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1988' BMW 7 Series 730I Se Auto E32
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£3,100Published 21 January 2017ID: 3y4ndq
Expired
7 years, 10 months ago
7 years, 10 months ago
Information from the owner
Age: 29 years
Exterior color: Blue
Electronics: Trip/Mileage Computer
Seller's comments about 1988' BMW 7 Series 730I Se Auto E32
For sale is my 1988 BMW 730i. A quick description of the good and bad points as follows:
GOOD
*Just over 82,000 miles backed up by almost full MOT history
*Over £1000 spent maintaining in one year - receipts for most work
*3 keys
*Just serviced - oil & filter, plugs, cap & arm, battery, rear pitman arms
*MOT until September 2017
BAD
*Outside temperature sensor doesn't work
*Paint a little thin on the tops of each front wing
*Small dent to drivers door, lower quarter
*Small amount of rust below boot seal
*Headlining starting to drop
*Chrome trim would benefit from a good polish
I hope that gives you a quick round-up and answers the obvious questions. Full description and detailed service records below.
Let's start with the spec:
*ENGINE & TRANSMISSION*
This car has the M30B30 3.0 litre straight 6.
There is no smoke on start-up or under load and it pulls incredibly well. It's as smooth as a M30 ever could be and with proper maintenance will give years of service.
The 4 speed automatic transmission is again, in good order - changes are smooth but quick, no nasty slipping. Kick-down works as and when you'd expect and the Economy/Sport/Manual modes are all fully functioning.
The previous owner told me he had changed the trainsmission fluid and filter and whilst there is no receipt to prove this the fluid is red and it's given me no bother in the 7000 odd miles I've covered.
*PAINT & INTERIOR*
The car is painted in 'Alpinweiss 2' or Alpine White to you and I. It has black leather upholstery. White is a fairly odd colour for these cars with the majority tending to be grey or blue.
The paintwork is generally good and polishes well though as I mentioned in the round-up at the beginning it has gone slightly thin on the tops of each front wing. It doesn't detract from the car unless you're really looking for it and I'm sure it's something a good bodyshop could sort with ease.
There is a small dent on the lower quarter of the drivers door which again, I'm sure could be sorted easily - the paint hasn't cracked so it should be an easy fix. I've just spent £250 (no receipt) having some rust on the O/S rear door attended to and the door mirrors painted. Genuine, new BMW lower door trims have been fitted on all doors to finish the job properly.
The upholstery is again in decent condition but has wear. The leather on the drivers seat is creased but not cracked and there are some light marks and scratches on the rest of the leather - nothing that you wouldn't expect for 28 years of use.
The carpets are like new, having been protected with genuine BMW overmats.
The headlining material is starting to come away from the board at each rear corner - it's not as bad as some that I've seen.
The exterior chrome trim is looking a little tired - I have started to polish it and will try to finish but this may be left to the next owner.
Lastly is the rust under the rear boot seal - it shouldn't be too big a job and I had intended to have it done by the bodyshop with the other work I mentioned but I forgot to put it on the list! The area is small and doesn't show through on the outside.
*OTHER OPTIONS*
*Electric tilting & sliding sunroof
*Electric windows
*Electric & heated mirrors
*Heated windscreen washer jets
*ABS
*Electric front seats
*Front armrests
*Headlight/foglamp washers
*Dual zone A/C
*Cruise control
*On board computer
*Reading lights
*Power steering
*Central locking
All of the above items work perfectly. Both headrests function (can be a failing point). The heater controls work perfectly - again a failing point as the electrics are fairly complicated. A/C blows cold.
*MOT HISTORY*
1992 - 20,075
1993 - 26,038
1994 - 30,886
1995 - 34,719
1996 - 38,168
1997 - 41,355
1998 - 44,581
1999 - 45,780
2000 - 48,694
2001 - 50,613
2002 - 52,339
2003 - 55,207
2004 - 56,502
2005 - 57,706
2006 - 58,769
2007 - 59,737
2008 - 60,554
2010 - 61,123
2011 - 62,385
2012 - 65,714
2013 - 68,431
2014 - 72,141
2015 - 76,253
2016 - 81,715
No MOT for 2009 so I guess the car was declared SORN.
