Hi Everyone-some advice please!

Hi,

I'd like to help you out but I'm not sure I can. Anyway, you say it got 60k miles and that is not very much. However, check the pre-purchase list somewhere on this site. Check things like EDC shocks, On Board Computer (OBC) for pixel loss, and some other weaknesses. Most of all, check the history. If it has a good BMW service history with thing occasionally replaced it should good. I don't know how the market is Britain (I suppose it's where you are located), but 13k seems a fair price if all the above is ok.

Good luck on your purchase.

Peter

I recently spent a long time looking for an 8-series. As you noted, most of the reasonble ones are at the £14k mark and some dealers even ask as much as £17k! The 98/99 840Ci Sport (4.4 litre) are probably the ones to go for, as this last batch was fitted with most of the extras and the last few were offered as Individual models, with unusual colours and CSi-replica interiors (sounds like this yellow one is an Individual- check for the sticker under the bonnet.) The sport models have fixed dampers, not the troublesome EDC, with a ///M sports tuned suspension similar to the 850 CSi.

If you have about £18k you may actually find one of the few left 850CSi models with manual transmission and 380bhp. These will be 1993 - 1996 models, though, as they were only produced for these few years.

Probably though, a late-model 840Ci Sport (Auto-only), would be the best all-round 8-series to get.

Still, you need to take a close look at the body for dings and dents and check that the paint is of uniform texture and hue, such that it's had no resprays. Many of the ones I saw, even at £17k, had dubious bodywork. There should be no signs of overspray on window rubbers etc, speaking of which all seals and rubbers must be in good condition for the pillarless windows to work and seal properly.

Check the seat leather too, as the seat bolsters tend to wear on getting in and out of the car and the area below the seatbelts is also prone to wear. However, replacement seat panels can be had from BMW.

Have a good look in the spare-wheel well and under the mats. There should be no signs of rust anywhere.

Look under the car and check for oil leaks. Make sure the brake booster works properly.

Look at the rear screen and check for whitish, foggy edges. This is due to delamination and moisture ingress, which corrodes the fine, embedded heating element wires and antenna connections. A new screen is £327 + VAT and fitting.

Check all electrics including pop-up headlights and makes sure that the wipers work and park properly just below the bonnet edge.

The rear exhaust cans tend to go quickly, but should be fine for 6 or 7 years, so see if these are OK; they are also a clue as to how the car's been used. (Short journeys tend to make them rust quicker).

Many cars that I saw had their catalysts fail at about 60k miles and these were replaced: cost about £800. Water-pumps too can go at this kind of age/mileage.

Drive the car and it should track straight and true, whatever the camber, and continue without wandering, if you momentarily take your hand off the wheel.

Has the owner skimped on the car: are all tyres of a good brand with good tread?

The BMW/BBS alloys tend to corrode. Many companies will not refurbish them as they are split-rims, which need to be dismantled. The ones that do will charge nearly £100 per wheel.

And, don't forget to verify a full service history. Some even come on the market with a transferable BMW extended warranty. There are still plenty of good, A1 condition cars out there, so if what you're looking for is not quite right, wait.

BTW, all steering boxes are recirculating-ball types. The late-model 840Ci have servotronic (road-speed-related assistance).

With perfect bodywork, pistine interior and no mechanical issues, this 840Ci sport with 60k miles is probably worth £13,000 to £13,500 privately. The only options would be heated front seats; rear blind (nearly all had this); headlight washers (most had this); Electric steering adjustment (rare on an 840); full leather interior (ie, on dash and door caps etc- very rare); Fitted car phone (about 50% have one with the single-band GSM handset); and seat piping (also part of the Individual package).

Sunroofs, memory seats etc... were all standard items.

However, if a particular colour/interior combination really grabs you, you may wish to pay more to get it as the "Individual" ones were not many. These exterior Individual colours would probably include:

Royal Red
Mora Purple
Dakar yellow
Violet Blue
Avus Blue
Estoril Blue

Your best off going to see (and drive) several other cars on Autotrader to set your standards for comparison.

