Keep Driving Daily or Preserve the Miles? 2001 740i M Sport - 70,000mi

**Scuds31091** · 02-19-2019, 08:33 PM

Hey Everyone,

First time posting here. I’m also a first time BMW owner. I recently had the opportunity to buy a 2001 740i from a family friend for a good deal. I’ve been using it as my daily driver for the past 8 months or so now. In that time, I’ve been stopped by a couple people who’ve said how much they like my car and pointing things out that I was not aware of. I learned that I had the M Sport package and everything that it included. At the time I didn’t think too much about it. Just recently when looking up videos on how to do some minor work, I came across a few posts on this forum and also other instances giving me the impression that the 2001 740i M Sport is the sought after version of this car. Looking at others for sale online, it appears that this version sells at a premium compared to the others.

Now I’ve been curious if I’m shooting myself in the foot. I’ve already put 7k miles on the car and haven’t owned it for even a year yet. I’ve gone from 63,000mi to 70,000mi. Is this a car that I shouldn’t be driving daily? Is it possible this car could actually appreciate in value if I keep the miles low? I’m already surprised how much the same car with 90-150k miles is selling for. Just wondering if this community thinks it’s worth preserving the miles or if it’s unlikely to appreciate and isn’t a huge deal to drive this into the 100k range as a daily driver.

**clarkitect** · 02-20-2019, 07:12 AM

I guess it would depend on whether or not you have the ability to store the car and have something else to DD. You could probably flip it right now and make money, or put less miles on it, hold on to it, and maybe it appreciates down the road. Or drive it and enjoy it while taking good care to keep in in excellent condition. May be worth less in the end but you get the real pleasure of owning the car.

Perhaps limit bad weather driving and try to stay below 90k. Keep it in excellent shape and reevaluate in a couple years.

**Chamberlin** · 02-20-2019, 01:35 PM

I agree with Clarkitect. I think (depending on color/condition/maintenence) you probably had a $12k-$15k car at 63k miles, and now at 70k miles, you've lost a grand or two in value. 740i Sports represent over half of SWB production so they're not rare per se, but the 2001 sports are the ones everybody wants due to being the last ones and the cosmetic changes they include (clear turn signals, body colored lower panels, and if you're lucky with a late production one, wide-screen navigation, etc.)

A 53k mile example in steel blue just sold locally to me for around $9200 (I missed it dammit!) and I suspect it will appear on BaT soon and sell for around $20k.

Sadly, the primary value driver is mileage. I've seen low mileage poor maintenance cars sell for silly money, and high mileage enthusiast owned cars earn only peanuts. If you're lucky enough to find a low odometer 740i sport, I recommend treating it as an investment. There are plenty of 150k ones out there you can pick up for nothing, if you want to enjoy the E38 driving experience.

P. S. To be 'BMW snob' correct, these cars are technically regarded as a 740i with the sport package. Everyone says "M-Sport" but it's not what purists say.

Congrats on your acquisition nonetheless!

**Scuds31091** · 02-20-2019, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by clarkitect

I guess it would depend on whether or not you have the ability to store the car and have something else to DD. You could probably flip it right now and make money, or put less miles on it, hold on to it, and maybe it appreciates down the road. Or drive it and enjoy it while taking good care to keep in in excellent condition. May be worth less in the end but you get the real pleasure of owning the car.

Perhaps limit bad weather driving and try to stay below 90k. Keep it in excellent shape and reevaluate in a couple years.

Makes sense. I do have a garage I could store it in. However, don't have another car to use as a DD. My thought was, if the car would hold value, that it would make more sense to spend $2000 to pick up another car as a DD compared to continuing to drive this for another couple years and losing $5,000+ on the sale price. That way I get the keep the car, can enjoy driving it (just less often), and come out better off financially from doing so.

**Scuds31091** · 02-20-2019, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Chamberlin

I agree with Clarkitect. I think (depending on color/condition/maintenence) you probably had a $12k-$15k car at 63k miles, and now at 70k miles, you've lost a grand or two in value. 740i Sports represent over half of SWB production so they're not rare per se, but the 2001 sports are the ones everybody wants due to being the last ones and the cosmetic changes they include (clear turn signals, body colored lower panels, and if you're lucky with a late production one, wide-screen navigation, etc.)

