Hey guys,
As some of you know I have always loved the 3 series - however for the summer we will be picking up a convertible. For this reason I thought it would be best to get a big car or SUV for daily/winter driving and the convertible as a fun weekend car.
I found a 1997 740iL that I am going to look at tomorrow - payment is arranged and if it looks good I will be driving it home tomorrow evening. The car has 117K on it, but as it is an "extra" car it wont be getting too much extra mileage.
My question here is, is there anything I should be looking at in particular on the car? Any general problems to expect? Let me know what you think.
I think there are a couple pics online so if I find the link I will post it up.

Thanks again.

http://images.craigslist.org/010112010203011611200801315092d9c652746f82f7003fde .jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/010111010302011606200801317101effca9f832c6b500f4a8 .jpg
Only pics I could find.

Nice looking car. Review the stickies at the top of this forum.

Nice looking car. Review the stickies at the top of this forum.

+1 Everything you need to look for is in there.

With proper maintenance you shouldn't be worried about mileage that much.

buy my car its cheaper and it only has 88k miles http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/car/580086883.html

ill give you a good deal just take it.

buy my car its cheaper and it only has 88k miles http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/car/580086883.html

ill give you a good deal just take it.

DOO ETTTT

Off topic but welcome from Milwaukee.

From the pics it looks like it has new style taillights, clear corners, and those headlights look awfully clear. IMO, that shows it could have been taken care of pretty well and you may have found a good one, or it could have been in a wreck? Who knows

buy my car its cheaper and it only has 88k miles http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/car/580086883.html

ill give you a good deal just take it.
It's a Sport :eyecrazy

Do EETTTTTTTTTTT

And has 20" shoes. DO IT haha

looks good man.

1. go to www.e38.org and set aside a few hours to read
2. pay to have a Prepurchase Inspection (PPI) done
3. consider an extended a/m warranty

Thanks for the advice - I think I will take some time today and review the stickies and the www.e38.org (http://www.e38.org) website posted. I appreciate the help - this forum has helped me with multiple dilemmas on my E36 and E46's and by the looks of it will do the same for my soon to be E38.
Nice car posted for sale - too bad you are across country. Just looking to throw a few thousand at a local sale and be done with it. I will put more money and look for more options on the convertible this summer.

Thanks for the advice - I think I will take some time today and review the stickies and the www.e38.org (http://www.e38.org) website posted. I appreciate the help - this forum has helped me with multiple dilemmas on my E36 and E46's and by the looks of it will do the same for my soon to be E38.
Nice car posted for sale - too bad you are across country. Just looking to throw a few thousand at a local sale and be done with it. I will put more money and look for more options on the convertible this summer.
P.S. the car I posted above is selling for $6500. Either it is a great deal, or needs a great deal of work... my test drive tonight will determine a lot. I will keep you updated.
Good luck. If you don't like that car and want to step up a bit my 750 is for sale. Madison ain't too far from Detroit.... See link in sig.

UPDATE:

I purchased the car yesterday it seems to be in pretty good shape. It is Oxford Green, with the updated clear lights. Everything works in the car with the exception of the computer under the speedometer. It seems to be functional, but the majority of pixels are burned out which makes it nearly impossible to read. I could barely make out the odometer, can't really read the text below the speedometer and can't tell the temperature. I hear that this is a common 7 series problem, something I should contact BMW NA about. Any suggestions to get it fixed? I will post pics soon of the car, let me know what you think.

Good luck. If you don't like that car and want to step up a bit my 750 is for sale. Madison ain't too far from Detroit.... See link in sig.

Thats a BIG step up ;)

Congrads on the purchase. Enjoy it