some other random stuff. There's also a pretty good message board at www.bimmerboard.com/forums/e23 . You can find Steve's contact information on there.

Now, anyone got a cheap "project" 2002 for sale around Dallas? I'm still looking.

[scottt]

I brove a 85 735 for 8 years and about 250,000 miles. Replaced the trans when I bought it and did a bunch of other maintenance stuff along the way. I thought it was a great car, but it wasn't cheap to maintain, even being in the BMW business. It could be tough for a poor college student to keep on the road.

BTW, most trans failures are a bad A clutch, it is a repair that is within the abilities of MOST do it yourselfers, pulling the trans is the big job.