Advice on a B10 touring.

[ruivar]

Hello guys,

as I am an Alpina newbie, I am happy to have become part of this forum. Thanks.
First of all, my only car at the moment is a 1986 Renault 5 GT Turbo, which I honestly only drive during summer. Now, as I am getting older and interests change, I need a bigger all year car. The B10 Touring is very appealing to me.
So, I need some advice on what to look for in a B10 Touring. Realisticly I am going to drive it 2-3 times a week in average, but road trips and drives home for Christmas are expected as well.

Questions (or conserns if I may) below:
1. Preferably I want a face lifted V8 model. But is it worth the extra money they often cost compared to pre face lifts?

2. As I am living in Denmark i am looking at Alpinas in Germany. I have found two interesting pieces.
#024/1 171.000 km with changed head gasket.
#003/1 223.000 km with changed metal head gasket, discs and pads (M5 in front), oil and filter, radiator and anti freeze, spark plugs, rocker cover gasket, water pump, and thermostat. It is a bit heavier equipped as well.

Both have full service history, are more or less the same age and are similarly priced (€12.900). Found on mobile.de. So, do I go for the lower milage one with less changed parts, or the higher milage one with lots of changed parts?

I may not buy any of the two cars above, but I think they are good examples on what to look for. Or are they?

3. Is there any reason to be concerned about high milage v8s? I reckon, if well maintained, they can go for ever.

4. Am I better off with a 3.3?

I hope you Alpina experts can give a newbie a little help

Best regards
ruivar, Denmark

[Crombers]

Hi Ruivar

As always buy on condition, however all the items you have mentioned I have replaced more than once on either my B10 V8 Touring or v8 540i.

With that in mind I suspect on an ageing V8 they will need doing at some point.

In my experience of E39s the V8s needed significantly more maintenance that the 6 cylinder, but I still preferred the V8. I've ran both up to about 250k km..

Good luck with whichever one you choose.

Stuart

[Chas]

Preferably I want a face lifted V8 model. But is it worth the extra money they often cost compared to pre face lifts?

I think so, especially given the age of these cars now. Pre-facelift cars are more dated and generally have the horrible 4-spoke steering wheel. The facelift cars still look relatively fresh.

Is there any reason to be concerned about high milage v8s? I reckon, if well maintained, they can go for ever.
Am I better off with a 3.3?

If head gaskets are dealt with, that covers the main issue on the V8s. They will be more expensive to maintain but no more than you'd expect having two more cylinders and two heads. They are substantially better equiped than the 3.3 as standard.

I was going to raise a concern about #003/1 because it's mine(!) but you're looking at the Touring version

[ruivar]

Thanks so much for the answers. Really appreciate any help possible.
Yes Chas, I am looking at the Touring, so don't worry

You can take a look at the cars here:

#024/1: http://suchen.mobile.de/auto-inserat/al ... 9541.html?

#003/1: http://suchen.mobile.de/auto-inserat/al ... 0861.html?

I reckon they both look well maintained on the pictures.

[Chas]

Why does #003/1 have that ridiculous steering wheel?

The main reason I'd go for a faceflift is the three-spoke version!

[MickB3]

Any chance of a Pic of the GT Turbo, I used to own a 87 Phase 1 and a 90 Phase 2 many moons ago. Fantastic fun

[GRP]

Have some thoughts. Maybe something here will help.

1. Preferably I want a face lifted V8 model. But is it worth the extra money they often cost compared to pre face lifts?

I'd say it depends why you want to buy. For me, the key thing was a V8 tourer and, all other things being equal, I'd have been as happy in a PFL or FL version. But certainly the FL is a nicer place to be.

...do I go for the lower milage one with less changed parts, or the higher milage one with lots of changed parts?

You take a chance either way. With cars of this type and age, I'd be really interested in the documentation. Sure, the second car has had lots of stuff done, but was that because the owner skimped on servicing or because he/she undertook lots of preventative steps because they really cherished the car.

3. Is there any reason to be concerned about high milage v8s? I reckon, if well maintained, they can go for ever.

The engines themselves are strong but not invulnerable. Mine is currently being worked on to replace the timing chain and guides, a known failure point on the V8s. But then, maybe a previous owner didn't take enough care, who knows. Then there's the weak cooling system, and possible issues with the transmission, running gear, electrics, etc. Look at the history. Do your research, check through the forums. There will be stuff need fixing and some of it could be major. Personally, I'm happy with that, the pleasure of ownership and driving outweighs the aggro of the gremlins.

4. Am I better off with a 3.3?

See #1. I wanted the V8. I'd never have been happy with the 3.3, even though they are brilliant.

I've not yet regretted the purchase. Wonderful cars.

Geoff

[ruivar]

A bit off topic

Any chance of a Pic of the GT Turbo, I used to own a 87 Phase 1 and a 90 Phase 2 many moons ago. Fantastic fun

Hi MickB3,

Yeah it is a quick little car. An ongoing restaration, really. But great fun.

here are a couple of pics of it:

[ruivar]

Hi GRP,

I think you are right. I don't know if the owner of #003/1 only changed the parts because he absolutely must sell the car. And maybe has been a bit neglected before...
On the other hand #024/1 hasn't had as many parts changed, so I fear it will ruin me if everything suddenly needs changing.
But as you say, I will be taking chances either way.

Realisticly I am going to drive 10-15000 km. per year. Maybe a bit more, but not much. So I reckon I won't do too much wear on it.