Anyone know these cars
What is the better car for the 2nd hand price now ?

Earlier 840 4.0ltr or the 850 5ltr BMW

(later 4.4 cars not included)


ta

 

I think it's been said before the later 4.4ltr V8 is the one to have in terms of reliability?

Used to like these ages ago, not anymore.

 

I don't know which is better, all I know is I love them.

 

I love them, but wouldnt own one.

Old bmws are bad enough for parts, let alone a car that has as many electrics as an 8 series, and all run by fly by wire.
Cheap cars now, but still care expensive repair bills.

 

think i read somewhere that the 850 is about 6 inch longer than the others

hang on, thats 750's, never mind lol

 

old 8 series = prepare for the biggest arse raping your ever gonna experience when it goes wrong...and it will

avoid at all costs

i,m sure the experts will be along to tell me i,m wrong shortly.......

 

the v12 850 was the cheaper one a couple of years ago but i dont think theres much in price between them now .
Having borrowed one for a weekend all that i can say is theyre ok for a long slog up a motorway but not a good choice if spirited driving is your thing , theyre a big arsed heavy lump with interior styling from the 80s . Dont get me wrong i think they look nice but thats not a good enough reason for me to buy a car .

 

i have to agree nice to drive, but heavy, slow and thirsty...which prob explains the residual values apart from the reliability issues

in other words...why the fuck would you want one

 

Stay well away from the 4.0 only consider the 840 with the 4.4 otherwise the 850 engine is reliable but like already mentioned if anything else goes you may as well scrap it I know from experience with a 740.

 

also don't test the top speed you will never stop it again the brakes dont match the power or weight of the car and will fade well before you get back under a legal speed, later ones may be better though as i think they had m5 brakes on the csi models

 

seriously, save your cash and buy a decent beemer

 

buy an e36 m3 better in every single way

 

holy mother of god , i just checked out the prices of these things
4 grand for a k plate 40 with 160k on the clock , and some are even more expensive !!! you could buy 540 like mine for that and have a much newer looking, quicker and better handling car .

 

850 will become a classic though in a few years even though it looks like a ford probe

 

+1

Not owned one but driven a mates a few times and apart from the gorgeous burble of the V12 through his home modded exhaust it was nothing but trouble. The damn thing nearly bankrupted him as parts and servicing are uber wonga. Avoid at all (massive) costs!!!!

 

MASSIVE costs!!

At the time BMW was selling these they where expensive nightmares for the owners!!

 

i'm sure there is a website where some blokes car was going to cost him more to put right than the thing was worth back in the day

someone will find it for sure

we had a few at work and they were very nice cars when they first came out, but have dated horribly

the 4.4 version is the one you want if you are going to HAVE to have one

 

I was going to get one a couple of years ago, but the very same question on this forum put me off for life!

 

I've still got that itch !
I've done the cossie but not the 8

Can't someone say something nice about them to make me buy one

4k on a cossie that will go bang 3 times every year?
Or 4k on a V12 850 that might blow a fuse lol

Still want one

 

 

Say something nice?

A picture is worth a thousand words!




Fucking awesome cars










































(to borrow not own )

 

Or a DME and cost more than the three turbos

If you blow a diff on a cossie - you get a 2nd hand one. If the same happens on the BMW you go and cry to the bank manager!

 

Sad about the running costs as the 850csi is so cool

 

yep i got a bill for £11500 to replace the engine in my 4 year old 80k miler

 

Was it a CSI ?

I wanted one but could only afford the bottom end of the scale - found one with more warning lights on it then apollo 13 - including the rear wheel steering

So I bought an e36 M3 (as someone mentioned above) and that got a bill of 8.5k at 56k miles, should have got the csi, at least I would have sold it on before it popped ...

 

yep it was a csi

 

oh and now you mention the rear steering i got a £3500 bill to replace the hydraulic unit on that

 

The CSi is a 5.6 or something daft innit?

 

http://e31.net/models.html

 

The E31 is a stunning car, I wanted one, but the repair bills seriously put me off

 

I was right for once. Didn't know it was a V12 though.

 

Would be cool to make a race car out of one. Bin all the heavy parts, ive heard the seats weigh a ton, each.