8 series

[mikeedler]

go with the 840, has close to the same HP. the v12s have problems with overheating-- seems to be a crossover tube at the rear of the motor, and costs a fortune to fix, and still doesnt lat long. the 8 series is an awsome car, a good friend has one, but like said here the v12 is a ton of money when they get higher miles on em. just think, it is basically 2 m20s stuck together, so everything is double the price. I say go for it, but try to get the v8 and a low mile car

[bimmerlover]

I don't have a lot of personal experience with the 8 series. I've been around them, inside them etc.. but never driven one.

What I DO have experience with is the V12 because my dad drives a 750.

He bought it off ebay TMU, and yeah.. it was in need of a lot of repair.
He began to tackle rebuilding the engine. He's a mechanic with 30+ years of experience.. and it took him literally months to do the V12. It was crazy.
So mechanically it's great now.. there are still a bunch of electrical things he hasn't figure out. It's kind a pain, but fun to drive.

If you mentioned it I didn't see it. Does your dad tinker with cars himself or would he have to have everything serviced?

[niq_nak]

my dad would have to have things serviced, but he has friends that can service it for him so it wouldnt be crazy expensive.

he hates boxters, so thats a no go, he wants something bigger... like the 8. thanks for the info on the 850/840 for those of u that contributed, ill pass it on to my father.

[BimmerToad]

The early 70s are just too slow. A 74 911S would be the only one worth getting.

You don't know much about Porsches, do you :roll:

Primitive forms of smog control and big bumpers = BAD!

Those 2.7L engines (not including the 2.7RS) only lasted around 50k mi before they ran into huge problems.

[danno14]

e31 850/840

Jarvis
m42technic
Ryan Stewart
bimmerlover
mikeedler
What first hand knowledge do you have of the e31? Is it simply conjecture where you "heard it from a guy who knows a guy whose sisters boyfriend saw a dude...."? :roll:

For subjective information on the e31from people who own them, go to the Road fly board and review the archives. Also have your dad review the link on prepurchase information for e31's. I am certain that you will find a few of the Rfly group in your area who would be happy to take you both for a spin in what is still a tremendous machine.

http://bimmer.road fly.org/bmw/forums/e31/ ... (you must remove the space after "road")

http://www.e31faq.com/

Quite simply, the e34 M5 is a wonderful car. It does not, however, stand out in terms of boulevard appeal any more than any other mildly modified e34, be it a 528 up to 540. There were many tens of thousands of the e34 body style produced, to further blur the unique=desirable math. Oh yes, and the cost of an m5 engine overhaul is considerably higher than the s70 or s73 v12.

If you or your dad would like more information, please feel welcome to contact me directly. Rgds, Dan

(edit) Hmmmm. It looks as though the Road fly is changed to Roach.... so you will have to cut, paste, and retype. How petty.

[uofom3]

i would look away from the porkers, and from the 840's.. .they may have the Nakasil engine block problem that bassically gaurantees engine failure within a short time. The 840 is not **underpowered**... but does lack the kick, and the prestige of the v12... it's kinda one of those things... if you're gonna spend 25k for the v8, why not 30k for the v12?? The e34 is a VERY reliable platform. My mom has an e34 5 series (non-m), but it is very reliable (and she abususes her cars).... plus the s38-derived power plant is very, very solid. I would go with the e34 m5... it's an m car, looks great, and are rare.. plus it has a ton ofp ossible mods that can be done.... as far as p-cars go.. late 60's 911e Targa... burly... but p-cars just don't do it for me... with a porsche you're paying too much for something that doesn't necessarily return the investment in driving pleasure... you're just buying a marque in a lot of cases...

[AdamF 88iS]

The #1 problem on the V12s is those damn electric throttle bodies. It's not if they go out, it's when, and they are in the $2k range to replace. MAFs can go out on them, but so do the V8s. All in all, the V12 isn't a bad motor. Mechanically it's basically 2 M20s joined at the waist with a chain instead of a belt, and hydrolic lifters so you don't have to adjust the valves.

Spark plugs are a major pain in the ass to change. Other than that, troublshooting on the V12s is easy because you can swap parts over from one bank to the other to narrow down whats going wrong because the thing is setup to run as 2 seperate inline 6 engines. There are 3 DMEs on that car, one for each bank of 6, and an interface unit to keep them in sync.

The front suspension is basically the same as the E32 and E34, and will need all the usual bushing replacements. The rear is E31 unique though, and pretty trick they way it's setup.

The SRS light will forever haunt you.

All in all, they aren't that bad. Very complex, but also pretty well put together. Most of the old electrical glitches were sorted out when the cars were still under warranty.

[mikeedler]

mikeedler
What first hand knowledge do you have of the e31? Is it simply conjecture where you "heard it from a guy who knows a guy whose sisters boyfriend saw a dude...."?

who the F**K are you-- do you know me I didnt think so. I have worked on a few 850s -my roommate had one, and for a year, we worked alot on it together had the motor almost completely apart and redid plenty on the car.

[m42technic]

Re: e31 850/840

m42technic
What first hand knowledge do you have of the e31? Is it simply conjecture where you "heard it from a guy who knows a guy whose sisters boyfriend saw a dude...."? :roll:

Im a technician at a BMW dealership. Ive seen E31's come in that easily needed $5k in work. Theyre fine cars to own as long as you have plenty of money to spend...

[PanamaE30]

$5k at the dealer is not $5k on your own.

[danno14]

to clarify who the F*** I am...

"The #1 problem on the V12s is those damn electric throttle bodies. It's not if they go out, it's when, and they are in the $2k range to replace"

You are correct- As with any car part, it's not if it's when. The nice thing is that the throttle bodies (DK motors) are like any other in that a good cleaning solves pretty much any issue. As with any BMW part repaired at pretty much any BMW dealership, "we just replace it". Ergo an elevated price tag on what could be a $25 repair (two gaskets & a few cans of cleaner).

Spark plug #12 is a pain, but not as bad as some cars :) The rest are eay.

SRS lights on mine/others haven't been an issue. Cleaning the engine compartment and getting liquid in a connector is much the same as in my e36 :<

mikeedler
Please note- yours was simply one of the names listed...as many on the internet are willing to post what they have "read" not what they have experienced, I questioned it.

You capped on a car. I questioned what firsthand knowledge and perspective the named people might have to do so. If you have "worked on it ...and redid plenty", good for you. Please share your knowledge and experience with the Rfly group.... we are always grateful to expand our knowledge base.


"who the F###" am I? My name is Dan.... I have an addiction!

http://www.r3vlimited.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12449&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[m42technic]

$5k at the dealer is not $5k on your own.

The average 8 series owner doesnt really venture under their own hood.

[PanamaE30]

True, but it doesn't mean they take it to the stealer either..

In fact, a coworker of mine has an 850.. and his throttle bodies and ECU's went out. $1200 in total.. Not even close to that $2k range estimate stated previously.

[trent]

True, but it doesn't mean they take it to the stealer either..

In fact, a coworker of mine has an 850.. and his throttle bodies and ECU's went out. $1200 in total.. Not even close to that $2k range estimate stated previously.

Just because they don't go to the dealer doesn't mean it isn't expensive. I have a few customers with E31's and they cars are stupid $$. For grins I added up one of the guy's costs. Since 10/02 he has spent ~$18,000.

[PanamaE30]

Some people are just unlucky..

I've spent about as much as my car on the car already and I've only had it six months.. and it's still not 100%

Are you gonna say E30's are expensive? I don't think so. Just a bad example. I know 850 owners that have had their cars since day one and they're running around with no problem.