Am I crazy to buy a early 90's 850?

Most of my friends think Im crazy for even thinking of it, but Im hell bent on getting one...My 323i 99 is the balls but I want a monster...and this car seems to fit the bill. What do you think?

This car is one of my favorite BMWs. I'd be scared to death of the insurance, though. :( I've never really looked into how much they go for.

Yah Im sure the insurance would be high...but I am so in love with thi car right now...I saw a black TT Dinan 8 in downtown Boston and me and my friends just dropped our jaws. From that day on I wanted one.

WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!:eek: :eek: J/K


Nah, you're not. Actually a good buy. Monster hp if you ask me with a lot of mod potential.

Ive seen some examples of what can be done and its just awesome. Just adding some rims makes the car look mindblowing.

My fried says there a 850csi, with 103000KMS for 6000. Im tempted to buy it for future use.

It's not a CSi at that price. Could be a 850i though. The CSi was only produced from 1994-1995 and sells for $65-$80,000US used IF you can find one!

Sean

I dont think you're crazy, you'll just have to keep searching for the "right" one to come along!There are alot of "dodgy" 8s about, just really need someone who has experience with them to check it over for you.60 to 80 thousand $ seems excessive for a csi.Well in england it is! Waiting around for the "right" one helps, i found my dad a 92 850ci M-tech suspension, wheels and bodykit.New engine and gearbox 7000miles ago.New leather interior,new stereo and OBC and full respray (never been in an accident).The person we bought it off, bought it for £30,000 he spent £50,000 on it (the above items +servicing etc)and sold it to us for £10,000!!Hope this helps and hope you like the pic. As for the insurance, depending on how old you are, you'd be surprised at how cheap it is!
Ali

you're only crazy if it has over 100thousand miles and can't pay the insurance. Besides that htat thing is a monster! 19" rims would lokk vey nice on it

Not crazy at all! I just but my '91 850i in June of last year. I was worried about the reliability at first, but after I met a local guy with a '92 that had 250,000 miles on it without major incident (the most major thing was a transmission replacement, but that was at 235,000 miles) I decided to go for it. I have had no problems at all. Just make sure you find an example that has been well taken car of, and be prepared to buy rims immediatly...I hate the look of the turbines.

I got mine for 17,000 USD and it had 75,000 miles on it. All I've added so far was a set of M Parallels, ported intakes, chip, and exhaust. If you're looking for a balls-out performance car this is not for you. I would recommend an e30 M3 if that is the case. The 850 is one hell of an awesome GT though....I've had it up to 120mph several times and its smooth as silk, and very quiet with the stock exhaust. The ride is excellent, and it has smooth steering. Its no sports car, due to the weight, but if you want a car that is fairly rare (around 4000 imported to the states), that gets tons of looks, and that can cruise at 150mph all day, this is the car for you.:)

idk, u might have to put alot of work into it

I have tried a BMW 850 Ci, and I wasn't impressed by it.. It didn't even have leather interior.. Buy a TT Supra instead..

I'm not aware of any E31 8's without leather interiors. Maybe in Europe, all the Northern American examples came with leather. Crazy to get one ordered from BMW Individual without leather for a $90,000 car.

Here is my '91 850i: With some modifications to the suspension (K-Bar sway bars, ACS Suspension, 18" Konigs with low profiles) this car handles as well as an M3. It's very fast, mostly at the higher speeds.. on the freeway cruising at 55mph then punching it will give you the biggest rush ever, where most cars fall off at 85-90mph this car takes off. Off the line power is better with new Jim Conforti ECU chips (a pair as there are 2 ECUs in the car for the 850's 12 cylinder) Anyone who drives my car and is disapointed must own an 850CSi or has an F1 as a daily driver. With very few bolt ons, an 850 owner can find gobs of untapped power and handling.


http://members.roadfly.com/drurys/DSCN0506.JPG

No your not crazy. Due to it's limited production,it will no doubt become a valuable classic car.

Just bought this car 5 weeks ago.:D


Questions.
Can I convert headlights to zeon? (it's a 93)
What are the easiest add ons to make it go faster?

What wheel/tire mods do you recommend?

Did you know that 12 cylinder BMW engine is used in the world's fastest production car?...the McClaren F1. Holds the top speed record 240.1 mph

Thanks Swoxzy.:)

I drive 740il and i also been working on corvettes for yrs and i tell ya
those 8 series are sweet and yes i am in the process of buying one as well , i saw one walk on the freeway like i was standing still as a mechanic i am going to have me some fun with the V12 and coffy is right about the mods , i heard these cars pumping out 425 hp with the right combination and parts , and i also heard the bad stories to , its really a shame . When they first came out you couldnt even afford them
now you can . check out Club E31.com really good site on info about the 8-series ..and i got a question for coffy? do you have any info on how to get those john conforti chips ? i head there way better than dinan chips..i got the 850 blues :biggrin:

Crazy perhaps but life's one-time affair. Just picked up a '92 850i w/74,000 km (circa 50,000 miles). Don't know if I over-paid at USD 14,000 but looked reasonable for the condition.

However, I can't figure out the jet-engine sound/low-while at low speeds? BMW mechanic didn't mention much and I never had a 12-cylinders before and wonder if this is natural.

Perhaps I'm the crazy one for picking this up???

I found a company in Canada that makes cams for the 850IL engine. $900 for cams and springs.
There are some sweet vid clips too.
http://www.ultimav12.ca