Well, I finally took the plunge towards an 8 series. It actually was not a tough decision to make...If anyone feels like reading through this, please do. If not, skim through it and look at the pictures. Either way, please leaving opinions! I think I got a good deal, maybe not...

Its a 1997 850ci with 115,000 miles and one owner. Cosmetically the car is beautiful. The interior is near perfect as is the exterior.

On the exterior there is a paint chip on the center of the back bumper (likely from bumping into a pole), two very small rust bubbles on the sunroof, one bent fin on the front plastic grille, and a few small and isolated scratches.

The interior is near perfect. The leather seats front and back are like new, other than the front seat controls (one side is missing the button cover, while the other cannon move vertically). The shifter and steering wheel are great, though the pixels on the computer are completely gone, and the radio buttons are quite worn out.

Problems
Like a smart buyer I took it to a mechanic for a preinspection. He was quite pleased with the car, commenting that he only found two fault codes. He was quite thorough in his search, and he found these problems:

1. Brake Booster Fading
2. Driver's Seat Control/Motor
3. Passengers Seat Control/Motor
4. Front End Alignment
5. Control Arm Bushings (Left and Right)
6. Tie Rod Assembly (Left and Right)
7. Center Linkage
8. Front Bumper Clips
9. Transmission Fault Code
10. Steering Angle Sensor Fault Code
11. Sunroof Rust Bubble
12. Onboard Computer Pixles
13. A/C Not cooling less than 78F

Also, since I've been driving it, I have noticed a very deep sound (as though from a subwoofer) coming from somewhere in the car, perhaps the back part, any ideas?

Questions
Few questions from a new owner:
1. How often should tune ups be performed?
2. Can a take the car anyplace to get the brakes done?
3. In Steptronic is it possible to get to first gear? ( I can't)
4. How much would it cost to fix everything in the "problems" section?
5. What is the source of the deep, brief rumple I mentioned? The sound is similar to a single note coming from a subwoofer. The sound does not come very often, and one it does it only lasts for one or two seconds. Their is a loose plastic cover on the undercarriage that could perhaps be rubbing the wheel, but would it make such a deep sound?
6. The ASC indicator light (top center) goes on sometimes, what does this mean?
7. What do you think of the price? (See below)

Price
What did I pay for it? $14,000

Pictures
Sorry for the shoddy photography...
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2659/dcp0954mf4.jpg
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/465/dcp0939gf9.jpg
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2127/dcp0935od0.jpg
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8063/6305256371239694105im11sc3.jpghttp://img215.imageshack.us/img215/8292/6305256373239694105im11un1.jpghttp://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6988/6305256375239694105im11um7.jpg

nice car, welcome to the family, the only problem I have is with the rust bubbles, I wonder were else on the car there is rust growing?

As far as price vs mileage vs what need to be repaired It maybe border lined, I would have bought a car from one of the members first, thats what I did when I bought my 6spd, the only thing I have replaced is the MID, everything else was done by the previous owners.

I wish you the best of luck with the car and I know a lot of the 850ci guys will help you.

It's a Beautiful car, Congratulations! A 1997 Rare car is always great to have, welcome to the fun of E31 ownership! :buttrock

Questions
Few questions from a new owner:
1. How often should tune ups be performed? 30-40k
2. Can a take the car anyplace to get the brakes done? Except the mass retailers.
3. In Steptronic is it possible to get to first gear? ( I can't) no
4. How much would it cost to fix everything in the "problems" section? to pay someone?=anywhere from 5 to 10k or more(lots of variables to some of your probs), no less than 5k.
5. What is the source of the deep, brief rumple I mentioned? The sound is similar to a single note coming from a subwoofer. The sound does not come very often, and one it does it only lasts for one or two seconds. Their is a loose plastic cover on the undercarriage that could perhaps be rubbing the wheel, but would it make such a deep sound? Is this when you're moving along or just starting out?
6. The ASC indicator light (top center) goes on sometimes, what does this mean? Your back wheels are spinning if you're on the gas when it does this.
7. What do you think of the price? (See below) Fair price. Nice car.
If you are capable and can restore what it needs now, it will last you a long time. Let it get ahead of you and it will eat your lunch.

The deep sound comes sporadically, not very often, but when it does it comes when I am doing 20-50 mph.

And, Im not worried about the rust, it is limited to a single rust bubble on the roof. There is no other rest anywhere on the exterior or underside.

the deep noise is probably your exhaust, when the engine is at a certain rpm. I love that sound, and I know how to replicate it... makes the car sound like Thor has just entered the building!

