My time with my BMW 728i - christened Shed 7 when I bought it – was fun while it lasted and that was, ooh, four years and five months. A rough back of an envelope calculation over the miles we were together, led me to come up with 5p per mile.
That didn’t include petrol, but did sundry expenses, plus suspension bits and tyre-shaped bobs. Even if my maths is 100% wrong, 10p is still pretty good going.
Quite simply, Shed 7 was one of the very best cars I’ve ever owned. Comfortable, economical – returning over 30mpg – and with no real issues, just a few niggles that were not even annoying.
What surprised me was the level of interest shown by you. I have never had so many emails about a car I’ve owned. Questions, encouragement, suggestions, and even offers to buy. It seems that Shed 7 was also the catalyst for others to take the plunge with an impossibly complicated old car. Yes, Shed 7 was a force for good.
How Shed 7 encapsulated the Bangernomics philosophy
Cosmetics were never a strong point of Shed 7 and the bonnet was always a bit of a mess. That’s why I decided to ‘do a Bansky’ on the bonnet. It featured a BMW CSL in full flight with Hans Stuck at the controls some time in the 1970s at the Nürburgring. That was the finishing touch which made it stand out from all the other old BMW E38s in the supermarket car park.
The first time Shed 7 let me down, was also the last. The end came on the A11 when I really needed to get somewhere important. Never mind, the AA lady was fast and efficient. The radiator had split and despite me not coming to a shuddering halt of steam, it was too late. Shed 7 was recovered to my local garage where it had already been booked in for an MOT. The garage reported that head gasket had gone and maybe a few other seals, so it wasn’t worth saving.
So many thanks to Autocar reader, Michael Bond, who sold me his 728i for just £500 and Autocar’s editorial director Jim Holder for rightly believing that people would be interested in it.
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wow - not so good german engineering reading the comments...
So, what s it that I bought last year as a stop gap last April (for what I then thought would be a max of two months) while I was in between company cars?...That I bought with 162,000 miles on the clock FSH and for £2k? 1 owner and FSH..oh and has only ever had the usual consumables go and is now on 177,000 miles, drives like it has done just 60,000 (according to the specialist who services it for me) and could double the milage with ease.......?
It has a turbo too - yup, still spinning and is Auto and an estate....full leather, sat nav and heated seats with huge amounts of room...
Crap on B roads but immense on the motorway and A1...shows up so much expensive machinery it provides endless entertainment and laughter every journey. I bought it purely for travelling up and down the motorway network and A1.
Guessed yet?
Go on laugh, until I leave you standing and wave goodbye should we meet on a motorway...A Vectra 2.8V6 Turbo Elite Estate. Bulletproof engine in 247BHP tune, 7.2secs to 62mph (but thats just part of the story - it picks up speed so quickly on the move) and is so easily serviced and cheap to run its unreal. Drinks only 99Momentum from Tescos and starts like a dream every morning. It rides really well, relaxed and is so quiet at speed - so much better then most cars I have run (and there are lots of very expensive ones).
I can't believe that there are so many on here saying that the 28i is so fragile in the BM. Yet BM is worshiped for its germanic peerless build...
OK I jest, certain BM engines will last mega miles I know and certain VX engines die a death within yards (the 1.9CDTi's and the 3.0CDTi's to name two) but the 2.8 V6 turbo in the Elite is a gem - especially if the proper servicing is carried out.
I'm going to keep mine until it dies like you did James, which might be some time. Interestingly SAAB used the same engine too for its top of the range models so James....see if you can seek one out and have a punt. Not quite Banger money but £2k is still very little for a motor these days thats 10 years old, has such performance, has so much room and most of the toys you still pay extra for in new cars today.
Word of warning though. Yes it is crap on b-roads. It really is. But on the motorway - it truly is brilliant and that has surprised me so much.
I also had an old bmw engine
My old E34
More recently had an E36 with the M52TU - no issues with that engine at all, in fact, I sold it to a guy I work with - think it is on 180k miles now.
Rest in pieces.