BMW 850 (new obsession)

[K. Roman]

Does anyone know much about these?

what year to look for, I,Ci,Csi how many miles before a rebuild? Cost of a rebuild.
Any problems with them?

I have a 911 SC and love it but do want to venture into the realm of BMW too.

[6spd]

I was looking a few month back, I found them over the top for parts.
I looked at 93's, finding many needed work.
Just to give some prices off the top.
Plug wires 200.00
sparkplug 8.00 ea
brake rotors front 85.00 ea
oil filter 15.00
any body interior part (dealer) Morgage the house
head gasket kit 300.00

[K. Roman]

Yeah, I looked into them a bit now myself. They are expensive to maintain, and there is more room in the back seats of my SC than in the 850. They are beautiful though.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

While beautiful, they are VERY heavy.

Havent heard many good things about the electrical systems. Heard they had lots of problems with that


5 Series might be a better route

[MJC]

Like any classic vehicle, they all require regular maintenance. The 850 is a very cool vehicle; roundel has a writeup on the designer, last months issue had the 8's on the cover and a recent issue of Bimmer has a good writeup on the 8-series. I have a 91 850 (actually a Dinan 8 - chipped, manifold, exhaust, suspension). 12 -cylinders, but actually two 6-cylinder enginers - two water pumps, two batteries, two air boxes.

There's a "limp-home" mode - car will shut down one bank and drive home. It hasn't happended to me personally (knock on wood) but to the previous owner it did. Vehicle had a water pump that failed and car ran rough. Upon taking into service, he was informed of this.

When driving at 90+ mph, and if you're hanging an arm outside, better bring it back cause your windows will close.

Electrical system on my vehicle has been fine, no problems recorded. AC has been fine. Transmission also. It's a high performance car and should be maintained as such. As a matter of fact, it's in being service right now, routine stuff.

Vehicle is smooth, plenty of power and with the Dinan mods, a true high speed cruiser that can take the curves. I drove a friends 928 GT, and this car feels smoother and more solid.

The drawbacks? It's big and wide. If it had two more doors, I'd say it's as big as my 7. Parts are still available through the dealer (and thru Pelican), but not hard to find. It could be expensive to maintain, but so are a host of other vehicles. It's a different breed compared to the 911, e24, e28, e30, or even the 3-series (pre-e46/ e36), which IMO are simpler to maintain.

[brianhinfl]

I own a '91 as well, with the Dinan mods MJC mentioned. Best advice when looking for an 850, make sure it has been WELL taken care of. These are very complex, VERY expensive cars to fix when things go wrong. Definitely not a fixer-upper car.

[SteveStromberg]

Way Scary I have see them on the Dealers lot with NO warrantty that tells me stay away.

[MJC]

Way Scary I have see them on the Dealers lot with NO warrantty that tells me stay away.

That may be true, but the same statement can be said about any car at any dealer. As with any preowned classic or high performance car, if it's well maintained, chances are the car will perform well for the new owner.

[supertack]

How about an 840ci as opposed to the 850? Is there any maintenance advantages to takin' the 8 cyl instead of the 12? I use an e36 328is as my daily driver, & have found it very reliable, & not extensively pricey to maintain. I really like the idea of the 840ci as well, but am a little reluctant after readin' this thread. Any opinions on the 840ci?

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

I'd get a 6 Series before an 8 Series.

Although i wouldnt mind having an 850CSi... V12, 180 MPH...

[supertack]

Originally posted by Jared at Pelican Parts
I'd get a 6 Series before an 8 Series.

Yah, but I'm limited to what..........like an '89 if I went with a 6 series? What was the last year of the 840ci, like '96 I believe? Plus, come on.......the 840ci looks way, way cooler than a 6! I just don't want a ride that's gonna be in the shop on a regular basis, & my checking account number on file with the mechanic.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Originally posted by supertack
I just don't want a ride that's gonna be in the shop on a regular basis, & my checking account number on file with the mechanic.

Dont buy the 8 then...

[brianhinfl]

A properly maintained E31 will not be in the shop all the time. In the 3 years I've owned mine, 2nd owner, it has been flawless. Nothing more than the typical consumables, but the original owner babied the car quite a bit. I stand by my earlier statement, buy a well cared for example and you won't be unhappy.

840 -vs- 850. Really personal choice. Many people like the V8 because it removes quite a bit of weight in the front and they say it peforms a little bit better.

The CSI is one heck of a car, but I'd never hesitate the decision to purchase mine over a CSI I was looking at. 180mph? How many people will ever drive a car that fast? I don't care about top speed on the 8, that's not what it's for. It's also not for carving up backroads, it's a pig for that. If you want to drive long distance in absolute, comfort and style with a nice level of performance, you'd be hard pressed to find a better choice. I've logged over 1000 miles/day in my 850 without ever feeling even a hint of fatigue.

[supertack]

Is it true that these vehicles (850/840) were not available with a manual trans? Why would such a monster of an engine be restricted to an automatic? That makes about as much sense as an M5 not being available in a 2 door.

[morganb]

My mate has one here in HK. Very smooth to drive. Not really fully sporting but nice.
On a side note its a great car but he and the previous owner were having problems with the battery going flat. He took it to BMW who in the end flew it to Germany as they could not find the issue. Pretty impressive service for an old car. BMW would still support such an out of warranty car in such a way says a lot.

[asphaltgambler]

The 850/ 12 cyl is a terriffic piece of s--t! -The 'average' life span is @100K The book value is way down for these. You can't give them away.

Better choice is the '40. Good engine, resale is still strong.