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Thread: Considering purchasing a 2001 740i Sport..

  1. #1
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    Considering purchasing a 2001 740i Sport..(update: purchased)

    I have been doing a lot of research on this forum these past few days on this car just to get an idea of what I’m getting into. I’ve been pretty patient and I think this may be the best one I’ve come across so far; 147k miles for $4500, 1 owner. While I am aware that the cosmetics don’t tell the entire story, this car is extremely clean and clearly well taken care of. Only downside is no service records.. Carfax is there, but not the service history. I’m going up to check the car out tomorrow morning and was just wondering what I should look for that can determine the car was regularly serviced and well maintained aside from the interior/exterior. Thanks
    Last edited by justinburner; 10-10-2018 at 10:17 PM.

  2. #2
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    Well, first of all, if it's a good machine, you'll have a wonderful vehicle! The things I'll chime in with are likely in a long list of what others might suggest:

    Short of having service records, I'd get the VIN from the seller and call the closest local BMW dealer and see what records they may have for you.
    Ask that the seller leave the engine off and cold when you come to check it. Listen intently when you start it. One of the big things will be to listen for the "clack" of poor timing chain & failed guides. (On these 19 year old V8s, that's my biggest concern).
    Check the ground under the car, ideally it is parked where it normally has sat. See if there are any leaks/stains (if any) on the ground and mark their location to translate to origin.
    From there, it will be all common sense "car purchase review":
    I tend to jack up each wheel and give them a solid set of tugs at 9:00 and 3:00, 12:00 and 6:00. Get a sense of any trailing arms, ball joints, bushings, etc.
    Engine bay will be a similar common sense review: Head gasket, valve cover gasket, power steering leak(s), coolant leaks...
    Check A/C, heated seats, etc. of any creature comforts you really want - because if they don't work, they're likely costly repairs.
    Tires. If they're bad, that's another $800 before you blink.

    Good luck. Send pictures if/when you get it.

    Jay
    '01 325Ci Convertible, 5-speed
    '01 740iL, Stahlblau with beige interior & 18" M-Pars, GROM bluetooth
    '03 X5 3.0 six cyl, Gray on gray

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by jpilk99 View Post
    Well, first of all, if it's a good machine, you'll have a wonderful vehicle! The things I'll chime in with are likely in a long list of what others might suggest:

    Short of having service records, I'd get the VIN from the seller and call the closest local BMW dealer and see what records they may have for you.
    Ask that the seller leave the engine off and cold when you come to check it. Listen intently when you start it. One of the big things will be to listen for the "clack" of poor timing chain & failed guides. (On these 19 year old V8s, that's my biggest concern).
    Check the ground under the car, ideally it is parked where it normally has sat. See if there are any leaks/stains (if any) on the ground and mark their location to translate to origin.
    From there, it will be all common sense "car purchase review":
    I tend to jack up each wheel and give them a solid set of tugs at 9:00 and 3:00, 12:00 and 6:00. Get a sense of any trailing arms, ball joints, bushings, etc.
    Engine bay will be a similar common sense review: Head gasket, valve cover gasket, power steering leak(s), coolant leaks...
    Check A/C, heated seats, etc. of any creature comforts you really want - because if they don't work, they're likely costly repairs.
    Tires. If they're bad, that's another $800 before you blink.

    Good luck. Send pictures if/when you get it.

    Jay
    Thank you for the detailed response I appreciate it. And will do on the pics if I do make the purchase.

  4. #4
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    Check the glove box, if working and holding the position when pulled out..buy the car on the spot!

    On a more serious note, as it was said before me the timing chain guide is the key, ask seller if it was changed. Tried to get one where it was replaced.
    Also, invest $30 into some BMW specific scanning software and scan all modules (not only engine and transmission) for errors. Will tell a lot what you see there, also a good bargaining tool!

    Good luck, these are amazing machines when well kept...otherwise not so much.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by jpilk99 View Post
    ...call the closest local BMW dealer and see what records they may have for you...
    I know people mean well by these words, but it's misdirection and another flawed piece of online group-think.

    Service records are for owners only, not the general public. It's none of your business, and a matter of privacy. If the owner does not volunteer service records, don't waste time on the matter -- move on. Very few used cars will have records of any kind. In these cases, CarFax will have public registration data and perhaps a few records of service performed under warranty for emission compliance. But warranty records showing an oil change performed in 2003 are practically useless.

    Furthermore, don't take the car to a dealer for a "pre-purchase" inspection. Dealerships don't offer this service. Even if they did, it wouldn't be worth it since they're no longer familiar with these older cars. Dealerships only offer official inspection services and maybe "tune-ups" involving a fault code scan and oil change. Call an indy mechanic instead.

