im interested in getting a z3 or a 7 series. i dont know much about the 7 series and was hoping you guys could answer some questions.
Can you give me a rundown of all the meanings of the numbers and letters that come after the 7? what motors are offered and their hp and tq ratings. thanks.

What years are you looking for?

Here's a little decipherment though:

E32 740i: 4.0l V8
E38 740i: 4.4l V8

E65 745i: 4.5l V8

I think those are right, if I'm wrong, please, someone correct me.

Those are two very different cars, bud... in fact, you essentially picked the two most different cars BMW offers (other then perhaps, the 318ti and the X5...).

My personal favorite 7-series is the E38 740i sport with M-Parallel wheels. Very classy car, and it doesn't look a little awkward like the longer wheelbased 740il.

Oh, that's a good point: iL versions of the 7-series are longer wheelbased, resulting in a few more inches of legroom for the rear passengers.

Hope this helped any!

Look up HP/Tq figures on www.edmunds.com

Steve

Burnboy,

Depends on the Vintage...

In the E32s, I forget on 750s.. know it was about 310hp and 325lb/ft or so...

735s (E32) have 208hp
740s (E32) have 282hp and about 200 lb-ft and use a 4.0L M60 Nikasil engine block. If you're in Kentucky you want to make sure you car has had the block swapped with an Alusil-Lined one. This same engine was also used in 1995 E38 740s.
In 1996 they went to a 4.4L M62 Alusil block which has the same HP but quite a bit more torque and is a bit faster.

If you want a 1995+ 7er, check out www.e38.org

im guessing the different e's are the body styles?
Ya i know i picked 2 completelty different styles of vehicles. IM only 18 and one side of me wants a sporty convertable like the z3 and the other side would love a sporty luxury sedan like the 7 series. Im only looking to spend 20k tops on a used one do you think id have better luck with a 3 series?

you can get one for under 20K, in fact, you can get mine for under 20K. Due to your age I'd recommend the Z3 or maybe a 328is. The 7 series is a lot of responsibility maintenance wise. I’m 17, mine is my mom’s old car, I love her, but she’s just too much car for me, so I’m going to go a head and get something far smaller, something that a teenage kid should have.

If you still want the luxury land yatch there is a thread at the top of the board about what to look for in an E38 (7 series from 1995-2002) if you are looking at an older model you are looking at an E32. The E38 had 282 hp and 295 lbs of torque in 95 and the 96+ had the same hp but 310 lbs of torque due to the new 4.4 litter engine.

If you want more information of the statistics of the cars www.Edmunds.com has a lot

I could've sworn the e65 uses a N62 4.4l? Anyone truly know?

Honestly I think the E65 must be powered by the devil incarnate...

And Burnboy,

I just sold a 1999 740iL with high miles for 19K.. they are cheap and getting cheaper. Lots and lots of car for the cash, but check insurance first.. my 740iL is rated about as high as my old M5 was.. might be a concern when you're 18... I'm 28 but live in NJ so insurance still stinks. :(

Why not get both?

Originally posted by 99bmw740il
I could've sworn the e65 uses a N62 4.4l? Anyone truly know?


hmmmm that's really weird, the bmwinfo site doesn't even list the name of the engine for the E65 like they do for all the other cars. Does ANYONE know what runs that beast? It's not the M62 from the E38s, what is it?