850Ci or E39 M5

[8eights]

Funny point you mentioned, I'll come home from work in my pick up just to get my 8 and go back 3 miles to in and out burger, I think SPM was correct, We need help!-)

[mattsimis]

Funny point you mentioned, I'll come home from work in my pick up just to get my 8 and go back 3 miles to in and out burger, I think SPM was correct, We need help!-)

Yep, me too!
I drive an E39 530i Touring 150km a day except Friday, thats the day I bring the CSI out! For any other short trips its the 8er. The 530i is very very dull.

[Koizumi]

Funny point you mentioned, I'll come home from work in my pick up just to get my 8 and go back 3 miles to in and out burger, I think SPM was correct, We need help!-)

lol, I'm glad I'm not alone in my madness

[koenig d]

Iv'e sold the 645 4 months ago,on fridays I drove home from work in the 645ci , got the KS8 0ut and drove past work to get a bottle of wine.
poor excuse, the batteries might beed a recharge.
I'm in a wine club that delivers for freeyour not alone outr there.

[silversunbeam]

It's a conundrum! I've enjoyed a 2001, 740i Sport which handily eats the shorts of my '97 840ci, and the Seven is the greatest car EVER on a long trip. I'm also fortunate enough to be able to have fun with an M Roadster. I will admit, the e38 is my overall favorite of the three, but each do something totally different. HOWEVER, please hear this.... when your M-5 gets to be 12+ years old, NO ONE is going to ask you in a gas station if your car is the "New BMW." I'll wholeheartedly have to agree with rogbmw, the 8 is a truly beautiful car which you never get tired of looking at. Besides, the e31 folks are the greatest bunch of people I've ever met in driving BMW's for 37 years. As was already said, "Listen to your heart."

[Dominic321]

did all 8 series come with v12's

[IcemanBHE]

Of the 30,621 E31 built worldwide, only 7,803 were V8 in the years 94-97. In North America this number dwindles to 7,232, thus only 2,450 V8s available in those same years.

[mario8139]

or just get both like i did

[luv8]

Funny point you mentioned, I'll come home from work in my pick up just to get my 8 and go back 3 miles to in and out burger, I think SPM was correct, We need help!-)

What's more...the entry level to a decent 8 is so affordable, but the average joe at the in and out burger who doesn't know 8's thinks it's cost prohibitve.

I see friends with new GM trash mobiles that they paid $30K for...hell if I had $30K in my 8 it would be a show car.

Yep, me too!
I drive an E39 530i Touring 150km a day except Friday, thats the day I bring the CSI out! For any other short trips its the 8er. The 530i is very very dull.

I purchased my current E39 because I absolutely LOVED my E34 '95 530i...WHAT A HUGE LET DOWN!!! The E34 and E39 might as well be different car companies. The E34 was so solid and classy...my E39 might as well be a Volvo comparitvely speaking.

PS I liked my Volvo 960 WAYYYY more than my E39...I may buy another pre-Ford Volvo as my everyday getta-round.

PSS CSI recently was listed on Ebay(US) with a Buy it Now for about $50K...was sold within hours...hahahaha...go to "completed listings" to see it

Yep, me too!
I drive an E39 530i Touring 150km a day except Friday, thats the day I bring the CSI out! For any other short trips its the 8er. The 530i is very very dull.

Heres the 850CSI that lasted no more than a day on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RARE-...item414aa3171e

[DrewDude320i]

Hey fellas,

I thought Ethan had sold Tom King's old 850, so I said to myself, "well, I guess it'll have to be a E39!" Thing is, I love the 8 series, but only when it's done up a certain way. The ACS bumpers and color on Tom's is perfect - I love it. So really, I'm after THAT 8 series. I talked to him the other day, and he still had it - I think he isn't actively selling it anymore. IIRC, he said too many stupid hipsters came to see it, and he wants it to be taken care of. So maybe he'll hold on to it until I have the money to buy it! Here are some pictures of when it lived in florida, let me know if they dont work:













Apparently it has 3.91 gearing in the differential - and those taller gears might help aleviate some of the "slowness." Also has a few Dinan bits, but I dont remember exactly what.

