Bmw 8 Series From Japan?

[R-SPEC]

i had a look on imports101 and prestigemotorsports couldnt find any on there, any ideas?

particularly the 840ci model

would just like to know if they can be imported, who imports them and the costs landed/complied etc

i know its a long shot... most people here dont even know these cars exist

thanks

[xscape237]

They dont appear on the SEVS register. So to answer your question, at the moment, no.

http://www.raws.com.au/SEVSReg.asp

I always thought that the 8 series was sold brand new in australia, at least at one point in time. Could well be wrong though!

[R-SPEC]

i see

yeah all aussie delivered ones were automatic, im trying to see how hard it would be to get one in manual

[Owgasm]

i see

yeah all aussie delivered ones were automatic, im trying to see how hard it would be to get one in manual

Isn't it for this reason, that they were aussie delivered that they wont be imported.

I saw one the other day on the road, they do look pretty good. I'm sure the 850 v12 would be pretty nice.

[Iron Chef]

Can't be done, sorry.

[R-SPEC]

Isn't it for this reason, that they were aussie delivered that they wont be imported.

I saw one the other day on the road, they do look pretty good. I'm sure the 850 v12 would be pretty nice.

from what ive gathered theres pretty much no difference performance wise between the 12s and the 8s. but fark the v12 sounds good

Can't be done, sorry.

damn

i have a feeling in time these will become collectable and pricey, wouldnt mind getting one now while they're still affordable

[Astro Bear]

They are a beautiful car, i've always had a secret crush on them.

A friend of mine had the V12 8 series and he took the exhaust off one weekend. Starting it up and revving it saw flames about 4m long flying out of the back of the car. Sounded like the end of the world lol.

[Chris Rogers]

nice car until something breaks on it.. (same as a 7 series.) then it hurts!

[GTR-N1]

I saw one the other day on the road, they do look pretty good. I'm sure the 850 v12 would be pretty nice.

The V8 has very few problems

The V12 has lots of issues as in 'Roadfly BMW' forums - stay away from these.

[R-SPEC]

yeah i realise they're not the cheapest cars to service/repair. need to find one thats had a good history but just like any car, look after it and it'll look after you

will mostly be driven 1 or 2 days a week max.

Terry did you have one of these?

[RS4StagMan]

The V8 has very few problems

The V12 has lots of issues as in 'Roadfly BMW' forums - stay away from these.

I have the 4.0 litre V8 in a E34 5 series 540i, awesome engine and 5 speed auto. Done over 200,000 klms with no problems.

The auto in mine is sealed for life (don't need to maintain and change the oil at all)- I found this a little strange??

[GTR-N1]

yeah i realise they're not the cheapest cars to service/repair. need to find one thats had a good history but just like any car, look after it and it'll look after you

will mostly be driven 1 or 2 days a week max.

Terry did you have one of these?

Sylvania BMW is where my son Mark worked as a mechanic. And he told me stories about how the same issues would come up again and again on the V12 engine. And sure enough, those same complaints would come up on BMW forums and would be a talking point at a BMW Drivers' Club SnS at Burwood Pk.

The 8 series Beemer sure is a gorgeous looking car. It was featured as you probably know in the film called "The Score" driven by De Niro.

The E36 320i is another one that can have quite a few faults.

Any BMW that you wish to inspect needs to have its VANOS system listened to (whether it's double or single). Just use a wooden dowel and listen for a sound like rattling marbles. If not, then the VANOS is not worn. The Honda V-Tec was based on the BMW VANOS system.

[Iron Chef]

*Cue the "VANOS just kicked in yo" jokes...

[Ten Four]

Go the 840ci with the 4.4 V8. Had a 540i with that engine and it was heavenly. Noise, power, smoothness and economy..

Looks to be a good example: http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/privat...5&silo=1011

[God_speed]

Go the 840ci with the 4.4 V8. Had a 540i with that engine and it was heavenly. Noise, power, smoothness and economy..

Looks to be a good example: http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/privat...5&silo=1011

Gorgeous cars. Choose based on condition first, wheels and other items can be added later. The Parallel M-Spoke 18"s look the business on the 8 Series (E31).

As has been said, would avoid a V12 (850i) and choose the V8 for reliability, but it's all relative; the V8 in either 4.0 or 4.4 still needs to be serviced regularly. The earlier V8s in particular had Nikasil coating on the bore liners which tended to wear prematurely with the excessive sulphur in our petrol (and in other markets too). This should have been fixed under a recall / warranty but not all cars were done under the warranty period. If you start the car cold and open both doors, looking at the trailing edge of the doors will magnify any vibration from the engine and could indicate bore wear (obviously a leak down test would be even more ideal).

The 'nose cone' of the 8 is a very complex shape and quite often didn't even line up perfectly from the factory. Combined with the pop-up headlamp apertures in the bonnet, any crash damage at the front will likely be pretty obvious.

The 8 did come in a manual (850CSi tuned by M Motorsport had a 6 speed manual) but these are very thin on the ground; I'm not sure if they were sold here officially, if so then in very small numbers.

