aggravation

I'm curious, is it a lot like the 928? Seems like it's quite a bit heavier from the few I checked out in some old reviews but the horsepower is similar as well as the over all 'purpose of the design'.
Looks like a fun daily driver kind of car. Is the back seat any better than the 928?

I was thinking the wife will never let me have two sports car toys but the oldest daughter will need a car in the next year and a half when she gets her license...maybe I could restore an old BMW for her....

Marine Blue

Definitely a sweet car but I hear they are very high maintenance (makes a 928 seem cheap). Not sure it it is true but that is what I have seen posted by others who have owned or researched them.

ShawnSmith

Similarly obscure GT variants of their breed. The 850 is especially chunky and complicated - making even our rather hefty and quirky 928's look trim and simple in contrast.

The 850csi was the GTS of the breed - a ton more motor, enough to make it interesting. Otherwise, you honestly want an 840i with the vastly more mainstream motor and less weight.

Tampa 928s

I have a 735IL same car half the motor and not as cool looking. Car runs forever but that V-12 is hard to repair and get parts for! Mine is sitting waiting for my son to get his license, I wanted a big safe car for him.

123quattro

I have always liked the 850 manual cars. I think nice ones can be had for 15-20k. If I ever got married it would make a cool second car a wife.

tlebovic

Nice car but watch out for the $1200 stepper motors that work the throttles - and you'll end up replacing both of them eventually.

andy-gts

I wanted one also, but the mechanic said just replacing the plugs was a 4 hour job and parts are way more expensive.
andy

mcholdfast

A neighbor has one. I can't help but look every time I drive by. It's a black beauty. I think I'll continue to admire it from a distance based on some of the comment$ in this thread.

Randy V

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-928-pics.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...details-6.html

SharkSkin

I always wanted one, by the time I could afford one I knew better.

Horror stories about maintenance, sure. Same with my twin-SU carbs on the Z. Same story on the 928s. The difference is, when a BMW guy tells you the easy way to do it, it's still a horror story.

hacker-pschorr

I see a simple solution. Drop in a 928 motor

dprantl

The only problem I have with an 850 is that it is *heavy*. Like over 4,000lbs. That's why it seems sluggish compared to a 928.

Dan
'91 928GT S/C 475hp/460lb.ft

Ispeed

picture your S4 (3500#) with 700 more lbs (4200#), the same power, weaker brakes, spindly suspension design, and even more complex electrical and mechanicals.
Great looking cars, but not in the 928's league due to weight, suspension, and brakes. If you like to drive a sports car, it is probably a let down. I still like them, and the rare 850CSI 6 speed must be pretty good.

I have a 740 and much of the suspension is the same as the 850, not as solid as our awesome 928s.

Ian928

I once read a comparison between the then-new 850 and the 928GT in a car magazine. I remember the 928GT being described as "manic" in comparison to the 850. I think BMW did the same mistake with the 850 as Porsche did with the 928: Introducing the car with too low performance. BMW produced versions of the 850 with up to 380hp that is supposedly brilliant cars, but it is the first sluggish basic variant that people remember.

j.kenzie@sbcglobal.net

I had a 92 850i. It was beautiful, with premium materials, fit and finish. It was sluggish, and I even had the dealer see if something was wrong with its performance. Not really, that's just how they are. They are very nice cruising cars for high speed travel, much like the 928 without the lower speed nimbleness. The back seat is no bigger than the 928. Maintenance costs are probably 50% more than the 928.
There is an 840i which is the V8 version, often with manual trans, which might solve some of the cost and speed problems, but I have no direct experience with this.
I did really like the 850i car though.