Nothing nasty on any of the previous MOT's. Mainly failures or advisories for brake lines and anti roll bar bushes.
Registration Number is F264NBY
Make is BMW
For the second year in a row the car passed its MOT first time. There was an advisory for a nail in the O/S rear tyre.
MOT runs until the 2nd of September 2017.
*SERVICE HISTORY*
The car has the original service book which has 5 stamps from the supplying dealer - Orford of Ruislip. It has 11 stamps from Lodge Garage, the same place that did the majority of MOT's. The most recent stamp in the book is 2006 and sadly I cannot account for any of the service history between then and me acquiring the car in 2015.
I can however vouch for the care the car has received under my ownership. I have kept the majority of receipts and I'll list some of the work completed over the past year:
Air intake rubber boots & clamps
*Oil change @ 78,115 miles - Oil & filter
Distributor cap & rotor arm
New battery
Pulse generator
Ignition barrel & door lock + accessories
Front & rear door lower trims
*Oil change @ 81,189 miles
Air Filter
Fuel filter
Rear pitman arms
Spark plugs
Other work and parts have been purchased but I've mislaid the receipts - things such as the steering column cowling. Total for my year of ownership is in excess of £1000.
Ignition barrel and door lock were changed after some louts tried to pinch the car! Both have been replaced with new, genuine parts and have been made to the original key number so all of the locks still match. A good condition second hand steering column cowling has been fitted as they broke the original. All fitting work was carried out by Redish Automotive, a very well known and respected BMW specialist here in Bristol. I have two normal keys and one valet key for the car.
I urge you to ask me any questions if you want to. I'm not always able to answer the phone so you can drop me an email or send me a text and I'll do my best to answer you as quickly as I can!
I've priced the car at £3000. Any 7 series always seems difficult to judge price-wise - I've seen people ask £900 and I've seen people ask £9000. I feel for a car in this overall condition with some service history and supported low mileage £3000 is a fair price. If I get chance to rectify some of the bodywork issues over the coming months then I will increase my asking price to reflect the work completed.
Thanks for your time. Tom
GOOD
*Just over 82,000 miles backed up by almost full MOT history
*Over £1000 spent maintaining in one year - receipts for most work
*3 keys
*Just serviced - oil & filter, plugs, cap & arm, battery, rear pitman arms
*MOT until September 2017
BAD
*Outside temperature sensor doesn't work
*Paint a little thin on the tops of each front wing
*Small dent to drivers door, lower quarter
*Small amount of rust below boot seal
*Headlining starting to drop
*Chrome trim would benefit from a good polish
I hope that gives you a quick round-up and answers the obvious questions. Full description and detailed service records below.
Let's start with the spec:
*ENGINE & TRANSMISSION*
This car has the M30B30 3.0 litre straight 6.
There is no smoke on start-up or under load and it pulls incredibly well. It's as smooth as a M30 ever could be and with proper maintenance will give years of service.
The 4 speed automatic transmission is again, in good order - changes are smooth but quick, no nasty slipping. Kick-down works as and when you'd expect and the Economy/Sport/Manual modes are all fully functioning.
The previous owner told me he had changed the trainsmission fluid and filter and whilst there is no receipt to prove this the fluid is red and it's given me no bother in the 7000 odd miles I've covered.
*PAINT & INTERIOR*
The car is painted in 'Alpinweiss 2' or Alpine White to you and I. It has black leather upholstery. White is a fairly odd colour for these cars with the majority tending to be grey or blue.
The paintwork is generally good and polishes well though as I mentioned in the round-up at the beginning it has gone slightly thin on the tops of each front wing. It doesn't detract from the car unless you're really looking for it and I'm sure it's something a good bodyshop could sort with ease.
