Bmw e32 - sleeper classic?

[anton-sa]

howsit all,
so i recently acquired a 94 (built 08/93) 730i v8, and i must say
other than she being a bit thirsty, im really enjoying the ride.

I see it as really a stretched out bigger e30 with better build quality,.
i owned a e30 325i 4door for a bit over 3years...

For what i payed for the car, the drive, the solid-ness, a helluva lot of car for the money

any other e32 owners here?

 

[Ralf*]

I used to own a white E32 728i, a bit underpowered, but many years of hassle free driving

 

[anton-sa]

one of the most confusing things for the layman i think is that there are 2 different e32 730i's. one is powered by a m30b30 motor making 138kw and 260nm torque.

the other powered by m60b30 making 160kw and 290nm torque

 

[Budleigh]

Love E32s. I was examining a 750iL the other day while my E34 was being seen to - it's interesting to see all the little ways the E32 is better-made than the E34 - the window demisters, the storage compartments, etc. They're lovely cars.

 

[anton-sa]

finding parts is a difficult thing though...

like, i think one has to be some sort of enthusiast to a degree to really get the most out of a e32, or even a e34 for that matter...

i must admit, i was pleasantly surprised when i got mine on 274000km.

full service history right up to 272000km, and i think the previous owner was a accountant or something, in the glovebox lies a logbook detailing around 60000km worth of travel, and every time a tyre was replaced or brakes a little scribble note was made.... this helps me take alot of the trial and error out of "restoring" this car... since the last 2 or 3 weeks ive spent around 3hours on each sunday going over the paint with some meguiars products...

clay bar, diamond cut, speed glaze, hand polish, tech wax....
the white of the car has gone from a slightly hazy here and there
perhaps slightly oxidised to proper "ice white" as what the cars color code suggests.. some swirl marks left.. but i will eventually get these out too...

the car is actually a //M 730i, some sort of //M package, its got factory fitted chrome arches...which im kinda on the fence on... and then theres some other odds and ends... vin decoder doesnt tell me squat about the car .. not even the color code. so i need to pull the rear seat and see if i can pickup the paper with all the "options" listed...

funny thing is the //M badge on the back seems legit and it looks to be of same age as the 730i badge, its definitely been fitted by the factory...

ill post pics as soon as i can

 

[Sankekur]

the car is actually a //M 730i, some sort of //M package, its got factory fitted chrome arches...which im kinda on the fence on... and then theres some other odds and ends... vin decoder doesnt tell me squat about the car .. not even the color code. so i need to pull the rear seat and see if i can pickup the paper with all the "options" listed...

funny thing is the //M badge on the back seems legit and it looks to be of same age as the 730i badge, its definitely been fitted by the factory...

ill post pics as soon as i can

Not to be a douche, but about 90% of e34's and e32's that are able to just stay on the road have M badges on, and I have to date seen only one of models that came originally with an M badge, the M5. (even the 540i 6 speed that is called a 540iM on the identification plate didn't come with an M badge)

Any reason why you went for a 730i and not for a 740i? (or possibly a 750i)

 

[anton-sa]

the car is actually a //M 730i, some sort of //M package, its got factory fitted chrome arches...which im kinda on the fence on... and then theres some other odds and ends... vin decoder doesnt tell me squat about the car .. not even the color code. so i need to pull the rear seat and see if i can pickup the paper with all the "options" listed...

funny thing is the //M badge on the back seems legit and it looks to be of same age as the 730i badge, its definitely been fitted by the factory...

ill post pics as soon as i can

Not to be a douche, but about 90% of e34's and e32's that are able to just stay on the road have M badges on, and I have to date seen only one of models that came originally with an M badge, the M5. (even the 540i 6 speed that is called a 540iM on the identification plate didn't come with an M badge)

Any reason why you went for a 730i and not for a 740i? (or possibly a 750i)

No not at all, I TOO am skeptic, just the prior owner "appears" way too concervative to be putting //M badges on cars... perhaps the //M denotes some sort of factorys suspension upgrade... the only way for me to figure this out would be to pull the rear seat and look, somewhere theres usually a piece of paper tucked away which lists the cars options.

as for choice of e32, as you know there are not many left, and some of those for sale
are VERY ratty and need plenty attention, i wanted something that was mostly sorted out of box. initially i was actually after a 730i m30b30 (inline 6), as this offers the best economy relative to performance... i say "economy" with reservations, but basically half-human economy... anyhow, the car (very neat/clean and exceptionally well looked after) by
accident ended up being the v8 version of the 730i. which is actually more economical and
offers basically same performance as the inline6 735i

for what i paid for the car she's solid. only gripe is the economy which isnt all that
economic at all. the economy on the obc is pinned at 15.9litre/100, which translates to
somewhere in the 6's km per litre. the car has been standing around a bit according to records, so i hope perhaps once all is "driven in".. maybe i can return in the 7's which would be around 13-14litre/100...

that said, the above is pretty much only city driving with the occasional trip on the N1 highway. this weekend we will see going away a bit and we will see what she does on the opoen road..

