1988 BMW 735i | Retro Review
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- čas přidán 12. 11. 2022
- The late 80's BMW 7-Series is the high water mark for a lot of retro fans...yet another solid reason why everything was better in the 80's!
Show 701 | Original Airdate 10-01-1987
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$50,000 in 1988 is equivalent to $125,956.04 today. A new 2022 BMW 7 series starts at $86,800. So not every price has increased as fast as one might think.
Cars in general are better value than they were decades ago. But then they do also depreciate faster, and cost more to repair, so that offsets some of it.
@@soundseeker63 Modern cars last less time as well. Too many cheap plastic parts and computer screens.
@japanwatchconnection
Lolll. Definitely not a myth. In 1988 cars were built to last with proper maintenance and care! User manual and maintenance manuals included! All that brittle plastic in the engine didn't exist like it does now and neither did the insane amount of planned obsolescence technology which wasn't invented yet. Cars were 100 grand back then because of the craftsmanship, performance, and luxurious comfort! Very different philosophy than the automakers have today
@japanwatchconnection Haha. If you think the amount of electronics vehicles had back then were staggering, how about the exponentially more amount of electronics in vehicles now! And back then those electronic components were made well in Germany, USA, and Japan! Not China, Vietnam, and Mexico.
Of course not all cars were reliable then and some even had major design flaw issues but it's nothing like today. Especially with the Germans.
@@japanwatchconnectionnot in an e32. Not even close my dude.
5:17 Notice the entire car sucks down to the ground when braking, instead of nose-diving! Impressive.
Yep, that's what a balanced weight distribution gives!
@@McBeamer94 Well said.
Thank the genius of Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle.
VWs do that too. The brakes are biased more towards the rear to reduce nose-dive. At 60k miles on my 2018 Jetta I needed to replace the rear brake pads, but the front ones are still fine!
It’s a classic BMW trait. 👏
Gorgeous, timeless, great driving dynamics, $50,000... zero cupholders
German engineering philosophy has always maintained that cupholders are not necessary. But everybody should have an ashtray.
Have had a 1989 Cadillac. It also haven't any cupholders.
cup holders in general were still mostly a novelty in the 80s lol
Nothing a 3d printer cant fix
“80 thousand for this car and you ain’t got no cup holders” - Marcus Burnette
This will be a collector vehicle forever!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
Of all the cars I owned over the years (XJ, S-class, 5-series etc), this 735i was and remains my favorite. And I had a manual, so 0-60 in 7.8 seconds.
I was just about to say this car is very slow, then I realized this is the automatic version
I love how at 2:40 the max speed indicates 165 mph. Someone really had fun lmao
I seriously doubt a massive luxury sedan with only 208hp would reach that speed. Maybe on a steep downhill section with a lot of tailwind😂
I think that's the speed a warning would go off
160mph, I love how anyone thinks that some 80s car top speed is so optimistic. Maybe in the top model it might be limited to 155mph, the agreement Germany made, except sports cars, Porsche. My 1999 528i, 5 speed did 147mph. My 1994 530i, the smallest v8 bmw made would do 143mph, it was an automatic. Only the M5 from that Era would do 155mph. I had a 1991 325i 2dr coupe automatic that topped out at 127mph. My 1995 Mercedes-Benz E420 V8 with 275bhp was electronically limited to 130mph, i lost to a Lexus SC 400coupe, because of some stupid tire rated speed. the 1993 400e, basically the same car topped out at 148mph. So yeah just because the speedo says that 90 percent of cars Can't do it. Maybe back in the 80s when the Stupid US government made all cars only show 85mph! Back then you could needle the speedometer! I did in almost every car I've owned. My 1989 Porsche 944 turbo I had to top speed it out at night with the drag- pop up headlights down to get 157mph! The fastest I drove a car. It still felt secure but I'm to old to try it again!
