Did BMW make any 8 Series with a manual box?
Discussion
I think I might struggle a bit for an 840Ci Sport with a manual box then! Probably my heart ruling my head too much here anyway - an 8 is a tad too large for the type of roads I best like driving on - but I just think they're such lovely cars! So top of the list at the moment remains the Elise and the E36 M3 with, not far behind, the Boxster and the Chimaera. Don't ask me to explain how I managed to get such chalk and cheese cars so close together at the top of my next purchase list - I'm not sure I understand it myself!!!
burriana said:
what type of roads would those be then Mitch?Okay... so I rule out the 8 on the grounds of its size maybe rendering it a tad awkward for my favourite roads... and rule it out further on the basis that I don't want an auto and manuals are too hard to find... and then I discover this baby... (Scroll down to the Estoril Blue 840Ci Sport). http://www.gtsbillingshurst.co.uk/8000.html
Now this is so utterly gorgeous I'd buy it anyway, despite it being an auto! My only concerns are that the distance of 202 miles from where I live would make arranging an inspection with an expert somewhat difficult, and they've omitted the mileage which is what dealers do when the mileage is so high that they they know it would put prospective buyers off if they included it in the ad.
Now this is so utterly gorgeous I'd buy it anyway, despite it being an auto! My only concerns are that the distance of 202 miles from where I live would make arranging an inspection with an expert somewhat difficult, and they've omitted the mileage which is what dealers do when the mileage is so high that they they know it would put prospective buyers off if they included it in the ad.
Apache said:
there's a lovely red manual 840i in my last post...
There is, but I much prefer the one I've seen. If I did buy an 8 I'd want a Sport model, and I particularly love the black interior with contrasting cream leather in the one I've seen. The predominantly grey interior that most have wouldn't excite my wallet into opening.Apache said:
...with an LPG conv as well!
Personally I'd steer well clear of LPG. A friend of mine had an LPG car and it didn't save him any money. The fuel cost less - in the rare event that he actually found some for sale - but this was offset by lousy consumption and he lost a load of boot space because of the tank. LPG strikes me as a fad that was jerked into transient popularity by the subsidy that was given to people towards the installation cost... but now the subsidy has gone and LPG cars are starting to look like the Betamax video tapes of the automotive world.julian64 said:
The 840 auto is to the 8 series what the condom is to sex.
Perhaps you could quanitify what you mean. Coming from a 318is I suspect an 840 will be more than adequate for me.burriana said:
I can recommend one person to do the inspection but I'd really rather you didn't ask him until he's finished my car 
Yes, I'm acquainted with Mr Talkwrench and would not hesitate in asking his assistance in checking out an 8... except this one's 202 miles away!Got some info...
The mileage is 125,000 and only the last stamp in the service book is non Main Dealer, at 120,000m.
Chassis number is... xxx
The air conditioning condenser has just been replaced in order to rectify the non-operation of the air conditioning.
Not a lot of paperwork available, just the last 4 MOTs and a couple of service check sheets, as well as the V5 and the service book. The car is clear on HPi.
What do folks think about the mileage/price? Need to give BMW a call with the chassis number to establish any history they might have on file.
The mileage is 125,000 and only the last stamp in the service book is non Main Dealer, at 120,000m.
Chassis number is... xxx
The air conditioning condenser has just been replaced in order to rectify the non-operation of the air conditioning.
Not a lot of paperwork available, just the last 4 MOTs and a couple of service check sheets, as well as the V5 and the service book. The car is clear on HPi.
What do folks think about the mileage/price? Need to give BMW a call with the chassis number to establish any history they might have on file.
Edited by MitchT on Friday 28th September 13:22
Job38 said:
Lovely looking colour combination.
Yeah, awesome colour combo. I love the black interior with contrasting Lotus White Leather ('cause that's what it is, contrary to the description of 'saffron' on the web site). I love M3s with this interior colour combo too.Job38 said:
Don't expect the 'tiptronic' to be anything else than a torque convertor auto though with the ability to select/hold gears.
That's fine by me. I'd rather it wasn't something more elaborate as more elaborate = much more expensive to fix if it goes wrong.burriana said:
You can get it chipped though so that it becomes positively quite vicous ... so I'm led to believe ... not that I'd do anything like that of course 
I'm not really a chipping kind of guy. I like my cars just as the manufacturer made them. If it was meant to work harder it would have been made that way in the first place. Performance mods all conjur-up images of my bank account emptying quickly as things that are being over-worked wear out much faster or break because they're being made to do things they weren't designed for.Mmmm... Lower mileage and lower price... AND my favourite colour!
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/253100.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/253100.htm
Talkwrench said:
You really should try one, Mitch. They are an acquired taste. When you get to understand the way they perform, they really do get under your skin. I've had my 850 for 7 years and have just got back from a round trip to Cheshire this afternoon. I still get a real thrill with the way it just storms past everything (115k miles and it still outdragged two different 911's on two separate occasions from a rolling start).
I agree - I really should have a go. I will when I get some time. At the moment I'm hard in contemplation. I really think whatever I buy I should have a couple of grand left over as a contingency, which pretty much rules-out the 8s that I've been drooling over as the purchase would clean me out. It's very difficult to decide what I want to do as half of me wants a continental cruiser that can eat miles and half of me wants a country lane Go-Kart. Somewhere in the middle I hanker after an E36 M3 Evo, which seems to be a good compromise and the most affordable in terms of purchase price... and I'm well versed in the issues that these can have and under no illusions that I'll need that contingency fund sitting untouched and what it might have to be spent on... though at least with an M3 Evo I'll actually have enough to set-aside a contingency fund. That said, that Atlantis blue 840 is fabulous, though I'd change the wheels for the 'Turbine' type which I prefer on the 'Sport' model and I'd have to remove whatever is stuck to the wing behind the front wheel!Something I noticed about the 8 when one of Talkwrench's examples was parked outside my house is that it really doesn't look all that big. It's wider than many cars, granted, but it didn't appear exceptionally long and appeared very low, even compared to my E36 coupe. That really does make me wonder how it manages to be so heavy, re derin100's comments about it being heavier than an E38 7 series! I guess it's all the over-engineered bits in the drivetrain... not that over-engineering was ever a bad thing... quite the opposite in fact!
burriana said:
MitchT said:
Something I noticed about the 8 when one of Talkwrench's examples was parked outside my house
aaah, he's taken you for a spin has he ... which one, the silver one or, "the Black one"! 
Does anyone know how 840s compare on insurance? Someone was saying in another part of the BMW section that M3 Evos attract very high insurance premiums and this was another of the cars on my list. I wondered how an 840Ci Sport would compare, based on me being 33, never had points, full NCB and unlikely to do more than 3,000 miles per year. I currently pay just over £500 for a 318is but that's based on calculations made before my work relocated to within walking distance, thus allows for a much higher annual mileage. I know I should ask an insurance company this but I could do with priming for the blow first!
Cheapest quote I've been able to get from Autotrader for an 840Ci Sport was just over £1,000. Bugger. They also quoted over £1,200 for an Elise and over £1,500 for an E36 M3 Evo. Not best pleased.
Edited to say: Been playing some more. Bizarrely the lowest price I've been quoted so far was for my ultimate dream car - a Ferrari 328GTS!
Edited to say: Been playing some more. Bizarrely the lowest price I've been quoted so far was for my ultimate dream car - a Ferrari 328GTS!
Edited by MitchT on Friday 5th October 20:38
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