I guess I will chime in here.....
I ran the CS Register back in the 1990's and am very familiar with the E9. Since that time I have migrated up to the E31 cars. I realize that I just like the larger coupes.
I am currently the President of the BMW CCA E31 Chapter, the very first and only existing BMW CCA Non-Geographic Chapter devoted to a specific model. We are solely dedicated to the E31. I am also one of two North American representatives on the International Board of Directors for 8er.org headquartered in Switzerland, the International 8 series group. Thus, I know the e31 8 market fairly well.
Regarding "regular" E31 prices, they currently are all over the map. I am referring to the 840 and 850. Think of it this way - E9 prices can vary all over the place too. Very well kept examples are very high, trashed cars are low, relatively speaking. So, just like the E9, due diligence is required when purchasing an E31. It was an expensive car in its time. Prices for new cars ranged from upper 70's to over 100K. And this was back in the 90's. Prices seem to range from 5-6K for dogs or pretty worn examples with no service history, to mid-upper 20K and even into the low 30K range on occasion for excellent examples with documented service history.
Regarding 850CSi prices, they took a dip into the 30's, but seem to have rebounded into the 40-50K range. 225 examples were produced for the US market, and overall worldwide production was around 1500, give or take some. The V12 in the 850CSi was hand made by BMW Motorsport, and actually is the lowest production M motor ever made. Some people do not look at the 850CSi as an actual M car, and point to the M8 prototype, but the 850CSi has a distinct BMW Motorsport VIN designation, different from all other 840 and 850 VINs.
Regarding Alpina B12 Coupes, you are talking a completely different and rare animal. Regarding prices for the Alpina B12 Coupes, the car you are referring to is George's car - a member of the E31 group. It is the second Alpina B12 5.0 imported to the US. I have the first B12 5.0 Coupe imported, the only silver B12 5.0 produced, number 45, and it has just over 23,000 miles. I put it through a 2+ year restoration, and it was recently displayed at the BMW Zentrum. George's car is #44, and was imported after my car. The importer I used was 101 Innovations, and he and I brought my car in, petitioned NHTSA to be able to bring in Alpina B12 coupes, and once the petition was acted on and approved, we went through the entire federalization process - which took almost 2 years. George's car was also imported by 101 Innovations. Bill, the owner of 101 Innovations is a long standing member of the E31 community and very well respected.
Alpina made two variations of the B12 Coupe, the B12 5.0, of which 97 were built, and what is considered the "Holy Grail" of the E31 range - the B12 5.7, of which only 57 were produced. Until very recently, the B12 5.7 was the fastest car Alpina had ever produced, with a top speed of just over 190mph.
Since I purchased my B12 5.0 E31 Coupe, Alpina prices have continued to rise. I purchased my car in late 2009 in Japan. I essentially have seen prices double for the B12 5.0 versions worldwide over the past 4 - 5 years. A recent low mileage B12 5.0 example in Europe was priced at 80K Euros. People think it is high, but the market seems to be supporting higher B12 prices. The last two B12 5.7 cars that sold were above $120K. When taken in the worldwide context of Alpina B12 prices, George's car is reasonably priced according to many. Plus it is fully federalized with documentation.
When thinking of Alpina prices, it is best to cross-reference the thought process to the E9 CSL.
The E31 is a complex vehicle, but contrary to belief by some, they are actually fairly straight forward to work on. I am not a mechanic, but do most of my own wrenching, and find the V12 easy to work on, as long as you break it down into components - think of it this way - it is essentially two inline 6 cylinders, joined at the crank so to speak, with a computer for each bank, and a 3rd computer coordinating each bank computer. When you think of it that way, you diagnose each bank separately and it is pretty straight forward. Also, there is a great support group for the E31, just like the E9. I personally prefer the V12, and have owned several. But the V8 is an excellent example too.
E31 cars have issues similar to E9 cars. Most of the issues are with some of the trim pieces - especially in regard to some of the small interior pieces. They are not to the point of the E9 in respect of availability, but there are some NLA parts.
If you continue to look for an 8, please visit our website: BMWCCAE31(dot)com. There are excellent links. Look at the Pre-Purchase Inspection located there. It is an excellent piece developed by our Secretary, Tom "Wuffer" Carter. We primarily utilize Bimmerforums for our E31 discussion group: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?55-8-Series-(E31)
I still miss our E9, but from what I have been told, it is somewhere in a private collection.
All the best in your quest for an E31. The E31 community is very much like the E9 group - a great bunch of people. Both are maybe a little older, and maybe a little more mature than some, but definitely a great group of people. If I can be of any help, please let me know.
