It's mine!!!

[Detomasoman]

Well, I went down & picked up my "new" E38 1997 740iL yesterday! Wish I could post pictures, but it will have to wait until I have enough posts! I drove it about 250 mi. yesterday & it rode like a dream! It's got 55,xxx mi on it & everything works! It's dark green (almost teal), pretty sure it's called Oxford Green (where do I find the paint codes?) w/tan (sand?) leather interior. It also has 18" M Parallell wheels & is absolutely GEORGEOUS!!!!!!
I want to change the oil this week, don't know if it has synthetic in it now or not. I know which dealer did the servicing so hopefully I'll be able to get the full service history. I'd like to use synthetic, but I'm hesitant to make the switch if all it's had is dino oil.
I'm looking forward to a long & happy relationship with this car. I'm an airplane mechanic & am pretty handy around cars, so I'll be picking everyone's brains here when things inevitably break. I do 90+% of the work on my cars (more when I build my pole barn this year!) & enjoy how well these cars are engineered.
Man - it sure looks good in my driveway & best of all ..... IT'S MINE!!!!!!!!

[Swordsman]

Congrats, man, and welcome to the club of happy 7 owners!

I wouldn't worry about going to synthetic. You can make the switch no problem. I'm not sure on the 740, but mine takes 0W40 synthetic.

[BMW5868]

Congrats - put this in your fav's www.e38.org (http://www.e38.org) & www.realoem (http://www.realoem) . Sounds like a keeper. I originally graduated as a AME (aircraft maintenance engineer) way long time ago.

[Ecko]

Congrats:alright Hit 20 post to post pics:buttrock

[Detomasoman]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I've added those links to my favorites, lots of good info! I'll probably make the switch to synthetic oil, I'll be doing about 100 mi. of highway driving per day, so I'd like to get the extra time between changes.
Where do I find the paint/option codes? Is it on a data plate anywhere?

[dborja]

The paint color is stamped on the passenger side suspension pillar in the engine compartment... Let us know what color it reads.

Welcome to the board and congrats!

Dale

[roys740]

Welcome to the board and congrats on the new purchase......:redspot

[sleepy740]

email me your pics, and i will post for you :)
sleepy_at_csu@yahoo.com

oh, btw...
1997 740iL's are the best models by far...
plus, you got the best color combination ;)
welcome, you will find this forum to be a great place to ask for help, and a great place to give help, and a great place to waste hours of you time
:)

[kromdom]

congrats and welcome.

[Lexicon740il]

Welcome.............

[Jayccel]

Welcome aboard! Love to hear that excitement from a new 7-owner :)

[Strahan]

Congrats on the purchase! I still feel a thrill when I look out my window and see my baby parked there. Well, the thrill is a tad less now with her winter wheels on and the side view mirror knocked off -sniffle- but it should be all better next month hehe.

When you get the dealer service history check to see if the radiator/expansion tank have been replaced. If not, set aside $ for it as a just-in-case fund, because it's not a question of if.. it's when. Took mine two months for the exp tank to go and a year for the rad. If you're handy with tools it's not hard at all to DIY.

[Qsilver7]

...Where do I find the paint/option codes? Is it on a data plate anywhere?


The paint color is stamped on the passenger side suspension pillar in the engine compartment... Let us know what color it reads.
Dale

Ditto dborja's...the paint's color name & code is located on a black label on the passenger side front shock tower. :)

You can see the black label on the shock tower in this pic below (BMW Schwarz 2...sorry that its also on a black car..but it was the first pic that I could find... :)

http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/bucks99750il/Picture%20006.jpg

[Detomasoman]

Thanks for the info - I just went outside & confirmed that it is indeed Oxford Green Metallic (I heard somewhere that it was the fastest color too!) ;-)
sleepy740 - I'll send some pictures your way so you can post them for me, I appreciate it! BTW - I see that you're in Ft. Collins, my brother is moving out there from D.C. next week. He's got an older 3 series & an M Roadster (another Bimmerhead!).

Thanks again for the warm welcome! I'm sure that I'll become a "regular" on this board since I plan on keeping this car FOREVER!!!!

(God I love this car!)

[dborja]

...passenger side front shock tower.... :)


Thanks, Q! I was struggling with the right name; one of those days when the brain recognizes something but can't access the right dictionary entry...:confused

[Qsilver7]

Thanks, Q! I was struggling with the right name; one of those days when the brain recognizes something but can't access the right dictionary entry...:confused

:) ...when I read your post I knew exactly what you were going thru and trying to say...I could hear your brain synapses trying to fire off way over here in Indiana! :stickoutt ...so I thought I'd jump in and try to help. :D

[dborja]

:) ...when I read your post I knew exactly what you were going thru and trying to say...I could hear your brain synapses trying to fire off way over here in Indiana! :stickoutt ...so I thought I'd jump in and try to help. :D

At least I didn't have to name those four black rubber things that go 'round and 'round...:D

[ccmdoc]

Congradulations on your new 7er. I think you'll find the board a great resource and experience not to mention everything in your life is going to get a lot better just because you own an E38 and can drive her a 100 mi. everyday. I'm very jealous. Can't wait to see the pics.