    For the best used car ownership experience, you must be be prepared to shoulder all responsibility AND expenses without whining. Anything less means disappointment.

    Frankie
    Texas, USA
    frankies-bmw.com

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frankie View Post
    For the best used car ownership experience, you must be be prepared to shoulder all responsibility AND expenses without whining. Anything less means disappointment.
    Lol, very true!

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frankie View Post
    I know people mean well by these words, but it's misdirection and another flawed piece of online group-think.

    Service records are for owners only, not the general public. It's none of your business, and a matter of privacy. If the owner does not volunteer service records, don't waste time on the matter -- move on. Very few used cars will have records of any kind. In these cases, CarFax will have public registration data and perhaps a few records of service performed under warranty for emission compliance. But warranty records showing an oil change performed in 2003 are practically useless.

    Furthermore, don't take the car to a dealer for a "pre-purchase" inspection. Dealerships don't offer this service. Even if they did, it wouldn't be worth it since they're no longer familiar with these older cars. Dealerships only offer official inspection services and maybe "tune-ups" involving a fault code scan and oil change. Call an indy mechanic instead.

    For the best used car ownership experience, you must be be prepared to shoulder all responsibility AND expenses without whining. Anything less means disappointment.
    If this is truly a 1 owner car, you may be able to ask the PO to contact the dealer for a copy of their history. If the PO is an enthusiast, they may go out of their way to help you track the info down.
    all you need to do is ask nicely.

    I have done this on numerous occasions. On our E60 a "we take it in to the dealer when needed" turned into a itemized list totaling $10k in the last 18mo.
    On my sons E46 we were able to reconstruct a complete service history since the car had passed from friend to friend just by asking nicely.
    On an E34 I found a receipt from the original owner, wrote a nice letter thanking him for taking good care of the car in his ownership,
    he emailed me with a list and contact info of his indy who filled in a lot of holes.

    none of this is guaranteed, but a kind word goes a long way.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by RobZR View Post
    On our E60 a "we take it in to the dealer when needed" turned into a itemized list totaling $10k in the last 18mo.
    That was probably one oil change from the dealer!

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frankie View Post
    I know people mean well by these words, but it's misdirection and another flawed piece of online group-think.

    Service records are for owners only, not the general public. It's none of your business, and a matter of privacy. If the owner does not volunteer service records, don't waste time on the matter -- move on. Very few used cars will have records of any kind. In these cases, CarFax will have public registration data and perhaps a few records of service performed under warranty for emission compliance. But warranty records showing an oil change performed in 2003 are practically useless.

    Furthermore, don't take the car to a dealer for a "pre-purchase" inspection. Dealerships don't offer this service. Even if they did, it wouldn't be worth it since they're no longer familiar with these older cars. Dealerships only offer official inspection services and maybe "tune-ups" involving a fault code scan and oil change. Call an indy mechanic instead.

    For the best used car ownership experience, you must be be prepared to shoulder all responsibility AND expenses without whining. Anything less means disappointment.
    The ol' phrase, "Agree to disagree" may be in order here. Hey; as in life, sometimes things go well, sometimes they don't. Sometimes people/businesses are reputable, honest and helpful, and other times ... not so much. I've experience both.

    But, to discount the records at a dealership out of hand, makes no sense. There is no cost to doing it. It may turn out to be useless, "oil change" information, but, it may be valuable information. Who knows, might as well ask.

    And yeah, be prepared to shoulder it yourself.

    Good luck OP.
    '01 325Ci Convertible, 5-speed
    '01 740iL, Stahlblau with beige interior & 18" M-Pars, GROM bluetooth
    '03 X5 3.0 six cyl, Gray on gray

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by jpilk99 View Post
    The ol' phrase, "Agree to disagree" may be in order here. Hey; as in life, sometimes things go well, sometimes they don't. Sometimes people/businesses are reputable, honest and helpful, and other times ... not so much. I've experience both.

    But, to discount the records at a dealership out of hand, makes no sense. There is no cost to doing it. It may turn out to be useless, "oil change" information, but, it may be valuable information. Who knows, might as well ask.

    And yeah, be prepared to shoulder it yourself.

    Good luck OP.
    BMW N.A does not authorize distribution of service records from previous owners. They will look them up for you and describe the work done, but they will not print them or distribute the actual service records per corporate policy. BMW would require written consent from the previous owner(s) to release the service records to a new owner or third party. That, of course, is not to say that some folks may break the rules for regular customers.

