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E38s are starting to get old :(

3K views 16 replies 5 participants last post by  BMWS441 
#1 ·
So after taking a road trip and after going thru a "rough" part of town. I've seen a lot of e38s sitting in mechanics junk yards or just ones that are beat to ****. The worst thing I saw was one that was "pimped out".. Absolutely degrading. It makes me sad to see less on the road :(. Guess they are getting old now. And some of them are just gonna have to be thrown in junk yards. Guess it's part if the life cycle of cars. Lol. But I absolutely love e38s. It was my first car and i will always love and remember it. It wasn't exactly a logical first car but I got really lucky and got it from my dad :). Recently I had to sell mine bc it just got to the point where I had to get a more reasonable car. And my parents wanted me to have something newer and more fuel efficient. So, I guess I'm contributing to the problem of the decrease in e38s that are actually in decent shape or running. If it were up to me, I would have kept it. So those of u that still have e38s, keep them and looking good. If I can't have one anymore I need to at least still see them own the road like they do.
Post some pics if you don't mind :)
 
#4 ·
My 740 needed: a transmission, a/c fan, catalytic converters, something was wrong with the suspension, the radio didn't work, window regulator, headliner and the hood and front bumper needed to be painted. And it got 12mpg on premium. Plus who knows what else could've gone wrong. It's just not a car for a college student. But later on in life I will get another BMW :)
 
#5 ·
I agree that the E38 is starting to show age, but in my opinion, it is aging well. As long as these cars are kept up and look "clean", I don't think they will ever go out of style, and I still think this was one of the best styles BMW ever came up with for a seven-series.

12mpg :eek:, there was definately something wrong with your's, but there are some things wrong with mine as well, and I gave up on owning a "perfect" E38 not too long after purchasing it :D.

These cars are definately not for everyone, so good luck with your next car. 2.0L or 2.5L in that Jetta?
 
#6 ·
It's a 2.5 inline 5 cylinder. I love it! It's just such a nice little car. And I have never been so impressed with a car brand. I didn't think I really liked vws. But when I drove this jetta, I was in shock. It has the solid feel of a BMW/MB/Audi. It feels very german. It's still no BMW. But for such an economical little car, it's really impressive. And I feel like the 5 cylinder gives me the power of a 6 with 4 fuel economy and you can't beat a brand new car. I went from wondering if my car would get me where I needed to having no worries at all bc I don't even have to pay for oil changes. I plan on keeping it thru college and until I have my own job to buy another BMW :)
 
#8 ·
Why choosing a VW? I know is a German brand but its far away from what the Germans are really able to do. That car is not made in Germany. Poland? Hungary? Mexico? There is a tremendous difference between VW made in Germany and somewhere else.I owned both.I wish you to have luck with yours and enjoy it many miles to come. If I were you I would go with a 3 series but probably you got scared what problems you had with the E38. Or I would choose an Audi since they are really made in Germany and they are much better than VW . I saw them in racing too and they are very competitive with the M series. Outstanding performance, unbeatable design , great reliability. For someone who's out there looking for a German car and doesn't want the highly priced parts and service I say Audi is best choice. If I would have to recommend a German car I would not say VW since is not the real German thing. However is a great car, and instead of choosing any domestic car is a great choice. I am absolutely not a Japanese car fan.
My top preferences Germans cars: BMW / Audi/ Mercedes/. Benz is too classic for me. The AMG series I found them overpriced.

Again why not going with a 3 series?
 
#9 ·
Trust me, I argued and argued with my dad. I wanted a 3series really bad. But bottom line the car had to be brand new and in the low 20thosand dollar range. The jetta was the most German and nicest car I could get. I was NOT going to buy an Asian car. I'm not a fan... at all...
But I'm really happy with my car so far. It's perfect for my life right now and hope to keep it until I can afford a bimmer :)

Sent from my PC36100 using Bimmer App
 
#12 ·
From the description of your car it pretty much sounded like one of those that was dragging the image of the rest of our clean ones down.....

My 740 needed: a transmission, a/c fan, catalytic converters, something was wrong with the suspension, the radio didn't work, window regulator, headliner and the hood and front bumper needed to be painted. And it got 12mpg on premium. Plus who knows what else could've gone wrong.
How about maintaining it a little?? All kidding aside, these cars are at best 10+years old.. As they get up there in the miles people get rid of them as problems occur and take next to nothing for them due to the repair costs.. Then someone who is willing to drive the car with 3 windows that wont roll down, torn leather, and a few scrapes on the body buys it, drives it until there is some other issue (like a valve cover gasket job needed, or a battery draining issue, and then sell it for even less.. From there the cycle continues to someone who buys it cheap and will not repair the issues, then ultimately it ends up crushed...

Personally, I hope that all of the ones that arent maintained get off the road..
 
#13 ·
From the description of your car it pretty much sounded like one of those that was dragging the image of the rest of our clean ones down.....

How about maintaining it a little?? All kidding aside, these cars are at best 10+years old.. As they get up there in the miles people get rid of them as problems occur and take next to nothing for them due to the repair costs.. Then someone who is willing to drive the car with 3 windows that wont roll down, torn leather, and a few scrapes on the body buys it, drives it until there is some other issue (like a valve cover gasket job needed, or a battery draining issue, and then sell it for even less.. From there the cycle continues to someone who buys it cheap and will not repair the issues, then ultimately it ends up crushed...

Personally, I hope that all of the ones that arent maintained get off the road..
Dragging the image of your 740s down? Did you not see the pictures? It looked great. There was not a dent on it. The only cosmetic issues were that the hood had a few scratches from the recent snow/ice in GA. And the fog light needed to be replaced. The hood and bumper could've used a paint job. It wasn't like the paint was coming off or something. But the rest of the car looked brand new. The car looked really good for a 97...

Maintain it a little? Why would I have spent 4 thousand to fix those issues when I traded it in for 3 thousand dollars?

What you're not understanding is that my parents support me and it's their decision. They didn't want to put the money in the car or pay the gas. My mom wouldn't let me drive it more than an hour away bc she "didn't trust it." They felt it was better for me to have a brand new, fuel efficient, and safe(not that a 740 isn't...) car that they pay a monthly payment for.

I'm okay with that bc my jetta is a very nice car and I love it. Sure sometimes I will miss my 740, but it's just not logical right now. And everyone else is happier this way. One day I will make the final decision on my car and then, I will probably have another "ultimate driving machine." But until then,

"Das auto" @ " jetta. Great. For the price of good" :)
 
#14 ·
I found it humourous that you were ragging on people that in my mind have cars similar to yours. (needing repairs, not maintained properly etc.) You said yourself
The only cosmetic issues were that the hood had a few scratches from the recent snow/ice in GA. And the fog light needed to be replaced. The hood and bumper could've used a paint job.
In my mind that does not constitute a super clean car. It's all in the eye of the beholder I guess. Maybe i'm just picky.

Not debating your decision to get out of it per say BUT the funny thing is you traded your car for $3000 it needed $4000 in repairs.. Which millions of people do this every year.. But your parents paid stupid tax as far as I am concerned. If you paid $22000 for your Jetta, they paid $19,000 for a car instead of paying $4000 for repairs on another, well plus the initial purchase price of the 740.. See the math there. But like you said it was your parents choice.

Don't want to E-Argue, just found it funny. Enjoy your Jetta. I had one for a while- be glad your parents support you. I would anticipate a similar thread to this on a Jetta forum in your future.. mine was a nightmare...
 
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