Why did YOU buy an Alpina?

Rather than clog up the General Forum we'll keep these seperate.
Please check here for Frequently asked questions on Road Tax, Security, Running Costs, Insurance Costs etc.
User avatar
Bri-E
ALPIN
ALPIN
Posts: 568
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:01 pm
Location: West Midlands

Post by Bri-E » Mon Jun 27, 2011 10:19 pm

It all started by reading an article in a friend's copy of Total BMW on an Alpoine D3, the more I read the more it seemed to be a great replacement for my 21/2 year old 120d Sport,
A test drive at Nottingham, on the way to visit relatives, then another in Birmingham on familiar roads
An order placed and then the wait, eventually taking delivery in November 2007.
As the mileage increases the D3 just gets better and really is power, economy and FUN.
Bri-E

User avatar
Araf
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 951
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 12:51 am
Location: 22 miles from Calais

Post by Araf » Mon Jun 27, 2011 11:00 pm

I hadn't seen this, so thanks to Bri for bringing it back to the top of the forum. :)

My affair with Alpinas started in 1990, when I imported a friends A4/3 from Switzerland. He only wanted £500 to cover the cost of the BBS cross-spokes that he'd put on it.

It was the first car that I've ever had, where having the radio on spoilt the drive. 2 years later, and the car had to go, as it wasn't being used, and I had a new buiness venture, so money was tight.

Between then and now, we have had another 9 BMs 1s, 3s, and 5s - so the marque is a comfort zone for me, the last being a 325ti , which I replaced with an XJR last year, as the 325 was running out of puff on big tracks. The Jag was nice, but just a little too 'old' for me. I wanted something smaller, but still with power and refinement. Nearly straight away I started looking for a B3 Touring. It had to be pre-2001, yet the only one that ever came up for sale was the dark blue one in Wales (then later Yorkshire) which is still for sale but didn't take my fancy.

Then I happened on the current car. One owner B3, which looked honest though unloved. It had been used, but didn't look abused, so I bought it.
It's everything that I wanted (apart from the lack of rear space ;) ).
A refined drive, but prod it hard, and it'll take off like a scalded cat.

I'm currently staring at a possible engine re-build, and with any other car I would be looking to replace it, but my only worry with this is "What if that elusive Touring finally appears." :?
B3 3.3

E24man
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 2420
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 9:41 am

Post by E24man » Tue Jun 28, 2011 12:12 am

.
Last edited by E24man on Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

james1985
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:37 pm

Post by james1985 » Sat Jan 07, 2012 11:45 pm

I must have been 7 or 8 when I was totally captivated by an E24, since then was fascinated by bmw's then I found out they made very special rare ones with even bigger engines!!!! Flexible, easy to drive and quick, very practical and not as highly strung as my M5.

biturb
A
A
Posts: 65
Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:37 am
Location: Middle

Post by biturb » Sun Jan 08, 2012 3:26 am

Why..... It looks great is good to drive and different from the rest.
My previous A5 3 ltr derv was a great car, power, comfort and for a while rare. As I wanted those again and the A5 is everywhere I looked at the D3 and it fitted perfect.
Out of everything it's the rarity that makes me smile, plus a derv motor that revs.
My next car will prob be an Alpina, maybe a derv again.... But that's 3 years away so see what's out....
Smile on impact

164 coupe
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 795
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 8:15 pm
Location: Aberdeen

Post by 164 coupe » Mon May 07, 2012 6:27 pm

Why buy Alpina?

I.M.O. Engineering, drivability, styling, exclusivity.......
Roy Allan
F31 D3 Biturbo #066
D3 BT Coupe #164 (sold)
Suzuki SV 650s

CarlP
ALPI
ALPI
Posts: 334
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:29 am
Location: Cambridgeshire
Contact:

Post by CarlP » Thu May 31, 2012 10:33 am

Why buy an Alpina..

My first BMW was an ex- King of Jordan owned E34 540i.

After a few years of happy motoring and after discovering that maintaining a BMW V8 was actually less trouble and expensive than a 2lt Alfa Romeo I started to look around for a replacement car...

Choice 1. E39 540i - Ok but not totally convinced..
Choice 2 840i - Looked fantastic, but was slower with less leg room in the front than my 540i and no room in the back (if you have legs)
Choice 3 E39 M5 - Great to drive but I was concerned that this was going to be a very expensive car to run and maintain
Choice 4 B10 - Rare, understated, fantastic to drive and reasonable to maintain, only problem was finding one.