A 53k mile example in steel blue just sold locally to me for around $9200 (I missed it dammit!) and I suspect it will appear on BaT soon and sell for around $20k.

Sadly, the primary value driver is mileage. I've seen low mileage poor maintenance cars sell for silly money, and high mileage enthusiast owned cars earn only peanuts. If you're lucky enough to find a low odometer 740i sport, I recommend treating it as an investment. There are plenty of 150k ones out there you can pick up for nothing, if you want to enjoy the E38 experience.

P. S. To be 'BMW snob' correct, these cars are technically regarded as a 740i with the sport package. Everyone says "M-Sport" but it's not what purists say.

Congrats on your acquisition nonetheless!

It's in really good condition with the exception of some paint chips on the back bumper (see picture). The emblems were also completely worn, but I have since replaced them from another 2001 740i. I wish I had some better pictures, but I'll attach what I have. I'm not 100% certain on the maintenance, but I'm the 3rd own (2nd family). This was originally purchased by someone I know, who gave it to their father eventually, who I then bought it from. There's no CEL light or other bad lights on, but the display does have some issues with the pixels. Besides that, it looks great, and drives great.

I was curious how many of the 740i's had the sport package. Thanks for that info. Mine does have the wide-screen navigation, so that sounds like a plus.

I appreciate the adivce. I'll keep the "M-Sport" reference in mind lol. I just saw others using that term and went with it.

IMG_1123.jpg IMG_1122.jpg

**COSteve** · 02-20-2019, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by Chamberlin

A 53k mile example in steel blue just sold locally to me for around $9200 (I missed it dammit!) and I suspect it will appear on BaT soon and sell for around $20k.

Did you mean the one in Tucson? You can rest easy it's not going to BAT just yet. I'm doing a few upgrades right now, just installed MK4 nav. I have other cars to daily so I don't plan on putting a lot of miles on this one but I'll enjoy it for a while until something else comes along.
You mentioned color. What do people generally consider the best and worst colors? I love the steel blue but tastes vary.

**clarkitect** · 02-20-2019, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by Scuds31091

It's in really good condition with the exception of some paint chips on the back bumper (see picture). The emblems were also completely worn, but I have since replaced them from another 2001 740i. I wish I had some better pictures, but I'll attach what I have. I'm not 100% certain on the maintenance, but I'm the 3rd own (2nd family). This was originally purchased by someone I know, who gave it to their father eventually, who I then bought it from. There's no CEL light or other bad lights on, but the display does have some issues with the pixels. Besides that, it looks great, and drives great.

I was curious how many of the 740i's had the sport package. Thanks for that info. Mine does have the wide-screen navigation, so that sounds like a plus.

I appreciate the adivce. I'll keep the "M-Sport" reference in mind lol. I just saw others using that term and went with it.

Imola is one of the most desirable colors but black is probably more favored than the tan. Take good care of this one though.

Originally Posted by COSteve

Did you mean the one in Tucson? You can rest easy it's not going to BAT just yet. I'm doing a few upgrades right now, just installed MK4 nav. I have other cars to daily so I don't plan on putting a lot of miles on this one but I'll enjoy it for a while until something else comes along.
You mentioned color. What do people generally consider the best and worst colors? I love the steel blue but tastes vary.

Colors are subjective, but for me, steel Blue is my absolute favorite. I would have snapped this car up in a nanosecond and held on to it forever since it's the older sibling of my first BMW, a steel blue with gray E39 530i sport. Not going to BAT "just yet" though...

These nice ones are really sweet, but there's something to be said for my ratty 220k mile one that I am not afraid to take through the snow and salt and horrible frost heaved VT roads.

**setconstr** · 02-20-2019, 04:51 PM

Just drive it....

**Chamberlin** · 02-20-2019, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by Scuds31091

It's in really good condition with the exception of some paint chips on the back bumper (see picture). The emblems were also completely worn, but I have since replaced them from another 2001 740i. I wish I had some better pictures, but I'll attach what I have. I'm not 100% certain on the maintenance, but I'm the 3rd own (2nd family). This was originally purchased by someone I know, who gave it to their father eventually, who I then bought it from. There's no CEL light or other bad lights on, but the display does have some issues with the pixels. Besides that, it looks great, and drives great.

I was curious how many of the 740i's had the sport package. Thanks for that info. Mine does have the wide-screen navigation, so that sounds like a plus.

