How long will this 740i Sport last?

[farazl]

Hi guys,

My 1999 BMW 740i Sport has almost 170000 miles and there are absolutely no rattles/squeaks, no transmission problems AT ALL, the engine sounds fantastic, and the car feels as tight and pulls as strong as it did at 30K miles. I go past 120mph atleast 3-4 times a week just for fun as I drive a LOT on freeways and it feels as rock solid stable and hushed as it ever did. There are no missing pixels on any screen and each and every thing works on the car.

So my question is, would it be wise to sell the car now and get something else before something major (tranny or engine) breaks? I would like to emphasize that there are absolutely NO symptoms of anything about to break at all and my car is taken to a indy BMW tech every 7500 miles and he thinks its going to last forever. I maintain all my cars religiously and anything that is recommended to be replaced ( tranny fluid, diff fluid, major services, suspension bits and pieces, hoses, belts) is done pre-emptively right away.

It would really be a big decision to get rid of it as even the cosmetic condition is fantastic including the body and the leather inside. Also, goes without saying, I absolutely love the car and really have no idea at this point what I would replace it with.

So, basically, how long do these cars last?

Thanks fellow E38 owners!

[01740ISP]

If it is in perfect condition like you said, I would keep it. Why sell something perfect??? A new car can break too. I would just save the money aside for a potential big repair if you are worried about it.

-Messan

EDIT: & Welcome to the forum. Post pics as soon as you can.

[meteck]

Do you get the new car for free? If you love your car, why spend money when you don't have to? Wait until you have to.

[GSXRliterbikz]

Its worthless. Might as well give it to me

[Jasongind]

I had the same question and thought about getting rid of mine for a newer car when I hit 250,000 miles. I decided to keep it and keep enjoying it. It runs great so I finally realized it doesn't make sense to get a car payment for something not nearly as nice when this is paid for, I love it and it runs like a dream. I'm going to keep it until it won't roll no more. As far as i know, there is only one other 7 on this forum with higher miles then me.

[joes95740]

There are no expiration dates on these cars, There are people on this forum with power train issues with under 100k miles, others last forever

[Jayccel]

I'm pretty much in agreement with the majority. Why try and "fix" a problem that doesn't exist,with a new car payment Roll that baby til it hits 400k

By the way, nice to see another local 7er on the board! We'll have to meet sometime

Edit: I hit 150000 this weekend

[miylive]

Hi guys,

My 1999 BMW 740i Sport has almost 170000 miles and there are absolutely no rattles/squeaks, no transmission problems AT ALL, the engine sounds fantastic, and the car feels as tight and pulls as strong as it did at 30K miles. I go past 120mph atleast 3-4 times a week just for fun as I drive a LOT on freeways and it feels as rock solid stable and hushed as it ever did. There are no missing pixels on any screen and each and every thing works on the car.

So my question is, would it be wise to sell the car now and get something else before something major (tranny or engine) breaks? I would like to emphasize that there are absolutely NO symptoms of anything about to break at all and my car is taken to a indy BMW tech every 7500 miles and he thinks its going to last forever. I maintain all my cars religiously and anything that is recommended to be replaced ( tranny fluid, diff fluid, major services, suspension bits and pieces, hoses, belts) is done pre-emptively right away.

It would really be a big decision to get rid of it as even the cosmetic condition is fantastic including the body and the leather inside. Also, goes without saying, I absolutely love the car and really have no idea at this point what I would replace it with.

So, basically, how long do these cars last?

Thanks fellow E38 owners!

my 2 cents - "cross those bridges when you come to them" - paranoia is a crazy emotion!!

keep the car, keep up the maintenance and you never know it may even outlive its average life expectancy!!

all the best... any plans to sell - id gladly take it off your hands after reading how you've babied her!!

[tommyb2b]

Well currently mine has over 266k miles and it still pulls as strong as ever! As long as its maintained properly with OEM or better parts then they can last forever. I would recommended keeping a little cash tucked away just in case though. Sooner or later you may get a surprise repair.

[mcallister]

Welcome farazl!! Good news and love reading this stuff!! I absolutely love my car too! It's an 'ol '95, but it is as tight as a new one. I went OCD on this car 2 years ago. AND so worth it! Hey, we need to get together!! You, me, Jayccel, Jasongind. Let make a plan!! Would love to see pics of your reliable beauty!!

[SPIKYJUNG]

Mine car has 216000 need to fix too. But still want to keep it, hard to find one like this.

[farazl]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses guys...I wanted to get a feel for what kind of experiences people have had at higher mileages and I am absolutely overjoyed to see that theres quite a few e38's out there with much higher mileages than mine and are going strong!

This is my daily driver and even though I have had it for many years I still enjoy driving it just as much and am after hearing what you all have to say I think I shall keep the car for much longer!

