Help me buy a BMW 8 Series
Hi there, I am looking at a BMW 8 Series 4.4-litre with 206,000km on the clock and three owners. It's a UK car with no duty paid. How much is it worth and what should I be on the look out for?
Thanks
Liam Tully (Dublin)Jun 2013 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Liam,
OK, the value is a hard thing to put an absolute figure on as the 8 Series is now of an age where it's all about the condition and history of the car. If it's in good nick and there's a full set of BMW or independent BMW specialist stamps in the service book, then you should be looking at a value of around €6,000-7,000, maybe a touch less considering that this car has pretty high mileage.
Thankfully, that mileage is nothing to worry about, with one major caveat and that caveat is engine failure. Some 840ci models used engines with a cylinder bore lined in an alloy called Alusil, which is prone to wear and can cause the engine to go expensively pop. If your car has the other type of cylinder liner, Nikasil, then you should be fine, and by and large the 8 Series is an astonishingly robust car, with very few reported common faults.
Just make sure you check that everything electrical is working correctly, as the 8 Series was kind of on that cusp between the simpler pre-electronic age and the arrival of all the complex modern gadgets.
If you buy it, let us know how you get on and give us as flash of your cool pop-up headlamps!
Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser@neilmbriscoe