When I found an early very low mileage (36k miles ) example at a price I could afford I bought her and have been a very happy Alpina owners since, the only problem being what car to buy next ... :D
17 Alpina D5s
97 Alpina B10 v8
87 Lotus Excel SE
73 Lotus Elan Sprint
16 Abarth 595i (TOH)

jamesa
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 1229
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2012 3:23 pm
Location: Aberdeenshire

Post by jamesa » Thu May 31, 2012 1:16 pm

Why buy an Alpina ... ?

Rear wheel drive - engineering attention to most of the right details - subtle exclusivity - previous comprehensive history - all round ability vs M models
Ex. B10 V8 Touring #160 Alpina Blue : Current M2 DCT (OG)

bmw virgin
ALPIN
ALPIN
Posts: 661
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 5:26 pm
Location: Birmingham B14

Post by bmw virgin » Thu May 31, 2012 2:24 pm

Why buy an Alpina ... ?

Before I bought one I was thinking of buying an e46 330 Sport Coupe....I was looking to spend around £8k, so a facelift version was affordable!

Of course, I would’ve loved an M3 but was put off by the insurance & maintenance costs etc... :? :(

Then a mate suggested I look at Alpina.....I didn’t really know much about them, thought they were just a company that “done up” BMW’s! :shock: :D

It was only when I discovered they had a mix of M car performance, luxury interiors, exclusivity, cheaper running costs and a more refined driving experience, that I realised what a great car they were! :shock: :D

I mean, who in their right mind could turn down a mix like that?! :D

So, I decided I must up my budget and promptly searched the web sites for what I wanted!

I hadn’t ever seen one close up, let alone driven one, so thought I’d go on a test drive of a B3s coupe, just to see what one was like?!

I wasn’t necessarily intending to buy but was blown away by the styling, performance and sound! :shock: :D

So much so, I bought it there & then! :shock: :D

The rest is history...
Colin
2004 Titanium Silver E46 Alpina B3s Coupe #090 - Sold
2014 Black Sapphire F32 Alpina B4BT Coupe #16

ali
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 2401
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2007 12:40 am
Location: Edinburgh

Post by ali » Thu May 31, 2012 11:09 pm

I have owned about 50 or so BMW's over the past 12 years or so and have loved every one of them. The one thing that always annoyed me was that they never made a properly fasy 3 series Tourer. I have had an M3 saloon which I immediately debadged and that was an excellent Q car. It was always presumed it was a tarted up 316. I had know about Alpinas over the years but had never had enough ££ to get one so after many cars passing throough my hands I had enough money to get one but could I find an B3 estate for sale ? No so I got a 330i Sport tourer instead. That was a stunning car but 3 years later I finally found my dream B3 wagon and it was for sale 2 miles away across town in Edinburgh. And here I am with it now. It really ticks all the boxes that I'm after, Luxury, power, handling, ride and for me it's the ultimate Q car
B3 3.3 Coupe #090
D3 2.0 Biturbo Touring #098

User avatar
I_MNL
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 1265
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:54 pm
Location: Manchester, Cheshire and Hertfordshire! Driving on the motorways...

Post by I_MNL » Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:39 am

Because I wanted

A manual BMW 320d on non run flat tyres and with a twin exhaust on one side,

that has the combination of the best available performance and best economy and that does not break the bank,

is different from the rest repmobiles and is not loaded with useless high tech gizmos

but is there for what's hidden under the skin, just for the pure sense of clever driving pleasure!
And the name is Marie-Noëlle or nick name MNL, NOT Marie or Noëlle ALONE; unless if you are looking for someone else and not me!!!
Car: D3 saloon 2007 and...a couple of cats made in 2003! and a little Scooby WRX STi...

seanb
A
A
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:20 am
Location: Enfield

Post by seanb » Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:02 pm

About the time I was getting fed up of the M sport suspension on my 330Ci, I saw a D3 Touring on the M25 on the way to work and decided I liked the look. So I googled Alpina to find out about them and found that the BMW dealer I had bought the 330 from had just been taken over by Sytner. I test drove both the D3 and a 330d Touring of the same age, but the ride in the D3 was so much better that all the toys and gizmos that would have come in the 330D were replaced by a Parrot bluetooth kit. Never regretted buying it or the BiTurbo that replaced it.
D3 BiTurbo Saloon #416
D3 BiTurbo Coupe #149 Sold 2017
D3 MT Touring #127 Sold 2012
E46 330ci M-sport Sold 2008

User avatar
I_MNL
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 1265
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:54 pm
Location: Manchester, Cheshire and Hertfordshire! Driving on the motorways...

