Introduction

Thinking of Buying one - ask your questions here.
Buying guides, Specific questions about a car, or about a particular model, ALPINA characteristics.

Moderators: Charles, neil, D4

jonny
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Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:55 am

Introduction

Post by jonny » Thu May 12, 2016 8:25 am

Hello everyone . As a long time Alpina admirer the time has
Come to start looking for my first one ! For years i have been a Porsche
911 guy where comfort and practicality were not so important as light
Weight and agility .

Now well into my fifties i am ready for the luxury of an Alpina and
Auto for everyday driving makes sense . I will keep my old Porsche
For high days and holidays and look to add a Touring Alpina . I always
Liked the quality and style of the E39 series but need to consider later
Cars as well . A new one would depreciate too much and my annual mileage
Would be modest . So more at the classic end is my taste but i am a bit perfectionist so need
an excellent base , no corrosion etc as i would plan to keep it many years .

I live in Newcastle and would be delighted if any members
This far North would like to get in touch .

D3orbust
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Post by D3orbust » Thu May 12, 2016 10:14 am

I'm in Washington.

Welcome to the Forum.
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D5 number 21

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MCB
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Post by MCB » Thu May 12, 2016 10:39 am

Welcome to a man with good taste.

Indeed an E39 Touring would be a good choice of car for your first Alpina. A damn fine gentleman's carriage sir 8)

Have you seen this one? It belongs to a member here and is in very fine order indeed. Nicely specced including an electric tailgate.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... 5023546279

Your choice will certainly be limited if you are looking for a classic Touring.

Good luck with your quest.
1997 E36 Alpina B3 3.2 Touring. No.66
1998 E36 1.8 Touring
1989 E30 M3.
2004 E60 530D
2004 Vauxhall Signum (for the shopping)
2002 E39 M5 (Sold)

Metrics
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Post by Metrics » Thu May 12, 2016 12:19 pm

MCB wrote:Welcome to a man with good taste.

Indeed an E39 Touring would be a good choice of car for your first Alpina. A damn fine gentleman's carriage sir 8)

Have you seen this one? It belongs to a member here and is in very fine order indeed. Nicely specced including an electric tailgate.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... 5023546279

Your choice will certainly be limited if you are looking for a classic Touring.

Good luck with your quest.
+1 - a fine example of a rare car. Tourings rarely come up for sale.

Welcome to the forum.
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greenelekta
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Post by greenelekta » Thu May 12, 2016 2:21 pm

A facelift B10 Touring, great choice
E39 B10 V8S Touring Brass Metallic
Z3 M Coupe Dakar Yellow
Z4 Monaco Blue
SLK55 AMG Silver
Maserati Gransport Alfieri Grigio

jonny
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Post by jonny » Thu May 12, 2016 6:28 pm

Thanks for the welcome guys . Yes i have been in touch with Brian
About his car and would have gone for a look if not so far away . Also
I am not sure yet whether to go for a 6 or 8 cylinder . I am in no hurry
And dont really want to be tempted by the first one i try ! Going to Crete for a holiday soon so cant do anything till June anyway .

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MCB
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Post by MCB » Thu May 12, 2016 11:46 pm

jonny wrote:Thanks for the welcome guys . Yes i have been in touch with Brian
About his car and would have gone for a look if not so far away . Also
I am not sure yet whether to go for a 6 or 8 cylinder . I am in no hurry
And dont really want to be tempted by the first one i try ! Going to Crete for a holiday soon so cant do anything till June anyway .
As has already been said. You will not exactly be spoilt for choice. The E39 Touring is a very rare car indeed, regardless of engine size. If you want a nice car I am afraid you will have to be prepared to travel. I think Brians car is about as good as you are going to find. If you want a V8 then this one was up for sale last year. The owner still has the car, but I am not sure if it is still for sale. You could ask.

http://thealpinaregister.com/forums/vie ... sc&start=0
1997 E36 Alpina B3 3.2 Touring. No.66
1998 E36 1.8 Touring
1989 E30 M3.
2004 E60 530D
2004 Vauxhall Signum (for the shopping)
2002 E39 M5 (Sold)

Hodge
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Post by Hodge » Fri May 13, 2016 11:10 am

There is this one which I'm sure you've seen, it has blue carpets and cream seats which I like.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... ID=EBAY-GB

Cheers
Mark Hodge

E46 B3s Coupe #19 (sold)
E46 B3s Touring #29 (sold)
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jonny
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Post by jonny » Fri May 13, 2016 12:15 pm

Thanks for the inputs . My experience from travelling to buy 911s is that
It is important to have a firm idea of what you are looking for so as not
To waste the sellers and your own time and expense and that it is almost
Impossible to get a true idea of an old car from an advert . There is the
Added pressure to buy a car after a long journey . I recognize that i have
High standards would be willing to pay the extra for a choice example .