[740iOrientBlue]

... now you too, can read all these posts and live in fear your next major malfunction.

On the plus side, this board and e38.org will give you a ton of ideas about cools things you can do/add to your e38, along with things you can do for yourself that will save you money.

Just about anything you can think of to do, is documented somewhere on the web... with pictures.

Enjoy your ride.

[Bruse Wayne]

congrats on the purchase. Sounds mint with only 55K :eek:

[sleepy740]

she looks pretty...

where did you get her?

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/sleepyatcsu/DM01631_03.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/sleepyatcsu/DM01631.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/sleepyatcsu/DM01631_02.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/sleepyatcsu/DM01631_04.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/sleepyatcsu/DM01631_05.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/sleepyatcsu/DM01631_06.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/sleepyatcsu/DM01631_07.jpg

[Qsilver7]

Looks really good....and if that rear window shade is still messed up...there's a write up on www.e38.org that shows how to remove it from the door to check it. Once on e38.org...just do a page search (Ctrl+F) then type "shade" into the dialog box...this makes it easy to find what you're looking for amongst all the links. :)

The plastic that secures the roller has either cracked (hence it won't roll back up) or the shade has been overextended. Either way, its a fix that isn't difficult to do once you get it off the door (which is simple too when you see the directions)

(plastic has cracked in pic below...so shade won't recoil)
http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/davidc/DSC05946.JPG


There several things you can do to correct the situation. Some create a clip or something to keep the roller blind from moving...I took my soldering iron and a plastic twisty tie and melted it over the crack and tip of the roller blind. It's ugly as all get out but not visible unless you remove the shade from the door.

Here's what I did...
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/1/web/433000-433999/433594_274.jpg http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/1/web/433000-433999/433594_275.jpg http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/1/web/433000-433999/433594_276.jpg

[roys740]

Looks like a pretty clean car. And you got to love the miles. Congrats and Good Luck!:redspot

[dborja]

Very nice car! Congrats!

I had the same issue with the rear window shade and Qsilver7's solution worked like a charm for me.

[Matsui]

Wow that looks really nice. Congrats on your new purchase.

[Detomasoman]

Thanks for all the compliments & tank you sleepy740 for posting the pictures for me.
The rear sunscreens are all working with the exception of the driver's side rear quarter window. It extends & retracts fine (the dealer fixed it before I picked it up), but I didn't notice that they had left off the male part of the latch, so it won't hook onto the recepticle. I'll get on realoem & see if they have what I need. I've run into a little problem with the infamous cupholder as well, I'll do some research into that & get it fixed also.
All in all, I'm ecstatic about this car & I'm looking forward to years & years of driving the "Ultimate Driving Machine"!

[Detomasoman]

Forgot to mention - sleepy740 asked where I got her. Believe it or not, I found it on cars.com & on ebay. It was at a little dealer in NJ, looks loike all they deal in is high end cars & sell everything over the internet. Not much of a place when I showed up there, cars parked bumper to bumper (fortunately mine was in a 4 bay car port). Young kids selling cars that I don't think that they could appreciate. Kinda felt like I rescued the car from an uncertain future. It's got a good home now!

[Wiseguy ON]

Congrats! Also.. E12 M535i? Awesome! Bringing that to 5erfest this year?

[Detomasoman]

Congrats! Also.. E12 M535i? Awesome! Bringing that to 5erfest this year?

Unfortunately, no. I need to replace the rear shock towers, which I'm sure will lead me to a rear suspension rebuild, & while I'm at it, I may as well fix all the other niggly things under there. And as long as the car's down, I probably ought to see about that slight skip I've got in the engine .... hmmmm ....... #6 cylinder has lower compresion than the others, I probably ought to pull the head, & as long as I've got that off..... etc, etc.

I'm building a pole barn this year, once that's up & powered I'll start looking for a doner vehicle & start the rebuild. Fortunately the body is still in great shape from the restoration I did back in '91, so hopefully by this time next year I'll have both Bimmers on the road.

[sleepy740]

Forgot to mention - sleepy740 asked where I got her. Believe it or not, I found it on cars.com & on ebay. It was at a little dealer in NJ, looks loike all they deal in is high end cars & sell everything over the internet. Not much of a place when I showed up there, cars parked bumper to bumper (fortunately mine was in a 4 bay car port). Young kids selling cars that I don't think that they could appreciate. Kinda felt like I rescued the car from an uncertain future. It's got a good home now!

good!
i remember seeing her on ebay, thats why i asked...
that seller had a couple of 740s listed, even an imola red!
did you see the red one when you picked up yours?

[Detomasoman]

good!
i remember seeing her on ebay, thats why i asked...
that seller had a couple of 740s listed, even an imola red!
did you see the red one when you picked up yours?

