E93 B3S buying advice please

[Pondrew]

Hi,
I was pointed here from a member of the Z4 club (I have a Z4 too).
I am looking at getting a 2011 B3S cabriolet (E93), as seems a more refined version of the M3. I like the exclusivity idea and have always revered Alpina as a brand (I'm old so remember a long way back).
Just wondering what they are like and if there is anything to look for especially. The car I'm looking at has quite low mileage.
Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks Andy

[Metrics]

Hi Andy
Welcome to the forum.
Just looked at the thread for #223 and it’s looks like a great example - low mileage, main dealer history, run by an enthusiast and being under BMW warranty I’d expect it to be A1.
So I’d say look out for the usual things on any used car and hopefully you’ll have found a lovely car.
One thing that does apply to the E93 is the roof mech, they do need a bit of maintenance to keep them reliable and leak free.
The mech is complex and needs lubricating in the right places and the seals benefit from Gummi Pflege so they don’t let water in, plus drain holes kept clean.
Being a looked after car this should all be good, but worth checking carefully.
Good luck!

[Pondrew]

Thanks. I have an E89 Z4, so know about the roof and water ingress (seems the same with any cab)! It will be a garage queen and won't go out in the rain much (if at all).
Just a little concerned that this one and another higher priced one in Glasgow (white) have been unsold for a while.

[Pondrew]

Is it also correct that only 25 B3S cabs were registered in the UK?

[Bob]

From what I’ve read, it seems the B3S BiTurbo’s can suffer the usual N54 problems:

These are the most common N54 engine problems:

High-Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) Failure
Turbocharger Failure / Wastegate Rattle
Leaky Fuel Injectors
Leaking Boost / Chargepipe Failure
Valve Cover Oil Leak
Carbon Build-up
Vanos Solenoids (2A87 and 2A88)
Water Pump Failure

Is it also correct that only 25 B3S cabs were registered in the UK?

Yes that’s right. Loads compared to the other body styles: limo 4, touring 3, coupe 12.

[ABRAD]

We are lucky enough to have had #233 for a couple of years. So I'll chuck my two-penneth in, if that's ok!

It has approx 90k on the clock and looking down the full BMSH it has only had the "normal service" items before we had it - apart from a front left hand shocker and the roof seals replaced (not a cheap job at Sytners or anywher I imagine).

It is getting ready for another front left shocker (all 4 could probably do with a refresh - after all that roof is heavy) - think the low attitude of the car and South Yorkshires policy of creating a 4" drop into the roadside gullies don't help with that though - as I found out when I broke the radiator after one particularly violent encounter in 2019!

To look at - it is a beautiful looking car with the roof down - and I always thought that design pig ugly in is SE form before.

To drive - It's not as light on it's feet as the D3, I'd say (engine weight I presume) - but it has an awesome burble on start up and is like a rocket ship in Sport Manual Mode - screams like a motorbike at high revs!! It's not as chuckable as a saloon but then you have got that roof weight hanging out over the back - which makes it fun in another way.

I would suggest that ours could do with the LSD option at some point - if we ever get out to drive for leisure again.

We bought ours for our retirement and trips across Europe in comfort - it certainly is the car of choice for that over the S2000 that we have, lol!

I won't be as sharp as the M3 equivalent (9/10ths)- but then that is compromised by the roof weight as well - but is certainly a nicer and more comfortable place to be. It has all the normal Alpina traits of feeling like you are sitting on your sofa - just at 170+ (In Europe of course)!!

Regarding worrying about how long others take to sell, I wouldn't let that put you off - that is an Alpina trait - until someone who knows what it is turns up and knows what it is and has to have it - after all once you have driven an Alpina, you'll struggle to find anything else that is worthy anyway!!

More people are getting appreciative of the brand though - I took ours into the BMW paint shop in Wakefield for some bits recently and it drew and appreciative crowd from those "in the know".

Good luck with the purchase and just enjoy all that torque and 400bhp!!

Rambled on a bit there - apologies!

[Metrics]

Good to hear from you Alex, been a while, hope all is well with you/fam and your collection!

Really good points raised, they do weigh a lot due to that rood and mech, almost 2 ton in fact. A lovely GT car.

[Shailen]

I've had #234 since 2016 and it's been totally reliable.

Costs? Just routine service, a diet of Shell's finest, and some fresh boots. That's it.

Get ready for all of the 'knowing' looks

PM me if you need any more specifics... Or if you're interested in a Montego Blue car!

ST

[Adwo]

Budget around 10k for everything that will break down when the miles get a bit higher.. They all have the same issues between 50-80k.

What will go inevitably:
- electric water pump
- injectors
- high pressure fuel pump
- both turbo’s
- vacuum hoses
- turbo pressure regulators
- plastic intake tube
- dump valves

They all went in my B3 BiTurbo between the mileage mentioned. Car drove me crazy with ‘pling’ and ‘reduced engine power’ time after time. No more N54 based Alpinafor me, unless everything mentioned above has been replaced..

Good luck,

Adwo

[Shailen]

That's some serious bad luck there!

I thought the HPFP issue was resolved by 2010?

Are the LCI cars affected by the issues you mention?

I guess with such a small sample size it's hard to know for sure.

[Bob]

That's some serious bad luck there!

I thought the HPFP issue was resolved by 2010?

Are the LCI cars affected by the issues you mention?

I guess with such a small sample size it's hard to know for sure.

I think the issue for the B3S was that although it's LCI, ALPINA continued to base it's K3 engines on the older N54 rather than the then current N55 which doesn't appear to suffer the same issues.

[Shailen]

I'm not sure if I should be delighted at the bulletproof reliability to date, or terrified of what might be around the corner!



ST

[Bob]

I'm not sure if I should be delighted at the bulletproof reliability to date, or terrified of what might be around the corner!



ST

Enjoy it while it lasts?

[Shailen]

It's had such a pampered life that if it dares to let me down, I'll attack it with a large branch (Basil Fawlty style!)

[JASV8S]

It's had such a pampered life that if it dares to let me down, I'll attack it with a large branch (Basil Fawlty style!)

Good to see someone taking pampering seriously