If fuel mileage isn't a concern, is a 750 a better choice than a 740?

[M I C H A E L]

Probably the case, until you have to replace all those EDC shocks. What is that, $4k?

Oh gosh no. Around 2k.

[jac1d]

Probably the case, until you have to replace all those EDC shocks. What is that, $4k?

I had my Indy do mine and I think it was more like $3K incl labour.

SEDC is found on 740s as well, not just 750s. It is just standard on 750s.

[Cobrajet429]

If I'd have put my parts car 740 back on the road, I'd have probably just eliminated the EDC.

[board57796]

The reason why the SEDC cost doesn't bother me like the timing chains do is the SEDC shocks going bad doesn't immediately render the car undriveable. Although inadvisable, you can continue to drive on bad SEDC shocks. When your timing chain guides go, you'd better stop driving the car, and quick.

You can tell if/when the shocks are going bad, and you can replace the fronts or the backs separately, spreading out the cost of the replacement. Also, like jac1d mentioned, SEDC is on some 740s as well.

[iDreadnaught]

If fuel mileage isn't a concern, most would go 750 all day. After all, it is the US spec flagship E38.

There are lots of reasons to go either way though, and it all boils down to personal preference. Personally I went V8 as I plan to go FI at some point, (or planned before all the S62 swaps started popping up ) and there is already a few proven clear-cut ways to boost the V8.

You'll often see it said that the weight difference is negligible between the V8 and V12. Well, BMW didn't give the 750 bigger brakes because of a merely negligible engine weight difference. Take into account the combined weight of the 750s engine, TC, heavier transmission, things like dual pane glass, extra battery, heavier exhaust, brakes, etc... it all adds up.

Now what you'll rarely see discussed is what actually is negligible, the M73TU has only 36 ft.lbs more torque than the V8 to pull the extra weight around with... and needs 1 full liter more of displacement spread across 4 more cylinders to do it. Set your torque wrench to 36 ft.lbs to see what "separates the men from the boys" performance wise. *insert torque wrench click here* Add to that the early dyno results of the TU V8 doing more than rated leading to rumors that BMW underrated the M62TU motor on paper as to not encroach upon the throne that the V12 sits on.

Now, as far as mood, when I step in and close the door of our 750, the world becomes peaceful and quiet. The dual pane glass really helps it to create it's own atmosphere and the ride is so smooth it makes it easy to be oblivious to the rest of the world. The engine is smoother, more refined. The highline interior, wood grab handles and lighting and chrome accents are definitely eye-candy. It is truly a more luxurious ride and 750 interior pieces are often sought after to add to 740s. If that's the mood that you're after as your primary objective, 750 hands down.

Maintaining both, well they both have their pros and cons. V12 doesn't have vanos issues to worry about. V8 won't blow it's head-gasket as easily. EDC isn't cheap nor are heated cats with no aftermarket options. Preventative maintenance is cheaper on the V8 if you are a DIY guy, less than a grand for a timing chain guide job, seals, gaskets every 10 years or so isn't bad at all. I did mine when she turned 12 yrs old at 135k miles because I pulled the engine for a rear main seal leak and figured I may as well do the guides, not because it was a problem. They have the same cooling system woes. Parts availability for the V8 at the salvage yards from 740i, 740iL, 540i... no shortage of parts. I picked up an M62TU for $150 from a rear ended car. I have yet to see 1 V12 car at the local salvage yards here.

At the end of the day, this is all personal preference man. As opposed to a quiet ride, I prefer that low throaty growl of Deutschland V8 on tap, mufflers deleted. The raw, sporty, firm feeling of the sport over the more luxurious ride of the 750. They simply cater to different markets, and depending on what you are after, you can't really go wrong either way. Buck has my favorite 750 on the forum, and If I were to get a blk/blk facelift 750, I'd do what he did and make it a true sport to be satisfied with the driving dynamics of a 750. This is my personal preference.

It just depends on what your personal Ultimate Driving Experience is.

[marclar]

When I assess any car, it is the driving experience that truly matters. And I always look for tighter, more dynamic and rewarding driving experience. In this regard, a 2001 US spec'd 740i sport package makes an obvious winner. It is nimbler, has firmer suspension, locking torque converter, shorter final drive ration (3.15 vs. 2.93) and the awesome steptronic gearbox that can be used quite effectively in Manual mode if you get down throttle blipping on down shifts. This car is the perfect full size sedan if you ask me. The 750 is really awesome in many ways, but does not provide the driving experience of a 740i sport package.