@@davidsherrick898 So you think an old 735i could do like 160 mph with a long enough stretch of road? Am convinced it's possible because in 1995 my friends stock Ford Sierra 2.0 manual did 130 mph on the motorway, despite the claimed top speed being no more than about 112mph! The cops stopped us so that 130 mph was legit and no blown engine either!!
That shrill roar your hear in the background was indeed from cicadas -- Brood 10 making their 17-year return in the summer of 1987.
Good observation. I thought the sound was familiar. 1987, 2004, 2021.
Guessing this is August or early-mid September 1987? Thanks for the insight.
Iconic clean and classic BMW styling.
I had a 5 speed 535I , 1995 , one of my favorite cars of all time. E38 was awesome, 735 was a bit floaty.
@Johnson Long bmw fit and finish sux compared to LEXUS!
Grew up in one of these. I can still smell the leather!
One thing my kids always say about my 735iL is how nice the interior smells. It looks like they will have a lasting memory of that smell just like you did!
@@ClassicBMWFanInQuebec I grew up in a 740i, now I get to drive it as my car and it still smells of childhood haha
Oooh yes, German luxury from a time when luxury meant refinement, design and build quality, not how many touch screens or cup holders it has.
I love how BMW had a way of making their cars look crisp, athletic, and discreetly aggressive, but never vulgar or over the top, like the are now.
Did all of these have that smell I have experienced in the two other leather interiors from the 90s and 2000s BMWs? It's distinct and I love it.
Yes lol.
Yes sir😂
Fresh pack of Crayons smell
yes, especially when the car pass the age of 6, it became stronger
I work at a BMW dealership, and yeah, they smell like crayons. I do not care for it at all lol.
I’ve driven this car when it was older in the 2000s and it was very nice
Me too. I brought this car in 2010. Sucks that I was only 21 and didn't know much about cars.
Back than, when the 7 series was a beauty...
@japanwatchconnection At least in Germany this was the 1st model, selling better than the S-Class...
This is my favorite BMW of all time; the looks of that generation 7-series were never surpassed by any other BMW before or since imo. Wish I wasn't a kid when they were new; I would've bought one and never sold it!
Before they got Bangle-mangled.
@@frikdt There was one good generation after this one before the Bangle abomination, which was by far the ugliest BMW of all time.
@@frikdt Honestly a shame. How elegant all BMW cars were pre 2000's. All the cars look light on their wheels and had a long crisp sleek profile. E38 was the last to really encapsulate the bmw spirit with that amazing box style. ever since the e46 everything now just looks bloated and too sharp. Nothing has meaning.
@@frikdt It's just another bmw on the road that an asain is driving. Even the modified versions of bmw (ac schnitzer and others) just don't have that same feeling like a nice e36 alpina or like a e31 koeing wide body. I feel like there isn't a single car brand doing anything special anymore. It's just cheap "cool" designs and crappy soap box engines. I'll stick with my good old e32
My fave is the E38 but I must admit that E32 has a very cool understated aggression to its looks, especially the front. The current BMW 7 looks so ridiculously bloated and pig nosed by comparison, it's almost embarrasing. The art of subtlety has well and truly been lost, it would appear.
It’s amazing how much emphasis he put on the fact that it had a driver’s side airbag. It’s amazing because airbags are just so common place nowadays
It was a big deal during the 90's!
You either must be extremely young or very forgetful. As a young millennial 30 years ago, I noted very carefully as a kid which type of cars had airbags and which didn't. Typically old boxy domestic barges and (import) econoboxes didn't have airbags. Overly rounded and/or monochrome new cars tended to have an airbag or 2.
Having a driver's airbag up to the mid 90s was a big deal in cars overall, but not so much for brand new cars anymore.
A big deal was having a passenger airbag or even side airbags (1994-95+).
Driver's airbag was always a very big deal in the 80s and dawn of the 90s.
Plenty of cars instead had automatic/fixed seatbelts in the 90s, for those on a budget, that even 1 airbag wasn't always a common sight.
Front airbags weren't standard on all cars in USA until 1996, although mandated in September 1997.
