RE: BMW 850CSi: Spotted
Discussion
It's expensive in the context of other E31 8-series, but it's at the lower end of prices for a reasonably fresh manual V12 with everything in working order.
For comparison here's a 2004 manual DB9 which was advertised at about the same price so presumably went for similar money that this will fetch.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...
And here's a 2007 manual DB9 for offer at just under £40K
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...
Someone considering that CSi might also consider something like the Aston. Both are rare cars in manual V12 form. Has the Aston bottomed out, price-wise? I'm not really a follower of the DB9 market.
Up to about 18 months ago you could buy a good manual 456GT for £35K but they seem to start at £50K now.
For comparison here's a 2004 manual DB9 which was advertised at about the same price so presumably went for similar money that this will fetch.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...
And here's a 2007 manual DB9 for offer at just under £40K
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...
Someone considering that CSi might also consider something like the Aston. Both are rare cars in manual V12 form. Has the Aston bottomed out, price-wise? I'm not really a follower of the DB9 market.
Up to about 18 months ago you could buy a good manual 456GT for £35K but they seem to start at £50K now.
Edited by Lowtimer on Wednesday 6th January 12:24
Guvernator said:
I think the problem is that the fantastic looks fool people into thinking it's going to be more sporty than it is when in reality it's a nigh on two tonne GT. Still I think in this day and age, a manual V12 one of these makes more sense then a lot of other GT's available now.
Yeah, they aren't actually that fast, they aren't slow but most would struggle with a Fiesta ST, but like you say, just look at it, they don't have a bad angle, pillarless as well.very colour/wheel sensitive, they look best in that medium blue metallic.
McAndy said:
coyft said:
I had one when it was 6 months old, great looking car and the interior was a nice place to be, but I hated driving it, especially if you wanted to get a move on.
Stop! You're ruining it for me! 
Still I've not tried an 850CSi so I would imagine the extra power, manual gearbox and tweaked suspension might improve things and even if it just made it a 7/10 drive, it just might be worth if for the looks alone.
J4CKO said:
Old s
t ? really ?
Wow, ok, its a big bag of cash for an old BMW, but E30 M3's go for daft money and this was way more expensive when new, and to be fair, better looking.
I wouldnt say it is worth 35 grand, I would say other 8 series are a bargain, it speaks volumes about now that their 80s shoulder pad styling looks almost meek, its a rather wonderful slice of german car history, much rarer than most of the main offenders and really, go and get a cheaper one with a bit less provenance, though I think this could eventually make some money, these are a bit of a hidden gem, still in the wilderness to a certain extent but sod racing pedigree, I dont race, what a way to waft.
No, not old st ? really ?Wow, ok, its a big bag of cash for an old BMW, but E30 M3's go for daft money and this was way more expensive when new, and to be fair, better looking.
I wouldnt say it is worth 35 grand, I would say other 8 series are a bargain, it speaks volumes about now that their 80s shoulder pad styling looks almost meek, its a rather wonderful slice of german car history, much rarer than most of the main offenders and really, go and get a cheaper one with a bit less provenance, though I think this could eventually make some money, these are a bit of a hidden gem, still in the wilderness to a certain extent but sod racing pedigree, I dont race, what a way to waft.
t at all, no one said that, just "I saw you coming", as in it's a bit steep, that's all.I remember seeing a Calypso example with 150k on the clock up for £8000 a good few years ago now, but wasn't brave enough to buy it, mainly because I had an 840Ci at the time so was well-versed in how ruinous these are to run.
My old man had an 850i about 8-10 years ago; even then, he only paid about £8-9k for it.
Lovely car though; it moved alright for a big old beast and had a real sense of occasion. More a wafting sense of speed rather than anything punchy.
It was certainly kitted out though; for a 15 year old car (at the time) it had more toys than most modern equivalents. Full electric seats with memory settings, pillar-less doors, trip computer, windows that auto closed at 90mph. It was a fantastic car.
I still like the styling now, properly menacing.
Would have one in a heartbeat (if I could afford to run, insure, service etc it), probably wouldn't spunk £35k on a special one though.
Lovely car though; it moved alright for a big old beast and had a real sense of occasion. More a wafting sense of speed rather than anything punchy.
It was certainly kitted out though; for a 15 year old car (at the time) it had more toys than most modern equivalents. Full electric seats with memory settings, pillar-less doors, trip computer, windows that auto closed at 90mph. It was a fantastic car.
I still like the styling now, properly menacing.
Would have one in a heartbeat (if I could afford to run, insure, service etc it), probably wouldn't spunk £35k on a special one though.
Guvernator said:
McAndy said:
coyft said:
I had one when it was 6 months old, great looking car and the interior was a nice place to be, but I hated driving it, especially if you wanted to get a move on.
Stop! You're ruining it for me! Still I've not tried an 850CSi so I would imagine the extra power, manual gearbox and tweaked suspension might improve things and even if it just made it a 7/10 drive, it just might be worth if for the looks alone.
