Whats to know about the 850i's?

[[email protected] 0]

Hi Guys,

My names Mike, I'm new to Bimmersport, unfortunately I don't currently own a BMW but drive something from Japan which is quite comparable to a few European models of the same class, that being a 1991 Toyota Soarer V8... "The poor mans Mercedes" It's fairly Immaculate, was definitely a good purchase, only 61,300 Miles! heres a picture of it followed by the interior..

It's my fourth Soarer, I love them, fantastic well rounded cars but as with most things Japanese they lack the prestige and class similar European cars have.....

So I've started to think about what really would interest me for my next coupe in the next couple of years thats has the edge on the Soarers, specifically something rare(ish) and different to most of the cars on the road in NZ, including a higher price tag.

Basically I'm interested in a early 90's (1990-95) Two door European coupe with a V8 or larger.

I've got about half a dozen in mind so far... the Mercedes Benz SL500's... they are not too bad but there's just something to bland about them styling wise, the 5.0L 928's are one thing I'm fairly interested in but obviously fetch an extra premium on insurance/parts being a 'Porsche'. Other wise a mid 90's Jaguar XK8 is quite tempting but what really gets me more interested than all of these is a BMW 850i/Ci....

They just have that presence about them, from every angle, parked or driving along.

Sure they aren't the most quick machine around due to their rather hefty mass (Similar performance to my Soarer) but thats not the point, its the way they look, the fact they have a BMW V12 and just the kitchenbuger of German Coupes... I mean they are an 8 Series!

Now, its all very well wanting one, but as with anything I look at buying I research meticulously everything to know about them, their issues, what to look out for, what to avoid etc etc... this is what I did with the Soarer's when I discovered them 5 years ago, and it certainly paid off.... I know pretty much everything there is to know about them and what each little problem is (not trying to brag, but yeah) so I'd like to do the same with the 8 Series.

Anyway about the 8 Series, the main things I gather with them so far is that they are rare... that's obvious but I often see a few here in there in Auckland if I'm lucky. They usually fetch just under 20k to around 35k (Depending on year but the early ones I'm interested in seem to be under 25k. As with most cars of this nature parts, servicing and insurance costs are measurably larger than Japanese cars, but thats just part of wanting and owning a car like this.

I won't rave on too much but, I'm pretty firmly focused on the 90-94 5.0 Liter V12 version, not so much the V8 models as I'm aware they have the Nikasil cylinder lining problem so would rather not go there.

If anyone has any comments, thoughts or tips for me to think about, as well as web based links to decent indepth resources/clubs on the 8 Series please let me know.

Also are there any 8 Series owners of either the V8 or V12 versions in Auckland (or surrounding area) that would be willing to meet up sometime to fill me in on their personal experiences with their ownership? If so give me a PM, I would appreciate it!

Cheers,

Mike

Edited September 22, 2008 by Mike_Beck

[antony 0]

Welcome to bimmersport.

[Creaver 55]

Welcome.

I believe the 850i is a 5.6L v12? Regarding the Nikasil problem, to my knowledge that isn't so much of a problem here in NZ. It was a big problem in the US market with the high sulphur content in their fuel.

Send bradc a pm on these forums, he has one which you might be able to have a look at.

*Glenn*, a forum member and sponsor (owner of botanymotorworx) recently had one in his shop where they were doing some work on it. It might pay to have a chat to him too...i'm unsure if the 850Csi is still there or not.

Cheers,

Ian.

[kiwi535 538]

Welcome.

I believe the 850i is a 5.6L v12? Regarding the Nikasil problem, to my knowledge that isn't so much of a problem here in NZ. It was a big problem in the US market with the high sulphur content in their fuel.

Send bradc a pm on these forums, he has one which you might be able to have a look at.

*Glenn*, a forum member and sponsor (owner of botanymotorworx) recently had one in his shop where they were doing some work on it. It might pay to have a chat to him too...i'm unsure if the 850Csi is still there or not.

Cheers,

Ian.

it was getting prepped for sale...

[[email protected] 0]

Welcome.

I believe the 850i is a 5.6L v12? Regarding the Nikasil problem, to my knowledge that isn't so much of a problem here in NZ. It was a big problem in the US market with the high sulphur content in their fuel.

Send bradc a pm on these forums, he has one which you might be able to have a look at.

The 850CSi is the 5.6 V12 one, look's like that's the one bradc imported having a search on the forum...

It's pretty much the one most people want so from what I've seen it tends to make the normal 5 liter 850i/ci's cheaper being 'only' 220kw, not 282kw like the Csi's are.

Yeah, re the Nikasil problem, I wasn't sure if it's a major issue here like over in the States.... something to watch out for but I think It would be a good idea to not discount looking at an 840ci...

Cheers Ian, I'll send him a PM and see what he has to say.

[Creaver 55]

it was getting prepped for sale...

I know, I just figured if it was still at his shop he could have a look and see how good an example it was at the same time as having a chat to Glenn about what to look out for etc.

[mr E34 11]

I have a TBMW magazine article ' E31 Buying Guide' , you could borrow it if you like or i could scan & post it on this thread.

The verdict column says : There's no doubt about it-the 8 series is a rich mans car although if you bought on from a main dealer with the BMW warranty & used it SPARINGLY it should be MANAGEABLE.