    1998 BMW E38 740il - Vermont Grün Metallic, 150k miles, all stock. 11/98 build.
    2011 Range Rover Supercharged - Rimini Red, Jet/Jet Interior.
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  11. #11
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    Thanks for all the responses. I got the car, left with it for $3800.. Runs smooth and everything but I’m noticing that after driving for 20-30 minutes, when I reach slow speeds/come to a stop, there’s like this cranking/creaking sound. I can’t pin point where it comes from exactly and it isn’t too loud but it’s definitely alarming. Anyone got a clue what this could be?

  12. #12
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    Congrats on the purchase.
    Video the noise.

  13. #13
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    Congrats on the purchase. Even if you have the maintenance records, your still in for some work to keep it on the road. I have great records on my 740il, was well maintained by the previous owner. I got it it at 179k with a good amount of recent service. However, I had to do the timing chain guide at 187k, i'm about to put in it's third set of power steering hoses, it's third set of front control arms, and who knows how many fog lights.

    I'm not saying the records don't matter, but the cars do take some work to keep on the road. At least if you want them smooth and leak free.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by KinkedChrome View Post
    Congrats on the purchase. Even if you have the maintenance records, your still in for some work to keep it on the road. I have great records on my 740il, was well maintained by the previous owner. I got it it at 179k with a good amount of recent service. However, I had to do the timing chain guide at 187k, i'm about to put in it's third set of power steering hoses, it's third set of front control arms, and who knows how many fog lights.

    I'm not saying the records don't matter, but the cars do take some work to keep on the road. At least if you want them smooth and leak free.
    I’m planning on doing the timing chain guides real soon seeing as I got the records and they havent been done yet. The thing is I want to get a little hands on with this car, but I don’t have too much experience. Would the timing chains be a good place to start or is it really difficult?

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by justinburner View Post
    I’m planning on doing the timing chain guides real soon seeing as I got the records and they havent been done yet. The thing is I want to get a little hands on with this car, but I don’t have too much experience. Would the timing chains be a good place to start or is it really difficult?
    In my opinion, the timing change guide job only has one or two really hard steps. The caveat is that there are tons of little steps, like 98 pages worth or something. Which in turn provides a lot of opportunity to mess it up and the consequences of said mess up can be severe.

    If you're patient, determined, and mechanically inclined from some other hobby or profession, they would probably be no big deal for you. If you are impatient and have no mechanical inclination, then this job is a bad place to start your car hobby.

  16. #16
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    I bought my car with 138K and now I'm at 166k. I have been on the track a dozen times. I would just drive the car for awhile, things will pop up on their own. If you are really worried about the guides pop the lower pan or a valve cover and have a look. I changed my valve cover gaskets due to leaks and got a pretty good view of the guides, no cracks or missing pieces.

    There will be days of great frustration when working on your car followed by a great driving experience. The TCG job is no small matter and the "while you are there list" is long. Let the car speak to you and tell you where the love is needed. I always hated BMW's when did road tests after repairs. One day I bought one and after six months of driving I have come to believe that there is no better drivers car on the road.
    01' 750il Chromeline
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    00' 323i wagon for daughter
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    It's like herpes there is no cure but if treated properly you can live with it for the rest of your life

  17. #17
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    The creaking may be the center link ball joints getting warm and binding a bit. My 540 does that. It's just noise and hasn't affected how it drives. Don't like the sound, so will probably replace soon. As always, narrow down before throwing parts on it.

    I got the records on my 540 before buying it. Had thousands done at the dealer by the PO, including rear suspension wishbones, radiator, etc. Sometimes you can get the records if you talk to the right person.
    '98 740il | 9/97 build | schwarz 2 | sandbeige | 5AT | 270k
    '04 330i ZHP sedan | Mystic blue | Alcantara | 6MT | 120k
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    '85 Mustang GT convertible | Medium charcoal metallic | Gray | 5MT | 216k | one owner, all original

    mods: m-pars | Bilsteins & B&G springs | ValentineOne | StealthOne
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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Narlift View Post
    Congrats on the purchase.
    Video the noise.
    Been trying to but it hasn’t been making the noise anymore. First thing I’ll do next time I hear it is record it

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by racer2086 View Post
    The creaking may be the center link ball joints getting warm and binding a bit. My 540 does that. It's just noise and hasn't affected how it drives. Don't like the sound, so will probably replace soon. As always, narrow down before throwing parts on it.

