Thinking of buying a 733i....thoughts?

[gearheadE30]

Okay, so here's the deal. I'm scanning through some classifieds like I always do just to see what's there, and then I see an ad for this 733i. it's a 1980 with the 4 speed manual, 229k miles, a new clutch, water pump, and a few other things. I send the seller an email thinking that the car is a piece of crap, rusted out and such. Turns out the owner is actually a semi-enthusiast. And the car isn't rusty, at least not from what I've seen so far. It starts and runs. It's never been in a wreck, and it shows. The body is arrow-straight. the leather on the front seats is a little torn, as expected, and it looks the like the shifter needs to be rebuilt. Best part, the asking price is pretty well under a grand, obo. The bad part is it's 10 hours away.

Do I need another car? No. Either way, I'm keeping the e30. but it would be nice to have a car that cruises quietly on the highway and floats over bumps. The e30 is rust free, and I want to keep it that way, but right now I have to drive it in the winter. the e23 would be the winter/trip car.

So. What do you think? I like the way e23s look, and have looked at a few in the past, and now that the M42 has a turbo, something a little less high strung in traffic wouldn't hurt...

[Hick]

dont do it

[Pac1373]

why not, IDT you can actually have too many rides.

in the end it is up to you to decide.

none of our cars of that age bracket are maintainance free, but the low cost of buying and the availability of 20+ years of parts keeps them affordable.

I dont see this being a bad thing unless there are undisclosed issues with the 7.

[325ix]

I don't really know anything about e23s but, I think it would be good for cruising and keeping miles and rust off your turbo car. If the price is right go for it!

[Hick]

eats gas, 3.2L motronic 1.0, or L-jet cars never run right (high idle, stumbling throuh rpm range) Will need new ball joints (4) and thrust/trailing arm bushings, drag link, steering box, brake bomb, etc etc.

They dont drive as nice as you would think. If it were a grey market 745 then i would say yes.

[iamsam]

I had an E23, a 1984 733i 5-speed to be exact. minty mint red leather interior, ran and drove great, however, electrical gremlins in HVAC and nothing HVAC related worked except one button lit up, got it for $700.





It's a cool car, but I wouldn't own one, because it's BMW's attempt to be on the cutting edge of 1984 automotive technology, and the electrical system is a PITA, and its all a bunch of buttons and LEDs, no good-ol' dials and knobs, and it even has an electric vacuum pump which is notorious for dying since the stuff in the car needs so much gosh darn vacuum. IF the electronics are in TOP shape, I would consider it. The drivetrain is tough as nails of course, which is a big plus.

ALSO, my E23 came standard with a LSD and 4-piston fixed calipers. Not sure if the 4-speed E23 does or not.

It's definitely a cruiser. Super long gearing, and you are riding on air, unless you are dragging frame around a hard corner.

EDIT: Do you have pictures of this E23 in question?

[george graves]

Sorry fot the translated version - it's all youtube had.

But THIS is a sexy 733

[george graves]

^What size are those wheels?

[george graves]

[gearheadE30]

I see you found the e23 picture thread on mye28 haha. I was just looking at that. The rims on the black e23 with the frenchies and zender front end are 18x8, I'm pretty sure.

These are all of the pics that I have, but I'm going to give the owner a call later on, and I'm going to try to get more. Although, according to Hick and creepingdeath, it might be more trouble than it's worth....

[lennon]

look for an e28, they're everywhere around here for super cheap. i bought a good running/driving 535i a couple years ago for $750, and probably could've got it for cheaper. e28s are much better than e23s IMO.

[iamsam]

gearhead, to be blunt, that E23 you pictured looks like a mess. Upon first impression, I wouldn't pay over $400 IF it runs and drives. In the visual condition it's in, I wouldn't expect all of the electronics to work either. And the shifter looks FUBAR'd hard-core. I also had an E12 with that same exact motor, i think it is rated for 180 or so horses, not a bad motor, but ancient technology as far as BMW goes (although ahead of everything in America at the time).

Also, the fact that the car is ten hours away would really turn me off, because then you can't honestly inspect it thoroughly and then make an educated decision.

However, alot of those E23s that George posted up look seriously bad-ass.

In conclusion, I would also recommend an E28. Smaller, lighter, but still a 4-door and still a great cruiser. I have owned three E28s and it is a great chassis. I would own an E28 over an E23 any day.

However, if you are set on an E23, there is a handful of them being sold here, check Denver CL and Fort Collins/North CO CL. I know you are a ways away, but there are alot of people here that may inspect/test a car for you. I may be able to during winter break (school full time + work + family = no time)

[M-technik-3]

I'd say skip it unless you find a nice example.

This is my buddies and he spent 7K on paint and rust work BUT it's been in the family since new and lived in Germany as well.

[gearheadE30]

Okay, thanks for all of the input. I'm going to call the owner and see exactly what does and doesn't work. If all of the electronics check out (which sounds doubtful), the AC works, there is no rust, and basic (front)suspension work has been done, I may consider it. Otherwise I'll pass, and wait for a nice 5er or something.

[duboy]

Okay, thanks for all of the input. I'm going to call the owner and see exactly what does and doesn't work. If all of the electronics check out (which sounds doubtful), the AC works, there is no rust, and basic (front)suspension work has been done, I may consider it. Otherwise I'll pass, and wait for a nice 5er or something.

yeah. the wife DD'd an 84 grey mkt 745i for about 2 years. it was mechanically sound, but we had constant HVAC issues/electrical gremlins. non-functioning HVAC in the GA summer sucks a mean one. And then the transmission control system that would just go into limp-home mode whenever it felt like it sucked too. The worst was how often fuses would blow under normal load and how they were laid out. Blow the power windows and you also blow your transmission electronics (we did this one GA 400 toll one night, tranny wouldn't shift out of first). it was badass, and in general she loved it. but whenever shit would go wrong it was always weird or just random and then fix itself for a few weeks/months. keep us posted, good luck ;-)