...I love that sound, and I know how to replicate it... makes the car sound like Thor has just entered the building!
:eek:

Beautiful car! It's a good thing I didn't see that for sale or my wife would have divorced me! (Or at least threatened to, like she does everytime another vehicle shows up at home...)

Cool car. Should have got an 8, though;)

...he did get an 8! :)

Welcome to the Mental Ward! :D Nice lookin' ride!

SSC nailed it in respects to the amount of $$$ it will take for you to get your ride 'back'. Take your time and do as much of the labor yourself if possible.

If you cannot do so, then please ensure that you find an appropriate mechanic who:

a) does not play games
b) has competent understanding of E31

Or else you will be throwing big $$$ into San Diego bay.

Cheers and happy trails!

It's a bit of a hike, but still within reach -
Try and get your car up to Solely Bmw in Mission Viejo so that Chad can give it the treatment it deserves - he's probably worked on more 8s than anybody in the state.

the deep noise is probably your exhaust, when the engine is at a certain rpm. I love that sound, and I know how to replicate it... makes the car sound like Thor has just entered the building!

Does anybody else have anything to say about this? That definitely could be it, but it seems to brief and too uniform of a sound to be from the exhaust (unless that is the sound it is supposed to be). It does not necessarily happen when I am accelerating...

Does anybody else have anything to say about this? That definitely could be it, but it seems to brief and too uniform of a sound to be from the exhaust (unless that is the sound it is supposed to be). It does not necessarily happen when I am accelerating...
Any "feel" or vibration? A tire rubbing the wheelwell? Possibly the tub plastic rubbing? How intermit is it?

There is no feel or vibration, and on a 30 minute drive it happened maybe 3 times..

Do you have an aftermarket exhaust or is it OEM? If it's aftermarket, you might have a droning sound at a specific RPM. Try driving from 0 up to 45mph. And listen carefully. Acceleration will have nothing to do with it. A specific RPM and gear combo would.

Anyhow, I suspect that you would've figured out if it was the exhaust by now--so perhaps it is something else.

Another guess, you gave a vacuum leak. Intake manifold gaskets shot? Tiny hole in some plastic or rubber? My 750 did this, it would growl for a brief moment deeply & randomly. Almost like a subwoofer/hiccup sound. The cause was IM gaskets leaking.

In any event, your car has enough miles to need a full tune up, front end rebuild, IM gasket change, etc... Like I mentioned earlier, you're gonna need a good mechanic and minimum $5k parts/labor put into your ride.

In the near future I don't plan on fixing everything on the problems list I posted. Initially, what do you think are the most important things from that list to fix, and what would the cost be?

For the first things, I was thinking of getting a tune up, fixing the alignment, the brakes, and the bushings/tie rods. Is that a good list of essential things, and do you guys have a ball park of what it would cost?

From your description it sounds like it definitely could be a vacuum leak. If it was the vacuum leak, is that a big deal to get fixed?

First off, the vacuum leak could be an itty bitty hole in some hose. I had one in my 840 that was caused by a tiny rubber cap on a hose that had degraded over time. The cost of replacement was less than a dollar. I also had an Intake Manifold leak that, well, if I had to pay for the job + parts, would've cost at least $1k. The best way to check is to use a smoke machine. Also pull out the dipstick while the car is running, if the engine sound does not change, that might be an indicator that u've got a leak.

Here's what I'd do:
1. Brakes!
2. O2 sensors, spark plugs, valve cover gaskets
3. Intake manifold gaskets & replace PCV valve (inexpensive but 100% necessary), clean throttle body
4. Replace upper control arm bushings, replace entire lower arms, sway bar links, tie rods.
5. new tires and alignment

My guess in cost and labor if you don't do any of it yourself: a few thousand dollars.

If you're not handy with a wrench, you can still save $ by purchasing the parts online. But make sure that you find a 'cool' mechanic who i sok with u bringing in your own parts first because most garages make their $ via charging a lot for parts.

Nice looking car!!!! Best of luck with it..You'll find all the help you need here...:)

The brakes are my biggest concern as well, according to my mechanic the brake boosters are the problem, and that seems it because I have to push down fairly hard to get the car to stop.

I tried to look up prices for that but I am not having any luck, so like what kind of money am I looking at the get the brake boosters done/replaced?