 

[Sankekur]

the car is actually a //M 730i, some sort of //M package, its got factory fitted chrome arches...which im kinda on the fence on... and then theres some other odds and ends... vin decoder doesnt tell me squat about the car .. not even the color code. so i need to pull the rear seat and see if i can pickup the paper with all the "options" listed...

funny thing is the //M badge on the back seems legit and it looks to be of same age as the 730i badge, its definitely been fitted by the factory...

ill post pics as soon as i can

Not to be a douche, but about 90% of e34's and e32's that are able to just stay on the road have M badges on, and I have to date seen only one of models that came originally with an M badge, the M5. (even the 540i 6 speed that is called a 540iM on the identification plate didn't come with an M badge)

Any reason why you went for a 730i and not for a 740i? (or possibly a 750i)

No not at all, I TOO am skeptic, just the prior owner "appears" way too concervative to be putting //M badges on cars... perhaps the //M denotes some sort of factorys suspension upgrade... the only way for me to figure this out would be to pull the rear seat and look, somewhere theres usually a piece of paper tucked away which lists the cars options.

as for choice of e32, as you know there are not many left, and some of those for sale
are VERY ratty and need plenty attention, i wanted something that was mostly sorted out of box. initially i was actually after a 730i m30b30 (inline 6), as this offers the best economy relative to performance... i say "economy" with reservations, but basically half-human economy... anyhow, the car (very neat/clean and exceptionally well looked after) by
accident ended up being the v8 version of the 730i. which is actually more economical and
offers basically same performance as the inline6 735i

for what i paid for the car she's solid. only gripe is the economy which isnt all that
economic at all. the economy on the obc is pinned at 15.9litre/100, which translates to
somewhere in the 6's km per litre. the car has been standing around a bit according to records, so i hope perhaps once all is "driven in".. maybe i can return in the 7's which would be around 13-14litre/100...

that said, the above is pretty much only city driving with the occasional trip on the N1 highway. this weekend we will see going away a bit and we will see what she does on the opoen road..

Indeed the condition plays a huge role.


It was actually the consumption that I was thinking of as well (not so much with the 750i though) as the 740i and 730i (with M60) give very close to the same consumption but with better performance. My one 540i's consumption is pretty much pegged at 16l/100km (and I drive it like a hooligan for the most part)

Regarding the M badge, is the face flat or rounded?


I have to add that I am not really a big fan of the e32 :fencelook: I like my e34's very much though.

 

[Fordkoppie]

This M30b30 vs b35 economy point I just have to make a remark.

That holds the same value as the comparison between the 4.0 V8 and the 3.0 V8 as both uses the same amount of fuel, suffer from the same issues, cost exactly the same to maintain, but the smaller one is much weaker.

The 735i (M30) is a much better bet than the 730i (m30).

I would rate the 730i (M60) on par with the 735i (m30) ito performance and economy, but the 740i is still king in that range for me anyway.

BTW - there was no sport or mtech version of the e32 in sa. That badge does not belong there.

........and SLS suspension does not automatically mean sporty

---

Oh yes - my e34 540 easily manages 12 - 13L/100 on the commute run and can average to 9L/100 on the open road at a steady 130

 

[Uber Soldat]

Indeed the condition plays a huge role.


It was actually the consumption that I was thinking of as well (not so much with the 750i though) as the 740i and 730i (with M60) give very close to the same consumption but with better performance. My one 540i's consumption is pretty much pegged at 16l/100km (and I drive it like a hooligan for the most part)

Regarding the M badge, is the face flat or rounded?


I have to add that I am not really a big fan of the e32 :fencelook: I like my e34's very much though.