I remember this car when it came out, needless to say how much i loved it.
I was in high school, no way for me to drive one at the time.
Plus, this car is aimed at older people, so being 46 now I am finally gonna own a 7 series soon 😆
Better checkout the Wizard's and Kilmer's YT channels first.
Go for a well maintained older 7 series. The new ones are crap. Buy one like in this video (E32 generation) or maybe the one that came after it (E38 generation, made between '94 and '01 if I recall corectly).
@@theodor12 Thanks, yes those generations were durable, regardless of which engine you got
@@theodor12 A better idea is just buy a Yugo! lol
34yrs old and still a very handsome car. A timeless beauty. The 7-series is now grotesque with a gaudy casino interior. Same story with MB S-class.
Even 3 and a half decades later, this 7-series still makes people get out of way, only now it's to gawk over it, deservedly so
Awesome! I had a 1990 750iL, great car but too complex.
I, also, had a 1990 525i and now own a 1990 535i with the same engine as the 735i in this video.
Love it!
Quite a collection! They are complex. I have a 1995 740i and it took some learning to keep it on the road. Fix everything on it myself though and it is a real joy to drive, back when BMWs really were the ultimate driving machine
Too complex for who? No BMW owner is fixing their own car - and I've owned three of them. The only people calling a BMW too complicated are the trash buying them when they're 20-years old and cost less than a Camry.
@@rodmunch69 Have you ever owned a 1990 750 iL? The electronics were cutting edge for the time and degraded over time.
I've only owned either e34 or e32 BMWs and do all of my own work.
@@MikeBMW of course you do your own work, because you bought it from a drug addict for $500. That's why it doesn't work.
The M30 is amazing. I have a 1990 735iL. A joy to drive and a reliable car.
I have waited for this car from Motor Week for so long.
Thank you for bringing to CZcams.
Did you review BMW E12?
An e32 735iSE in dolphin grey was the best all around car I ever owned, dechromed with 415mm TRX wheels with grey leather, it was flawless and beautiful, I wish I never sold it
Seems to me John gave them a pass on not having a volt or oil pressure gauge. Something he complains about on much cheaper cars.
What a beauty I've love this model along with the E38 my two absolute favorite 7 series models ever!
Love the body style😍
Recently picked up '88 750il v12 for fun for the price of a new iPhone 14 pro 128gb and even with 224k miles engine and tranny is strong and most of the electronics still work including the A/C and it's a hoot to drive
Jesus Christ I can't imagine the maintenance upkeep on one of those at this age lol
@@waverunner7063 Well the central locking failed three days ago and the car double locked/deadbolted three of the four doors and key won't unlock it so that's the first thing on the agenda lol (thankfully there is a cheap way to fix it though long and tedious). Second, loud rumbling blower fan. Thankfully there are dedicated people on the forums to offer help.
@@AK47Stalin It's def a big baller classic. People are scrambling to collect V8s but V12 wow.
E32 is the legendary 7series no one can beat this beauty ..i had this 1991 735i back in 2007!! Was used about 6 years these old bmw's are very reliable surprisingly ..miss those days 🥲
Those 6 cyl engines in the 325i (M20B25) and 735i (M30B35) were very reliable I heard back then and not hard to work on.
Adjusted for inflation this car would cost $126,000, or about $30k more than the 2023 model
That’s crazy. As expensive cars have gotten recently, in the 35 yrs, cars haven’t really increased l that much after adjusting for inflation considering how much everything else have increased (eg housing) and all the additional features we get now vs in the past (airbags, abs, etc).
Nah you not factoring in dealer markup
@@BCJDM Dealer markup on a 7-series? Haha 😄
@@Wasabi9111 True. From what I understand, Lexus is to blame, or thank, for this. When Lexus was launched in 1989, they undercut the other luxury car makers by a long shot, forcing them to eventually lower their prices. The downside of this is that although luxury cars have a cheaper base price now when adjusted for inflation, they sting you when you pay for optional features.