Running costs are high & the oldest 850i's are at the age where they could be big trouble.................................Using an 8 series every day will be expensive, but buy the RIGHT car & treat it as a toy & you'll have some good tales............like the time you raced a 911 on the way to the Nurburgring..........

edit: with rgds to nikasil ' Problems happened in the cars early life,lots of stop-start driving would wear the bores out,fire the car up in the morning,drive it out of the garage,turn it off, have a cup of tea, drive it two miles to the shops, turn it off......and after 30,000 miles it's knackered, difficult starting, oil consumption & rough idle are all symptoms'.....if the original engine is ok @ 70,000 miles chances are it will be ok at 170,000 miles.

Nothing wrong with the late 80's, early 90's 500SL, that is a fantastic car with a conservative shape penned by Bruno Sacco, still looks good.

Edited September 23, 2008 by mr E34

[kiwi535 538]

I know, I just figured if it was still at his shop he could have a look and see how good an example it was at the same time as having a chat to Glenn about what to look out for etc.

i know you knew,was just making it clear to the OP

[greenday-rulz21 6]

The Nikasil issue only affects M60 from '93 to '96 and M52 from '95 to '98.

All you'll need to know about the Nikasil issues HERE

[jjs 64]

Nothing wrong with the late 80's, early 90's 500SL, that is a fantastic car with a conservative shape penned by Bruno Sacco, still looks good.

Yeah, you can't really beat the SL as an all rounder.

The 8-Series never made sense to me. There are much better cars out there.

At under $30k, I would go for an SL but at over $30k (and if you will accept 8-series type running costs) you should look at Porsche's. A 928 GTS if you are after a cruiser, or a 911 964 if you want more of a sports car.

[Palazzo 477]

A 928GTS is no cruiser, they were known for being brutally quick in their day, faster in top speed than the equivalent 911 and I think 0-100 if that's relevant. You'd need to be on a track in a very good manual 964 to pull any gap at all.

There was a 929GTS for sale not long ago for $26,900, NZ New with 150kms on it. Otherwise, I've always liked the look of the SL with the V8.

[kiwi535 538]

Yeah, you can't really beat the SL as an all rounder.

The 8-Series never made sense to me. There are much better cars out there.

Most if not all SL will be auto....

since when did any car over 1300 cc make any sense.....

[swiggs 0]

I had an M60 4.0 v8 with the nikasil engine.

It had done 300,000km on the original engine with no oil consumption at all. that engine was tight!

[[email protected] 0]

That's good to hear about the M60 V8 engine... in saying that however you would expect a V8 to easily get to 300k's... but that's coming from having experience with the Toyota 1UZFE V8 which can easily do 400k's+ when regularly maintained.

Interesting to hear your thoughts on the SL 500's, I've always been very keen on them and are my second choice next to the 8 series for a weekend type car. They seem to be more plentiful and versatile, like the better all round car as some of you mentioned.

At the end of the day they could be a better option to an 8 series. I'm guessing slightly cheaper to maintain/insure, plus from factory they're fairly quicker and handle better when the road gets curly than the 8 series being lighter.... so that's something to think about.

Guess the trick is to look into both cars, try some out and see what really interests me the most, other wise I'll keep the idea of an 928 S4 or XK8 in mind too. Be nice to have them all but you have to start with one I suppose, good things take time!

[nath 134]

I seem to remember 8's coming in with no end of electrical and susp problems..... but maybe they were imports or something.

I vote early SL (but with the glass roof) of any engine size..... amazing build quality and they look so damn good! the only convertible a man can drive.

[greenday-rulz21 6]

Stop dissing the 8 series! This is a BMW forum!

[[email protected] 0]

I seem to remember 8's coming in with no end of electrical and susp problems.....

Hmmm this electrical issue sounds rather concerning.

Is it just engine related? My guess is it's probably the under bonnet wiring failing due to the engine heat? Could be a bit like the Nissan 300zx coupes which are prone to this... nasty!

Edited September 23, 2008 by Mike_Beck

[Cale 36]

Hmmm this electrical issue sounds rather concerning.

I think because they were the first Bimmers to have traction control, stability control, electronically adjusted shocks, MID etc so the electronics were advanced and at early stages.

In my opinion, no other sports coupe comes close to the E31 in terms of looks. Hey, if you wanted total reliability I guess you'd stay with a Toyota

[[email protected] 0]

I think because they were the first Bimmers to have traction control, stability control, electronically adjusted shocks, MID etc so the electronics were advanced and at early stages.

In my opinion, no other sports coupe comes close to the E31 in terms of looks. Hey, if you wanted total reliability I guess you'd stay with a Toyota

Yeah, that makes sense, lot of wiring for all those systems.

Well that's what the Toyotas I have are for, the general problem free daily drivers.

Essentially with buying one of these BMW's (or whatever) it would be a weekend type car that's slowly restored back to a near new condition, mechanically anyway so most if not all of the age/millage problems are corrected so that it has another 15 years of mostly reliable life ahead of it....

One thing that's going to be interesting is if the 8 Series models will start appreciating in time. There's been quite a bit of talk about it in buyers guide videos/articles over the last few years so buying one while they are good value in the 20's might not be a bad idea.

Edited September 23, 2008 by Mike_Beck