8 series questions following test drive

[Phugoid]

Hi all, just drove a 1999 840Ci Sport with a view to buy and have a few questions.

The car seemed a bit tappety at idle, odd for a V8 with only 60k. Salesman assured it was just because it hadn't been started in ages and should go away after a short drive. Sure enough it did, but is this potentially the sign of a bigger issue?

The brakes seemed a bit 'detached' i.e i really had to give the pedal a good stomping before I got decent braking force. Normal?

Previous MOT has picked up the trailing arm rubber bush deterioration. Costly to replace? Didn't notice any knocks etc whilst driving.

There's a wee bit of bubbling on the passenger side rear arch, is this normal? Also the around the bolts in on the BBS wheels there is a bit of cracking of the laquer.

Is 8k for a 60k 1999T Dakar Yellow example a good price?

Cheers

[Job38]

Can't comment on the V8 I'm afraid.

Brakes are a bit unusual on the E31, they have some unconventional braking system I believe.
Once given a good shove, they do work well.
Like almost all BMWs - they could be better.

Bushes is need regular replacement, its a heavy car, not too expensive.
There are a couple of specialists on here who'll give you accurate prices.

Rear wheel arch rust - this one divides opinion a little.
I've seen it on a few E31s, wouldn't worry me unduly.
Budget say £400 per side to have it sorted.
Look for signs on rust around the windows too.

BBS wheels issue is common, presumably they're split rims? The worst offenders.

Sounds like a good price.

GREAT COLOUR !!!

Have a look over at: http://www.clube31.com/

[MitchT]

I'm not an 8 expert but I do love them and have done quite a bit of investigative research.

Phugoid said:

The brakes seemed a bit 'detached' i.e i really had to give the pedal a good stomping before I got decent braking force. Normal?

The brakes on my 318is feel like that - Have done from brand new nine years ago to this very day. Not an 840 I know but this does seem to be the norm with BMWs.

Phugoid said:

There's a wee bit of bubbling on the passenger side rear arch, is this normal?

Arches are an area to watch on 8s, so I'd say normal.

Phugoid said:

Is 8k for a 60k 1999T Dakar Yellow example a good price?

Seems reasonable to me. I'm not the biggest fan of Dakar yellow myself, but if I saw a 60k mile/'99T 840Ci Sport in my favourite combo (Velvet blue or Atlantis Blue with the interior in black with contrasting cream leather) for £8k I'd bite the seller's arm off! I did see one such car and it was £12k, which makes your £8k for such a late example with such low miles look like a bargain.

Edited by MitchT on Sunday 17th August 17:43

[Phugoid]

Cheers for the advice guys, lovely CSI Job!

Dakar Yellow is by no means a colour I'd chose, not that I don't like it but I don't expect to be let out of any side turnings if you know what I mean. And I am concerned about resale.

Didn't really get the chance to test the dynamics (or lack of!) on the drive. What's it like on the twisties? Not expecting it to have fly-like direction changing abilities as it is a proper massive car, hopefully not too barge-like!

[wpo750]

Phugoid said:

Hi all, just drove a 1999 840Ci Sport with a view to buy and have a few questions.

The car seemed a bit tappety at idle, odd for a V8 with only 60k. Salesman assured it was just because it hadn't been started in ages and should go away after a short drive. Sure enough it did, but is this potentially the sign of a bigger issue?

The brakes seemed a bit 'detached' i.e i really had to give the pedal a good stomping before I got decent braking force. Normal?

Previous MOT has picked up the trailing arm rubber bush deterioration. Costly to replace? Didn't notice any knocks etc whilst driving.

There's a wee bit of bubbling on the passenger side rear arch, is this normal? Also the around the bolts in on the BBS wheels there is a bit of cracking of the laquer.

Is 8k for a 60k 1999T Dakar Yellow example a good price?

Cheers

The brakes do take getting used to but they do bite once given stick, I think I mentioned this on your previous thread in GG.