I appreciate the adivce. I'll keep the "M-Sport" reference in mind lol. I just saw others using that term and went with it.

Wow! Imola Red over sand beige, excellent condition with 63k miles at time of purchase? I would adjust my initial estimated value upwards by another $1500 or so, assuming everything mechanical is up to snuff. Only 178 Imola Red (II) GG83 740i facelift cars were produced in this color, 6 of which were specially ordered. The bumper is no big deal and it's the one place I don't mind respays and minor repairs. Easy to take off and have worked on (don't let those bastards try to repaint while on the car!!!).

So now that you've got 7,000 miles under your belt, it's time to decide to keep driving it as is, or become a hobbyist restorer/refresher and consider joining your local BMWCCA and showing the car occasionally with minimal mileage increases. Also time to consider collectors insurance with stated value.

Things to work on regardless (a short, incomplete list):
Paint correction and ceramic sealant
Cooling system overhaul
Transmission drain/filter
Oil change w/liquimoly flush
Ignition system (plugs/coils)/valve cover gaskets
Diff fluid
Brake fluid/brake service
New timing chain tensioner
Suspension check up/control arm bushings/alignment/strut condition
Interior detail, cup holder fixes etc.
Engine bay detail, full degrease of engine upper and bottom side (to help assess any leaks)
Wheel curb rash is a tough one, as few know how to properly restore an M parallel wheel and maintain the proper finish. Yours look pretty good on the right.
This car deserves brand new roundels! Yup about $32 a pop, but don't skimp out with used ones!

Bottom line, very special car, worthy of all efforts.

Originally Posted by COSteve

Did you mean the one in Tucson? You can rest easy it's not going to BAT just yet. I'm doing a few upgrades right now, just installed MK4 nav. I have other cars to daily so I don't plan on putting a lot of miles on this one but I'll enjoy it for a while until something else comes along.
You mentioned color. What do people generally consider the best and worst colors? I love the steel blue but tastes vary.

Very cool you're on here Steve! Yup that's the one! I offered Victor $100 for the rubber floor mats too, but he apparently sold them with the car. You must scour Craigslist like I do! BTW, my 80 year old dad really wants that 2003 760li E66 he also has for sale, in great condition like the E38 you got.

Regarding color, yes it's definitely a personal taste thing... But rare colors generally add value. Black & silver are quite common and I consider those least desirable (although black does well in some markets like the east coast). I've owned a silver one, and am trying to buy another right now just for the wheels! (UPDATE: it sold in 5 minutes today! Damn). Silver does look good on the E38, and honestly all colors look good on this 7 series...because it's an awesome design!

I'm obviously a dark green freak, but I know silver fanatics, blue fanatics and red fanatics. Some people don't care about color. To me color comes first (regardless of car), and everything else follows.

I'll add a link to the E38 color guide, so you can get an idea of what was produced and their relative rarity. There were a ton of E38 colors worldwide... Not like today's blah 8 color choices, of which there are 2 silvers, 2 blacks, 2 whites, a grey, and maybe a red or an orange. Sad.

Link: http://www.e38registry.org/colors/

**COSteve** · 02-20-2019, 05:19 PM

Well, I did get the mats

I'd been looking for a couple of months and when this one came up I got on a plane the next day. Victor was great to deal with and kept all the other buyers at bay once he knew I was a BMW guy.
This is the family's 5th BMW currently owned. We didn't have a long distance cruiser and I wanted something I could work on, be not too expensive, and near collectible. This fit the bill to a T. I'm garage+1 right now so not shopping for anything else.

Hunting Craigs is a challenge for sure. When to jump. Get on a plane. Don't buy because you need a way home.

**victoriabmw27** · 02-20-2019, 06:41 PM

Personally, I say you drive it. Realistically I don’t see the value increasing a ton for these cars and those that do will be the super low mileage ones and I think you are past that point. It is a great color and an 01 sport, so that helps, but I would say to just enjoy it. Congrats and welcome.

**Chamberlin** · 02-20-2019, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by victoriabmw27

Personally, I say you drive it. Realistically I don’t see the value increasing a ton for these cars and those that do will be the super low mileage ones and I think you are past that point. It is a great color and an 01 sport, so that helps, but I would say to just enjoy it. Congrats and welcome.