There is a small dent on the lower quarter of the drivers door which again, I'm sure could be sorted easily - the paint hasn't cracked so it should be an easy fix. I've just spent £250 (no receipt) having some rust on the O/S rear door attended to and the door mirrors painted. Genuine, new BMW lower door trims have been fitted on all doors to finish the job properly.
The upholstery is again in decent condition but has wear. The leather on the drivers seat is creased but not cracked and there are some light marks and scratches on the rest of the leather - nothing that you wouldn't expect for 28 years of use.
The carpets are like new, having been protected with genuine BMW overmats.
The headlining material is starting to come away from the board at each rear corner - it's not as bad as some that I've seen.
The exterior chrome trim is looking a little tired - I have started to polish it and will try to finish but this may be left to the next owner.
Lastly is the rust under the rear boot seal - it shouldn't be too big a job and I had intended to have it done by the bodyshop with the other work I mentioned but I forgot to put it on the list! The area is small and doesn't show through on the outside.
*OTHER OPTIONS*
*Electric tilting & sliding sunroof
*Electric windows
*Electric & heated mirrors
*Heated windscreen washer jets
*ABS
*Electric front seats
*Front armrests
*Headlight/foglamp washers
*Dual zone A/C
*Cruise control
*On board computer
*Reading lights
*Power steering
*Central locking
All of the above items work perfectly. Both headrests function (can be a failing point). The heater controls work perfectly - again a failing point as the electrics are fairly complicated. A/C blows cold.
*MOT HISTORY*
1992 - 20,075
1993 - 26,038
1994 - 30,886
1995 - 34,719
1996 - 38,168
1997 - 41,355
1998 - 44,581
1999 - 45,780
2000 - 48,694
2001 - 50,613
2002 - 52,339
2003 - 55,207
2004 - 56,502
2005 - 57,706
2006 - 58,769
2007 - 59,737
2008 - 60,554
2010 - 61,123
2011 - 62,385
2012 - 65,714
2013 - 68,431
2014 - 72,141
2015 - 76,253
2016 - 81,715
No MOT for 2009 so I guess the car was declared SORN.
Nothing nasty on any of the previous MOT's. Mainly failures or advisories for brake lines and anti roll bar bushes.
Registration Number is F264NBY
Make is BMW
For the second year in a row the car passed its MOT first time. There was an advisory for a nail in the O/S rear tyre.
MOT runs until the 2nd of September 2017.
*SERVICE HISTORY*
The car has the original service book which has 5 stamps from the supplying dealer - Orford of Ruislip. It has 11 stamps from Lodge Garage, the same place that did the majority of MOT's. The most recent stamp in the book is 2006 and sadly I cannot account for any of the service history between then and me acquiring the car in 2015.
I can however vouch for the care the car has received under my ownership. I have kept the majority of receipts and I'll list some of the work completed over the past year:
Air intake rubber boots & clamps
*Oil change @ 78,115 miles - Oil & filter
Distributor cap & rotor arm
New battery
Pulse generator
Ignition barrel & door lock + accessories
Front & rear door lower trims
*Oil change @ 81,189 miles
Air Filter
Fuel filter
Rear pitman arms
Spark plugs
Other work and parts have been purchased but I've mislaid the receipts - things such as the steering column cowling. Total for my year of ownership is in excess of £1000.
Ignition barrel and door lock were changed after some louts tried to pinch the car! Both have been replaced with new, genuine parts and have been made to the original key number so all of the locks still match. A good condition second hand steering column cowling has been fitted as they broke the original. All fitting work was carried out by Redish Automotive, a very well known and respected BMW specialist here in Bristol. I have two normal keys and one valet key for the car.
I urge you to ask me any questions if you want to. I'm not always able to answer the phone so you can drop me an email or send me a text and I'll do my best to answer you as quickly as I can!
I've priced the car at £3000. Any 7 series always seems difficult to judge price-wise - I've seen people ask £900 and I've seen people ask £9000. I feel for a car in this overall condition with some service history and supported low mileage £3000 is a fair price. If I get chance to rectify some of the bodywork issues over the coming months then I will increase my asking price to reflect the work completed.
Thanks for your time. Tom