I haven't needed to address RTABs on the 8 yet but I assume it's no big issue, probably £80 labour for both sides from an indy.

BBS splitties are a pain and they will corrode with moisture ingress beneath lacquer and the bolts will go manky but when they're in good shape they look great. The Style 5s have 34 bolts in each rim and they are labour intensive come refurb time and it won't be cheap. I decided to refurb mine myself and it was hard work but I got there in the end and they look infinitely better.

To be honest I haven't encountered many e31s with rusty arches, of all the ones I viewed before I bought mine I didn't notice any with rotten arches. Bubbling around the sunroof does seem more common though.

£8k for late, low miler sport is cheap but Dakar is quite a tricky colour to shift in 8 series form imo. Not an issue if it's a keeper.

[parksie]

8's don't normally suffer with rust ! the occasional one has problems around the paint edges of the sunroof & windscreen, so arches I would expect some form of neglect if rusting, Brakes ! you will get used to them, woefull as they are.I coughed up £2500 to get some AP Racing 6 pots fitted[why oh why do BMW fit such crap brakes]/ The price is good but I'd bet you could negotiate an even better deal given the current credit crunch , but the colour wont be everones choice come trade in time?


The Tappety rattle should go away once warmed up,as mine does just that.

Always get a reputable inspection done [Not AA or RAC] There are a few in the south that come to mind & will save you a lot of stress later.



Good luck

Edited by parksie on Monday 18th August 07:18

[robmw750]

I've got a 850 csi which has had bubbling of a front and rear wheel arch , the front was so bad a new front wing is being fitted . My V8 540 when left for a week is very tappety when first started but as soon as the oil is pumping it quietens down. If the mileage is genuine for a T reg I think you have a good car

[Job38]

Phugoid said:

Cheers for the advice guys, lovely CSI Job!

Dakar Yellow is by no means a colour I'd chose, not that I don't like it but I don't expect to be let out of any side turnings if you know what I mean. And I am concerned about resale.

Didn't really get the chance to test the dynamics (or lack of!) on the drive. What's it like on the twisties? Not expecting it to have fly-like direction changing abilities as it is a proper massive car, hopefully not too barge-like!

I can't comment on handling as mine is the only one I've driven and the CSi is a rather different animal.

I'd certainly recommend Dakar, looks fabulous on an E31.
They're not an understated car so you might as well go the whole hog!

GO FOR IT !

[Blues]

I looked at quite a few of these early this year. I can't help much with the "mechanical" items, but i did discover that three or four of the ones i looked at seemed to be imports, from Japan i believe. They were all lowish mileage, but looked as if they had done more. One observation i made was on a couple, all of the underbonnet stickers were printed in an Oriental language, on one, they had all been removed! Please check the poaperwork carefully.

Good luck, they are beautiful cars

[Talkwrench]

Phugoid said:

Hi all, just drove a 1999 840Ci Sport with a view to buy and have a few questions.

The car seemed a bit tappety at idle, odd for a V8 with only 60k. Salesman assured it was just because it hadn't been started in ages and should go away after a short drive. Sure enough it did, but is this potentially the sign of a bigger issue?

Sounds normal for the V8 if its been sitting for a while. I'd give it an oil & filter change. They're a bit fussy about old oil or oil of the wrong viscosity.

Phugoid said:

The brakes seemed a bit 'detached' i.e i really had to give the pedal a good stomping before I got decent braking force. Normal?

The brakes can feel a bit dead. Its a system boosted by hydraulic pressure. Having said that, they should be powerful when required and haul you down from high speeds with ease (though maybe not repeatedly!) Braided brake hoses help the feel and there are a number of different pad options around. It'll have the later 4 pot Brembos on the front anyway so should be up to the job for reasonably spirited driving.

Phugoid said:

Previous MOT has picked up the trailing arm rubber bush deterioration. Costly to replace? Didn't notice any knocks etc whilst driving.