Also, I do understand the importance of maintenance and I for one pay special attention to that just because I really do drive this car like I stole it-I throw it into curves at 80mph when the posted limit is 45 and on road trips take immense pleasure in how sublime this car is at umm "elevated" velocities. I know the car was designed to take all this and this is what we owners love about these cars but I am sure such use is only safe if the car is always kept upto BMW's initial standards.

Oh, and I am up for meeting the local 7 owners- I think it would be a blast...

[Indy01e38]

(QUOTE) "I really do drive this car like I stole it-I throw it into curves at 80mph when the posted limit is 45 and on road trips take immense pleasure in how sublime this car is at umm "elevated" velocities."

"How long will it last?"

[farazl]

:-) I know where you are coming from buddy, but if I had to drive like this car like a Lexus just to keep it chugging along longer,, than I would rather buy a Lexus since it has a substantially lower cost of ownership. I understand that the way the car is driven will affect suspension wear and tire wear but other than that I think these german cars are built to take harder use ( not abuse).

For example, I have a Land Rover LR3 which I take to some dunes in Oregon on occasion, and also when it does snow here in Seattle, I enjoy just blasting through unplowed, snowed in, (empty) parking lots. I am sure this causes somewhat quicker suspension wear and shorter intervals between alignments. However, if the car were so fragile that its life was shortened substantially by these activities than I would rather own a soft-roader that doesn't make unfounded claims. A Highlander or RX comes to mind.

Hope I make sense.

[pizzaman09]

If you where to sell it is not worth much. Even though it may be in perfect condition, probably better condition than my 01 740iL with 72k miles on it, but with that mileage and year it really is not worth much on the open market.

You would easily get more value out of the car if you keep it. I will warn you though that your e38 is still worth something on the open market, once it rolls over 200k miles it will probably be deemed worthless no matter how nice it is. So if you do plan on getting much more than $3000 out of it, this is the time to sell.

[mbcstone]

it's worth more as an insurance total than it is worth on the open market.

that being said, it sounds like it's in great shape. it's sentimental value and it's reliability cannot be overlooked. Keep it as a daily driver and drive it til the wheels fall off. Put the new car in the garage and drive it occasionally, keeping the value high.

[Jayccel]

Welcome farazl!! Good news and love reading this stuff!! I absolutely love my car too! It's an 'ol '95, but it is as tight as a new one. I went OCD on this car 2 years ago. AND so worth it! Hey, we need to get together!! You, me, Jayccel, Jasongind. Let make a plan!! Would love to see pics of your reliable beauty!!

Works for me. Lets wait for the weather to clear up a little bit, though. I hate gtgs in the rain.

[mcallister]

^I hear ya Jayccel, you just let me know. : )

[audiavant]

If its not broke.....dont break it !!!

[Gkent740legend]

These cars can last forever if timing chain guides are done also, regular maintenance oil changes not steping on it every chance you get these cars we're designes to hold 200km for hours not burn rubber of the line

[haynes740]

Good advise from everyone. I am at 212000 miles and had to spend a bit to get it back to standards. New battery,all four power steering hoses,rear tires new wiper blades. All is well again. Going on a 1000 mile trip next week. No worries. Original poster keep your car.


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[JTL]

My 7 just reached 193k. I've had the car for 15 years, bought it with ~50k miles. Don't have any plans to sell/trade etc. Starting to replace parts now for the 2nd time, ha. Just did the front control and thrust arms, again, and got new tires installed on a set of used mpars. I'm using it as a dd, alternating with another vehicle, a -96 land cruiser, which has about 210k.

Cheers, jt
-98 740iL

[aom7]

I was recently at that crossroad... mine has 135k and is cosmetically perfect, all features work. There's a little oil leak from the TCG, but the TCG are fine otherwise. I don't plan on fixing the leak unless I'm committing to proactively replacing the guides.

That said, I've relegated it to my 3rd/weekend car instead of a daily driver. WHY?

Mostly because after the thousands I've put into maintaining and modifying it, my insurance policy would never cover it for its full value, only the KBB. Right now, it's worth about 5k on paper. I can easily get 11k on the market (and have several standing offers for it), but I've also put about $20k into the car, so I'm in it for a lot more than it's worth. I was afraid that someone would slam into it, totaling it and I'd be out everything.

It also helps preserve the car I guess, maybe one day, I'll put it BaT and part with it.

So I decided no more $$ into fixing it (other than regular maintenance) and to put that into a daily driver. In your case, since it's working just fine and you'd otherwise incur a monthly payment on something new, I'd say invest into fixing whatever needs to be fixed, until it reaches a certain point when you no longer feel it's worth it. That point is up to each person.

[Seedyrom]

I'd keep unless budgeting/saving for other issues is concern. But if you sell, try parking it somewhere with a sign (assuming a safe location) and list it online wherever but people who can see the car will appreciate it more than the online window shoppers many of whom won't drive to see and appreciate the 7 Series. BMW sales are as low as other makes but I've done better reselling with a sign in the window than with Craiglist or other freebie listings.

[NoahDreams]

Replace the radiator every 50k miles