1992 BMW 8 Series 850Ci from Germany - Comments

Nothing.

I just changed the engine oil & filter twice.

Beautifully built and finished.

Hard-wearing leather interior still looked like new when I sold the car.

Rear seats suitable only for small children, but trunk is quite large.

Extremely comfortable, quiet, smooth and stable even at very high speeds.

Well designed dashboard, clear instrumentation and impressive centre console.

Powerful V12 engine (300 HP) very impressive.

Automatic transmission changes very smoothly.

Seriously nice car... but too expensive. Inaccessable to your average motor enthusiast.

Anyway. The Jaguar XJS has a touch more class (pitty they stopped making them)

You're kidding, right? Used 8 series can be found from £5k upwards, with decent ones starting at £7k. That's basic Ford Ka money.

I would still rather have an old 80's M635CSi and change for a decent holiday. The 8 series wasn't one of BMW's better cars (hence they're cheap)

This is the reviewer again.

Yes, they are cheap to buy now compared to their price when new.

I was lucky in that I sold the car for the same price I paid for it. It cost 30,000 DM. (under 10,000 pounds)

I looked at about 20 cars before I bought this one.

Mine had an unmarked body and full service history.

The previous owner was a perfectionist and pampered it, not using it in winter.

I haven't driven an old 6-Series so I don't know how they compare to the 8, but I prefer the way the 8 looks.

Perhaps the 840 is a more sensible buy - almost the same power, but with better fuel economy.

That was introduced in 1994 and was considerably cheaper.

A web site claims some 830s were made. Anybody know more about those?

People who are critical of the 8 have usually never driven one.

I knew I wasn't buying an economy car.

I bought it as second car, intending to use it at week-ends, holidays & special occasions, but enjoyed driving it so much I ended up using it all the time.

Take a look at the reviews of the Jag and you might change your mind.

Better still, drive both cars, then report back.

Does the guy talking about the Jag XJS own one?

Does the guy favouring the old M635CSi actually own one?

No, thought not. Why not, guys?

BMW produced 18 prototype 830i's, but destroyed them all.

Pity.

For those interested in knowing more about these cars, see www.E31.net.

The XJS is cramped inside and bloated outside.

Dash & seats are dated.

Like driving a sixties car.

6 series looks like it should be in a museum.

8 series still look good today.

Reason they didn't sell too well after the first few years was the very high price.

BMW tried to make it more attractive by introducing the much cheaper 840 but the car had lost its sparkle and was not a favorite of the motoring press.

Loads of people criticise the 8.

Almost none of them have actually driven one.

The old 6 series is still loved and remembered. The 8 has been forgotten. Why?

And yes, I have driven both.

I suppose all that matters is what owners think of them, not spectators.

At the time, I could have afforded a Ferrari, but I wanted a less flashy car because I would have been stirring up too much trouble by turning up to work in a Ferrari.

An old BMW doesn't provoke hostility.

Of the 18 Eight series reviews, all, but one are positive, to a high degree, though there are some misgivings about the high cost of maintenance.

All 16 Six series reviews are positive.

But then all 5 Reliant Robin reviews are positive, so maybe that's not a good indicator.

Owners tend to like the cars they have chosen - that's why they chose them.

To the July 5th 04-16 commenter:

What would you have said if this had been a review of a Ferrari, or Rolls-Royce? Too expensive? Not accessible to your average motoring enthusiast?

Stay with your old Ford Escort if that's your own situation.

It takes money to run a car of any sort.

Even a 20-year-old Reliant Robin is out of the reach of some people.

But a good used 8 series is an excellent way of enjoying the pleasures of (near) supercar performance and looks, without the hassles and huge expense of Ferrari ownership.

See Ferrari F550 in long-term-test on edmunds. com for a very interesting review.

I own a 750il,I wanted to know what the weight of the 850ci is. The 750il is 4,500 lbs, my car is very fast. Breaking the USA speed limit of 75 mph in under 10 seconds. The V12 by BMW is by far one of the smoothest engines I have experienced. I believe with proper care the engine will last much longer than most. I have owned two XJ6 Jaguars and I like the BMW much better.

My 1992 850 was 1,860 kg.

My '88 750iL was 1,790 kg.

My '95 750iL was 2,070 kg.

I don't have a calculator handy so you will need to multiply these figures by 2.205 to get the weight in pounds.

The V12 engine in my first 750iL ran to 245,000 miles with no problems, although by then it did use a little oil.

At 235,000 kilometres, my '95 750iL uses no oil at all between oil changes and neither did the V12 engine in my 850, but I only had that from 63,000 km to about 85,000 km.

If oil and filter changes are done frequently and the engine is never allowed to overheat, these superbly built engines should last almost forever.

See www.bmw850.net for lots of information on the 850.

It's a very well produced site.

Correction: that should have read; www.e31.net.

What can I say about an 850i

First I would have to say that it’s a car that looks like it’s going 150 mph when it’s parked. I have a 1992 that was meticulously taken care of. Now we are in 2006 and the leather in the car is in excellent condition and everything still works! I live in California and love to drive. You can easily spend 12 hours driving the full California cost. If anyone has been here you know what I mean. The car performs flawlessly and in my opinion deserves a place in automotive history. Now understand that I am getting into car collecting. I have a 1938 Hudson Terraplane a vintage Ford Bronco 4X4 and now added the 850i along with a few other things I don’t want to bother you with. Let me say right now that I have always HATED BMW as everyone and their dog drives them in Los Angeles, but this car has to be the exception to the rule. Driving to Las Vegas is also a treat. As for the Jag, compared to the 850i it’s looks more like something my grandfather would drive, no one really looks at a Jag anymore, but the 850i always has a pair of eye’s on it, even in this city…