New ride: 1997 BMW 840ci

I wasn't really in the market for one of these, but I've known about this (local) car for some time. It is a one owner car, owned by an elderly gentleman who bought the car for himself as a retirement present. He recently decided to sell it and called to see if I was interested, since we'd talked about it in the past. Given the mechanical condition of the car (overall very good) and the fact that it's a one owner car and somewhat of a unicorn, I decided to give it a go.

The main reason I decided to buy it, though, is my wife. She has always loved the 8-series. Once I have the car rehabbed (needs both exterior and interior cosmetic help as well as some various mechanical fixes), it will be a present for her.

The car is a MY1997. From what I can tell from BMW production numbers, that makes it 1 of 658 1997 models imported to the US. There was an engine change for MY1996 (4.0L to the much-preferred 4.4L) and only 801 total made it to the US over those 2 years. It is CALYPSOROT in color, which means it is 1 of 129 840s imported in that color. I knew the cars were uncommon, but had no idea exactly how uncommon.

On to the pictures:

Wow. Super clean. No MT? Every white cloud has a grey lining, eh?

N Sperlo wrote: Wow. Super clean. No MT? Every white cloud has a grey lining, eh?

A manual was never offered for this car in the US.

In reply to N Sperlo:

It is a big luxury GT. I could live with an automatic in such a car.

I've seen 840's and 850's with manual transmissions on ebay. Either way, i LOOOOVE those cars!!!

Nice! I've always had a soft spot for the 8-series. Looks great in that color too.

Congrats man.

Conquest351 wrote: I've seen 840's and 850's with manual transmissions on ebay. Either way, i LOOOOVE those cars!!!

You may have seen 850s with a manual (some came to the US equipped as such). Any 840 you saw with a manual was a swapped transmission. It's possible to do, as the European 840 was available with a manual, but very expensive to do.

Conquest351 wrote: Nice! I've always had a soft spot for the 8-series. Looks great in that color too. Congrats man.

Thanks! I'm excited and I'm sure my wife will be too.

We have a silver one on our lot. I had to do a little refurbishing on it too, but nothing too major.

Pretty bad-ass styling for that time period.

This is the wheel I want to switch to. I think they look much cooler.

<== Jealous!!

Awesome grab . . .

Great car in a great color. I love that color. Damn the 8 series are the last great looking bmw.

Talk about a car that will be a collector item someday.

Strike_Zero wrote: <==

Ha

Thanks guys. I'm looking forward to getting to know the car better.

dyintorace wrote:

Conquest351 wrote: I've seen 840's and 850's with manual transmissions on ebay. Either way, i LOOOOVE those cars!!!

You may have seen 850s with a manual (some came to the US equipped as such). Any 840 you saw with a manual was a swapped transmission. It's possible to do, as the European 840 was available with a manual, but very expensive to do.

There used to be a local 840 with the 6 speed out of a 540 and the pedals out of a manual transmission 735i I think. I believe it sold on ebay.

I love E31s. They're the only BMW I have a serious interest in at this point. So, having never actually driven one, I have to ask, how's the steering feel/feedback? I've yet to meet a car with recirculating ball steering that didn't leave me disappointed.

Sweeeeeeet car. Congrats, and I hope the wifey loves it too.

I love 8-series BMWs! Always wanted one...but I am scared to own one after reading a few pages on a 8-series forum and 90% of the posts were something along the lines of "Got my car running again! I missed it!"

Is the 840 more reliable than the 850? I am sure parts are less money for the 840..

dyintorace wrote: This is the wheel I want to switch to. I think they look *much* cooler.

+1M

Goes from dorky to swoopy in one fell, um, swoop.

I hope your experience with the car are as good as the looks of the car. :-) The 8-series are so sexy I want to hear some positive stories about ownership (rather than all the usual negative stories).

David

There's a nice Wheeler Dealer episode about these.

Beautiful! I'm not a GT fan in general but that is one sweet car. The history on it sounds excellent.

MG Bryan wrote: There used to be a local 840 with the 6 speed out of a 540 and the pedals out of a manual transmission 735i I think. I believe it sold on ebay. I love E31s. They're the only BMW I have a serious interest in at this point. So, having never actually driven one, I have to ask, how's the steering feel/feedback? I've yet to meet a car with recirculating ball steering that didn't leave me disappointed.

I've investigated swapping the transmission to a 5 or 6 speed. For the cost (several thousand), it is just not worth it. Especially since the transmission in these later cars was a really nice unit.

To be honest, I haven't spent much time behind the wheel yet. My initial impression is that this car drives very differently than the other BMWs I've owned (or presently own). The 840 drives much more like the big GT that it is and not at all like the sport sedans I'm used to. I'm guessing it would be fantastic on the Autobahn, doing 120 mph!

DWNSHFT wrote: I hope your experience with the car are as good as the looks of the car. :-) The 8-series are so sexy I want to hear some positive stories about ownership (rather than all the usual negative stories).

I will keep you all informed regarding the ownership experience! Hopefully it is enjoyable.

Forgot to mention that it only has 95k on it. Not too shabby, given it's age. And MY1997 was the last year for these babies. Nice and rare!

Feedyurhed wrote: There's a nice Wheeler Dealer episode about these.

I love that show. I'll track it down via the web. Thanks for the tip!