I reset my CONSUM1 then drove at 60mph on cruise on the dreaded M25 this morning and after 10 miles my OBC reckoned i'd averaged 32.5mpg! (this is imperial gallons which are 20% bigger, but still!) Had to share this wonderful news! Normally i struggle to get 14mpg, but i'm starting to realise the gas mileage is horrible when the car is cold.

Is your car a stick shift? Because most 850 manuals can get 25 MPG US highway if driven lightly which is a lot better than my car.:rolleyes

my 91 6 spd at one point on the OBC it said 34 mpg average, and that was at 55 mph in 6th gear, the car was basically above idling at that speed.

It sounds like that is lugging the motor badly but great for mileage. Still you should check the old fashioned way with a calculator, odometer, and amount of gallons just to be sure.

ya thats right, the old fashioned way with calculator and odometer is the best!

my 850 autobox will get 50+mpg.....if I reset it at the top of the hill!!
Serious- all 3 of mine avg apx 16-17mpg, not driving them hard. Highway will hit 19-21mpg at 85mph cruise.

It's an auto, and at 60mph it was running at about 1500rpm. I tried the same experiment on the way back and i ran it at 70mph and only got 24mpg. I suspect it was a fluke and maybe the i had the wind behind me or something. Over a complete tank the OBC is very accurate as i always reset the odometer and measure the gas. But i guess over 10 miles or so it could have been a bit optimistic. I do think that running at 1500 rpm is the most efficient speed, but who wants to drive everywhere at 60..... i'd prefer to shell out and get there quicker.

I just got approximately 9 miles to the gallon at 147MPH!------)

I just got approximately 9 miles to the gallon at 147MPH!------)

:buttrock

Just wonder, who cares about fuel consumtion when you have a car like this??
Have a nice weekend
Bror Axelson Sweden

Fuel comsumption is important when this is your only car and trust me the V12 is very thirsty.

but you have a very cheap fuel price compared to the price in sweden. I have to pay around $1.70 per litre ( 12 swedish kronor ) Wait to your price rich this level ( and it will - soon ) then you can start talking about fuel consumtion.
If you want to drive around in this type of luxury car you have to pay what it cost.
My car is a 95 840 and it´s a nice car and if I not can accept the fuel consumtion I have to park the car or use the car a little bit less.
// Bror

If one has to worry about fuel consumption, the E31 is not the car for you.

E 31 is THE car!!!!!!!!!

I love my E31... But I hate the oligarchy known as OPEC. Oh well. I'll still drive my E31 daily.

agree!!!
// Bror

On a recent trip from Tampa to Atlanta the computer said 34+36mpg....and I was in cruise control...

On the way back I reset it and it sat around 32 but dropped when I opened it up....
It climbed back up to mid 30s when sanity returned and I went into crusie mode at 80mph

Haven't had the opportunity for a long trip just yet but am anxious to see what I get. Does not matter I love the car...........right wuff!

This is my daily driver and thankfully i don't do more than 8,000 miles per year but even that costs me over $5000 a year in fuel ($180 to fill up from empty, over $8 for a us gallon). I used to own a Ford Expedition and a V8 Mustang in CA and i only ever worked out the gas mileage on the Expedition a couple of times but it was around 10mpg but I didn't care as at one stage (i think it was 2001) gas was 85c a gallon, i know it's more now. I know all this gas mileage talk is probably boring to you US guys but have some sympathy as I don't care how much you earn paying $8 a gallon on a 12mpg car hurts.

Our housing market is twice as screwed as your gas!

I'm really hoping our housing market goes the same way as I rent and can't afford to buy. The house I live in is probably no more than 1500 sq ft and is worth around $1m - crazy. I have friends in South Bay LA and they are telling me that the area hasn't been affected by the housing crash, is that right? I'm kind of tempted to come back (Hermosa Beach - best place on earth), not to escape the gas prices but to get out of this constant rain :(

Chances of housing prices going down in Hermosa are pretty slim. I live in Orange County and we've been affected a bit... wouldn't come near to calling it a crash though.

Nick! Hermosa Beach has changed a lot, Most of the small houses have been torn down and upgraded big time, I've carried more than 500 of them to the Landfills in the last 3 years, Especially the ones with the spectacular beach views.

in the time i was there (2000 to 2004) the same thing was happening but only in the really pricey areas overlooking the ocean as you say. I lived just the other side of PCH which was much cheaper and not quite as crazy at night. It's been raining all weekend here, it literally hasn't stopped.

So for a noob in the market for an 8, will the smaller V8 be a better decision then guys? Or the monster V12 is the way to go? This will be a weekend car so gas mileage will not be an issue but when the oldman enjoys its too much and decides to drive it daily, will the V8 be ideal?

Theres lots of info regarding both models if you do a search, The same questions have been asked and answered every 4 days.

If you can learn to do some of the maintenance on bmw yourself, that will more then make up for gas costs no matter what your money situation.. This car is too much fun to care about gas consump in north america. I agree, in europe it would start hurting. I averaged about 10 mpg this summer with mine:cool, that was with the calculater/ odometer, but i cant resist pedal to the metal... Just curious, what rpms are some of you guys getting on the highway between 60-90?

Personally, tdotbimmer, I think the V12 is the way to go because it is more reliable but when it goes bad don't have an empty wallet.

boomer3, My car is a four door but at 80 MPH I am turning 2400 RPMs and 65 MPH is around 2k RPMs.

Get what you really want... if my Dad was paying for it I'd be driving a 12. After what I did to his car as a teen I'd be lucky to get a skateboard with 3 wheels.

Theres lots of info regarding both models if you do a search, The same questions have been asked and answered every 4 days.

I have done a lot of research since the last post and I just put a downpayment on a 1992 850I red on black sold by a BMW mechanic friend of mine. The car has 120,000km and he would garage it for me until spring.

If you can learn to do some of the maintenance on bmw yourself, that will more then make up for gas costs no matter what your money situation.. This car is too much fun to care about gas consump in north america. I agree, in europe it would start hurting. I averaged about 10 mpg this summer with mine:cool, that was with the calculater/ odometer, but i cant resist pedal to the metal... Just curious, what rpms are some of you guys getting on the highway between 60-90?

I fix everything myself unless its not documented online. And even that, I do the diagnosis before I show up. It has saved me tons of money.

Personally, tdotbimmer, I think the V12 is the way to go because it is more reliable but when it goes bad don't have an empty wallet.

boomer3, My car is a four door but at 80 MPH I am turning 2400 RPMs and 65 MPH is around 2k RPMs.

My research pointed to the 840i 4.4L but they are hard to come by so I settled on a 1992 850i.

Get what you really want... if my Dad was paying for it I'd be driving a 12. After what I did to his car as a teen I'd be lucky to get a skateboard with 3 wheels.

The dad backed out from owning so I got it for myself now. I am a 27 year old worker so I have been long cut off the parents hand out!:)