jonathanc Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hi all, I am wondering what are your opinion(s) on a 94 BMW 840CI that has comprehensive service history? Fuel economy aside, do they have a very heavy maintanence cost? Does it have to be serviced often? Does the parts cost big money and does it tend to break often? Any insights welcomed. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiefgroover Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Soft engine, bores/pistons can go. Also known for blowing rad ends off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Soft engine, bores/pistons can go. Also known for blowing rad ends off. Ouch, doesn't look too good then Not as reliable as a Sup I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 A colleague had one a couple of years back (owned for 5 years), they are very expensive to service properly and parts are expensive should anything go wrong. Not a bad car though, very comfy and the performance was okay for a cruise barge. Still really like these cars, but as my colleague said many times, you have to *really* love it to maintain it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 A colleague had one a couple of years back (owned for 5 years), they are very expensive to service properly and parts are expensive should anything go wrong. Not a bad car though, very comfy and the performance was okay for a cruise barge. Still really like these cars, but as my colleague said many times, you have to *really* love it to maintain it. hmmm.. true I guess. I bet high end cars like this is hard to maintain. Guess I'm safer with Jap cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axle Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 If you're going to get one, it has to be the CSI variant imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooquicktostop Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 The old 740i BMW is a better car IMO, I had one, it was fantastic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axle Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 The old 740i BMW is a better car IMO, I had one, it was fantastic But that is like comparing a Supra to a Yaris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupraAyf Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I would rather have my teeth knocked out with a JCB than have a 840CI. Horrible:Pling: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 They are also known for thier electrical gremlins. Lovely looking cars though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I love the looks of them, but wouldn't want to own one I don't think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooquicktostop Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Really, I think the 7 series is a great car, its a comfortable cruiser with a nice powerful engine, is that so different from the 8 series ?, the 8 is pretty but has its faults Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axle Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Really, I think the 7 series is a great car, its a comfortable cruiser with a nice powerful engine, is that so different from the 8 series ? The 7 is a saloon, and the 8 is a coupe, so yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caseys Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Friend had gearbox woes on his and the prices were shocking for repairs considering the value of the car itself. As others have said you have to be fanatical about them for the running costs / repairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 Good sound advice mates. Thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_jekyll Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 if you get one with the m60b40 engine you will have eletrical faults , possible bore damage and for this reaon suspect head gasketts, if you get a later one with the m62b44 engine the block was changed from nikasil to alusil and larger stronger pistons were fitted, this car also had a completely different wireing loom and ecu that cured the electrial faults and the m62b44 is a highly reccomended motor in the world of bmws , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 Its the one with m60b40 engine. From the pics it really looks mint and the owner said he has all the papers to back it up. He had it for over a year and no problems what so ever. Still 3 green lights on the service indicator as well. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1318970.htm Its hard to find mind ones with m62b44 it seems. I found an M8(?) but its going for over 16k! Now I guess I will most probably pass after hearing so many horror stories... I don't mind maintaining a car but don't really fancy buying sometimes that demands me to spend £££ on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbloodyturbo Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 We have a 96 840ci and its a beautiful car. It's miles more refined than the supra but not as fast. Fuel economy isn't too bad but the needle moves as fast as a car with a fuel tank half the size! similar to the supra i suppose. Parts are expensive, some parts can be stupidly expensive(and I mean stupid), servicing can be done yourself (plugs, , filters, oil, coolant and the like) and these items are cheap as they're shared with 540 740. The 740 and 840 share the same chassis so a lot is similar. I would agree to get the m62 instead of the m60 as not only do you get a 4.4 instead of a 4.0 you get much better torque and better mpg and no piston slap. Ours hasn't had much go wrong with it in all the time we've had it, electrics all work fine, only problem was the batteries discharging themselves but we traced it to a dodgy relay. I also have to say the 840 is a lot more comfy than my supra and for high speed cornering the 8 feels VERY well planted, it also came with massive brembo calipers and discs so they stop quite well. Dont get an 850, you will regret it. They are timebombs and are mostly a lot older than the newer (Ci spec instead of i) 840ci, this is why they're dirt cheap. The 850csi is the only v12 car worth getting and if you can find one you'll pay A LOT for it and it'll likely be a left hand drive. The 850i's engine has two ecu's, one for each bank and when one fails you have to buy from bmw and it is stupidly expensive. Also look for rotting exhausts because if you have to replace it you'll cry when you see how much bmw charge, aftermarket full systems with cats are cheaper at about 800-1000quid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 We have a 96 840ci and its a beautiful car. It's miles more refined than the supra but not as fast. Fuel economy isn't too bad but the needle moves as fast as a car with a fuel tank half the size! similar to the supra i suppose. Parts are expensive, some parts can be stupidly expensive(and I mean stupid), servicing can be done yourself (plugs, , filters, oil, coolant and the like) and these items are cheap as they're shared with 540 740. The 740 and 840 share the same chassis so a lot is similar. I would agree to get the m62 instead of the m60 as not only do you get a 4.4 instead of a 4.0 you get much better torque and better mpg and no piston slap. Ours hasn't had much go wrong with it in all the time we've had it, electrics all work fine, only problem was the batteries discharging themselves but we traced it to a dodgy relay. I also have to say the 840 is a lot more comfy than my supra and for high speed cornering the 8 feels VERY well planted, it also came with massive brembo calipers and discs so they stop quite well. Dont get an 850, you will regret it. They are timebombs and are mostly a lot older than the newer (Ci spec instead of i) 840ci, this is why they're dirt cheap. The 850csi is the only v12 car worth getting and if you can find one you'll pay A LOT for it and it'll likely be a left hand drive. The 850i's engine has two ecu's, one for each bank and when one fails you have to buy from bmw and it is stupidly expensive. Also look for rotting exhausts because if you have to replace it you'll cry when you see how much bmw charge, aftermarket full systems with cats are cheaper at about 800-1000quid. Thanks, very detailed and helpful comment Yeah, the engine advertised is the 4 litre not the 4.4. Shame though, from the pics it really looks like the owner took good care of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_jekyll Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 dont give up on it yet, alot of the m60b40s were recalled by bmw and the blocks were replaced with alusil , get the serial number stamped on the block and a bmw main dealer will be able to tell you if its the replacement block . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 If you're going to get one, it has to be the CSI variant imo. Is that the one where the nasty stains on the back seat show up in bright purple? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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