Yes I did see the Imola Red one, but I didn't take a real close look at it. All the cars there were freshly detailed & it appears that he knows what he's buying. He gets these cars at auction, freshens them up with a nice detailing job & posts them on the internet. He's listed as a leasing company, so I imagine that he leases more than he sells, but that's pure speculation. The cars all appeared to be in excellent shape, but who knows what kind of service history they have? I got lucky with a one owner car that had contact info with it for the full service history. My local dealer was able to pull up all the warranty work & I've got the contact info for the dealer on Long Island that did all the servicing.
The dealer that I bought the car from did provide a complete carfax report at no charge, so I don't believe that they would intentionally mislead a buyer, but as always, buyer beware!

[Wiseguy ON]

Unfortunately, no. I need to replace the rear shock towers, which I'm sure will lead me to a rear suspension rebuild, & while I'm at it, I may as well fix all the other niggly things under there. And as long as the car's down, I probably ought to see about that slight skip I've got in the engine .... hmmmm ....... #6 cylinder has lower compresion than the others, I probably ought to pull the head, & as long as I've got that off..... etc, etc.

I'm building a pole barn this year, once that's up & powered I'll start looking for a doner vehicle & start the rebuild. Fortunately the body is still in great shape from the restoration I did back in '91, so hopefully by this time next year I'll have both Bimmers on the road.

Well come to 5erfest anyways.. there's a rumor that someone may be donating an E28 for a door prize...

[sleepy740]

Yes I did see the Imola Red one, but I didn't take a real close look at it. All the cars there were freshly detailed & it appears that he knows what he's buying. He gets these cars at auction, freshens them up with a nice detailing job & posts them on the internet. He's listed as a leasing company, so I imagine that he leases more than he sells, but that's pure speculation. The cars all appeared to be in excellent shape, but who knows what kind of service history they have? I got lucky with a one owner car that had contact info with it for the full service history. My local dealer was able to pull up all the warranty work & I've got the contact info for the dealer on Long Island that did all the servicing.
The dealer that I bought the car from did provide a complete carfax report at no charge, so I don't believe that they would intentionally mislead a buyer, but as always, buyer beware!

wow
you did good!!!
no problem on posting pics for you, i always offer to newbies ;)
btw, internet sales is a good business to be in right now...
my dealership is gonna be starting in about a month, and i will be head of that department....
so watch out!!!!
:)

[dborja]

wow
...
btw, internet sales is a good business to be in right now...
my dealership is gonna be starting in about a month, and i will be head of that department....
so watch out!!!!
:)

I guess congrats are in order for you, sleepy, but "Uh oh!" for the rest of us! Just kidding! I'll be interested, as I'm sure the other BF members will too, in the offerings from your dealership since we know an "insider" there. My wifey has the BMW fever and is eyeing the 3-series and the X5...

[sleepy740]

I guess congrats are in order for you, sleepy, but "Uh oh!" for the rest of us! Just kidding! I'll be interested, as I'm sure the other BF members will too, in the offerings from your dealership since we know an "insider" there. My wifey has the BMW fever and is eyeing the 3-series and the X5...

we have a 1999 323iS with 73,000 miles
$11,995!!!
fern green metalic with sand leather...
its an automatic
and a one owner!!!
let me know
:)

FWIW,
i picked up a 2001 540iA from the auction yesterday...
it is going through our shop tomorrow, fingers crossed...
you WILL see both cars on bf.c very, very shortly

[sleepy740]

THREAD JACK!!!

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_5_%7CD-_1294_%7CN-N%7CR-30%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-80521&aff=national&paId=133741323&recnum=5&leadExists=true

[Detomasoman]

Very cool! Now we have one of our "brethren" in the business! I'll have to ask my brother to come check out your place when he gets out to Ft. Collins.

My M's been down for a couple of years now, I just haven't had the room to start a restoration on it. Once the pole barn gets built this year I'll be able to FINALLY get started on it (can't wait!).

I forgot how nice it is to drive a BMW, everything just feels "right"!

[series]

Wow sleepy you own a bussiness or are the manager, Nice must be fun!?

[sleepy740]

Wow sleepy you own a bussiness or are the manager, Nice must be fun!?

no, i wish
im a salesman...
and head of internet sales...
im 21!
and go to school full time too

:shifty

[sleepy740]

Very cool! Now we have one of our "brethren" in the business! I'll have to ask my brother to come check out your place when he gets out to Ft. Collins.

My M's been down for a couple of years now, I just haven't had the room to start a restoration on it. Once the pole barn gets built this year I'll be able to FINALLY get started on it (can't wait!).

I forgot how nice it is to drive a BMW, everything just feels "right"!

yeah he should!
why is he moving here?
and what part of town

[series]

no, i wish
im a salesman...
and head of internet sales...
im 21!
and go to school full time too

:shifty
Sweet.:)

[Detomasoman]

yeah he should!
why is he moving here?
and what part of town

Moving out to "Ridgewood Hills". He's starting his own petroleum exploration company (using remote sensing, etc). He got the brains & the good looks in the family!

[sleepy740]

nice neighborhood he is moving to.



He got the brains & the good looks in the family!

haha, i have the same problem he does!!!
;)