:bat:

We have two 740s in our "Scrapyard" :=):

One on the left has a rubbish body, good engine etc while the one on the right has a buggered engine and a good body. So make one out of two. Then swap in a 6 speed manual and some sport seats :wub:

Then add this:

 

[RAArmstrong]

:inlove::inlove:

 

[anton-sa]

the car is actually a //M 730i, some sort of //M package, its got factory fitted chrome arches...which im kinda on the fence on... and then theres some other odds and ends... vin decoder doesnt tell me squat about the car .. not even the color code. so i need to pull the rear seat and see if i can pickup the paper with all the "options" listed...

funny thing is the //M badge on the back seems legit and it looks to be of same age as the 730i badge, its definitely been fitted by the factory...

ill post pics as soon as i can

Not to be a douche, but about 90% of e34's and e32's that are able to just stay on the road have M badges on, and I have to date seen only one of models that came originally with an M badge, the M5. (even the 540i 6 speed that is called a 540iM on the identification plate didn't come with an M badge)

Any reason why you went for a 730i and not for a 740i? (or possibly a 750i)

No not at all, I TOO am skeptic, just the prior owner "appears" way too concervative to be putting //M badges on cars... perhaps the //M denotes some sort of factorys suspension upgrade... the only way for me to figure this out would be to pull the rear seat and look, somewhere theres usually a piece of paper tucked away which lists the cars options.

as for choice of e32, as you know there are not many left, and some of those for sale
are VERY ratty and need plenty attention, i wanted something that was mostly sorted out of box. initially i was actually after a 730i m30b30 (inline 6), as this offers the best economy relative to performance... i say "economy" with reservations, but basically half-human economy... anyhow, the car (very neat/clean and exceptionally well looked after) by
accident ended up being the v8 version of the 730i. which is actually more economical and
offers basically same performance as the inline6 735i

for what i paid for the car she's solid. only gripe is the economy which isnt all that
economic at all. the economy on the obc is pinned at 15.9litre/100, which translates to
somewhere in the 6's km per litre. the car has been standing around a bit according to records, so i hope perhaps once all is "driven in".. maybe i can return in the 7's which would be around 13-14litre/100...

that said, the above is pretty much only city driving with the occasional trip on the N1 highway. this weekend we will see going away a bit and we will see what she does on the opoen road..

Indeed the condition plays a huge role.


It was actually the consumption that I was thinking of as well (not so much with the 750i though) as the 740i and 730i (with M60) give very close to the same consumption but with better performance. My one 540i's consumption is pretty much pegged at 16l/100km (and I drive it like a hooligan for the most part)

Regarding the M badge, is the face flat or rounded?


I have to add that I am not really a big fan of the e32 :fencelook: I like my e34's very much though.

the badge is flat mostly, follows the same contour as the 730i badge

as for economy, im sure the same engined 5's and 7's are similiar for comparison but i would think some other factors will play a role

1) gearing
2) weight

i would think apple for apple the 740 (m60) would be noticeably heavier than the 540 (e34 m60)

there could be as much as 200kg in it, and i would think the 7's diff/gearing is probably geared more for smoothness while sacrificing economy. i dunno im just guessing here...

 

[bmw328]

This M30b30 vs b35 economy point I just have to make a remark.

That holds the same value as the comparison between the 4.0 V8 and the 3.0 V8 as both uses the same amount of fuel, suffer from the same issues, cost exactly the same to maintain, but the smaller one is much weaker.

The 735i (M30) is a much better bet than the 730i (m30).

I would rate the 730i (M60) on par with the 735i (m30) ito performance and economy, but the 740i is still king in that range for me anyway.

BTW - there was no sport or mtech version of the e32 in sa. That badge does not belong there.

........and SLS suspension does not automatically mean sporty

---

Oh yes - my e34 540 easily manages 12 - 13L/100 on the commute run and can average to 9L/100 on the open road at a steady 130

---

I do agree on the M30B35, City Driving 15L/100KM & 10L/100KM open road

 

[Bugger]

Indeed the condition plays a huge role.


It was actually the consumption that I was thinking of as well (not so much with the 750i though) as the 740i and 730i (with M60) give very close to the same consumption but with better performance. My one 540i's consumption is pretty much pegged at 16l/100km (and I drive it like a hooligan for the most part)

Regarding the M badge, is the face flat or rounded?


I have to add that I am not really a big fan of the e32 :fencelook: I like my e34's very much though.

:bat:

We have two 740s in our "Scrapyard" :=):

One on the left has a rubbish body, good engine etc while the one on the right has a buggered engine and a good body. So make one out of two. Then swap in a 6 speed manual and some sport seats :wub:

Then add this:

How much for the rear light clusters off that 628csi you got there? :rollsmile:

 

[e23]

Soldat is that 628? Wowser! I've never seen many of those on the road.

 

[yoginn]

Soldat is that 628? Wowser! I've never seen many of those on the road.

628 ??? - 1977/8 ?

 

[Luis Malhou]

Those parts look familiar Uber!!