The 8 is not a sports car. At nearly 2 tonnes, it's too heavy. But it is a great looking classic. and very rare (only 30,600 built). If you want a car for the twisties, get an M3- my favourite is the e36 M3, 3.2 evo.

The difference between the 840Ci and the top 850CSi, which has 4 extra cylinders and 80Hp more is only 0.6 secs on the manual (1 sec on the auto). The 8 is a very refined car, built for long-distance mile-munching, so that you don't realise how fast you're going. But it's about as dynamic as a 5-series (e39), 530i. The low, wide stance, however, with fat rubber means that it's pretty much glued to the road and very stable at speed, but it's not seat-of-the pants driving.

Although it doesn't look anywhere as nice, the new 650i is probably the better sports car.

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840ci 1999

Didnt know they made the 8 series up to 1999

Yes, last batch produced in the spring of 1999. Some were registered later in September, though, giving a few "V" plate registrations (UK).

I read somewhere that a special-order Individual one was produced in 2000.

So, that's 10 years of production.

For what it's worth, here is my 2 cents. I just purchased an '01 740iL, and compared to my 92 850i it is much quieter, much smoother on the road and feels like it has a lot more low end torque, even though I have the performance chips installed on my 8. I haven't had the 7 out for a long road trip yet, but I'm guessing it is going to be more comfortable. The 8 is definitely more fun to drive on the twisties, but as was mentioned in a previous post, it's not particularly fast and very heavy, so if you are looking for something to really throw around you might want to look elsewhere. I haven't been in an 840 but I get the impression that they might have a little more umph on the low end. Bottom line is, the 8 is really a cruiser dressed up like a sports car, but it's the best looking cruiser I've ever seen. If you like it for the looks, you won't be sorry you purchsed one no matter how much you end up spending on it.

Paul

I agree with Paul, above. Both are great cars and the E38 is built in true, classic, BMW saloon style unlike the current version. I am lucky enough to own both an 8 and a 7 and although the later is 'only' a 728, it's an extremely comfortble, quiet and effortless cruiser, that can carry the whole family plus luggage. The 8 is great to drive of course, but I find the 7 much quieter, a little more comfortable and very relaxing. The seats on the 8 are more of a snug fit and the leather is softer, but the 7 gives you more room to move, with more headroom and the side windows are not so close to your head. When I bought the 728, as an ex-demonstrator, Indivual edition and one of the last to roll off the production-line, I had also looked at the 8, which I'd always admired, but then they were very expensive and a friend of mine put me off buying what appeared at the time to be a somewhat dated car in comparison to the 7, which in size is actually is only a tiny bit longer than the 8 and about the same width. Some years later, I regretted not having bought an 8 and was surprised to find that second-hand prices in the UK are quite affordable. I was considering trading-in the 7, for the 8, but then I could let it go and ended up having both. Incidentally, the prices of E38, even late-model fully loaded ones, are now comparatively little (especially for what you get).

The 7-series and the 8-series are, however, not the same. The 8 is more stylish, obviously, and looks more sporting and definately individual, but the 7-series is more practical. If you get a 7-series Sport in the right colour (Mora or Avus Blue), it can look quite stunning.

Worldwide, there were about 327,000 E38 sold and only about 30,600 E31 , so the later wil have more rarity value.

Very nice. Looks a lot like my 740iL. I'm finding that I am much more relaxed and sedate in the 7 than I am in the 8. The 8 is still the hands down winner in the looks department. Getting ready to take out the front seats in the 8 this afternoon to start the leather dying process. Wish me luck all.

Paul

Very nice. Looks a lot like my 740iL. I'm finding that I am much more relaxed and sedate in the 7 than I am in the 8. The 8 is still the hands down winner in the looks department. Getting ready to take out the front seats in the 8 this afternoon to start the leather dying process. Wish me luck all.

Paul

Yellow 40

beautiful car Yellow.. wow...