loading
reading
writing
saving
searching
BMW E38 740i 2001 Sport - great car! - $4,988 (mountain view)
2001
BMW 740i Sport
QR Code Link to This Post
Skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want the story.
Here’s a unique opportunity to become an owner and guardian of one of the finest automobiles ever made. Considered by many to be the best BMW of the era, this is the iconic BMW 740i E38. Designed by Boyke Boyer, an Austrian educated at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, it was in production from 1994 to 2001. Its magical combination of comfort, performance, handling, and speed, made it the driving choice of BMW Canada’s president and CEO. This model is the ‘Sporty Shorty’, which is the short wheelbase 740i model (as opposed to the long wheelbase 740iL), and it has the Sport Package. Being a 2001, it is the most recent of the chassis, so has all the improvements and cosmetic upgrades the line had over time.
In addition to the 4.4 liter M62TUB44 V8 engine producing 282hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, the Sport Package adds a shorter 3.15 final drive ratio for quicker acceleration, Steptronic automatic transmission with Sport Mode (push shifter forward and back for a manual transmission feel if you want) , M Sport suspension for a firmer, lower ride, larger front anti roll bar, 18” M Parallel Style 37 wheels, Shadowline black trim, 18-way adjustable contour sport seats, and Vavona Redwood interior trim. This one was shipped with a four spoke steering wheel, while some say it’s not a sport wheel, it make long cruises down Highway 5 more comfortable as you can rest a hand on the bottom of the wheel without a spoke getting in the way. Change it if you want to . I spent years looking for a 740i Sport car to restore. I looked at many, and they were all in rough shape, modified and customized in ways I wasn’t interested in. I wanted the cleanest, stock car that just needed some work and attention to get back into prime shape. I finally found this one, it fit the bill perfectly. I’m only selling because I have three project cars and a daily driver. This is one of the projects, and I need to spend more time with my E39 540iM Dinan, and R129 SL500. My lack of time is your opportunity.
Best things about this car!
- Straight body, no rust. The hood is dented as the fan came apart and dented it from the inside. I have another hood you can have if you change it out.
- The rest of the body has no body work that I could detect, it appears accident and collision-free, and all original.
- Sport model! Rare and desirable
- A/C blows cold, heat blows hot
- New battery
- Excellent tires. New Continental, only have about 600 miles on them.
- New brake discs and pads within the last 800 miles or so
- Clean interior in very good condition.
- M Parallel Style 37 wheels with a full size matching spare that appears never to have been used.
- Accelerates from a stop in a very satisfying manner!
- Stock radio, screen good
- Pixels all working in dash
- Passed smog 6 weeks ago. Registered through June 2026
- I drive it reliably every week or two. Take it out to the coast, I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it to LA.
- A folder full of receipts from the PO. He spend about $5k on it the year before I bought it.
- It appears the timing chain issue has been addressed. The PO replaced the engine before I bought it. I have the receipt.
Things that make it a project car:
- Although I daily drive it, and plan to throughout its refurbishment, here are things that could be addressed.
- Headliner sags - common issue
- Suspension is pretty tired, might be original. It floats a bit on the freeway. Drive slower or fix it. I have all the parts, including all the front and rear suspension arms, tie rods, control arms, etc; as well as a Bilstein B12 Pro-Kit with new shocks, springs, and struts. That’s about $2,000 worth of suspension parts. They are not included in the price as I can easily sell them, but if you want them, I’ll give you a great deal.
- Power steering pump high pressure hose is leaking, so you have to have strong arms to do u-turns at low revs. I’ll include the replacement hose in the price.
- Drivers door needs the hold open spring replaced
- Two of the window regulators need replacing. I’ve done six over the years on various cars, it’s an evening job once you get the hang of it.
- A few pieces of trim need to be firmed up and fixed.
- Radio is good, but the speakers are old, probably original, and I suspect the cones are torn. I have a full set of Bavsound speakers, including rear deck, that I’ll include at my asking price. If I don’t get my asking price, we can negotiate for the speakers if you want them. To the best of my knowledge, Bavsound stopped producing these several years ago. As the rear deck speakers are a special BMW size, the Bavsound replacements are considered the best option. Mine are new in the factory box. IIRC, I spent $800 on the speakers.
- Like just about every European car of this era, the clear coat is peeling. Looks like the car has a sunburn. I kept going back and forth between painting or wrapping it. Doesn’t affect the driving experience, so decide if you want to deal with it.
And there’s a bonus: I have a 1997 E38 740i with a bad transmission and a tired interior. It does have a straight hood though. It happens to have a set of Hamann HM2 18” wheels. Very rare! I was planning to refinish the Hamann HM2s and match the center to the Anthracite as these wheels would be a period correct upgrade to the M-Pars. If you buy the Sport, you can have the 97 for free for parts and wheels. It’s a non-op and will be sold as parts only. You absolutely will need to tow it.
Your research will show that these cars all dialed in go in the $11k to $16k range. I know of a couple that went for around $10k and then the owners put another 4-5k into them to make them perfect. This car is not perfect, so it’s not priced like that. If I do all the work I listed above, I wouldn’t take less than $14k for it. However, right now, I have other projects and don’t want to do the work. If you do, you can enjoy a wonderful car, keep improving it, and make it better and more valuable.
So there you have it. Let me know if you want to come see it. Emails with offers will be ignored. If you don’t want to see the car before you make an offer, you’re not really the right person for this car. Price is negotiable to a point, green cash money in hand talks. Venmo and Zelle accepted too.
Here’s the VIN decoded.
Type Code GG83
E Series E38 ()
Series 7
Type LIM
Model 740I FACELIFT (USA)
Steering LL
Doors 4
Engine M62/TU
Displacement 4.40
Power 210
Drive HECK
Transmission AUT
Colour ANTHRAZIT METALLIC (397)
Upholstery STANDARDLEDER/SCHWARZ(N6SW)
S202A Steptronic
S204A Drive layout, export
S210A Dynamic stability control
S216A Hydro steering-servotronic
S245A Steering wheel column adjustment,electr.
S302A Alarm system
S319A Integrated universal remote control
S339A Shadow-Line
S358A Climate comfort windscreen
S403A Glass roof, electrical
S416A Roller sun vizor, rear lateral
S431A Interior mirror with automatic-dip
S441A Smoker package
S457A Contour seat, front, electr. with memory
S459A Seat adjuster, electric, with memory
S473A Armrest front
S502A Headlight cleaning system
S508A Park Distance Control (PDC)
S521A Rain sensor
S522A Xenon Light
S609A Navigation system Professional
S640A Preparation f tel.installation universal
S645A BMW US Radio
S672A CD changer for 6 CDs
S677A HiFi System Professional DSP
S694A Provisions for BMW 6 CD changer
S704A M Sports suspension
S780A BMW LA wheel, M parallel spoke
S818A Battery master switch
S845A Acoustic belt warning
S850A Dummy-SALAPA
S853A Language version English
S876A Radio frequency 315 MHz
S925A Dummy-SALAPA
S992A Control of number-plate attachment