when I put in on vin decoder it shows up as 850ci but on the back its 850i. I know they started labeling them ci in 93 I think but I am just curious if decoder adds ci regardless or I have something weird here.

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I take it its too much of a noob question :D

I believe 91 is just 850I...............

The i covered the first couple of years of production.

The Ci was the result of multiple changes being made to the suspension, interior and electrical bits.

So there really is a difference between an i and a Ci .

Then I don't get it, I put my vin in one of those vin decoders and it showed up as ci

ok I figured it out, http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi will give you ci no matter what year you will put in it. Even 90-92

The thing is, it doesn't matter whether your car comes up as a "Ci" or an "i" - it's the year that's important. If it's a '91 (as yours and mine both are) it will come a certain way - there was no "Ci" option for a '91. If you'd bought a '94, it only came one way (not including CSI), so again, the designation is moot.
The year of the car is what determines what different bits and materials were used - the designation is irrelevant.
Before someone tries to argue this, remember that there are differences between a '93 "Ci" and a '96 "Ci" (transmission and motor for starters) - so I'll stand by my point.

This is the best explanation I've ever seen from http://www.e31.net/models.html:

BMW 850Ci

01/1993 - 10/1994, V12 (M70), 5.0l
02/1994 - 05/1999, V12 (M73), 5.4l

It is quite tricky to distinguish between the 850i and the 850Ci. You can read from the production table that production of these two models was overlapping for eight months. And the upgrade to the advanced M73 engine did not coincide with the change in the type designation. In addition even material from BMW contradicts itself. You can read in the owner's handbook of a '93 850CSi that the 850Ci has a 300hp engine (the M70). According to BMW production figures the 850Ci does only exist since the M73 engine with 326hp was built into it (1994).


The 850Ci with M70 engine was available with a 4-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual transmission, the 850Ci with M73 power plant only with the 5-speed automatic gearbox. So there are no 5.4l 850s that are manual.


With the introduction of the 850CSi BMW added the shortcut C (for Coupé) to all their coupés. The 850i became the 850Ci. The additional S in CSi means sport. Maybe that should remind of the 635CSi.


In order to avoid any misunderstandings, the 850 with the M70 engine and 300hp will be called 850i on this website, and the version with 326hp and the M73 engine 850Ci accordingly!