The thing is, we don't know what is initial purchase price was, which does play into the ROI conversation. If he paid $10-12K for it, obviously he doesn't stand to make too much if he were to 'flip it'. But since he knows the family, maybe he got a smoking $5K deal on the car, where he should be able to triple his money.

As far as this car being 'past that point' at 70K miles.... in the world of E38s, most of these cars have around double what this car has, or at least they've broken the verboten 100K mark. Mine has 86K on it, and I certainly don't think it's beyond *some* level of value increase if I keep it near there (which isn't hard, since I have 6 BMWs to rotate through). I feel that this class of car collecting is all about relative rarity, not absolute. He's got a fairly low mileage 2001 Imolarot 740i Sport Package in excellent shape... those are all stand-out attributes that easily put it in the top 10 percentile of desirable E38's (my opinion). Considering he's already got 7000 miles under his belt, I say drive it too...but only to cars and coffee, special date nights, car shows and club drives.

Refreshing/restoring is fun too, it's how I enjoy my cars the most... but I understand that's not for everyone.

The other way people enjoy these cars is trying to make money on flipping them. It's plenty exciting, and you still get to drive and restore them too, but for the purpose of turning them around in better shape than what you got them in, and for adding money into your slush fund for the next endeavor. Just want to make sure the OP knows all of the options going forward before deciding to either daily it or baby it.

- - - Updated - - -

Originally Posted by COSteve

Well, I did get the mats

I'd been looking for a couple of months and when this one came up I got on a plane the next day. Victor was great to deal with and kept all the other buyers at bay once he knew I was a BMW guy. This is the family's 5th BMW currently owned. We didn't have a long distance cruiser and I wanted something I could work on, be not too expensive, and near collectible. This fit the bill to a T. I'm garage+1 right now so not shopping for anything else. Hunting Craigs is a challenge for sure. When to jump. Get on a plane. Don't buy because you need a way home.

Thanks for that Steve, if my dad decides to go ahead and get that E66 V12, it's good to know Victor appreciates a *BMW guy*

Those mats will be nice to have in CO, but I put them in all my cars (that I can find them for) here in Arizona too, especially the ones where the tan carpet mats are no longer available (like my E38). I did pick up a set from a forum member, but I don't think they're as nice as the ones you got with the Stahlblau 740i. P.s. I'm 2.5 car garage +5 right now, and still shopping!

**COSteve** · 02-20-2019, 07:29 PM

I saw the E66 when I dropped Victor off. Looked really nice and the price seemed right.

**Chamberlin** · 02-20-2019, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by COSteve

I saw the E66 when I dropped Victor off. Looked really nice and the price seemed right.

Down to $8800! Still a lot as compared to most 760's I've seen, but not outrageous. BTW, if you look closely, you can see your 740i in the background. https://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/d/...799929038.html

So Scuds, whatchy'a gonna do? Inquiring minds and all!

**Scuds31091** · 02-20-2019, 08:03 PM

When the car was brought to my attention, I looked at KBB (without the sport package), and offered lower than that, which was accepted. I wasn't looking for a BMW. I just needed a car. I was hesitant and just tossed out a lower offer since I don't have a lot of disposable income to fix it if anything major went wrong. I did really like it when I first saw it in person though. I don't think either party was aware of the true value. So I surprisingly have a large ROI if flipped today.

70,000mi seemed pretty low to me as well. At least from what I've seen in the last few days. Doing searches on a few sites nationally, there's only a few up for sale. On those specific sites, they all had more miles than mine. It's also possible I'm looking in the wrong places.

I do enjoy cars more than the average person and also working on them (to the extent I'm capable). I got rid of my 1988 Porsche 944 back in the day and always regret not just keeping it around for the hell of it. It wasn't a collectible, but just had sentimental value. I'd like to avoid a similar feeling down the road with this.

Originally Posted by Chamberlin

Down to $8800! Still a lot as compared to most 760's I've seen, but not outrageous. BTW, if you look closely, you can see your 740i in the background.https://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/d/...799929038.html

So Scuds, whatchy'a gonna do? Inquiring minds and all!

After what I've learned the last couple days and from everyone's responses so far. I'm leaning towards selling it in a few months or getting a new DD and keeping this as a special car that I only use every once in a while. I don't believe I'm going to continue driving this as a DD much longer.