:help Sorry for asking so many questions :help I'm just trying to figure out what needs to be done.....

You need to find yourself a mechanic that's familiar with 8's and V12. The more you read (which I can tell you have not!-look up the brake system, it's not just an easy as a simple booster change), the better off you will be. What type of experience do you have in regards to wrenching cars? We can probably coach you thru some of your other repairs.

It's a bit of a hike, but still within reach -
Try and get your car up to Solely Bmw in Mission Viejo so that Chad can give it the treatment it deserves - he's probably worked on more 8s than anybody in the state.
If this is within reach, I would consider it.

Well, I would rather not mess with the brake boosters, would make me sweat everytime I pressed the brakes. :stickoutt

You make it sound like its a quick easy job, but I'm looking at prices at the internet and im seeing part prices of $700

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?gkw=BMW+850CSI+Brake+Booster&gad=CLvH9skDEghARkzJ58YtuRjtn_T8AyDboaEr&makeid=800003@BMW&modelid=1013083@850CSI&year=1994&cid=14@Brake%20%26%20Wheel%20Hub&gid=1678@Brake%20Booster

Im not that familiar with that model, and cant recall actually seeing one driving around. I see some dinky profile pics with the headlights open, lets see a big pic of that. More INPUT! :)

This is more likely the problem than the brake Booster.
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=ay4y0uyvh3nmxl45v4nfvj45&makeid=800003@BMW&modelid=1013083@850CSI&year=1994&cid=14@Brake%20%26%20Wheel%20Hub&gid=1881@Pressure%20Accumulator%20Sphere

Im not that familiar with that model, and cant recall actually seeing one driving around. I see some dinky profile pics with the headlights open, lets see a big pic of that. More INPUT! :)

Here you go: (not as "dinky" as a 3 series)

If this is within reach, I would consider it.

Basically right off the 5 and Alicia pwky in Mission Viejo. (Probably 45 minutes or so) Actually won't be open there for a couple more weeks-there will definately be a post here once he's (finally) open for business.

Here's what I would start with unless the booster is leaking-
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=eqljxlqzote0yr55ducave55&makeid=800003@BMW&modelid=1013072@850CI&year=1997&cid=14@Brake%20%26%20Wheel%20Hub&gid=1881@Pressure%20Accumulator%20Sphere
It's up in the fender, access thru wheelwell. This will give you a hard or fading pedal.

If you can do this yourself, there went a $1k+ job for less than $200.. If you end up needing a booster,
pm me.

I believe it is leaking..could that just be an o-ring problem? I read someplace that if these cars sit for a long time the o-rings will go bad, and the fluids will leak out. I know the car I bought had been sitting for quite a while.

If not, SSC, where can I get a booster?

if it is not the booster, but the master cylinder.
there is one on evil bay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-850I-brake-master-cylinder_W0QQitemZ280205222915QQcmdZViewItem?hash= item280205222915

if it is not the booster, but the master cylinder.
there is one on evil bay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-850I-brake-master-cylinder_W0QQitemZ280205222915QQcmdZViewItem?hash= item280205222915

unlikely, just like the ad on Ebay says: "thought it was the master cylinder, turned out to be proportioning valves".

I would check in this order:

Brake hoses - check for cracks and leaking brake fluid
Brake "bomb" (pressure accumulator)
Brake Booster (located in front of the master cylinder), if it is "weeping" PENTOSIN where the booster meets the master cylinder, it will need to be rebuilt ( CONTACT me @ scs763@aol.com - I offer this sevice)
Pressure Regulator
Master Cylinderonce you have eliminated all of the "good' components, you should find the culprit - makes sense.

...
once you have eliminated all of the "good' components, you should find the culprit - makes sense.

process of elimination...:D makes perfect sense

Best of luck... hope you enjoy it.
Don't try to fix everything at once... make a list, set priorities...
Oh and ... bad ass color bro...

Yo,
Rod

Here you go: (not as "dinky" as a 3 series)

do you have dual HID conversion at front, or just white bulbs ? Glad you have replaced the sidelights with LEDs too. Have you seen the 45LED 1157 bayonet clusters available now ? They are insanely bright when wired up on 'Stop' setting ??

Tony

low beam and fog lamps are 4300K Xenon HID ballasted bulbs. The parking lights have LED bulbs (actually 36 led's in the bulb itself). To top it all off, I have the German LKM which allows ALL of the lights to be on at one time! The High Beams and FTP's are Sylvania Silver Stars...