Why are BMW 645CI so cheap ?

[arfur]

Hi all

Carrying on from a previous post on Boxsters, I'm looking for a change of weekend/station car.

Perusing AutoTrader and Ebay I see a lot of BMW 645CI in the 04/05 year range at the 5-8k price point

Is there a reason why they are so cheap ?

???

Cheers

Arf

[200Plus Club]

Ugly. Lardy. Crazy expensive to run perhaps?

[Leins]

Not particularly rare, expensive enough to run, a little bit out of fashion these days, not the halo model, challenging looks, etc etc

Nice cheap GT car though, but I'd prefer that engine in an estate myself

[HannsG]

Old, cumbersome, expensive to run and not exactly stupid fast.

Uncle had one for a year. He liked it but got rid as it just was not that satisfying

[Yex 450]

Guy round the corner from me has one. He drives it like a loony and it sounds like he has had the exhaust adjusted to sound louder. However, you can hear the car struggling to accelerate through the slush box and I see him in the local petrol station more often than me, and I drive a TVR

[lostmotel]

All of the above, also Google valve stem seals.

[trickywoo]

Yex 450 said:

you can hear the car struggling to accelerate through the slush box and I see him in the local petrol station more often than me, and I drive a TVR

LOL. Must be broken.

They make a true 330+ bhp and while heavy are still fast cars. On a run 30+ mpg isn't hard to achieve.

For the money you'd struggle to carry four people and luggage in more comfort with better ground covering ability.

They are a decent option as long as you realise the purchase price isn't an indication of what it will cost you to run.

[FN2TypeR]

Old, it's not the most attractive of things (although I do like them in a dark colour) and costly to run - if something costly breaks you will be left in tears when it comes to picking up the tab for fixing it

I'd love to try one, I'm a bit worried about the potential for wallet busting bills though

[rockford22]

I had a V8 itch and bought one a year or so again.

Gearbox was a bit slow but did the job mostly. Felt luxurious inside but everything was rather dated. Performance was good and it sounded ok (a very muted V8). I used to commute 20k a year in it and fuel wasn't horrendous.

It cost me a good £2k in repairs over less than a year and I am confident the valve stem seals were not long for this earth...as confirmed by the garage I part exchanged it at for a decent loss.

I wouldn't do it again but I do still look admiringly when I see one...personal preference will vary. Buy one and enjoy it but do expect a need for a decent slush fund.

[200Plus Club]

I dont think there will be many around in a few years to come. I cant imagine cost effective parts or repairs will be available given bmw complexity and cost. Tomorrows scrappage scheme contender methinks

[parabolica]

£8k for a 645 (so 2004 or 2005) must mean it's highly spec'd or extremely low miles. I paid £7500 in 2012 for a 50k 2004 645ci and I had it for 4 years. Loved it but it developed the dreaded valve stem oil seal failure around 100k; there were other expenses but nothing ruinous. I px'd it eventually. Yes it's big, heavy and most think it's the ugliest thing on the road (I personally like the looks, front and back), but that V8 sound, plus it was fast enough (for me), and the ride was sublime (on non run-flats).

[rodericb]

You know these 'i class mo'ors, they fall outta bed.

[BentleyR8]

I had the 635d for a while. If I had been doing lots of miles on a daily basis it was perfect, but I don't. Moved it on for something more fun, but certainly good for its intended purpose. Remap to 350bhp & 500lbs/ft made it move.

[toohuge]

Did these engines also suffer from head gasket issues too?

[KaraK]

I toyed with the idea of getting on of these a while back. Personally I love the looks and figured it would be a good way into a V8 cruiser daily. If you have the means to handle the running costs plus a slush fund for borkage they can offer a lot of car for the money.

As it worked out I was offered a C5 S6 for a price that was too good to ignore otherwise I think I would have bought one.

[E65Ross]

trickywoo said:

Yex 450 said:

you can hear the car struggling to accelerate through the slush box and I see him in the local petrol station more often than me, and I drive a TVR

For the money you'd struggle to carry four people and luggage in more comfort with better ground covering ability.

They are a decent option as long as you realise the purchase price isn't an indication of what it will cost you to run.

Having had a 745i with the same engine I'd disagree

Cheaper and more comfortable. Even more challenging looks, mind.

[AmosMoses]

I looked into one, epic cars really. But they have comparible running costs to an e46 M3!

[greysquirrel]

I loved mine - got 30mpg on a run and 7mpg around town. This averaged out to be fairly expensive to fuel. The tyres were expensive but I did the brakes myself and they were no more expensive really. They are prone to engine leaks and can cost a lot to repair if they go wrong.
If I was still getting my fuel paid for to get to work I would have another one.

[80quattro]

A 645Ci with a manual gearbox is a fantastic car, and quite underrated IMHO.

[arfur]

Thanks for all the comments.

Summary is therefore - If you get a good one then running costs are just those of a 60k car. If you get a bad one then running costs may end up pulling your wallet through your arse ...

What I assumed really. I do like the look of them but probably there is just too much to go expensively wrong

Arf