BMW 850i questions

[mbhendrick]

I am looking at buying a 1991 BMW 850i with 84000 km. The car is in very good condition overall and has obviously been well taken care of. I am also possibly looking at moving to the states with my job. The question I have is, can I take a BMW 850i or any other Japanese imported BMW down to the states and register it?

Also, does anyone know if the 850i is a good car or not? The guy who owns this is a BMW enthusist and has really maintained it well from what I can tell.

[corsvette]

As a pleasure car it may not be so bad,not a daily driver though,i love the style of those cars and allmost bought one in Vancover,i found out they are ultra expensive to maintain and repair,i expected that they would be pricy to maintain,but from what i was told is they are not that reliable to begin with,and any 15+ year old car is bound to need some repairs.

I would be careful,just make sure you are getting a well kept car with all the major services up to date and you should enjoy it.I can't offer any experience on bringing it to the states,but i would think you could regester it with a Canadian title,and 850's were sold in the States new anyway,not like a strange jdm that was never sold stateside.

[Graham_A_M]

^ yeah, that 5.0 V12 is a dud. You'd expect amazing performance figures out of such an engine from BMW, but really its quite a tame, high maintenance beast.
God forbid when it needs a rebuild, as BMW stopped selling parts for that engine some time ago.
The whole car is heavy, mediocre performing and very high maintenance. I too was very interested in an 850I many years back; but came to my senses after doing a bunch of research.
If you're thinking of importing a nice German sports car from Japan, go with an SL500. Its lighter, significantly faster and much less maintenance. That 5.0 V8 has hordes of F1 technology invested into it as well. It can spank the 850I in terms of pretty much everything.

Since both cars were also sold in North America; getting it legal for registration south of the border shouldn't be very difficult. IM pretty sure it has to be registered in Canada first though, you cant just bring it from Japan to the US, although I'm not certain on that clause.

[StreetRacerX]

I always see a nice burgundy colored one with gold bbs wheels on Mcleod heading north on the right side just before 42nd ave SE, its for sale as well.

[mbhendrick]

I've seen the red one on Macleod Trail. It looks decent. I inquired about it.

[e31]

Resident expert here. I own an 850, and a an e32 750.

I cannot comment on the registration and licensing down in the U.S. but I can comment that you will never find an 8 series in the states as cheap as the Japanese ones entering our market. If you do, it will have a TON of mileage.

As for the overall quality of the vehicle, if unmodified (and properly maintained) the drivetrain is practically bulletproof. 4 bolt mains with 2 pistons sharing the same crank journal; need I say more? BMW "enthusiasts" still take their cars to a dealership, which is what separates them from "fanatics". If the previous owner wrenches his own vehicles, that is a good sign.

The main problem with this car is that is has temperamental electronics. If you are having any problems, even ones that appear mechanical, charge up both batteries and be surprised that your problem is solved.

Do you repair your own vehicles? Can you stockpile parts like the end of days is nearing? Are you willing to read LOTS (my digital catalog of 8-manuals is 1.26GB)? If you answer yes to all of these questions, you may be a suitable candidate to own an 850.

P.S: Contrary to popular belief, the 8-series is a hybrid...

... it runs on both gas and money.

[uv1569]

bring ur cheque book and lube everytime you go to a mechanic

[FiveFreshFish]

How does an 840i compare?

[Rat Fink]

.

[C4S]

Good looking car, very nice .. when it was new ..

However, unless you are tech .. otherwise, don't touch those car ..

Yes, ~ $5K to buy such a cool looking car, not bad .. but ANY service/fixing, will cost that kind of money .. and they are not as reliable as a 911.

[C4S]

Try to buy a 840 .. will cost more, but much better car .. (don't buy grey import from Japan etc)