1991 BMW 850i

Supplied new by Royal Ascot Garage of Ascot, Berks, the included V5 document shows that this 850i has accumulated a total of 12 owners since then. In that time it’s resided on the south and northeast coasts, as well as more recently in the midlands and Home Counties.

The current owner Robert Browne bought the car a couple of years, but hasn’t used it other than to keep it ticking over. ‘It’s been kept SORN in our purpose-built storage facility situated on a farm, regularly started, wheels turned and then brought out every two months for a run around the block.’

Robert had known the car for a while prior to purchasing it. ‘The previous owner was a mechanic and I also knew the owner prior to him, so it has a sound background,’ he explains. ‘I had it MOT tested three months ago and it passed with no advisories.’

He’s also recently fitted two new batteries, but is now selling the car as he has bought something else. ‘It’s a nice car and drives really well. It has the first aid kit and full tool set, so there’s nothing missing and I drove it to The Market in Abingdon and it completed the 40-minute drive with no issues.’  

This really is a discreet big beast. Its looks fell out of favour for a while, but they’ve definitely come back into vogue. We love the details including that supremely understated V12 badge on the rear and the circumspect kidney grills on the nose (take a gander at the ludicrous items on the recent Concept 4, by way of garish contrast).

The Diamond Black paintwork is about a 6 or 7 out of 10. There’s some light scratching, a few minor parking dents, some stone-chips on its nose and evidence of a few repairs here and there. The most notable of these are a couple of rattle-can repairs on the bumpers – the repair on each is the right shape, but the finish a little bit matt compared to the surrounding paint.

On our inspection, the panels do line up well. Overall the bodywork looks solid, with no immediate evidence of corrosion on any the model’s known trouble spots (including front and rear wheel arches, door bottoms and the sunroof panel) other than the leading edge of the bonnet, which does have the beginnings of some surface rust.

The BMW badges on the bonnet and bootlid are aftermarket black/white jobs, and could do with being replaced if you prefer originality, while the rear windscreen is delaminating at the offside bottom corner. The plastic cover on the rear lights on the same side is also fading very slightly at the top.

The alloy wheels remains in reasonably good condition, although each has a varying amount of chipping on its finish. The next owner may wish to have them reconditioned to smarten things up. Likewise the alloy sections on the doorsill covers are a little past their best.

Electrically it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but more positive than negative (no pun intended). The sunroof, windows, mirrors and central locking all function as they should, but the driver’s seat is partially jammed on its electric movement – on forwards/backwards and up/down movements you can hear the motor trying, but there’s no end result. Up front there are a few pixel issues on the trip computer (a common issue), but this is usually a relatively cheap fix.

Overall the interior is complete, but generally a little grubby. It’s not excessively so, but would it benefit from a blooming good detailing? Well, yes. The driver’s seat is most definitely worn (especially the bolster), but importantly it’s not torn so should respond to feeding and re-colouring. The handbrake button is also a bit stuck, which may be from lack of use.

There’s a nice Alpina leather sports steering wheel fitted and the radio functions, although there’s no CD multi-changer.  

The engine bay remains in nicely presented condition, with limited road grime having made it up top and no evidence of any significant leaks. In the rear, removing the spare wheel sees a generally solid wheel-well with just the beginnings of a touch of surface rust.

It’s a bit dirty underneath, which shows some recent use. A quick check shows no immediate signs for worry. The suspension looks okay, but the rear of the exhaust system (from centre boxes backwards) has some corrosion; it’s not blowing by any means, but it may need replacing at some point in the future.

The V12 engines are renowned for being durable big lumps, and the good news is that this one still pulls healthily. Similarly the automatic gearbox appears issue free, shifting cogs nicely and the brakes stop the car sharply.

The 850i’s suspension set-up is pretty complex so it’s important to check for blatant clonks and shonks on the road, but this example drives perfectly well. It’s absolutely loaded to the gun-whales with ECUs, so any problems with these would certainly manifest themselves to the driver.

As with any prospective purchase, we do recommend you come and view the car before taking it for a test-drive yourself. This one is located at our Abingdon HQ and we’ll even throw in a lovely cuppa and a biscuit.  

The original service book is included and shows a fully stamped service history between 1991 and 2000. Also present in the history file are a number of receipts for work completed during this time, as well as some others from the years 2006/7.

There’s nothing much from recent times except for a service stamp for an oil service and inspection at 113,085 miles, completed on 2/9/10. Also present are a collection of past MOT certificates.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a good standard.

What does £7k buy you these days? Not much in the way of new cars, but if you’re a lover of modern classics then there are some impressive big beasts that can be had. Why have we mentioned that particular price point? Well, read on.

Cosmetically it’s not the strongest 850i we’ve had here at The Market, but it drives nicely and with a bit of TLC and minor outlay both the exterior and interior can quickly be brought up to a very nice standard. Factor in a lack of recent service history, and use, and that’s reflected in the estimate, which we have set at between £7000 and £12,000.

That is not a lot of pennies for what is a hell of a lot of car. 5.0-litre M70 V12 engine? Yes! 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds? Yes! Continent-in-a-day-destroying-capabilities? Yes! You can see where we’re going with this… cue the return of Meg Ryan.

Again being up front, this car is what it is: good, but then again not superb. As the model goes, it should provide the next owner with a nice solid buy.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located at The Market’s Abingdon HQ; 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: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.