850csi owner q's

[zzpza]

hi,

does anyone here own an 850csi? if so, i have a few q's...

have you ever had any problems with the 4 wheel steer?
what sort of fuel economy do you get on the motorway and around town?
do you have any problems getting it serviced?
have you ever had any problems with the HVAC?

i'm trying to decied if it's worth paying top dollar for an 850csi or if i should get a cheap 840ci instead. i'm worried the 850csi could turn into a money pit very quickly...

thanx,
jules.

[SwissM8]

Originally Posted by zzpza

hi,

does anyone here own an 850csi? if so, i have a few q's...

have you ever had any problems with the 4 wheel steer?
what sort of fuel economy do you get on the motorway and around town?
do you have any problems getting it serviced?
have you ever had any problems with the HVAC?

i'm trying to decied if it's worth paying top dollar for an 850csi or if i should get a cheap 840ci instead. i'm worried the 850csi could turn into a money pit very quickly...

thanx,
jules.

Hi from Switzerland where it should be Spring but is 1 degree celcius and snowing...

I have a 94CSi. Never had any problems at all with the ARK (or AHK in German). It's actually a very robust unit and it's a shame BMW didn't use it on more cars. I guess $$$ came into it.

One thing to look out for is the control unit (in the boot, on the right side). The biggest problem is if water drips into the boot area either through the bottom right window seal or someone washing your car with the boot slightly open (!). Water can drip on the unit and fry it (big$$$). What most people do is turn the unit upside down and remount it. It gives it some protection against water. The hydraulic unit is inside the spare wheel and is of exceptional quality - so much so, you may just remove it and mount it as a piece of art-sculpture :-D

Fuel 'economy' varies. I'm pretty heavy on the gas and in Sport mode I get about 19m to the gallon! In the city, I just sit and watch the needle move. In Komfort mode, and driving conservatively (with the cruise control on), expect much better results on the motorway.

It's hard to find a good, knowledgeable 8er mechanic. Most of the 'new' breed seem to know more about computers than actually fixing stuff. I went to a BMW dealership to check an electrical problem. The mechanic started looking under the hood for the battery (naturally, I went somewhere else!). There seems to be some good ones in the States (check out Roadfly).

There are not too many problems that can arise with the HVAC if any, they are normally due to neglect. My advice is, if you find a mint CSi, with a full service history (and full BMW inspection), get it! These cars are getting really rare... (perhaps just over 1400 left world-wide - and only 250 or so in the States).

I just took mine out of winter storage... and fell in love all over again ;-)

12 years on and she still turns heads of young and old alike.

[johnpvb]

ARK not offered in USA. If you have any interest in the 8-series, might as well go for a 850Csi and get the 6-speed stick shift, V-12, Motorsport tweaks. The 840's are slow, watch out for the old Nikasil engines, and all have slushboxes. IMHO