BMW 8 Series in Cyprus
The first 8 Series, shown in 1989, was the world's first production car to pair a V12 with a six-speed manual gearbox, which at the time read as a claim to a different class of car altogether. The current one continues the thought: a large coupe for long distances, of a kind hardly anyone builds now. Cyprus has no long distances, so it is bought for how it covers the short ones.
Which versions are worth importing
Three bodies — coupe, convertible and the four-door Gran Coupe — are three different purchases rather than three versions of one. The Gran Coupe is longer and genuinely carries four, the convertible spends more of the year open here than anywhere in Europe, the coupe stays the cleanest to look at. Engines run from the straight six to the M850i, and equipment varies more within one generation than between them.
Three bodies and three very different purchases. The 840i is the one that makes sense as a car you use, the M850i is the one people actually want, and the Gran Coupe is the only version that carries adults in the back without apology. On the convertible the roof mechanism and its service record matter more than the engine, and on all of them the laser headlights and the adaptive chassis are options rather than standard fit.
Buying a used BMW 8 Series: what matters
The versions differ widely — 840i to M850i change the character and the running costs — and equipment moves the resale figure as much as the engine. We confirm the actual specification against the chassis number and read the service and ownership records with a document behind each entry.
The build sheet is pulled by chassis number, because on this model the gap between a base car and a fully specified one is wide enough to change which car you should be buying. We read the service history for the adaptive suspension and, on convertibles, for the roof — a mechanism that has been serviced is worth more than one that has simply never been used. Accident history is checked against documents, not against the seller's description.
Common mistakes when buying one
The first is choosing the body before the use: a coupe and a Gran Coupe are different cars for different lives. The second is buying an 840i expecting M850i pace, or the reverse on running costs. The third is skipping the roof mechanism record on a convertible. The fourth is comparing prices across markets without the landed figure: between an 840i and an M8 the running costs differ more than the advert suggests.
Where we source from and why
The UK supplies the deepest right-hand-drive choice of the 8 Series with traceable main-dealer history; Japan adds carefully kept cars graded independently on the auction sheet. We cost both routes on the specific car and show you both sets of numbers.
Locally the 8 Series is close to absent, and the Gran Coupe especially so. Both sourcing markets carry all three bodies, which means the body is chosen by you rather than by what happens to be for sale.
Price and what ownership costs
The 840i keeps road tax in the middle bands; the M850i and M8 pay the ceiling. Consumables sit a class above the mainstream BMWs, and the convertible adds a roof mechanism whose service entries we read like any other unit.
Cars in stock are priced on the card. A commission gives one landed figure — car, shipping, duty and VAT where applicable, registration and our work — agreed in writing before payment.
How a commission works
Documents are cleared while the choice is still open. One agreement then carries the purchase, the shipping, customs, registration and plates, and the total holds.
Tell us what the 8 Series must have and what you will not give up, and the search starts there. Other models are gathered on the BMW page, together with the cars in stock in Cyprus. Which of Britain, Japan or Australia we use depends on where the right car is.