BMW 840ci (E31) 1995
140k Miles
MOT to 28th June 2019 - Happy to put a full MOT on for buyer
Just been lightly restored, perfect usable classic investment
Thanks for taking the time to look at this wonderful car. I've only owned it a few months and have really enjoyed driving and improving it. I've spent a small fortune on this car since purchasing, it's a childhood dream-car for me and I know I'll regret selling it as it's sure to be worth significantly more in the coming years. Whilst the car looks great inside and out, it's in a useable condition - something which you can enjoy driving, whilst it appreciates in value. Unfortunately for me, I've decided that this just isn't the weekend-car I'm looking for and that life is too short to drive cars which don't suit your needs!
The V5 is present, in my name. I've managed to piece together some service history from BMW and know that it's been looked after by them as follows;
1995-2000 at BMW Williams (Stockport)
2000-2005 at BMW Halliwell Jones (Chester)
2010 at BMW Park Royal (Wembley, London)
2011 at BMW Park Lane (Mayfair, London)
I've requested copies of service records from these dealers and am eagerly waiting for them to be posted. There's also a number of old MOT certificates, however the MOT history is available online. I would urge any interested parties to check out the MOT history of this car which is very favourable - it's never failed on anything other than consumables and shows that the car has been cared for and in regular, constant use.
Further, the car has had a full service carried out by myself - with receipts to prove and as detailed below.
Consumables all have plenty of life left in them - brake discs and pads look to be very recent and all four tyres have plenty of tread left. All tyres are from good quality manufacturers, but unfortunately aren't matching. The car comes with two keys and remote central locking which works as it should.
I encourage all interested parties to come and look at this car for yourselves. However, here's an honest and detailed appraisal:
Exterior
Finished in Cosmosschwarz metallic black. The paint is in generally fantastic condition, it's been recently professionally machine polished, hand polished and then sealed with Swissvax which has left very few defects in the paint. Unfortunately there remain a couple of very minor blemishes which need a paintless dent repair in the drivers door and small sections on the drivers side headlight cover, front bumper and passenger wing mirror which will need some repair and paint. There are a few very minor stone chips which are starting to bubble - these are limited to the sunroof cover and leading edge of the roof only - the rest of the body is amazingly rust free. Many of these E31's rust in the wheel arches, but this example is perfect.
The original BBS wheels have been refurbished in the factory-correct silver to a good standard and really make the car look every bit as good as it should. There is a matching spare in the boot which hasn't been refurbished and the locking wheel-nut key is present.
Interior
Finished in Pergament Hell Nappa, the interior has been replaced in this car as part of the recent refurbishment works. A good condition used interior has been refurbished by a local leather specialist and looks absolutely sublime fitted in the car. Very good quality leather care products have been used to carefully revitalise the interior and ensure that it remains flexible and healthy to ensure that it continues to look great for years to come. All of the seat mechanisms have been checked and repaired where necessary - including the renowned twisted-seat, meaning that absolutely everything works as it should. The headlining, A and C pillars have been re-trimmed in grey cloth which really lifts the interior and means no saggy-headlining which often blights many classics. Whilst the seats were removed, the carpets have been steam cleaned meaning that the car smells like new and is thoroughly clean. If I were to be picky, the parcel shelf could be re-trimmed to get a perfect result; the material used is readily available and would be an easy DIY job for little cost. Also, the lock-mechanism for the toolkit in the boot has failed, meaning that it's always open - this remains towards the bottom of my 'to do' list.
Mechanical
The car starts, drives and stops just as it should. The engine sounds wonderful and purrs away beautifully, the gearbox changes gear smoothly as you'd expect and kicks down with a satisfying shove, the brakes bring you to a halt with no grinding, pulling or vibration. As part of the recent refurbishment, all spark plugs and filters have been changed with good quality Bosch items, all fluids changed including the differential oil - again, good quality Castrol oil has been used to correct manufacturer specifications. It goes down the road nicely with no concerning knocks, creaks or rattles. Being critical, the steering feels a little vague to me - but I don't have much experience of cars of this age, so it could just be me. The underside of the car is in good condition - there's evidence of an old oil leak, but this seems to have been resolved as I've not found anything and it's not left any stains on my drive.
Electrical
As part of the recent refurbishment works, the car has had both batteries replaced with new Bosch items and the alternator has been refurbished. As I've said, all of the seat adjustments work, heater blowers, windows, pop-up headlights, mirror adjustment all work perfectly. Unfortunately the sunroof is not working - I've tried adjusting the mechanism and re-setting the stop point, but have concluded that it must need a replacement control module. I've been looking for one of these, but unfortunately they're not available from BMW anymore and there aren't many used E31 parts around. The same module from a BMW of a similar vintage might work, but I've not tried this. Also, you may see in the photos that there's currently a fault showing with both front and rear fog lights - hopefully this is just a fuse, so I'll repair before collection. Finally, the stereo doesn't work - however I've got a period-correct Becker TrafficPro sat-nav headunit (in perfect condition, still in its' original box, with up-to-date map discs for UK and Europe) which will be supplied with the car.
What jobs are left to do?
I've got through an awful lot in the short time I've owned the car, but as always, there remains a few jobs which I've not got around to doing. Some of those are mentioned above, but here's a full list of everything I'd have done if I were keeping the car;
-full-alignment check to rule out any steering concerns (or paranoia) I have
-source a new toolkit lock for the boot
-fit the new (supplied) head unit
-minor bodywork repairs as detailed above
-retrim parcel shelf
-gearbox service for peace of mind (no issues with its operation)
-clean and underseal bottom of car
I think I've covered things in as much detail as I can, but I'm sure I'll have missed something. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I've got lots more photos which I'll be happy to share and also happy to talk anything through over the phone - just ask for my number if you wish to do so.
If you've made it this far, well done. Thanks for looking