OT 1990 BMW 750

I've found a '90 750iL and giving a thought of buying it. It's a clean title car with under 120k miles at Copart in Detroit. So not sure of the price yet. Looks like dash was vandalized. I did some checking and it has TWO accumulators! For the rear suspension. Does anyone here know much about these cars?

Yes......everything is expensive.

And needs replacement. The 7 series BMW is a great car until the warranty runs out. Then it takes deep pockets to keep everything working. Ask me how I know.

If it has damage like that it was a total loss. It'll cost more to replace the dash than the car will ever be worth. In average condition it's only worth about $1200. It may be worth half that with a branded title which it will have.

It may have more value as scrap.

walk... slowly... away...

I beg to differ. RUN away, full sprint. While these were great cars when new (and for a few years thereafter, until warranty ran out) that much vaunted German engineering equals obscene compexity (read: espen$ive to repair) and that will be your undoing. That in addition to the aforementioned issue with the vandalism damage to the interior make this car a white elephant.

A shame really as they are (were) very nice cars and good looking too. If you think the Reatta can induce nightmares from troubleshooting and major repairs, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Nein, nein, nein!

KDirk

It's true that these were nice cars when still under warranty. I drove a much newer one and it was fantastic. The complexity, expense and poor reliability make these cars really undesirable even when only a few years old. I don't think I would want one even if it were given to me.

So, about the same advice as 'should I buy a Reatta?' Just NO times 10! And dollars for maintenance times 10. Sooo maybe not. But will interesting to see what it sells for on Tuesday ?

Jimmy,

Reattas are not a great investment either from a monetary standpoint. They can be bought inexpensively and often require a lot of work (based on age, and level of neglect). The difference is that repairs on a Reatta can be managed at much less cost, and can largely be done by a competent do it yourself type.

Virtually everything on BMW is dealer only parts; little to no aftermarket support as with GM. I question how many parts may not even be available now for a 1990, as the 7 series was low production volume. As well, probably not a lot in salvage yards either.

Another difference is the Reatta shares much common componentry with other GM products. I'm no expert on the 7 series, but doubt there is much interchange to other models, which reduces the pool of parts to choose from.

So, it really boils down to whether you feel you have the deep pockets to sustain the likelihood of some major repair costs to keep it on the road, even if the initial purchase price is a bargain. Much like pre-Ford era Jaguars, they are desirable cars until you are hit with the reality of maintaining them.

KDirk

Plus, try to find a BMW site that will give you the technical advice and recommendation that you get here.

SAAB uses the same brake accumulator as the Reatta but it sells for almost $400 from a dealer. Just for grins.... get a price on the BMW suspension accumulators.

Suspect the Crossfire is simiar since really a rebodied Merc SLK320. However there were a lot of C, S, and E 320s and the same trans is in a Jeep Wrangler. Also with 70,000 produced 2003-2008 spare parts are around.

Barney, I did check Rock Auto. Accumulators are around $100 I was surprised. You are right, though this forum and the folks here are awesome.