But as a millionaire you could buy more with $1 million back then than you can now.
Makes me miss the simplicity of my E32. My 750 had the LSD and was a beast in snow
I have a '90 735il and boy I love it... That being said, I cannot for the life of me figure out this EML light!
WOW! It only registered 64 dB for noise level on the highway. That's quieter than a 2022 Lexus LS600!
Keep in mind that noise level can be influenced by the quality of the asphalt you're on, or by the type of tyres you're using. If the Lexus had sporty tyres and was driven on rougher asphalt, it might have been louder. The testing equipment might also have some margin of error.
Yeah can you imagine? The LS 600 doesn't even exist!
I have a 1991 735IL yes I’m with John on that black seat color I prefer the lighter colors mine has the tan interior
I like the black interior to be honest, either way, it's a stunning classic.
In 1991 my uncle had the 750 in the champagne the same color shown here but with tan interior
Ah yes, back when BMW made unquestionably distinctive vehicles that truly earned the moniker Ultimate Driving Machine. That spirit ended about 20 years ago…
How far the brand has fallen since…
So true. I guess it’s aging w their existing buyers. My dad had this exact car when I was a kid. Now that he’s 71, had a 2020 x5. He got it not for the sporty ride, but for the comfort w the air suspension, laminated acoustic glass, quiet cabin etc.
Agreed. The E38 after this model was the pinnacle of the 7. Downhill after that.
@@gregbez totally agree. My dad also had the 98 740il. It was an amazing car driving wise. But it wasn’t the most reliable. it actually left me stranded once when I borrowed it for a week. It always had random electrical glitches resulting in my parents buying lexuses afterwards.
Absolutely agree at 100% with you. Nowadays the cars are just a piece of crap. So sad! Just big screens with 4 wheels. How deep is falling the car industry today.... No words!!
Still one of the best brands on the market today. What are you gonna tell me? Audi which is basically VW?
1:42 - I love how the BMW logo is black on the steering wheel! That's one of my favorite parts about this 735i! The M30 is one of the best and smoothest I6 ever!
You could also get this with a V12? Nice! I bet that was a rare option.
You could tell it’s a 750 w the wider grill and saucer wheels. As a kid, i remember one time I stood next to one on a ln incline and it accelerated from a standstill so effortlessly and smoothly. My dad had this exact 88 735 and the engine definitely had to work much harder doing the same thing.
And with a 4.0 V8 too (as the 740i, from 1992-3).
Yeah, for 89.
@@GeeEm1313 Wrong, was also available for 1988.
@@GeeEm1313 1987 in Europe.
I miss mines! I use to love how it float down the highway
Great E32! Funny to hear complaints about BMW electric power steering assist, what's old is new again.
Very cool to see a review of my car! It's true that the braking is very good, it's superbly controlled.
As of 2024, it is still one of the best looking sedans of all times, at least to me. Such an incredible design.
This was my first 7 Series model. Only as a 730i (couldn`t afford the 735). Been a fan ever since. Currently have a G 12 and can`t wait to get that new 760i.
730i? Was that sold in America?
I didn't know they had airbags in the 80's
Amazing
@@blackericdenice I don`t think so. I bought mine in Germany.
@@michaelv6870 That explain why I never heard of it.
@@lldjslim I think Ford put a few in a Tempo or some car around 1985. I could be wrong.
I need Supplemental Restrain System when I watch MotorWeek Retro Reviews. :)
Nice car, seems hard to imagine a car that big only using a Six-cylinder, but this was before the M60 was ready.
Those sixes would run 150mph all day long on the autobahn
@@desmondmitchell5387 I believe it. I daily a 98 528i, it’s smaller and makes less HP but the M52 is so crisp.
The M30 engine was still a potent engine for the time even if it was a bit long in the tooth. BMW upgraded it to Bosch Motronic 1.3 for the last iteration in the E32 and E34 (M30B35) to modernize it. The smoothness made it a suitable choice for an entry level engine.