Roger
I ran the CS Register back in the 1990's and am very familiar with the E9. Since that time I have migrated up to the E31 cars. I realize that I just like the larger coupes.
I am currently the President of the BMW CCA E31 Chapter, the very first and only existing BMW CCA Non-Geographic Chapter devoted to a specific model. We are solely dedicated to the E31. I am also one of two North American representatives on the International Board of Directors for 8er.org headquartered in Switzerland, the International 8 series group. Thus, I know the e31 8 market fairly well.
Regarding "regular" E31 prices, they currently are all over the map. I am referring to the 840 and 850. Think of it this way - E9 prices can vary all over the place too. Very well kept examples are very high, trashed cars are low, relatively speaking. So, just like the E9, due diligence is required when purchasing an E31. It was an expensive car in its time. Prices for new cars ranged from upper 70's to over 100K. And this was back in the 90's. Prices seem to range from 5-6K for dogs or pretty worn examples with no service history, to mid-upper 20K and even into the low 30K range on occasion for excellent examples with documented service history.
Regarding 850CSi prices, they took a dip into the 30's, but seem to have rebounded into the 40-50K range. 225 examples were produced for the US market, and overall worldwide production was around 1500, give or take some. The V12 in the 850CSi was hand made by BMW Motorsport, and actually is the lowest production M motor ever made. Some people do not look at the 850CSi as an actual M car, and point to the M8 prototype, but the 850CSi has a distinct BMW Motorsport VIN designation, different from all other 840 and 850 VINs.
Regarding Alpina B12 Coupes, you are talking a completely different and rare animal. Regarding prices for the Alpina B12 Coupes, the car you are referring to is George's car - a member of the E31 group. It is the second Alpina B12 5.0 imported to the US. I have the first B12 5.0 Coupe imported, the only silver B12 5.0 produced, number 45, and it has just over 23,000 miles. I put it through a 2+ year restoration, and it was recently displayed at the BMW Zentrum. George's car is #44, and was imported after my car. The importer I used was 101 Innovations, and he and I brought my car in, petitioned NHTSA to be able to bring in Alpina B12 coupes, and once the petition was acted on and approved, we went through the entire federalization process - which took almost 2 years. George's car was also imported by 101 Innovations. Bill, the owner of 101 Innovations is a long standing member of the E31 community and very well respected.
Alpina made two variations of the B12 Coupe, the B12 5.0, of which 97 were built, and what is considered the "Holy Grail" of the E31 range - the B12 5.7, of which only 57 were produced. Until very recently, the B12 5.7 was the fastest car Alpina had ever produced, with a top speed of just over 190mph.
Since I purchased my B12 5.0 E31 Coupe, Alpina prices have continued to rise. I purchased my car in late 2009 in Japan. I essentially have seen prices double for the B12 5.0 versions worldwide over the past 4 - 5 years. A recent low mileage B12 5.0 example in Europe was priced at 80K Euros. People think it is high, but the market seems to be supporting higher B12 prices. The last two B12 5.7 cars that sold were above $120K. When taken in the worldwide context of Alpina B12 prices, George's car is reasonably priced according to many. Plus it is fully federalized with documentation.
When thinking of Alpina prices, it is best to cross-reference the thought process to the E9 CSL.
The E31 is a complex vehicle, but contrary to belief by some, they are actually fairly straight forward to work on. I am not a mechanic, but do most of my own wrenching, and find the V12 easy to work on, as long as you break it down into components - think of it this way - it is essentially two inline 6 cylinders, joined at the crank so to speak, with a computer for each bank, and a 3rd computer coordinating each bank computer. When you think of it that way, you diagnose each bank separately and it is pretty straight forward. Also, there is a great support group for the E31, just like the E9. I personally prefer the V12, and have owned several. But the V8 is an excellent example too.
E31 cars have issues similar to E9 cars. Most of the issues are with some of the trim pieces - especially in regard to some of the small interior pieces. They are not to the point of the E9 in respect of availability, but there are some NLA parts.
If you continue to look for an 8, please visit our website: BMWCCAE31(dot)com. There are excellent links. Look at the Pre-Purchase Inspection located there. It is an excellent piece developed by our Secretary, Tom "Wuffer" Carter. We primarily utilize Bimmerforums for our E31 discussion group: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?55-8-Series-(E31)
I still miss our E9, but from what I have been told, it is somewhere in a private collection.
All the best in your quest for an E31. The E31 community is very much like the E9 group - a great bunch of people. Both are maybe a little older, and maybe a little more mature than some, but definitely a great group of people. If I can be of any help, please let me know.
Roger
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