[Evilyeti]

Sorry if I'm a noob, but is this sarcasm?

Having driven and heard a few with different exhaust setups, no, it wasn't sarcasm. The v8 sounds a lot more appropriate for such a car in my opinion. The only thing i like about the V12 is that it's almost silent at idle with oem exhaust.

[BOBS750il]

+1 I have had 4 E38 750's in my life and this is what I have to say: The 750 separates the men from the boys. I do have a strong bias as I must be the only E38er who dislikes the 740 and would never buy one.

Your not the only one. Just saying (=

Sent from my iPhone5s using BF.com

[pizzaman09]

Sorry if I'm a noob, but is this sarcasm?

This is actually serious, the BMW V12 is all about smooth, not really about screaming power or thumping idle. There are ways to make a BMW V12 sound good with custom exhaust but from the factory they are very tame sounding engines. From a theoretical standpoint the the M73 has the same displacement per cylinder as a tiny 2.7L 6 cylinder.

[325isBen]

If I'd have put my parts car 740 back on the road, I'd have probably just eliminated the EDC.

Is this an option? Can the shocks on the 750 be replaced with regular shocks?

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If fuel mileage isn't a concern, most would go 750 all day. After all, it is the US spec flagship E38.

There are lots of reasons to go either way though, and it all boils down to personal preference. Personally I went V8 as I plan to go FI at some point, (or planned before all the S62 swaps started popping up ) and there is already a few proven clear-cut ways to boost the V8.

You'll often see it said that the weight difference is negligible between the V8 and V12. Well, BMW didn't give the 750 bigger brakes because of a merely negligible engine weight difference. Take into account the combined weight of the 750s engine, TC, heavier transmission, things like dual pane glass, extra battery, heavier exhaust, brakes, etc... it all adds up.

Now what you'll rarely see discussed is what actually is negligible, the M73TU has only 36 ft.lbs more torque than the V8 to pull the extra weight around with... and needs 1 full liter more of displacement spread across 4 more cylinders to do it. Set your torque wrench to 36 ft.lbs to see what "separates the men from the boys" performance wise. *insert torque wrench click here* Add to that the early dyno results of the TU V8 doing more than rated leading to rumors that BMW underrated the M62TU motor on paper as to not encroach upon the throne that the V12 sits on.

Now, as far as mood, when I step in and close the door of our 750, the world becomes peaceful and quiet. The dual pane glass really helps it to create it's own atmosphere and the ride is so smooth it makes it easy to be oblivious to the rest of the world. The engine is smoother, more refined. The highline interior, wood grab handles and lighting and chrome accents are definitely eye-candy. It is truly a more luxurious ride and 750 interior pieces are often sought after to add to 740s. If that's the mood that you're after as your primary objective, 750 hands down.

Maintaining both, well they both have their pros and cons. V12 doesn't have vanos issues to worry about. V8 won't blow it's head-gasket as easily. EDC isn't cheap nor are heated cats with no aftermarket options. Preventative maintenance is cheaper on the V8 if you are a DIY guy, less than a grand for a timing chain guide job, seals, gaskets every 10 years or so isn't bad at all. I did mine when she turned 12 yrs old at 135k miles because I pulled the engine for a rear main seal leak and figured I may as well do the guides, not because it was a problem. They have the same cooling system woes. Parts availability for the V8 at the salvage yards from 740i, 740iL, 540i... no shortage of parts. I picked up an M62TU for $150 from a rear ended car. I have yet to see 1 V12 car at the local salvage yards here.

At the end of the day, this is all personal preference man. As opposed to a quiet ride, I prefer that low throaty growl of Deutschland V8 on tap, mufflers deleted. The raw, sporty, firm feeling of the sport over the more luxurious ride of the 750. They simply cater to different markets, and depending on what you are after, you can't really go wrong either way. Buck has my favorite 750 on the forum, and If I were to get a blk/blk facelift 750, I'd do what he did and make it a true sport to be satisfied with the driving dynamics of a 750. This is my personal preference.

It just depends on what your personal Ultimate Driving Experience is.

Wow. Thanks for the amazing response. I'm at the point where I'm looking at two cars, one is a 740 and one is a 750. I haven't seen either one in person. 740 is a sport IL. Both have similar mileage and seem to be up-to-date on service. That said, for the same money would you choose a 740 or 750? I'm a do it yourself kind of guy, but I don't think I'm a pull the entire engine out of the car kind of guy at this point.