So the predicament has really gone from daily driving or not, to selling or holding. The ROI is a big factor to me as I'd never be able to afford this car at it's regular value. So that money is something that I could benefit from. However, I can live without that money and it would cool to have something of value that I can work on and enjoy.

**acspecialists** · 02-20-2019, 08:12 PM

Drive the the wheels off of it! You will never drive a better car and the money is chump change these days with $100k cars. Unless you want more power or more seats enjoy it that is what it was built for.

**victoriabmw27** · 02-20-2019, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by Chamberlin

The thing is, we don't know what is initial purchase price was, which does play into the ROI conversation. If he paid $10-12K for it, obviously he doesn't stand to make too much if he were to 'flip it'. But since he knows the family, maybe he got a smoking $5K deal on the car, where he should be able to triple his money.

As far as this car being 'past that point' at 70K miles.... in the world of E38s, most of these cars have around double what this car has, or at least they've broken the verboten 100K mark. Mine has 86K on it, and I certainly don't think it's beyond *some* level of value increase if I keep it near there (which isn't hard, since I have 6 BMWs to rotate through). I feel that this class of car collecting is all about relative rarity, not absolute. He's got a fairly low mileage 2001 Imolarot 740i Sport Package in excellent shape... those are all stand-out attributes that easily put it in the top 10 percentile of desirable E38's (my opinion). Considering he's already got 7000 miles under his belt, I say drive it too...but only to cars and coffee, special date nights, car shows and club drives.

Refreshing/restoring is fun too, it's how I enjoy my cars the most... but I understand that's not for everyone.

The other way people enjoy these cars is trying to make money on flipping them. It's plenty exciting, and you still get to drive and restore them too, but for the purpose of turning them around in better shape than what you got them in, and for adding money into your slush fund for the next endeavor. Just want to make sure the OP knows all of the options going forward before deciding to either daily it or baby it.

I am not saying that the car is high mileage by any means, my e38 has over four times more miles than OPs car. I am just simply questioning the overall collectibility of a vehicle bodystyle in which you can get them all day for a few thousand dollars. The OPs color and options, along with the miles make it a desirable car for those interested, I just don’t personally see the values skyrocketing any time soon. But it is always dependent on what someone will pay and clearly the word ‘skyrocketing’ means different things to different people. Part of that is my perspective as well, if I was to pay ‘big’ money for an e38 I am looking for cars with 30-40k miles or less. The e38 market has almost devolved into three catagories it seems, the prestine over the top 20k mile cars that they try to sell for insane money, great low mileage cars like the OPs getting 10-15k and then the 5 on CL that can all be had for a coupe grand a pop. I agree with you that these cars collectibility is ‘relative rarity, not absolute,’ and to me, that is what hurts the top line value. That said, it is of course my opinion that likely has little affect on the OPs descion, like you said, it’s great to give as much perspective and options as possible. OP has a great looking car, even if he drives it just once a month it should be enjoyed, that is why I still have mine...well that and because it’s worth nothing and still gets me around 😂

**rslifkin** · 02-20-2019, 08:43 PM

Looking around this part of the country, E38s aren't all that valuable overall unless they're shockingly clean and low mileage. But a reasonably clean late build 01 740i Sport seems to carry a decent value premium even over a 750iL and even if it's got some miles on it.

**COSteve** · 02-20-2019, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Looking around this part of the country, E38s aren't all that valuable overall unless they're shockingly clean and low mileage. But a reasonably clean late build 01 740i Sport seems to carry a decent value premium even over a 750iL and even if it's got some miles on it.

Recently on BAT a couple of '01 740iLs with around 100k struggled to bring $5k but a '99 shorty with some msport options, similar mileage, and good documentation almost hit $12k.
After I got my '01 Sport I looked but nothing on BAT came close to the same mileage/options that I have. Not selling anyway for now.

**rslifkin** · 02-20-2019, 10:02 PM

BaT seems to be a bit of a different universe in terms of pricing. Stuff that sells cheaply elsewhere still sells cheaply there. Stuff that sells for more locally on Craigslist and such (like the 740 sports) seems to go for stupid money on BaT.

