2008 - 650i (What should I look for when buying?)

[JBM3 47]

Hi All!

Most models I see on TM are under 100,000km, I’m assuming there is probably a reason?

What should I look for when buying a 4.8L V8 650i?

 

TIA!

Jed

[balancerider 758]

Valve stem seals - blue smoke if you hit the loud pedal with cold engine. 

Would steer clear. Ironically the M-engined V8's (S62 / S63) seem to be more reliable than the cooking versions.

[KwS 2425]

8 hours ago, balancerider said:

Valve stem seals - blue smoke if you hit the loud pedal with cold engine. 

Idle the car for 5-10 minutes, as long as you can, when its warm and then give it some revs. If it doesnt smoke, its probably got no oil.

Theyre also well known for the coolant pipe in the valley leaking and being a real prick to fix. There is a LONG list of issues that can and likely will happen with these cars.

Having owned one, and had a hell of a time trying to sell it before it broke again, i'd second Matts advice to avoid them.

[Michael. 2313]

IMO you can't just buy these sorts of BMW models and expect them to keep going  reliably at almost 15 years old, they were iffy new and waaay iffier as they got older. Evidence of what you'd be up for maintenance & repair wise is all over the internet. Not to say you wouldn't enjoy having one but to me there are more cons than pros. 

There is a big difference in buying a 20-40 year old E24, E28, E30, E32, E34, E36, E39 given the way they were built at the time, a lot of those models keep soldiering on with typical maintenance only. Peak of design simplicity, quality of manufacture and ease of servicing meant they will keep going too. These newer generation models are not the same. 

Edited August 10, 2021 by Michael.