I was thinking about it, and the only things I really like about the E39 are the noise and the power (acceleration/speed). However - I already have a track car, and there's really no place where i can responsibly use 400 hp and a 180 mph top speed on public roads. And in my photo album, I have those 8-er pics mixed with random e39 m5 pictures - and the E39 looks really "meh" compared to the the E31. If I could make the E31 sound like this:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiupn9BTPBg[/ame]

(and obviously, we can), I wouldn't need the S62's V8 rumble. And as for acceleration...the dinan parts and 3.91 diff might help with that.

[vinnyricci]

There is nothing Like an 8 period!! If your for performance and more pratical use, get the m5. If your for gorgoues looks, stunning appearance and lots of attention, the eight is your choice. Than you can kill two birds with one stone and get the eight, add the wokke v2 chips, dinan tranny chip and a Lsd, get a full performance exhaust system with headers, and supercharged or turbo charge your engine and your eight will be way faster than any e39 m5 and maybe up there with the e60 m5 and new m6s . Think about that

[Efterlyst27]

Ah very interesting topic.. I've owned and DDed both for a bit now, here's my opinion.

The E39 M5 is a classic sleeper. Everyone respects the M badge plus the hard work and hand craftsmanship that 5.0L has in it. The M5 is not supposed to turn heads. The inside is plush with leather and all the creature comforts you can ask for. Very smooth ride, gearbox, and torque range. I much prefer the S62 against any M70 or M73. The body style of the E39 is also time-less. I honestly had zero complaints about my M5. I loved every second of driving that beast. And for those who say they see E39 M5's often, I'd love to know your location. I rarely see E39 M5's anymore, and the ones I do see I know the driver from the close-knit community. Like Jeremy Clarkson said "The E39 was a quietly styled monster." It can put most cars to shame in a straight line and on a track. 10/10 IMO.

E31's are agreeably more rarer than the M5's. I feel that the E31 is starting to show its age, as with the M5 being more up to date on everything. The 850 cant touch the torque or horsepower that the M5 has. Not even my M3 can produce the feeling of that car. I know V12 maintenance is very expensive at times. The S62 can also set you back a few $$. Do your homework and decide whats best for you. I honestly think you cant go wrong with either choice. Just remember, an M car has something more special to it than a normal BMW. (CSi excluded)

.02

[rr1958]

Ok, I know this is an old thread but I am itching to purchase either an e39 M or the 850i. Given the years between posts, I'm wondering if the sentiment has changed with respect to the two cars and if there is a compelling argument either way in 2020.

[WildKarrde]

Nothing much has changed. Cost aside, if you want speed, get the M5. If you want dashing good looks, a stronger sense of opulence, and the exclusivity of owning one of the most rare platforms BMW ever produced, get the 850Ci.

If you must have both, buy a wrecked M5 and an 840Ci with a blown engine. You could also buy a <'94 850 and rebuild the engine as an M70B54 hybrid producing about 350HP and 405 ft/lb torque, while maintaining the exclusivity of having a V12. The stock M70 in the <'94 engines is also very receptive to forced induction, which can wield from about 450 - 600 HP. All three options cost about the same. Which is to say, a LOT.

Personally, my choice was the 850Ci. Partially because it emotionally moves me in a way the E39 never did, and partially because the particular one I bought was WAY more affordable than any running E39 M5 would have been. By the time I finish restoring it and modifying it, it'll probably have cost me about the same as the M5 does today, but it will be exactly what I want, and I'll have been able to own and drive it all those years between now and then, versus trying to save up for an M5 that will continue to get more expensive as my savings try to catch up. Same thing would have happened if I wanted to buy a mint condition E31 as well, though.

My only point of concern would be the viability of using it as your only/daily driver. Some parts are getting expensive, and all parts are getting rare. If you buy the nicest low mileage, well maintained example possible, with all rubber replaced, etc, it would probably make for a very reliable great daily driver for many years, but you'll never find an insurance company willing to insure it for full value as a daily driver. If you buy a higher mileage, cheaper example like mine, it will need work. I spent about $1500 and dozens of hours of labor in the month after I got it to make it completely road worthy. I haven't driven mine for a couple weeks because it needs a new driveshaft center bearing. I can get one for $250, but I'm trying to find one for cheaper. I can save more money doing it myself, but I won't have the time to do it for another month or two. I also have about $1000 - $2500 worth of suspension work to do sooner than later. I've driven it about 4000 miles since I got it last May, which seems to be more than almost anyone on BringaTrailer drives their E31 in their entire ownership of it, so I'm not saying it isn't possible, but it would have been a lot more frustrating/expensive if I relied on it as my only car, and had to get everything fixed as soon as it failed in order to get to work the next day.

