Hello. I haved decided that i will definately buy a beemer 735 e32 very soon. What sort of things should i look for when inspecting them? what should i look for when im driving it?

Also, which years are the best and which years where prone to certain problems??

Thank you heaps for your help.

could someone please help me?

Most here are E38 owners, so not many replies.

Probaby your best bet is to find one (or two), provide us with mileage, condition of the car, maintenance/other work done to the car, and go from there.

Once you get beyond that, have a buyer's inspection done BEFORE buying the car - find a well-regarded independent shop to do the work. It should cost about $200.

Typically, the later in a model year lineage the better. So perhaps start looking for a relatively low-mile 1992 735i and see what shows up.

(Edit - Beemers are BMW motorcycles, Bimmers are BMW cars...)

Best to get one in the best condition that you can find. In the long run it is usually far better to spend more up front than to pay more for repairs later.

Glad to hear you are in the market. :)

I recently bought a near mint condition 88 735i with manual transmission.
I had an E34 535i before it, and they are very similar.
The M30 engine is literally indestructible. You should only buy an E32 with a 3.5 litre engine unless you know the 4.0L 8 cylindar was replaced with Alusil (Nikasil is bad!).. or if you are fine with $250+ tune ups every half year for the 5.0 litre V12.

Look over the body everywhere to make sure all of the VIN's match, they are:
On every door on the bottom inside...
On the front fenders, on the top inside the lip (open hood)
Inside the quarter panels in the back (might have to tear some stuff out, but worth it to find out.)
And on alot of other parts.

Make sure the suspension is working well!
The front controll arms usually wear down every 80K or so, makes for bad handling.
The rear struts should not sag low, if you can see over the top of the rear tire looking straight at it from the side of the car, you have good clearance.. the more the better. And generally check for play in the steering system.

Make sure the engine was tuned frequently and currently. You should really try to find a good clean engine, look inside the oil filler, should look very beautiful and not smell bad. Look for excess oil dripping from valve cover... blowby on the bottom part of the engine is normal though. Transmissions on these things are not fun to replace, make sure it shifts well.

The drivetrain can become worn, mine currently needs a flex disc, from the trans to the driveshaft. ($60 for the part) And also center driveshaft bearing. ($40) It's a bearing, and it's a bracket! Replace flex disc first.

IMPORTANT: when you test the car, make sure on takeoff that it doesnt have any rattling, thumping, going on underneath. Also very IMPORTANT: leave the car in low gear and accellerate moderately, then let off the accellerator quickly and listen for clunking, any harsh movement from the rear differential. COULD BE EXPENSIVE if there is a problem with the drivetrain.

Exhaust: You don't really want to replace this either. If the rear silencer is rusted and falling apart, consider moving on unless you like loud noises or have $900+ extra. Check the catalytic convertor, they can break inside.
You should not have to worry about passing emissions, these are generally clean cars. If the charts don't show impressively clean readings, it could have engine problems unforseen. Worth the $25.

The electrical on these cars alot of times goes downhill depending on conditions. My car was garaged and even though it was in a northern state all it's life, the owner kept care of it and no deterioration has occurred. If you have anything more than "Brake light circuit", "Owners manual" coming from the dash... it could be trouble.

Check on www.bmwe34.net, the information there is very helpful and is also useable with the E32. (Most of it).

Hope all of this helps. PM me if you have any specific questions.

-Tiger

All good stuff there. I had many of the same parts in my E28, and concur with your list.

Also, the M30 engine has an oil sprayer bar nut that often worked its way loose. If this happensn the #5 and #6 (I believe) cam lobes suffered premature wear. This is tough to find on a casual visit, but a buyer's inspection that includes at least a compression check should help.

Reed

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http://page.auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/auction/77779016?aucview=0x27

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