That is nearly 126,000 dollars in today’s dollars.
You may want to fix that title, guys. This is a 735i, not a 535i.
Yesss this is the review I was looking for
But this is a 735i, not a 535i
Oops! Sorry y'all
@@bendavis9733 are you the son of John Davis? Heir to the MotorWeek throne?
I have a 1990 735il. Amazing vehicle.
What an incredible car this 7 series is. By far my favorite (with the 90's version after this one a good second choice). I wish they would make this car brand new again...
Iconic BMW model! Just beautifully and harmoniously looking! 😍
Love watching how this brakes.
“Get out of the way boldness” description made me laugh out loud
BMWs were so much classier than today’s models. But again, so were people in general.
"a harmonious work of Teutonic sculpture"
European sportiness took over the car design world. And BMW has to be one of the most influential of all German car makers.
They failed to mention how difficult it apparently is to even open the trunk
I didn't have that problem 😕
Having owned three BMW's now, this is quite impressive, the amount of tech in this car from 1988 is something. I guess that's why it cost $135k in todays money. Still, outside of heads up display and GPS, my 4-series doesn't have a lot more options than this thing.
The best looking 7 series ever. Pinnacle of this was the 740i as it wasn't as gas guzzling as the 12 cylinder but could get out of its own way.
I owned 750i by Shcnitzer back in the end of 90´ties, there were no cop cars as fast as that in the whole country so I never bothered to stop either. And holy s#it, how cheap was gas...
I have a '88 750il but yes I wish I had a 92-94 740il but they are much rarer and good ones cost a pretty penny
I absolutely agree, the shark face BMW era is the best looking. Those late-80s BMWs look slim and athletic. The successor of this car, the E38, is equally good looking but I don't really like the looks of the late-90s BMWs. They look fat and blobby.
Beverly Hills Cop 👮♂️ Victor Maitland’s 7 Series BMW. That was a nice car 🚘
Not accurate at all.
@@jmin8400 Beverly Hills bb🍷
@@natelove187 There has never been an *E32* in Beverly Hills Cop. Try again, you have the wrong generation.
I think he had W126 S-Class Mercs.
thats crazy how they had memory seat adjustment back in ‘88, i thought that was only just a recent feature on luxury cars 😅
Cadillac had memory seats as far back as the 1950s. This is a far from new or recent feature.
No it’s on upper trim mainstream vehicles now
@@travelseatsyellowlab Just like Power Windows that were around in the 1940s/50s.
I think it was 1989 when we bought a VCR that had a remote control that would talk.
''Sharp VCR talking remote control''
@@travelseatsyellowlab As far as I believe there were no memory seats in the 50s, just electric seats. The oldest car with memory seats I can think of is the 1979 Mercedes W126. What Cadillac did get first was the climate control and heated seats, both in the mid 60s.
such a beautiful car
When I was able to afford to move away from Japanese compact cars this was my first luxury car. I loved it. I remember it fondly. I was 24 and thought I was somebody special in this car 🤣
Wow, “because of the airbag the steering wheel is not adjustable” 😄 I had a 1986 Mercedes 420SEL and it had a driver side air bag AND the steering wheel would at least telescope in and out electronically.
A timeless BMW design
at 3:25, I have the same problem in my 05 e46. It's been 25 years and BMW still hasn't fix these veneer fittings... Anyways... Still love this BMW era's design is the best; E32, E34 and E30. E24 also. Between a E32 and E34, I don't know which one to get next...
It's a true Legend
I am going to guess this weighs 1 ton less than today's X7.
Perfect for driving around Gladbeck during a Hostage Situation...
With all the tech nowadays. This 7er is so antiquated compared.
3:28 John: AND A FLIMSY PLASTIC ASH TRAY! LOL
Yo tengo uno 1992 735i, motor 3.5, color blanco interior gris en perfecto estado, y muchas personas me dicen que bonito tu carro y otros me lo quieren comprar. Fue un carro que soñé tener desde 1990 qué lo vi por primera vez.
