It’s the age-old question: what car brings you the best bang for the buck ratio? People have been asking themselves this question probably ever since the market had more than one car on sale. With the incredible array of possibilities available for customers to enjoy today, it’s actually hard to offer a perfect, universal answer. Few people would include the 8 Series in any sort of list related to bang/buck ratios and yet, here we are.
The 8 Series was and still is a desirable car. However, at the same time, the biggest coupe you could buy from Munich is not and never was cheap in any way. If you want to get a ‘good deal’ on one, you have to take on some risks. Nowadays, prices have gone up considerably, especially on the first generation models. As crazy as it may sound, that was a direct result of BMW launching the new generation, which apparently made people appreciate the original even more.
The video below was shot in 2013 and shows exactly how things have changed in the meantime. Back then, the guys from Fifth Gear were trying to find good alternatives to the Aston Martin Vanquish for very little money. They arrived at a very interesting selection, including two predictable suggestions and one that was really left field. That would be the original Ford Puma, a car that had no premium claims whatsoever.
Then there’s the BMW 8 Series, of course and the Jaguar XK. Now, the goal of the video was to offer significantly cheaper alternatives to the Vanquish and, back then, a pre-owned 850i would set you back about GBP4,000. Today, that’s nowhere near enough to buy an 8 Series body, let alone a functioning car. That’s how much things have changed for what is considered by many, the most beautiful Coupe BMW ever made.