A common item to go. Easy enough to replace. Everything else on the rear should be ok. The front, however, will almost certainly need upper control arms if they haven't yet been replaced. Its a heavy car and they deteriorate at least every 40-60k if not less. Tightens things up no end, particularly if you replace the bush with an M5 item.

Phugoid said:

There's a wee bit of bubbling on the passenger side rear arch, is this normal? Also the around the bolts in on the BBS wheels there is a bit of cracking of the laquer.

I'm always wary of rust around the rear wheel arches. Obviously it can be repaired but the majority have no rust on the rear arches. Theyre made of high quality thick steel and occasional spots of surface rust is usually the only problem. Arch rust is penetrative and has come through from the underside. Structurally, theyre usually rock solid. The BBS wheels are a pain to keep but look great when perfect. I have a set with polished rims (no lacquer!) and they look superb. Fiddly to keep clean though!

Phugoid said:

Is 8k for a 60k 1999T Dakar Yellow example a good price?

These cars sell on condition and maintenance. It has low mileage and is a late car so should be near perfect. It doesn't quite sound as good as it should be. Personally, I love Dakar Yellow but its a bit of a limited market. If you like the colour, buy it and spend a grand on it getting it tip top.
If you're not in love with Dakar Yellow, walk away and find another.
Cheers

[mjwscorpio]

Just thought that I would say that I have just removed my car from the ads. I cant bring myself to sell her. The 8 is a great car and I think it is very important to buy the best colour for you. I looked for a long time for the best car that I could afford and I had them inspected. Good luck on finding a good one.

[hemibum]

My 840 has done 116,000 miles with no untoward noises from the engine. I'd be inclined to ignore the tappety sound as long as it's ok once hot.

The brakes use a hydraulic servo and are pretty st for a car which weighs almost 2 tons. However, the harder you brake the better it works. You do need to push on the pedal a bit harder than with any other contemporary car.

Sounds like a bloody good price for a car with that mileage. Are all the pixels on the OBC working?

Suspension bushes are relatively inexpensive to repair and really make a difference to the handling.

The 840 is not a sports car. Well, that's what they all say, but once you get used to it you can really chuck it around, they are just so beautifully balanced with great steering weight.

Buy it now. You will enjoy it. ( providing you're used to rear drivers).

ETA. Trailing parts of wheel arches can get peppered with stone chips but is purely cosmetic.

Edited by hemibum on Monday 18th August 21:59

[Phugoid]

Cheers for the advice guys.

Unfortunately the private sale of my 328i Sport hasn't materialised and I'm not entertaining the paltry offer of P/X from the dealer.

Hopefully it's not gonna sell soon!

[parksie]

Phugoid said:

Cheers for the advice guys.

Unfortunately the private sale of my 328i Sport hasn't materialised and I'm not entertaining the paltry offer of P/X from the dealer.

Hopefully it's not gonna sell soon!

Mate check out my 8 @ the very top of the classifieds, I'd also be Interested in your car if the price is sensible etc.//?


Well I 've just checked & the Ad is not yet live, be patient!!!

Edited by parksie on Monday 18th August 22:27

[Phugoid]

parksie said:

Phugoid said:

Cheers for the advice guys.

Unfortunately the private sale of my 328i Sport hasn't materialised and I'm not entertaining the paltry offer of P/X from the dealer.

Hopefully it's not gonna sell soon!

Mate check out my 8 @ the very top of the classifieds, I'd also be Interested in your car if the price is sensible etc.//?


Well I 've just checked & the Ad is not yet live, be patient!!!

Edited by parksie on Monday 18th August 22:27

That's a nice offer bud, but I'm barely able to afford the running costs of a boggo 840, let alone a supercharged beast!

Nice car though.

[rfn]

A friend has an 8 series - his is a 95 N and is rusting slightly over the rear arches (but I think this is down to neglect - it's his "shopping" car). Having driven it, the brakes seem to be similar to how you describe and they always have been the same.