1995 BMW 7-Series

740iL Sedan

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

WBAGJ6322SDH29883

Gasoline

1995 Dinan E38 740iL You are bidding on a car that I consider to be quite rare. Ill give you all the details and pics, but please ask questions if you have them. This is a 1995 740il, first year of the e38 style. I searched for a while before I determined this was the year I wanted. Being the first year of production, all of the bells and whistles are on this. This is often the case with new model vehicles. Some of the things this has that others may not are the triple windsheild washers, headlamp jets, Park distance control in front and rear, rear sunshades and self leveling suspension. History and Service: I bought this car in 2008 from an older lady who swore it had only been parked for a few months. She said that BMW had replaced the motor at 106000 miles under a warranty issue. I checked it out and the story held (nikosil vs. alumisil blocks). It started like a champ, but I had it trailered to a BMW certified mechanic to have it checked out. Turns out that was a lucky call. It had been sitting for quite a while, and not just a few months. Looking at the undercarrige and under the hood it was apparent that any rubber items, hoses, belts, bushings, etc. were dry, cracked and in need of replacement. It took a few weeks but they managed to get everything ordered and in and everything was replaced. All of the powersteering hoses, brake lines, belts and bushings. Total cost: just over $4500.00 I should have known that I was in for it at this point. I drove it home that night and it seemed decent, but not like a solid 7 series. We had determined with the mechanic that there was some slight leakage of oil from the heads. this was probably again due to dry, aging gaskets. I made an appointment to get the top end torn down and gaskets replaced but on the day I was to drive it out, the shifter locked into place. Again, it was on to the flatbed and down to the shop. The shifter problem was pretty much an anomoly. It had to be replaced. We ended up replacing the entire assembly instead of trying to troubleshoot little parts. While it was there, the top end was torn down and gaskets replaced. We replaced all the brakes at this point as well because I thought they felt a bit slippy. Most likely due to aging. I also thought I was hearing a click or clank from the back end. This turned out to be the lower control arms on the rear axle. We replaced those as well.Total cost for this trip to the shop. $3800.00 I was in for a few more surprises before all was said and done. The rear lights were cracking and unreliable. They were replaced with an LED set that would not interfere with the OBD system. The starter at this point was 13 yrs old as well, and as luck would have it, decided to give up on us as well. Cost on starter, $780.00, Cost on tail lights $300, self installed. It was running great at this point, but the interior was the tan color and 13+ years of wear had not been kind to it. It was dirty, dingy and looked crappy. Around that time, a neighbor told me about a freind that had a 1996 740il with a blown motor that he was looking to get rid of. I looked it over and it could have passed for new with the exception of the fact that it didnt start. It had a black interior and I thought, "how hard can it be??" I can say now that I will never replace a full interior on a car again. It took us about 4 months of weekends to get the interior out of the donor, everything from carpet to panels to decks, strip the tan, and then get everything back where it was supposed to be. I think we replaced about a thousand clips and screws. I became good friends with the guys at the parts counter as every few days I had a list of clips, screws and covers that I needed. However, it was finally back together and was now a true, black interior. I had cleaned everything before installing so it was really like having a brand new interior. We did end up replacing a few items with new parts, running boards, kickplates and such. We also replaced all of the 5.25 speakers and components while everything was apart. All are working and sounds great. With the cost of the donor vehicle, this job ran just over $2200.00. However, we did sell the donor car for $1000 with the tan interior inside. Next the Dinan cost. One of the mechanics at the shop approached me with a Dinan transmission and engine upgrade chip. $800 for both, installed and I got the factory ECUs back incase I ever wanted to swap out again. Now I thought that the chip would give a little boost, minor improvement. Wow, was I wrong. The combination of the transmission and engine chip is like driving a completely different car. It shifts strong and smooth, the engine revs smoothly and has a noticible improvement in power. I will include the factory ECUs with the car in the case that you ever want to swap them back out. To get the car looking as good as possible, we had the entire car cut and polished, this was done by Wasatch Auto Body of SLC, Utah. They did a fantastic job as usual and the car looks stunning. The final large cost was keyless entry. The key I recieved didnt work remotely and it drove me crazy. The shop ordered new keys, and when they arrived to be initialized, well, surprise! The reciever module was completely inoperable. Replacment was $700, but I had already ordered $350 in keys so I might as well finish the job. The keyless now works, but it is quirky, you have to be near the rear of the vehicle for the functions to operate. Thats just the way it is. Oil changes, tranmission flush etc.. have all been performed at dealer by certified BMW mechanics. The car runs great at this point but it does have a few things that could recieve attention. Items in need of attention: the drivers seat is splitting in the center. Passenger side headrest does not retract and the drivers seat only had about 10 of the 16 functions it should. As a remedy to items 1 and 2, I have a nice set of front seats from a 1998 that will go to the winning bidder. rear cup holder is broken. Cheapest Ive seen is about $125 on eBay but I havent been able to find a black one. the actual milage on the car is 201280. However, given the engine replacement interval I listed it at the engine mileage. The latch for the glove box is broken. You have to open it manually with the cable. there is some bubbling right over the rear drivers side tire. It should be cut down and repainted but I havent done it. rear sunshade operates intemittantly. Sometimes its smooth and sometimes it needs some assistance. Thats it for the bad. Extras: Another item of note, the winning bidder will also recieve a set of BMW 16" rims mounted with Blizzak tires for the winter months. the tires and wheels shown are 17". With the blizzaks there is no issue with normal winter driving. Thats about it. I have reciepts for all of the above repairs. She is running great and I tried to take pictures of everything so you get a realistic view of what a great e38 she really is. The tires on it are about 6000 miles old and ride straight and true. So why am I selling it? Well, a friend has made available his e28 M5. Ive set my heart on it and I dont have the space or time to maintain both. So as soon as this is sold, I can get into the M5. It is perfect mechanically. No problems. It runs like a champ, starts everytime and has an amazing amount of power from that small V8. Cosmetically I would put it at an 8 out of 10. The front seat needs repair and there is some cracking on the wood shift knob. I had this vehicle inspected by BMW of Murray a few months ago during an oil service and it has no mechanical problems or recommended service. Vehicle will come with all records and as many spare parts as you can carry in addition to the new front seats and winter tires and rims. Payment: Dont bid if you cant pay. Buyer to make a deposit of $500 within 24 hours or car will be offered to next bidder. NO EXCEPTIONS. Full payment due within 7 days of auction end or deposit will be considered forfiet and vehicle offered to next bidder or relisted. Title will be delivered to new ower upon reciept of payment. Vehicle must be picked up within 21 days of auction end. I will help out where I can but after 21 days I will no longer be responsible for the vehicle. Final Notes: this vehicle is for sale locally as well and I reserve the right to cancel the auction and sell it outside of eBay at anytime. Any other questions, please ask. I know this car very well and I should be able to answer any questions you have. On Sep-24-10 at 09:49:52 PDT, seller added the following information: Forgot to add, the vehicle will come with 3 (three) factory keys. Two are working and one is not. Also, all of the factory manuals in the OEM leather case, including the cassette tape that tells you all about your new 7 series. Last but not least I have a few other pics of the inside with the lights on so you can see how the dash and console looks. All pixels are good except for one vertical line in the radio. Wouldnt notice it unless you are listening to AM radio.