Post by I_MNL » Fri Jul 11, 2014 11:04 am

Just giving it a bump up, for the newbies on the site to add and comment!
And the name is Marie-Noëlle or nick name MNL, NOT Marie or Noëlle ALONE; unless if you are looking for someone else and not me!!!
Car: D3 saloon 2007 and...a couple of cats made in 2003! and a little Scooby WRX STi...

JASV8S
ALPINA
ALPINA
Posts: 812
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2012 2:02 pm
Location: Aberdeen

Post by JASV8S » Fri Jul 11, 2014 2:12 pm

Well not so much of a newbie I have never come across this thread before and it makes really interesting reading. For me it started a long time ago, probably in the late 70's when I guy I worked with had a BMW and asked if I could help him with a problem. It was the first time I had really been close, inside one and under the bonnet of one. I immediately felt I was in the presence of something special and different from other cars I had experience of. I then had a hankering after one but they were a bit out of reach then.

As they started to get more popular in the late eighties and nineties I had a chance to drive an Diamond Black e30 325i SE Motorsport with leather. I was hooked and decided I would need to buy one and a 325 was my target. In 1994 I went along to John Clark in Aberdeen to investigate ordering a brand new e36 325i SE in Diamond Black with leather. Over the many visits I made whilst making my mind up about combinations of options there was one afternoon I went in past and an e34 B10 in Red was in the used lot, not sure if it was a Bi Turbo or not as I was not as educated in these matters then but it was simply stunning and not too different in the price I was planning on paying for the e36. I was blown away and completely captivated and it just made me rethink so I dithered about for another few weeks. On another visit whilst I was having yet another discussion with the salesman, John Clark approached me and said he was aware that I had shown interest in the B10 and would I like to try his own car, a light metallic blue B3. Again was totally captivated even although it did not have leather but very nice Alpina cloth seats. He was wanting about 6 or 8 grand more than what I was planning on paying and this story and logic didn't play too well with my wife who said why had I took so long to plan the 325, brochures and spec sheets all over the house, reading them every night, so get on with it and buy the bloody car I started of wanting. Bought the e36 and loved every minute of it and so did my wife.

From then on I still had a hankering for an Alpina. At last here are my reasons for buying one. I just really appreciated the ethos of what goes into building them, the engineering, the attention to detail, the exclusivity, the understated looks with beauty and purpose without being lairy and then there is all this power and balance. It just feels so special!

I lost out on a previous B3S purchase but as I had previously had an e39 which I really, really liked I started to look at B10's. Initially looking at 3.3's then V8's and before I knew it I was planning on a V8S. After over a year of looking and checking I got one and I am totally pleased. Feel great when I go out in it and don't care whether people think it is an older car. In fact I feel sorry for them as they just don't understand. :D
John
Alpina Blue B10 V8S #54 Saloon
Montreal Red F20 M-Sport
Sparkling Bronze F30 Xdrive (sold)
Titan Silver E90 325iSE (sold)
Blue Mini Cooper (sold)

User avatar
Easy-pd
ALPI
ALPI
Posts: 316
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 10:10 pm
Location: Somerset

Post by Easy-pd » Sat Aug 01, 2015 11:36 pm

This thread has been going and going....

I live in England and bought a business in wales. I did the 150 mile round trip in a clapped out Clio for a year. Then hard work paid off, I got a skoda VRS diesel for 18 months. Business got better, but could not justify petrol. Very nearly got a cls merc, but just felt a bit like a barge.

I saw my d3 on eBay as a cat d (non cat d wasn't really in my justifiable price range for a car that will get 35k miles per year) and thought ' it's mine!'

Travelled flippin miles to view, got attacked by a crow on top of a railway bridge, who drew blood from the back of my head. Then sold the very high mileage VRS to the same guy as a runaround.

My journey is genuinely my daily hi light now. I love commuting 75 miles each way. I get thumbs up, second looks, people stopping me to ask. I can outhandle most cars, yet get economy. The parts are 320 BMW and don't cost a bomb

I am worried when it comes to changing cars. I hope business will justify a petrol next time. I WANT A V8 alpina as my daily soundtrack.....

Post Reply