e23 730i - worth buying? as a project?

[anton]

hi there
ive got a e30 325i 4door currently as my daily drive.
i can get a neat e23 730i for R4000 south african rand, or around 260GBP ..

needs a head though....

is the car worth the trouble? looks like it could be a nice sunday car / road trip mobile...

any opinions?

regards
Anton

[georob]

I recently bought an Alpina'd e32 735, quite like it, big pimping comfort machine, for the cash you cant go wrong

[anton]

its the 4speed auto model, with carburettor

[georob]

Mine is auto but injected, not sure about the 3.0 models

[Pete-M]

its the 4speed auto model, with carburettor

So it's a 730, not a 730i....

[Flozman]

I dont really think its worth the bother unless its a stunning example, dont get me wrong i love the old 7'er but i think you would run into alot of trouble with endless repairs.

[E30BeemerLad]

I didn't think there was such thing as a 730 E23?

Thought it was 728, 733, 735, can't believe it has a carb on it either, I thought all the 7's were injection.

Must be a South Africa thing

These old 7's will probably we worth a couple of quid when there are none left, but it will take a while until the values are anything to write home about.

[anton]

its would be a pre 1980 model.. like a 77 78 or 79.
all beemers pre 80 are carb to my knowledge.

[pacerpete]

Get it weighed quick. It's only value is as a cube of frag. Collec\tors aren't interested and it will cost a fortune to repair as the head used is carb engine specific. The gearbox on all the old carb E23s was a 3 speed and they are THIRSTY !

[Andyboy]

The E23 came out in June 1977 as the 728 and 730 with the Solex Pierburg 4A1 four barrel carb plus the 733i (actually a 3.2 litre, 3210cc to be exact) with 1st generation Bosch L Jet. They all had either four speed Getrag 262 boxes or the 3HP ZF Autos. They were awful on fuel (the carb cars were a crime), undergeared and with wind noise problems plus issues with cracked heads and that bastarding carburettor.
These were replaced by the 'Mark 2' E23 in July 1979. the 728 became the 728i with L Jet, the 730 and 733i became the 732i with the first ever application of Bosch Motronic and the new 735i which used the L Jet 635CSi engine. Five speed overdrive box on the 735i, optional on the rest. The 732i and 735i got optional ABS in 1980 as well as Motronic for the 735i. Mark 2 cars have the revised A post trims to cut wind noise, the push button heater controls, revised suspension geometry and deeper front spoiler. From late 1981 they have the E28 instrument cluster with the service indicator lights and gained the optional TRX tyres. Nastiness.
Mark 3 E23's arrived in late 1982 with the E30 style grille, four speed autos, second generation L Jet (Bosch LE, an economy set up) on the 728i, bottletop wheels, the new long stroke 3430 engine in the 735i, optional four speed automatic boxes and standard five speed manuals, E28 type diffs on the 728i and revised suspension, again.

The end couldn't come quickly enough for this, BMW's only real lemon. In it's favour it has almost as much rear legroom as a Maxi. On the downside it rots like f*ck, handles like a hippo without providing a particularly brilliant ride (a Jag XJ eats it), drinks fuel at -20 mpg and the styling looks like the front and rear ends of a 6 Series grafted onto an eighties Toyota Crown. They are also notoriously unreliable without regular and meticulous servicing (none of them, then) and a later one is packed with 20+ year old electronics (body and engine) waiting to go wrong. Basically, they are a load of old crap now and were a pale shadow of the previous 2500 - 3.3LiA E3 saloons.

If it is super clean, a 1977-9 730 might be worth buying for 200 quid, fitting a secondhand head (unique to the carb models because it has a mounting for the mechanical fuel pump) and smoking around in at 15 mpg. Or maybe not. I've had a few E23's as both cheap throwaway banger transport and for comedy value. A classic BMW they are certainly not!

[Andyboy]

its would be a pre 1980 model.. like a 77 78 or 79.
all beemers pre 80 are carb to my knowledge.

All except the 3.0Si, 3.0CSi, 3.0CSL, 3.3Li (D Jet until late 1976), E21 320i and 323i, E12 528i, 628CSi, 633CSi, 635CSi, E12 520i (Kugelfischer until late '75), 733i and 735i plus the M1 of course.

The first production fuel injection BMW was the 2000Tii Neue Klasse from 1969. The last carburettor BMW was the M10 engined 316 which left production in 1988.

[Morat]

What Andyboy said ;)

[Geeman]

So... in other words... steer well clear!

[djk]

Did SA get the turboed 745? That would be worth a look...

A few onths ago C&SC did a test on an e23 that had been mothballed by BMW and wet their pants about it... Saying that they wet their pants about everything, it is just car porn. Should one admit to reading it in polite society?

[anton]

Thanks guys for all the opinions!

i think i am going to rather finish off me e30 325i properly first before taking on another oldschool beemer.
time to have those e36 m3 power seats which i fitted into me e30 RE-COVERED, etc etc...

Steering clear of the 730...

cheers
Anton

[Andyboy]

Did SA get the turboed 745? That would be worth a look...

No, it used the 24v M635CSi engine coupled to an autobox. I'd imagine it's quite horrid.

[Geeman]

Andy... was the M635CSi 24v engine the same as the original M5 unit?

[pacerpete]

Andy... was the M635CSi 24v engine the same as the original M5 unit?

Yes and all other M635 mechanicals . An M5 in a pretty frock !