Alpina D3 Touring: PH Carpool
Explaining the appeal of an Alpina is not the work of a moment for this PHer!
Car: BMW Alpina D3 Touring manual 2007
Owned since: "August 2014. A birthday present to myself last year, purchased from the PH classifieds (naturally)."
Previously owned: "Alfa 155, Subaru Impreza, two VW Campervans, Mk1 Ford Escort van, BMW 330i, various hot (and not so hot) hatches, some very dull saloon cars and a sh*t box Sierra bought with three mates which I loved! I've also had an array of motorbikes and currently have a Suzuki GSX-R 750 K7."
Subtle Alpina add-ons are a big appeal
"I am not a particularly wealthy chap and as such life more often than not gets in the way of certain dreams and aspirations, like a 10-car garage. So one car was needed to fit a whole number of requirements.
"I currently have a couple of work contracts, on multiple sites, which means I do a lot of miles. So the first couple of factors were economy and long-distance comfort. I can get 55mpg on a long run, but mid 40s is the norm. It's also a nice place to with the half leather seats and usual BMW interior quality.
"I've got a major house project on the go and trying to do as much of it as I can myself, so estate and tow bar came next. The tow bar is removable though so as not to spoil the looks.
"And finally, being a lifelong petrolhead and someone who has spent the entirety of their working career dedicated to the handling, speed and performance of some very fine cars, I was not about to sell my soul and get something that just chugged up and down the motorway and went to the tip on the weekends. It needed to be something I actually wanted to drive and show its heels down a B-road every now and then.
"I have been rather privileged and lucky to have driven, worked on, or had access to some great cars and I maintain that the front end on a BMWs 3 Series before the E90 generation is as good as anything. Particularly in E46 M3 guise on 18-inch wheels. With the E90 they got way too carried away with run-flat tyres and as such their suspension suffered as they tried to dial it back in. This car solves that.
"Alpina has modified all the right bits. Springs, anti-roll bars and dampers all changed and even on the 19-inch rims with rubber band tyres (tuned to be supplied without run flats from new) the ride and handling is fantastic. It turns and grips brilliantly, not too much roll and nowhere near as crashy as the wheels look - in fact it's extremely compliant, and mine is regularly tested as I live in a little village reached only by poorly maintained B-roads.
"Don't get me wrong, this is no sports car. It still weighs in excess of 1,600kg, but the 200+hp of grunt (thanks to a previous owner getting it mapped) and the large amount of diesel torque help things along nicely. It's a family sports diesel at the end of the day. It even has a little button to beef up the side bolsters in the front seats."
Fulfils the fun and frugal brief perfectly
"I did a fair amount of research on these before I bought one. My budget didn't quite stretch to the later Bi-Turbo version unfortunately, but I'm not convinced they are different enough for the current difference in price to worry about day to day. Being based on the 320d M-Sport it has a nice and reliable base and as such there aren't too many horror stories floating about. This features the later spec M47 engine and doesn't appear to suffer from the swirl flap issues reported on the earlier BMW models due to a late life design change. I'll probably take a look at these at some point though for peace of mind.
"Probably the only thing I hadn't accounted for was if there is an issue with any of the Alpina specific parts then it's a minimum two-week lead time. I had a split in a flexi join of one of the intercooler hoses and, although it wasn't a show stopper, due to Christmas being in the way it took five weeks for a replacement to arrive. It wasn't cheap either, although the pipe was so elaborate you could certainly see where the money went."
Things I love:
"The individuality. There are only a few hundred of these around in the whole country and even fewer Tourings. It has a little plaque on the ceiling as a reminder. The way it looks too. It's nicely aggressive looking on those big wheels and tinted rear windows. Perhaps not as subtle as it could be (which is kind of the point), but it at least stands out from the thousands of M Sport estates out there.
"The way it corners and the way it revs, it's really quite un-diesel like in the way the engine spins up. Its mid-range torque is excellent and surprises a few people with its pace. I had to tow a caravan with it recently (a horrific experience, don't ever do it) for about 15 miles. It didn't perform terribly in a very unscientific 0-60 test..."
Nice reminder of the exclusivity
"Its individuality, particularly the name. And not because it's stupid, but because it's one of those cars that is not well known, which means you have to explain what it is all the time. And that just makes it uncool.
"It has a lack of toys. No cruise control, no electric seats, no iPod connector. Because of the way Alpina specced these cars with BMW, the basic build spec was, well, basic and it cost a fortune to add options as Alpina put a hefty mark-up on them. So these only came in four colours and are generally found with a basic no frills specification, which is fine, but I spend a lot of time in it. Cruise is probably the main one I'd like to add, for those long motorway journeys.
"It doesn't have a limited-slip diff. Again not really an issue every day, but it would be nice. The turbo lag can be a problem too. At first it caught me out a couple of times at junctions but keep the revs up and it's just fine."
Costs:
"Costs are pretty reasonable all round on this. I've been a little bit unlucky in that I've had to do a few major jobs on the car in just the short time I've had it. It's just ticked over 100K miles and I am continuing to add to that. So far I've had to do the clutch and flywheel, discs and pads all round, the alternator and a few niggly items here and there. I've changed the oil twice too. But as almost all of these parts are standard BMW it's not too horrific. They're also non-brand specific issues. All cars need brake discs at some point. I've done most of the jobs myself, but there are plenty of BMW specialists out there offering help, advice and better value than the main dealer. James at Crackley Garage in Kenilworth comes highly recommended.
"Fuel economy as I've already mentioned is very good, especially compared to the petrol 330 I previously owned. I easily get 500-600 miles on a tank. Insurance is normal I'd say for a 33 year old's everyday car as well at under £500. I haven't had to change the tyres yet though. That won't be a happy day with those 265 cross section rears, until they're fitted and scrubbed in that is!"
Robin's cars are normally modified - not this one!
"The local tip mainly! And B&Q. Most of the country's race tracks have had a visit, not to drive round them unfortunately, just for work.
"Both my partner and I have families are spread out along the south coast so it's already done the back and forth there, including a 500-mile Xmas round trip. With 70 miles a day commuting too it's easy to see how the miles have racked up!
"I'm sure there will be some proper road trips at some point. Unfortunately for now my spare time involves working on the house, but this would make a great Euro hauler."
What next?
"Most of my cars last between six and 12 months, normally because I get bored or life dictates a change. I can't envisage becoming bored of this as a daily drive for a while yet, mainly because I don't have time. I plan to keep it for a good couple of years and I'm also not sure what I would even choose to replace it with. Probably a newer version of the same car. It really does a lot of things very well.
"I almost always change or modify something on my cars too. Something which I have become less and less convinced of as a good idea as I become a more experienced engineer and understand more of the design process and how a car has come to be a certain way. Track toys I will always play with, but the daily drive needs to just work and do what it was designed to do. That and I get carried away and spend way too much time and money doing it for the return! This is too good to start with to bother worrying about."
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