[clockwork]

i love both cars. from my point of view, the chances that you'll have to do a bunch of work once you buy the car (aesthetics wise) are greater with the 8. the m5 looks almost perfect from the factory, imo. the 8 needs some help with wheel, tire, suspension, then add to that the fact that it's simply a much older car! there will inevitably be more wear and tear, and parts are extremely expensive - comparable to an M, simply b/c alot of e31 parts were made specifically and only for the e31... and that was 20 years ago! now - if i had the choice between an 850 an e39 m5, both in perfect condition, with wheel, tire, suspension, etc specs to my liking, i'd choose the e39 hands down... simply for it's uniqueness. to ME that means something... to you, i know that it doesn't so much but hey, you asked for opinions. good luck, you can't go wrong with either.

Hands down, I agree

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[rr1958]

I do not plan to use the car as a daily driver and plan to take care of most of the routine maintenance on my own as I have for my current e39 and e46. I've done things like water pumps, oil filter housing gaskets, valve cover gaskets... Would maintenance requirements of either the m5 or 850 be that different aside from the general coat of the parts? I know from research that the cost of similar parts for an e31 vs the e39M5 are higher.

[Amo3686]

I am biased towards the 8 because that's my dream car so I would say the 8. Obviously the M5 can act as a practical family car too whereas the rear seats in the E31 are almost pointless. As for MPG, anyone buying either of these cars and is concerned with fuel economy is looking at the wrong cars, but as you said, who cares about MPG. Obviously the E39 M5 is more powerful but the 8 has the beautiful one-off looks. The E31 does have good torque though, particularly at the lower end of the revs.


But like I said, I am biased towards the 8.

[CD05001CIA]

I am putting back together CD05001. The e31 especially w/ an M73 or a modded M70 is to my liking. Here's the thing, the 8 series was designed to " OUT MANEUVER a Ferrari on the Autobahn. I will never sell CD05001. NEVER. YOU all can test drive both or even a set up e46 M3, to decide.
GregoryJohnPollock aka Woody McShepherd. aka Johnathan MacGuyver
Betrothed to Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson

[WildKarrde]

I am putting back together CD05001. The e31 especially w/ an M73 or a modded M70 is to my liking. Here's the thing, the 8 series was designed to " OUT MANEUVER a Ferrari on the Autobahn. I will never sell CD05001. NEVER. YOU all can test drive both or even a set up e46 M3, to decide.
GregoryJohnPollock aka Woody McShepherd. aka Johnathan MacGuyver
Betrothed to Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson

Do you have a source to back this up? I'm not disagreeing with you, just never seen anything about it before, and would be interested in reading it. I was quite surprised that the E31 handles so well for such a heavy car, but I'd think a Ferrari 348, and the 328 it replaced would handle better.

[CD05001CIA]

Do you have a source to back this up? I'm not disagreeing with you, just never seen anything about it before, and would be interested in reading it. I was quite surprised that the E31 handles so well for such a heavy car, but I'd think a Ferrari 348, and the 328 it replaced would handle better.

Nope !
I don't need to . (trying to be kinder gentle-er)

[DubSport]

As a current owner of a low mileage 6-speed 850i, and also a supercharged E39 M5, I can assure you that they are both great. They both make you feel good just by getting in them and firing them up. I really do love them both.
Performance and practicality goes to e39 all day long.
Reliability goes to e39.
I have had a shop turn down doing work on my 850i because the parts are so old and brittle, and they didn't want to be halfway through a job and have some obscure part crumble to bits on them, only to then have to order it from Germany (if available) and then the car sits on their lot for another month. I have been waiting for a couple gaskets from Germany for my 850i for almost three months now. I don't really care as it is a summer car and I can take my time on fixing things.

Exclusivity IMO goes to the 850i, it probably turns more heads too.

[CD05001CIA]

or just get both like i did

That's the thing to do !

[Arsenic]

My 1997 840Ci is the car that I almost always turn back to look at when I park it. I didn't do that with my E46 M3 or my Shelby GT500, but occasionally. Those cars are sold, still have the 8. When I worked 20 on 4 off at a mine just under 500 miles away, I would top off the 8 and stop once for convenience but not gas. Best car seat I have ever had and my back hates long drives. I might sell my 8, so I can buy another 8 with less miles.