Good afternoon fellow enthusiast...

I was recently in an accident which cost me my beloved 7 series but I am now looking forward to a newer car. While searching I found an e31 850i with 150k on the clock, for $5500. I was wondering

1) Is it a deal?
&
2)What should I look for when test driving it?

Thanks in advance,
Am3n

make sure to get an experienced bmw mechanic to take a complete look at it...it may cost a little but it could save you alot with these cars if you buy them for pretty cheap expect to spend some money to get it prestine im finding out the hard way right now

Thats a lot of miles you will probably have to spend double that to get it where you want it. Definitely have it inspected by a bmw mechanic as well as doing some research on the forum to see what to look for. Or you can go to wuffer.net and look at the checklist. Wuffer knows his stuff. Good luck.

A high miles well maintained 850 is nothing to worry about. You need to do your homework and find out the history of the car. I would bring a diagnostic tool to read any codes that might have triggered to see what issues it might have. The best time to use it would be to go for a nice test drive, in case the previous owner/dealer had erase the codes, it should trigger any codes that the computer might encounter. Once you are able to identify what they are, if any, can give you an idea as to some of the work you have coming.

yes check out the history.
have someone knowledged look over the car.
best would be someone like greg, steffen or wuffer...
blessed are the people that live close to them...

Ok so I went to go look at the car today and I have a couple problems with it...

I opened the engine bay and the top of the engine looked yellow-ish, like if there was water on there previously or something. Overheat maybe?
It started up fine and ran quiet as well. So im unsure.

Also, when I was test driving it I stepped on the gas and was somewhat dissapointed with the lack of response and acceleration. Is that normal?

Aside from that its just smaller things such as needing a new rear bumper and needing to redo the front seats.


EDIT: He also mentioned that the heater valve was stuck open, not sure what that means.


TIA
-Am3n

The 8 is great! My advice: take your time and get one in the best condition that you can. Pay as much as you can for an excellent example so as to hedge your bets. Trying to resurrect an 8 from the grave is VERY costly. Parts are not cheap, so be wise with what car you choose to start off with.

Ok so I went to go look at the car today and I have a couple problems with it...

I opened the engine bay and the top of the engine looked yellow-ish, like if there was water on there previously or something. Overheat maybe?
It started up fine and ran quiet as well. So im unsure.

Also, when I was test driving it I stepped on the gas and was somewhat dissapointed with the lack of response and acceleration. Is that normal?

Aside from that its just smaller things such as needing a new rear bumper and needing to redo the front seats.


EDIT: He also mentioned that the heater valve was stuck open, not sure what that means.


TIA
-Am3n


"yellow-ish" stuff is called Cosmoline and is a protectant that was sprayed on at the factory for all the cars that came over here by boat (dealer should have removed it prior to delivery)
This is a GT car, not an M3. 4300 pounds takes a moment to get going. A set of Wokke chips should help that.
bumper and seats - cosmetic, most any older car will have various degrees of this.
Heater Valve stuck open is common ailment - rebuild the solenoids or just get a new heater valve assembly (a little bit over $120)
Have someone knowledgable look at the car for you if at all possible, if not get the pre-purchase checklist and do it yourself. It always helps if the car comes with service records, and as stated by others, just because the car has 150K on it, doesn't mean that it has problems. It is the extremely low mileage ones that would worry me...

Keep looking , Look for a 6speed you will not be sorry if you can find 1.
The automatics are a lil slower, Or try finding some of the later years with the M73
not M70

where some jack-leg so called mechanic had turned the maf around backwards. New fuel lines, but they were bent and twisted. A quailfied mechanic is well worth the price. Fortunately I do my own work and can correct the problems I have. But this takes time and I'm finding out, money. Still I'm learning and having fun along the way. Can't wait to finish it. Spring is almost here. :)

Keep looking , Look for a 6speed you will not be sorry if you can find 1.
The automatics are a lil slower, Or try finding some of the later years with the M73
not M70

Automatics are actually just as fast, if not faster than the 6-speeds (CSi's excluded of course)...

"yellow-ish" stuff is called Cosmoline and is a protectant that was sprayed on at the factory for all the cars that came over here by boat (dealer should have removed it prior to delivery)
This is a GT car, not an M3. 4300 pounds takes a moment to get going. A set of Wokke chips should help that.
bumper and seats - cosmetic, most any older car will have various degrees of this.
Heater Valve stuck open is common ailment - rebuild the solenoids or just get a new heater valve assembly (a little bit over $120)

Have someone knowledgable look at the car for you if at all possible, if not get the pre-purchase checklist and do it yourself. It always helps if the car comes with service records, and as stated by others, just because the car has 150K on it, doesn't mean that it has problems. It is the extremely low mileage ones that would worry me...

Will this be cosmoline as well or just a gold finish?:lol Anything to worry about?

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v342/36/66/120812041/n120812041_39311589_811.jpg

You might check with Chad at SolelyBimmer (http://www.solelybimmer.com/) - nobody knows more about e31s in SoCal than him... (He may to try and talk you out of the car on principle-the car does require some deep pockets)

Another thing-when test driving, always put the gear selector into 3 as you'll get crisper shifts and it will feel a little quicker (or less like there's an anchor on the back)

Thanks for the advice guys, I decided to pass due to a couple things I didnt like (seller included). I'll be on look for another one. But if it heads up above the 15k range I might consider an e39 m5. Either way eventually I will have an 8, now or later.
:D

Will this be cosmoline as well or just a gold finish? Anything to worry about?Just cosmoline, The engine bay looks a lot cleaner without it, Aircraft remover with a brush will take it right off, There's lots of stuff at Home Depot etc that will do the same, Just be careful when applying, Don't get it on paint!

A $5k 8er is likely to have parts missing, not just damaged.

Definitely inspect the front underside where a lot of hidden damage and missing parts go un-noticed.

Pay close attention to the headlight - both the pop-ups (should not be loose in the buckets - lotsa $$ to fix) and the FTP strips.

Check condition of exhaust and cats. You will have to put this baby up on a lift to do that. This is an expensive replacement item.

I'd also want to see maintenance records. Deduct a lot from NADA value for a car that is missing them as you have no idea of what was done and when. (eg. how old is the water pump, tensioners, fan)

Other things to look for are recall/replacement items like the coolant expansion tank and the coolant tank. It still amazes me when I see these 15-17 yo cars with the original stuff.

It's ok to fall in love, as long as you check above and know that you WILL be spending some real money.