Very nice car. I wouldn't say it was ridiculously overpriced when compared to its peers and there is probably a deal to be done if you are willing to wait on it. If it sells before that, the price was right!
I personally preferred them on the "throwing star" style wheels, which were a bit more of the period.
I personally preferred them on the "throwing star" style wheels, which were a bit more of the period.
I had one for five years, bought the best example I could find which took six months and paid top money at the time, but it had just 35k miles and the owner had kept up the BMW warranty even though it was 10 years old at the time. I sold it three years ago, advertised it here for 24k and sold for near that. It is crazy how many emails I received from guys offering me 10 to 12 grand, while also accusing me of being dishonest, insincere and trying to inflate prices!! I had one of the best examples out there, and done several upgrades such as polybushed suspension arms, braided fuel and brake lines, refaceable lightweight flywheel etc as I serviced it.
It was expensive to maintain, but nothing like the Aston Martin I owned and utterly reliable. I have also owned several Porsche 928's from the early S to the last GTS in manual form, and the GTS manual is the only one that compares favorably to the CSi,
Those who judge them on road tests of standard 840 and 850's are not getting the picture. They are considerably sharper and a lot faster, especially at higher speeds, and the engine in comparison to the standard form, feels like it has been woken up . Where a standard E31 feels like a 7 series to drive, the CSi is far more urgent, accomplished and polished. A truly special car to own and drive,
It was expensive to maintain, but nothing like the Aston Martin I owned and utterly reliable. I have also owned several Porsche 928's from the early S to the last GTS in manual form, and the GTS manual is the only one that compares favorably to the CSi,
Those who judge them on road tests of standard 840 and 850's are not getting the picture. They are considerably sharper and a lot faster, especially at higher speeds, and the engine in comparison to the standard form, feels like it has been woken up . Where a standard E31 feels like a 7 series to drive, the CSi is far more urgent, accomplished and polished. A truly special car to own and drive,
k-ink said:
Anyone buying a classic, or borderline classic such as this, is a a total mug at todays laughable prices.
I have to agree, I can sort of understand how some very rare cars with famous owners or racing history can be worth a bit of money but when even cars such as this are inflated beyond any sane value and in a timespan of less than 5 years, it's a bit of a joke. I had an 850i 1991 not long after they came out. Kept it for over ten years. Compared to anything on the road it looked like a space rocket. The 968 and XJS were no comparison in that respect.
The interior of the car was like no other BMW, and with the pillarless windows down it was a really nice place to be.
It was quite fast for its time the power figure was deceptive because a lot of cars seems to produce 300 bhp but for only a small rev range. What made the 850 fun was the fact that the V12 would seem to produce that power pretty much from the start of the rev range to the end.
It wasn't the best handling car ever but taught you quite a lot regarding car control with quite a wayward rear end. It was destroyed by the fuel crisis and the 840 was a very pale variant of the 850. My experience of the CSI was limited but it didn't feel any faster than the 850. If I had stuck with it I would've done the twin turbo thing on the 850i, but you could've bought a new car for the upgrade cost and I bought an E39 M5 instead.
I still have an original roof rack for an 8 series BMW, which is the most aerodynamic looking thing ever and probably has the dubious honour of propelling the fastest ever surfboard in the UK.
I still miss that car. It was a manual RHD in diamond schwartz. Not many of them I bet. The sad thing is that I know where the car is and I could probably buy it for 3K
The interior of the car was like no other BMW, and with the pillarless windows down it was a really nice place to be.
It was quite fast for its time the power figure was deceptive because a lot of cars seems to produce 300 bhp but for only a small rev range. What made the 850 fun was the fact that the V12 would seem to produce that power pretty much from the start of the rev range to the end.
It wasn't the best handling car ever but taught you quite a lot regarding car control with quite a wayward rear end. It was destroyed by the fuel crisis and the 840 was a very pale variant of the 850. My experience of the CSI was limited but it didn't feel any faster than the 850. If I had stuck with it I would've done the twin turbo thing on the 850i, but you could've bought a new car for the upgrade cost and I bought an E39 M5 instead.
I still have an original roof rack for an 8 series BMW, which is the most aerodynamic looking thing ever and probably has the dubious honour of propelling the fastest ever surfboard in the UK.
I still miss that car. It was a manual RHD in diamond schwartz. Not many of them I bet. The sad thing is that I know where the car is and I could probably buy it for 3K
The CSi is 80bhp and 100nm torque up on the 850i, I would have thought that would have been quite noticeable? In fact it's nearly 100bhp and 130nm over an 840 and the closest last of the line 850ci still trails it by 53bhp and 60nm, all of which should make a fair difference on the road I'd have thought. Really intrigued to give a CSi a go now as the 840 I drove many moons ago seemed a bit sluggish but I doubt this would.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff