E46 B3 3.3 #325

[sshologram47]

I'm thinking to go and see this B3 3.3 #325 to buy:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 1216411936

Does anyone know anything about this specific one? Im aware it was previously listed for £6.5k and hasn't been used much last few years.

Any common issues i should look out for?

Thanks in advance!

[Alpina Jim]

I am sure a B3 owner or two will come along and give you some advice. In the meantime here is a link to another similar enquiry, see post number 2.

http://thealpinaregister.com/forums/vie ... 707893351b

[Rav]

Looks similar to my car!

Wheel centers are missing - check these and the keys to operate. These have a habit of breaking.
Check maintenance history. When were belts done, radiator replaced etc? Mine cost a fair bit to get the cooling system sorted when i bought the car.
Has the car got its original suspension? If not what does it have?
Check for rot - arches go as does the rear boot floor. Jacking points can go too.

Drive and make sure that the coolant gauge sits in the middle all of the time. Head gaskets can go although not as often as the 3.4. Usual checks for water and oil mix.

Does the gearbox kick down correctly? Do the gears change smoothly.

Trim is getting hard to replace, so check everything inside the car works. Sunroof mechanisms can break, window winder mechanisms can break.

Charles is 'the boss' of B3's and will be along soon to advise better then me. Where are you based? Im happy for you to look at my car, which isnt a bad example, although not perfect.

[sshologram47]

Thanks for all the info guys. Im making a list of things to check and will probably give the owner another call. MOT history doesnt mention any signs of rust and the owner said its stored in a garage so im hoping its all clear.

Im based in surrey and thanks for the offer to view what is im sure a lovely example of how an e46 b3 should be

One concerning thing i noticed was this in the MOT history from 2007: ‘two v.i.n.(alpina conversion)’. Does anyone know what it means?

1D250318-1BE0-43DE-9D5C-743712EC66B5.jpeg (657.01 KiB) Viewed 2927 times

[hap]

Nothing to worry bout has a bmw vin and alpina some mot testers dint understand it’s built by alpina the last 3 digits are build number

Ensure it has the alpina diagonal striped floor mats as expensive to replace

[Bob]

I'm not sure what's putting buyers off this one, it looks tidy enough in the pictures, with low owners and supposed history. Maybe the limited options: only a sunroof over standard I think?

First spotted it for sale in Aug-18 and it has been advertised pretty continuously since. Pricing has ranged from £10k to £5.5k

[sshologram47]

Yh its a bit strange its been up for so long. I am definitely gona go see it in person next week. MOT is due next month and it for sure needs some cosmetic TLC.

I will let you guys know how it goes.

[Bob]

Yh its a bit strange its been up for so long. I am definitely gona go see it in person next week. MOT is due next month and it for sure needs some cosmetic TLC.

I will let you guys know how it goes.

Are you still planning to go and view this one, or have you done already? See it's gone back up to £6,990

[Rav]

If the car checks out. Buy it.

I have owned many cars, mainly Porsche, but have had Subaru, Mercedes classics, MGs etc. I can say this as my Porsche Boxster is not listening, but the B3 is the car that puts a smile on my face every single day. I am not a spring chicken, but love to volunteer to go out and get milk or bread last thing at night, so i can drive my car.
She is used all year round as she is too good to keep locked away.

I havent regreted owning my car once in the time i have had her, not even when she costs me money.

[Charles]

So the suspension needs some looking at which is normal wear and tear, the tyres need replacing and the power steering hose weeps like every other E46 and drips onto the steering rack gaiter - nothing that some brake cleaning fluid and clean rags won't get rid of. As for the VINs, the MOT tester needs educating!!!!

At £6.5k, it is priced lowish so any expenditure to bring it up to spec will mean total outlay is still within the broad market value range of such a car. As such, I would suggest it is worth looking at. The advisories suggest the seller wants to avoid spending money on the car at this stage, but service history and paperwork will tell you a lot more about how the car has been treated.

As mentioned previously, I have quite extensive knowledge of typical (and unusual) E46 B3S maintenance so please feel free to ask questions as they come up. In the meantime, I hope this has helped

Charles

[sshologram47]

Unfortunately due to my and the seller's work/social commitments I havent been able to go see it yet. But we have arranged it for next week Thursday.

I really appreciate all the info and support you guys are providing. I enjoyed reading through Rav's thread about the maintenance he carried out on his B3. Also hearing of Charles' B3 doing well over 200k miles gives me more confidence in the longevity of properly maintained alpinas.

I am willing and expecting to spend money on it to get it mechanically sound and cosmetically lush. Will post an update once i have seen it...maybe as a new owner!

[Charles]

Also hearing of Charles' B3 doing well over 200k miles gives me more confidence in the longevity of properly maintained alpinas.

Approaching 350k miles to be more accurate

[sshologram47]

I was just looking over some pics and noticed some e46 alpinas have the logo embossed in the seats and others dont. Was this an optional extra?

Also been looking at the production numbers of the e46 alpina b3 3.3 and there seem to be 324 yet this one is #325? How does the alpina numbering work?

"Total UK production of the BMW ALPINA B3 3.3 is 324 (made up of 130 Cabrios, 90 Coupes, 95 Saloons and 9 Tourings)"

[Bob]

I was just looking over some pics and noticed some e46 alpinas have the logo embossed in the seats and others dont. Was this an optional extra?

Also been looking at the production numbers of the e46 alpina b3 3.3 and there seem to be 324 yet this one is #325? How does the alpina numbering work?

"Total UK production of the BMW ALPINA B3 3.3 is 324 (made up of 130 Cabrios, 90 Coupes, 95 Saloons and 9 Tourings)"

The seat badging/embossing was all optional, there are quite a few variations in the E46 era. All the images are from E46 B3's.

The numbering sequences are all unique for each model & body style, sequentially numbered irrespective of which market the car was destined for. So you can have B3 3.3 #001 for Saloon, Touring, Coupe & Cabrio.

So for the B3 3.3 Saloon there were a total of 591 built globally, of which 95 were UK cars. The first UK car was #003 (interestingly also a pre-production prototype) and the last #589 (which has been exported). LCI was around #517.

There are 6 of the UK cars unaccounted for and of the 89 known, only 20 are definitely still in possession of a valid MOT.
24 have been dismantled, 2 exported and converted to LHD & 1 converted to a track car. The rest have an expired MOT or the current reg is unknown.

[sshologram47]

So i went to see it... and ended up buying it

As expected it needs a good clean and some cosmetic TLC on top of a full service. DIdnt have much history after 2010 and has been sitting around last few years but the condition was still relatively good and the drive was lovely. The owner was a nice guy but seemed to basically be sitting on it as an investment and doesnt know much about cars and good maintenance. At least it was dry stored last few years.

Im taking it to my friends garage to get it on a ramp and get some mechanical work done before paint, wheels and interior. My list currently is as follows:

1. full service
2. MOT
3. check PAS - seemed a touch on the heavy side but still ok, potentially from seeping pipes
4. check exhaust mounts/heat shields - you can hear a noise sometimes from rear when in drive which sounds similar to exhaust mount issue i had on another car but it could be something else
5. parking sensors - dont work so need to check each one and fuse

Which oil would you guys recommend for these engines?

Once again thanks for all your help guys.