Based on what I've seen on there, my fairly clean, very well optioned, extremely late build (3rd to last E38 740i built for the US) 01 sport with 152k would probably crack $10k easily with the right listing. But not a chance in any other venue. Although I did pay $8k for it last fall, as that was all I could get the price down to. Anything cheaper that was for sale anywhere in the area for less money was either in much worse shape, not a late 01, worse optioned or pushing 200k+ miles (or some combination of the above). I could easily have bought a pair of pretty nice 740iLs for what I paid or a 750iL and had some cash left over.

**racer2086** · 02-20-2019, 11:43 PM

Never use an E38 7 series for an investment. Even if it's low miles you're going to still spend money to keep it running.

Do what you think, but I don't think any of these cars are going to be worth a fortune some day.

Personally, for the color and condition, I'd still drive it but it wouldn't be my daily.

**de Witt** · 02-21-2019, 09:29 AM

DD. Investing in an E38 will generate a horrible ROI unless you want a good ROI on driving pleasure.

**Chris V** · 02-21-2019, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by racer2086

Never use an E38 7 series for an investment. Even if it's low miles you're going to still spend money to keep it running.

Do what you think, but I don't think any of these cars are going to be worth a fortune some day.

People were saying the same thing about E30s based on how many of them were made. You can still get E30s as beaters for under $2000 but clean ones are hitting $20-25k regularly. and that's not M3s. As more and more of our E38s get scrapped or beat on, clean low mileage ones will only go up from here. They've bottomed out in clean condition, and have transitioned into appreciating assets. And the '01 Sports basically never got unpopular, thanks to the E65s being so unpopular.

When looking around for a car to buy, it's easy to find ones at low prices, but they are beat on, high mileage, need work, and usually pre-facelift. Supply and demand keep clean '01s up in value, and that's all it really is. There is a lot of demand for clean '01 Sports, but not a lot of supply of clean ones. And there are fewer and fewer clean, low mileage ones every day.

**COSteve** · 02-21-2019, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by Chris V

People were saying the same thing about E30s based on how many of them were made. You can still get E30s as beaters for under $2000 but clean ones are hitting $20-25k regularly. and that's not M3s. As more and more of our E38s get scrapped or beat on, clean low mileage ones will only go up from here. They've bottomed out in clean condition, and have transitioned into appreciating assets. And the '01 Sports basically never got unpopular, thanks to the E65s being so unpopular.

When looking around for a car to buy, it's easy to find ones at low prices, but they are beat on, high mileage, need work, and usually pre-facelift. Supply and demand keep clean '01s up in value, and that's all it really is. There is a lot of demand for clean '01 Sports, but not a lot of supply of clean ones. And there are fewer and fewer clean, low mileage ones every day.

Exactly my thoughts. Look at the '80s generation cars. The nice low mileage examples are mid-20s and up. There's a cycle. You have to go through the lows first to clear out the junk.

**Chamberlin** · 02-21-2019, 04:52 PM

I'm most certainly a collector, not a car flipper, although I've let go a few BMWs quickly for one reason or another (usually at a break even or loss). But the last two E38s I missed out on (including COSteve's steel blue) have me kicking myself for not taking the advantage of a quick ROI in this "BaT marketplace".

A beautifully kept Titanium Silver 2001 740i sport with 111k miles, AZ car, sold in 5 minutes the other day in Phoenix ($4750). The seller told me the guy didn't even test drive it. It was obviously a well preserved example and it sold instantly for a reason (will be easy to flip for a small profit).

Steve made an extra effort to get the minty 53k mile steel blue (also an AZ car) I don't know what final sale price was, but I was willing to pay the $9200 latest asking price. (update, the sale price was $10K, and it only had 47.5K miles on it!). Again, a worthy justifiable purchase for a great car and optional investment opportunity.

With a good going over by me (I've refreshed four 740i Sports now, and many more other BMWs of the era), I would have felt confident enough to sell the silver car for at least $6500. I believe Steve's car is worth at least $18,500 maybe $20k+ on BaT. So aside from my time to refresh and a few parts, we're talking $10k to $12k+ profit between the two cars. How is that not good ROI, especially if you enjoy refreshing these cars and prepping them for sale?

How many of you guys telling the OP to drive the wheels off his new Imola red sport are driving high mileage E38s? I'm just saying that there is plenty of enjoyment in preservation and show/pride vs. daily driving the hell out of an otherwise well preserved classic.

Still waiting for the OP's comments on this engaging conversation!