[M I C H A E L]

Is this an option? Can the shocks on the 750 be replaced with regular shocks?

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Wow. Thanks for the amazing response. I'm at the point where I'm looking at two cars, one is a 740 and one is a 750. I haven't seen either one in person. 740 is a sport IL. Both have similar mileage and seem to be up-to-date on service. That said, for the same money would you choose a 740 or 750? I'm a do it yourself kind of guy, but I don't think I'm a pull the entire engine out of the car kind of guy at this point.

He has a 750. What would you choose? Its personal preference as he stated. I should of held off for a 750 myself. But I'm far too deep at this point with my 740.

[racer2086]

Is this an option? Can the shocks on the 750 be replaced with regular shocks?

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Wow. Thanks for the amazing response. I'm at the point where I'm looking at two cars, one is a 740 and one is a 750. I haven't seen either one in person. 740 is a sport IL. Both have similar mileage and seem to be up-to-date on service. That said, for the same money would you choose a 740 or 750? I'm a do it yourself kind of guy, but I don't think I'm a pull the entire engine out of the car kind of guy at this point.

Go 750. There's something to be said for the extra refinement and the fact that you can't go higher. The all leather interior is enough to sell me. The V12 is just another benefit.

[iDreadnaught]

Is this an option? Can the shocks on the 750 be replaced with regular shocks?

- - - Updated - - -



Wow. Thanks for the amazing response. I'm at the point where I'm looking at two cars, one is a 740 and one is a 750. I haven't seen either one in person. 740 is a sport IL. Both have similar mileage and seem to be up-to-date on service. That said, for the same money would you choose a 740 or 750? I'm a do it yourself kind of guy, but I don't think I'm a pull the entire engine out of the car kind of guy at this point.

740il vs 750il, I'd go 750 all day. Especially if the cost was the same, but even if it cost more.

[325isBen]

I just looked at the ad, I would totally rock that 750. Almost the perfect look for one, a silver prefacelift 750iL on style 4 wheels. That is one of the classiest looking e38s out there.

As for the car it self, it looks pretty good. Nice condition, the only option I don't see is navigation, which would have been rare on a 98. One thing is out of place though, it has facelift 750 grills, imo the flat prefacelift grills would look better.

I tried to call this afternoon about this one but they were closed. They did drop the price by $1000 on AutoTrader. I don't know if that's a bad sign or not.

[xboss]

torque comes earlier on the power band though. A major factor that people forget about, they just look at raw torque vs torque #'s

[armiller1]

Is this an option? Can the shocks on the 750 be replaced with regular shocks? - - - Updated - - - Wow. Thanks for the amazing response. I'm at the point where I'm looking at two cars, one is a 740 and one is a 750. I haven't seen either one in person. 740 is a sport IL. Both have similar mileage and seem to be up-to-date on service. That said, for the same money would you choose a 740 or 750? I'm a do it yourself kind of guy, but I don't think I'm a pull the entire engine out of the car kind of guy at this point.

To answer your question, the EDC shocks are easily replaced on the 740s so I would think they are removable on the 750s as well. Hopefully, the 750 folks will confirm this.

[iDreadnaught]

I tried to call this afternoon about this one but they were closed. They did drop the price by $1000 on AutoTrader. I don't know if that's a bad sign or not.

Is that one that you mentioned had the service records? Have you checked out the E38 buyers guide?
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...8-Buyers-Guide

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torque comes earlier on the power band though. A major factor that people forget about, they just look at raw torque vs torque #'s

Good point. M62TU reaches it's max at 3600rpms, M73 at 3900rpms.

[325isBen]

Is that one that you mentioned had the service records? Have you checked out the E38 buyers guide?
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...8-Buyers-Guide

I never mentioned one with service records. I don't know if this one has any records or not. I haven't gotten a hold of the dealership yet.

[BIMMERBOYZ]

Is there still no way to effectively delete the Ekat on a 750iL?

[M I C H A E L]

Is there still no way to effectively delete the Ekat on a 750iL?

AFAIK, currently not yet.

[Staszek]

740il vs 750il, I'd go 750 all day. Especially if the cost was the same, but even if it cost more.

I second this one. If they made a real sport out of the 740il it would be close, but its basically an appearance package it doesnt have all the fun stuff of the 740i sport. To me no contest 750il here.