    I got the records on my 540 before buying it. Had thousands done at the dealer by the PO, including rear suspension wishbones, radiator, etc. Sometimes you can get the records if you talk to the right person.
    Maybe I didn’t explain the noise well enough.. it’s more of a cranking than a creaking. It seems like it’s almost rhythmic with my speed. More frequent around 30mph and gradually slows down as the car slows down. It hasn’t happened in a day or two though

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by justinburner View Post
    Maybe I didn’t explain the noise well enough.. it’s more of a cranking than a creaking. It seems like it’s almost rhythmic with my speed. More frequent around 30mph and gradually slows down as the car slows down. It hasn’t happened in a day or two though
    In that case, disregard my suggestion. Sounds like it is something with the rotational assembly of a wheel then -- bearing, rotor, pads, etc.
    '98 740il | 9/97 build | schwarz 2 | sandbeige | 5AT | 270k
    '04 330i ZHP sedan | Mystic blue | Alcantara | 6MT | 120k
    '00 540i sport | Titanium silver | Black | 5AT | 152k
    '85 Mustang GT convertible | Medium charcoal metallic | Gray | 5MT | 216k | one owner, all original

    mods: m-pars | Bilsteins & B&G springs | ValentineOne | StealthOne
    retrofits: full nav | MKIV | bluetooth TCU | BM53 w/ AUX input | video module w/ AV input & backup cam | oem sirius xm | xenon | shades | PDC | rain sensor | BMW DWS TPMS | lighted door handles | front seat heaters | heated steering wheel | euro rear fog lights | ski pass | folding mirrors


  21. #21
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    Wheel hub perhaps?

  22. #22
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    Throwing in my 2 cents, I would also give the center support bearing on the driveshaft a look at too. After all these years, even with low mileage the rubber just falls to bits. My father's daily drive (totally different car) makes a very similar noise to what you are describing - I chucked my inspection camera down the driveshaft tunnel underneath the car and sure enough, the CSB rubber was in pieces.

    Have fun with your new ride

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by justinburner View Post
    Thanks for all the responses. I got the car, left with it for $3800.. Runs smooth and everything but I’m noticing that after driving for 20-30 minutes, when I reach slow speeds/come to a stop, there’s like this cranking/creaking sound. I can’t pin point where it comes from exactly and it isn’t too loud but it’s definitely alarming. Anyone got a clue what this could be?
    Congrats on the purchase. I bought an '01 Sport Short about 4 years ago now from the original owner. First thing I did was every single fluid and filter without fail. Oh, I bought it with 120k on it, and now has 156k on it. I still love it, and there is nothing else out there that I could replace it with.

    Since then the big items have been - replace the entire cooling system - they seem to fail repeatedly. New Bilstein short shocks. Other than that, its been oil and tires. Oh and my radio is dead, but there are a thousand threads on that one.

    Best of luck to you.
    Aaron

    Current
    '13 528i xDrive M-Sport
    '00 Audi 6 4.2 Sport - 6 sp conversion - 155k
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    Past

    '10 - 128i Convertibel - sold
    '01 740i Sport - sold 155k
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  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frankie View Post
    I know people mean well by these words, but it's misdirection and another flawed piece of online group-think.

    Service records are for owners only, not the general public. It's none of your business, and a matter of privacy. If the owner does not volunteer service records, don't waste time on the matter -- move on. Very few used cars will have records of any kind. In these cases, CarFax will have public registration data and perhaps a few records of service performed under warranty for emission compliance. But warranty records showing an oil change performed in 2003 are practically useless.

    Furthermore, don't take the car to a dealer for a "pre-purchase" inspection. Dealerships don't offer this service. Even if they did, it wouldn't be worth it since they're no longer familiar with these older cars. Dealerships only offer official inspection services and maybe "tune-ups" involving a fault code scan and oil change. Call an indy mechanic instead.

    For the best used car ownership experience, you must be be prepared to shoulder all responsibility AND expenses without whining. Anything less means disappointment.
    Very true, they can only give service records to registered owner(s). Pays to have good friends who work in the service department for sure.

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

  25. #25
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    Wasn’t sure if it was worth making a new thread for this sooo...

    I’m interested in installing some sort of bluetooth/usb interface and from what I’m seeing the GROM audio kit is the way to go. My car has dsp (which I honestly don’t know much about yet) so I would need the trunk installation kit (I think???). My plan was to somehow get a usb cable to play my music through my phone and simultaneously charge it because thats how I had it in my old car and preferred it that way, but if it’s installed through the trunk, I’d be limited to using bluetooth.. if that’s what it comes down to then I can live with that but if anyone knows a workaround I’d appreciate the help. Thanks

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