Otherwise from memory the 8 series was sold here from about 1990 until 1999. The V12 went from '90 till the mid 90s, the V8 840Ci from early 90s to '99. Pick of the bunch would be a post-1998 840Ci Sport with the subtle bodykit, steptronic transmission and 4.4 litre V8 with double VANOS (210kW, 440Nm) but they still fetch close to $40K for a neat one with low kms, over $50K for a minter. They did retail for over $200K when new so that means two things - tidy ones are still expensive; and the rest of them are a very risky proposition. The self levelling EDC shocks will cost four figures from BMW, multiple oxygen / lambda sensors at several hundred bucks a pop, etc.

Make sure you have a BMW specialist do a thorough inspection on the car you're serious about, before stumping up the cash.

[curlyjimbo]

Would it be possible to do a manual conversion?

Or would that break the bank?

[Victory]

I have had a couple of drives of an 850i and they are a very nice bit of gear. I was very impressed by how smooth the V12 power plant is and the power delivery was very linier.

They are like GTR's these days in that straight low km units are becomming very hard to find and I would be conerned about the possible BMW repair costs for the poorly maintained examples.

[Beer Baron]

Gorgeous cars. Choose based on condition first, wheels and other items can be added later. The Parallel M-Spoke 18"s look the business on the 8 Series (E31).

As has been said, would avoid a V12 (850i) and choose the V8 for reliability, but it's all relative; the V8 in either 4.0 or 4.4 still needs to be serviced regularly. The earlier V8s in particular had Nikasil coating on the bore liners which tended to wear prematurely with the excessive sulphur in our petrol (and in other markets too). This should have been fixed under a recall / warranty but not all cars were done under the warranty period. If you start the car cold and open both doors, looking at the trailing edge of the doors will magnify any vibration from the engine and could indicate bore wear (obviously a leak down test would be even more ideal).

The 'nose cone' of the 8 is a very complex shape and quite often didn't even line up perfectly from the factory. Combined with the pop-up headlamp apertures in the bonnet, any crash damage at the front will likely be pretty obvious.

The 8 did come in a manual (850CSi tuned by M Motorsport had a 6 speed manual) but these are very thin on the ground; I'm not sure if they were sold here officially, if so then in very small numbers.

Otherwise from memory the 8 series was sold here from about 1990 until 1999. The V12 went from '90 till the mid 90s, the V8 840Ci from early 90s to '99. Pick of the bunch would be a post-1998 840Ci Sport with the subtle bodykit, steptronic transmission and 4.4 litre V8 with double VANOS (210kW, 440Nm) but they still fetch close to $40K for a neat one with low kms, over $50K for a minter. They did retail for over $200K when new so that means two things - tidy ones are still expensive; and the rest of them are a very risky proposition. The self levelling EDC shocks will cost four figures from BMW, multiple oxygen / lambda sensors at several hundred bucks a pop, etc.

Make sure you have a BMW specialist do a thorough inspection on the car you're serious about, before stumping up the cash.

couldn't have put it any better myself. very well summed up. and all good advice.

and yes they are lovely cars but for the love of god pay the extra $10K-$20K and get a very, very nice one or expect to spend up big to keep the thing in serviceable condition. if you want a big luxo barge with lots of road presence they are hard to beat. I still love them.

[R-SPEC]

wow thanks for all the help guys VERY much appreciated

ive thought over and over about it, did heaps of research /reading on them and asked a few local mechanics who specialise in euro cars etc

ive decided to stick with jap cars while i'm still an apprentice mainly for the reliability issue. but will definately look into these again in a couple of years time hopefully when ive taken over my old man's business.

currently looking into r34 gtrs and v35 350gt with the premium package but we'll see how it goes...

again, thanks for the help

[God_speed]

couldn't have put it any better myself. very well summed up. and all good advice.

Cheers Richard, awesome to hear that particularly coming from you

wow thanks for all the help guys VERY much appreciated

ive thought over and over about it, did heaps of research /reading on them and asked a few local mechanics who specialise in euro cars etc

ive decided to stick with jap cars while i'm still an apprentice mainly for the reliability issue. but will definately look into these again in a couple of years time hopefully when ive taken over my old man's business.

currently looking into r34 gtrs and v35 350gt with the premium package but we'll see how it goes...

again, thanks for the help

Yeah probably a wiser move mate although with a BNR34 you'd probably still want money kept aside for 'unplanned' repairs and regular maintenance?

Although I own a GTR and love Nissans I still go crazy for Bimmers and have myself considered getting an 8 before. You could consider an E36 M3? Upsides are lower electronic and mechanical complexity, (aside from the engine); it's proper fast (3.0L 0-100 6.0 sec, 3.2L 0-100 5.5 sec... all non-CSi 8 series would struggle to top 7.0 secs) more examples to choose from and a proper manual gearbox (5 speed for 1994-1996 3.0 210kW, 6 speed for 1996-1999 3.2 236kW) [avoid the SMG!], glorious sound and still a comfy, practical and stylish car that has street cred. Downsides are, again, being over 10 years old it's getting harder to find a neat one; well-known VANOS issues and the engine does neet regular fettling to stay in tune. It's also not as rare as the Eight and won't stand out as much (partly thanks to the endless dodgied-up 318iSs around). The E46 M3 might be an option for you?