So i need to know if it is realistic to hang out for a touring when i am
Hoping for a sub 100k mile car that has been well cared for . Obviously
Colour is not a choice though i need to be ok with it !

For the classic Alpina experience in a quality package maybe a later
Model or coupe/saloon should be considered as well ?
Last edited by jonny on Fri May 13, 2016 2:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Metrics
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Post by Metrics » Fri May 13, 2016 1:29 pm

Hi Jonny

You're clearly a discerning buyer and you've done the right thing posting for a car on an owners forum as your expectations are much more likely to be met on here than in the general market. An owners club / active forum cars tend to be the right ones to buy given they have been loved and looked after correctly. Of course exceptions to this do exist.

The number one issue you'll face however is actually finding an Alpina B10 Touring - they are very rare cars, some variants in single figures as UK RHD form. So I guess it all depends on how long you are prepared to wait for a Touring to appear on the market and how fixed your criteria is for your "right" car.

The alternative is to look into newer / other Alpina Touring variants, although there's not exactly loads of those either! Or perhaps an interesting BMW Touring, if the estate requirement is fixed (something like a 550i T for example) - apologies for suggesting a non-Alpina option :oops: Otherwise a saloon or a coupe? Entirely down to what you need I guess.

Alpina cars generally and possibly more so Tourings tend to do decent mileage - they get bought to use and enjoy. Don't get too fixed on a sub 100k car. In fact a low mileage car that's been sat around will probably give you more issues than a 100k+ car that's been properly looked after and used. These cars are for driving - you'll understand when you drive one 8)
Also, as these cars get older, more and more bits will need attending to - it all boils down to how strict you are on cosmetic condition. If you want showroom / A1 condition, be prepared to spend some money and time post purchase to get it like that.

Not sure if this is any help, but good luck with the search! Alpina's are amazingly good cars and absolutely worth the effort you're about to go to. The perfect complimentary car to a nice 911 too.
Last edited by Metrics on Sat May 14, 2016 8:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
2019 G31 B5 Biturbo No.299
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jonny
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Post by jonny » Sat May 14, 2016 8:46 am

Thanks for helpful comments that i will take on board . It was BMW
M5s that i liked first , but having discovered Alpina's there is no way
Back !

E24man
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Post by E24man » Sat May 14, 2016 10:46 pm

.
Last edited by E24man on Wed Dec 23, 2020 10:14 am, edited 2 times in total.

jonny
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Post by jonny » Tue Nov 15, 2016 1:19 pm

I really like the V8S coming up at the CCA Leamington auction . Usually i avoid the shark infested waters of auctions but this car looks great at face value , i just need to get a good inspection done . Have booked a hotel the
Night before and need to get this sorted .

I have tried a lot of specialists in the area but all say they need to have the
Car at their premises . CCA will not allow this .

Does anyone here know someone who would be able to assist ?

simon13
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Post by simon13 » Tue Nov 15, 2016 10:24 pm

All the usual e39 gremlins apply to this car. dash pixels broken, rear sill rot, tail gates rust, rear arches. Knackered air bags on the rear. DSC light on, shot cooling systems as its all the later push fit plastic crap that welds together. Bowing radiators. The V8 engines run a high cooling pressure and it needs to be all in good condition otherwise it will leak/blow up. Its coming into the milege it all needs replacing

They're a pretty strong car but theres plenty to go wrong. If its pampered with 88k and lots of bills it should be ok.

As said you can't really be picky if after an alpina touring of any age or variant as they were sold in tiny single digit numbers and its always very much a sellers market as demand is high for tourings second hand.

I'm not too clued up on engines but these later cars don't suffer the odd headgasket dramas like the early 4.6's did.

I expect any specialist just wants to see it on his own ramp and look over it in his own time. Bar CPC and a very select few most garages bmw specialists included wont have a clue about these cars so tread carefully here
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greenelekta
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Post by greenelekta » Tue Nov 15, 2016 11:11 pm

Only 4 RHD made and don't come for sale often so maybe the only chance for a while.

Auction estimate looks a bargain.
E39 B10 V8S Touring Brass Metallic
Z3 M Coupe Dakar Yellow
Z4 Monaco Blue
SLK55 AMG Silver
Maserati Gransport Alfieri Grigio

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