At $11,995, Is This Low-Mileage 2000 BMW 740i Sport A Stately Steal?

While most of us can agree on which edition of the BMW 7 Series is the ugliest (cough, E65, cough), we can likely also agree that the E38 is among the most aesthetically pleasing. Add to that the Sport package as fitted to today’s Nice Price or No Dice 740i, and there’s even more to like. Let’s see if we like its price.

Ford presently sells the Mustang in Great Britain—in right-hand-drive, no less. This is a nice bit of homage to the P-51 Mustang fighter plane from which Ford’s pony car took its name. The Mustang plane was originally commissioned by Britain’s Royal Air Force and built in the U.S. by North American Aviation. The only thing that would complete the present-day Mustang tribute would be a Rolls-Royce engine, as the P-51’s full capabilities weren’t fully realized until its original Allison V12 was retired in favor of the all-mighty Rolls-Royce Merlin 65.

The 1978 Ford Mustang II Cobra II we looked at last Friday was never sold in Great Britain, and for that, it could be argued, the Brits should be eternally grateful. Or so it would seem, given the comments eviscerating the car as crude and undeserving of the $21,000 asking price the seller has set for transferring its title. While it did look nice, its anemic engine and the general miasma of ’70s mediocrity that surrounded it sealed its fate. In the end, that resulted in an overwhelming 86% ‘No Dice’ loss.

One thing that Friday’s Mustang had going for it—the only thing, many of you might argue—is that it was gloriously analog. The only notable electronics on the car were the stereo and the electronic ignition, as the Mustang II was even one of the first of Ford’s models to embrace the latter.

Today’s 2000 BMW 740i Sport isn’t nearly as free of inscrutable dancing electrons and mechanical complications as the Ford, but compared to every model that followed it, this car is a hunk of wood.

It’s an impressive hunk, nonetheless, and in silver over a light gray leather interior, it’s pretty elegant, as well. According to the seller, this standard-wheelbase E38 is in excellent condition and, in its quarter-century of use, has racked up only 98,500 miles. It has also been optioned with the desirable Sport package. That adds upgraded suspension components, Style 37 Double Parallel alloys, sport seats and steering wheel, and “shadowline” trim to add a sense of stealth to the greenhouse.

So big a car needs a big mill to power it. In this 740’s case, that’s an M62 all-alloy V8 displacing 4398ccs and making 282 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Mated to that is a ZF-sourced five-speed automatic driving the rear wheels. Unfortunately, the ad for the car is light on details about maintenance history or even its current condition, aside from noting that it is in “beautiful condition inside and out.” 

It’s also heavily optioned, featuring power windows, locks, and seat adjustments, as well as an early satellite navigation system with a small screen in the dash and maps on CD. In addition, there are a plethora of airbags for crash protection, as the E38 was one of the first cars to feature side-deploying bags. And I know what you’re thinking; that is a lot of stuff to go wrong, but trust me, later 7 Series models are even more laden with gadgetry and, arguably, are way uglier than the E38.

This is, in fact, perhaps the last great 7 Series design to have rolled out of Dingolfing. It’s also a very ’90s look, heavy where it needs to be while still appearing light on its feet. That’s probably why the model was chosen for on-screen duty in the James Bond outing “Tomorrow Never Dies,” and as Jason Statham’s ride of choice in “The Transporter.”

This 740i is ready for its close-up. The silver paint appears flawless, as do those beautiful deep-dish Style 37s. All the badging is still present and accounted for. No de-badging and lying about being a 750i on this car’s watch.

The cabin presents just as nicely, and is gloriously posh with burlwood trim touching almost every corner. That’s matched with buttery leather on the seats and door trim. The two-tone light gray with a black cap on the dash and doors still proves elegant and timeless. Plus, this is a big car (two tons plus), so there’s plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the ride.

According to the ad, this big Bimmer carries a clean title, and the pictures show it wearing 2027 tags, so the registration is up to date. All that’s left is to consider whether the car is worth pursuing, given the lack of detail in the ad. That could be a minor point, as the seller may simply be inexperienced with the whole “selling an old German car” online thing and may actually have all that information at hand. A phone call would clear that question up. I’ll leave that up to one of you, as we also need to consider this car’s $11,995 price tag.

What do you think? Is this extremely nice and desirably spec’d E38 a deal at that asking price? Or, for such a car, is that too much cash even with its uber-low miles?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don R. for the hookup!

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