1995 BMW 840

The vendor bought this Oxford green metallic 286bhp, 4.0-litre V8-engined car in 2000 when it was under five years old and showing just 30,000 miles. He is the third owner and has continued to have the car serviced religiously during his ownership, initially at a BMW main dealer and then at his local independent garage, which employs a number of ex-BMW mechanics.

The car is now showing 90,650 genuine miles, being used infrequently and starting to show its age and so he has decided that it is time it went to a new owner.

The 17½ year-old metallic green coachwork’s condition is consistent with its age, which might seem like damning with faint praise but the panel gaps are tight and even and it is free of any previous accident damage, which is a huge plus point as many examples have suffered the indignity of a quick blowover in an under-the-arches bodyshop to tart them up for the burgeoning 8 Series market. This is not one of them; it is honest, original, and completely untouched. It is your blank canvas rather than someone else’s GCSE art project… 

But it does need some work: the front end is showing some stone chips and light scratching, including damage to the BMW badge. Also, one of the alloy wheels is missing its centre cap, there is a small amount of rust on a rear wheelarch, a few small parking ‘dings’ on the flanks and some paint chips on the rear bumper.

More seriously, there is a dent in the rear offside wing and the rear light is damaged following an incident in a car-park when the car was unattended. The damage is reasonably minor and we suspect it could be repaired for much less than the £1,400 (plus VAT) the owner has been quoted to have the work done if you are prepared to do some of the work yourself and source a secondhand light unit from somewhere like eBay.

The interior was always a high point of the 8 Series range and this example has stood up especially well; while the owner used the car extensively in the early days, a move to the countryside (with dogs) prompted the purchase of a more rural-friendly vehicle. As a result, he’s used it sparingly for the past fifteen years or so, which means it has been spared the usual day-to-day rough-and-tumble that can take its toll on even the most robust of interiors.

As an example of how well it has been maintained, it still features its original radio / CD changer, toolkit and first-aid kit (the latter two being unused) and also comes with all three BMW keys, which is something of a rarity! The driver’s seat has the usual wear on its edge, and things could do with a good valet. But overall, like the exterior, all seems original, and fits together as it left the factory.

The air-conditioning unit/condenser was replaced about four years ago, so is leak-free and working but not the strongest. The sunroof is watertight despite a small stain on the headlining around it, but is inoperable. This problem has not been investigated, so it may just be something relatively minor. The rear screen has a small area of delamination, which in no way seriously detracts from the car’s appearance.

Aside from comprehensive regular annual servicing the car has had a new battery and four new tyres in the past year at a not inconsiderable expense, along with a new automatic gearbox in 2002 when the odometer was showing around 50,000 miles.

The owner tells us that the car runs very well and has no known faults other than those we have listed in the next paragraph.

The MOT runs out in November 2017, at which point the following issues are expected to need rectifying: there is play in the inner joint of both rear arms, the offside front anti-roll bar link, and the steering arms; the engine drive belts have started to crack; and all four brake discs and pads will need replacing. The vendor’s local garage knows the car well and has quoted around £1,000 to put these issues right, but a competent DIYer should be able to complete the work for a fraction of this amount.

This car has one of the most comprehensive service history’s that we have ever seen. Servicing was originally at the dealer, then at the owner’s same local garage at least once a year for the last decade and a half or so. Even included is the newspaper ad and purchase invoice from 17 years ago.

The car has been wearing a private registration number for the past few years. This has now been removed and the car now shows its original registration number of ‘N177DRJ’. It comes with the three original BMW keys (although one is not programmed) along with the owner’s handbook and wallet.

Please visit the ‘Records’ section of this listing where you will find over 60 photos and almost 50 invoices and other items of paperwork that form its impressively comprehensive service history. This is one car you can be sure of the mileage.

We’ve been touting the BMW 8 Series as a good investment for a while now and given that a completely new model is due to be launched in 2018, the demand for the classic 1990s models can only increase over the next few years.

Which is where this example comes in. No, it’s far from perfect but it is honest, which is (almost) as important. It comes with a wonderful provenance and a seventeen-year history of being pampered, which means that the faults it has should be easily and cheaply put right; for the right person, this is a winter project par excellence.

The guide price is only £2-3,000, and, excitingly, it has no reserve so the first bid means it will sell! This means that you could find yourself owning an appreciating modern classic BMW for considerably less than you thought you might have to pay. Yes, you’ll need to get your hands dirty but given its history it’s likely to be less of a gamble than a cosmetically perfect but mechanically flawed example sitting on a dodgy dealer’s forecourt somewhere…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at Patina HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.