Video about the 735 is 7:33 long. Missed opportunity! ;)
Super BMW 735i👍👍👍
"A five-peed manual is also available" In a 7 Series! Ahhh the 80's.
This for a 735i not 535i!
Yeah we got a title error here
@@JoesGoldenGarage all good! I love both cars! I guess that’s another review to look forward to!
Back when a BMW was a decent car...
@japanwatchconnection BMW has been trash since Y2K... quit living in la la land!
@japanwatchconnection you keep thinking that, cupcake...
Back when you could get a proper manual transmission in a luxury car
Wonder how how many are still on the road ?
“Scant 9.5 seconds” 😂
You drove a Yugo to get here, I drove a $50,000 BMW
Is that from a movie?
When a 9.5 second 0-60 was scant.
Please post your Saab 900 SPG review!
Amazing!
My dream BMW. 80's BMW's were BMW's.
I'm curious, I'm 25 and from the UK so I wasn't there in the USA when this car came out, compared to your brands at home, Cadillac, Lincoln, Buicks etc. - were European luxury cars seen negatively, trying to take over market share from home brands or were they seen as must haves for anyone who wanted to stand out, would be nice to hear some opinions/stories
There are some of those with manual transmission.
Wait a minute. The title say 535i.
Pontiac had a Bonneville ad that was 100% true but it was a scam. They said the Bonneville 3.8 had more hp than an ES300, more torque than a 525i and better mpg than a 535i. It should have more hp than a 3.0 v6. It should have more torque than a 2.5 liter inline 6 and the 535i was not design for mpg.
$50,000 in 1988 is approximately $130,000 today. . . . . Goes to show how much the US dollar has depreciated.
My 750iL has a manufacture date one month BEFORE the air date of this episode, so no idea where they got the spring of 1988 date from. I have also seen E32 750iL's with manufacture dates as early as March 1987.
Exactly, thank you for stating this. It was available in the summer of 1987.
manufacture date is not delivery date. Common for many cars to be built an entire 6 months before they are delivered to dealers.
@@fry.master That isn't true, working in the industry and having family who did before me. The standard lead time is 8-16 weeks from assembly to delivery, not 6 months, except in these difficult times.
Some vehicles are delivered within 3-6 weeks, depending on how quick transport is. BMW USA has successfully managed to do this on standard orders within 8-10 weeks, on start of production redesigns within 3-4 months.
The E46 entered production in December 1997, arrived at the end of April 1998. E36 began production in November 1990 and went on sale in January 1991 in Germany. US Spec production began in March 1991, for June 23, 1991 launch.
Never have I heard 6 months, unless involving most customized examples of Individual and M cars. My family has owned over 100 BMWs since 1968.
@@jmin8400 My 2007 335i was built in october of 2006, and delivered to a customer in feburary.
@@jmin8400 you're right though, I definitely did not mean to say "common"!. I just meant that it COULD have been the case here that maybe the onset of production -> delivery to the particular local manufacturer/dealer network this reviewer sources the vehicle from...
It’s great car!
The Price Of Near Perfection
The 1988 BMW 735i Not Name The 535i
Back when BMW had proper kidney grills. Today's BMW designers try to fit as big of a grill as possible
@motorweek You have this titled incorrectly.
How can power steering be a miss?
One off thé nicest features of that time..
Same with ordering a 750IL) the iL you only order to be driven with a chauffeur)
But in the Us the order it because it is more expensive: only reason) I love ❤️ the 7 series) i drive a 2017 bmw 740D I love this model the most!!
Thats adorable 50k was a lot for a new BMW
It always amazes me how stuff that is standard today was considered “luxury” back then.
Oh yeah, $50k in 1988 = $125k today. Sheesh
Ahead of its time
Dieter Degowski and Hans-Jürgen Rösner liked this car very much. For one ride they went in prison for decades :-)
And to think... Lexus came out a year later and said "hey...get used to me"
This is 1987, Lexus was not out in 1988...