Thinking about trading E85 Z4M for E39 Alpina B10 But....
Discussion
As the title suggests, I am wanting to use my '07 E85 Z4M for P/X towards getting myself an E39 Alpina B10 (I have also thought about the E46 B3 and E92 B3 Bi-Turbo or D3 Bi-Turbo). The reason why I am making this thread is about the whole 3.3 straight six vs the 4.6 V8 debate.
From looking at a number of different threads on this topic, on various sites over the years, there seems to be an even split between those who like one or the other. Most people say in real world situations, the 4.6 V8 is going to give the same or better MPG than the 3.3 straight six. For me, the car will be for enjoyment and going to car meets, or putting a special cover/divider so I can put my Labrador puppy in, as I don't feel comfortable having him in my Z4M's passenger seat (with a seat harness on).
I've always loved the E39's and the Alpina's have always been a bucket list car for me. The idea of having a manual is really appealing but I fear the 3.3 will feel slow compared to my E85 Z4M's S54. The claims about difference in steering feel have been argued against in almost every thread I found on the internet thus far. Currently there are a few 3.3's for sale online, that offer P/X on their current stock and are in colour combos+options that I find really appealing, but in the same breath, there are some lovely examples of the 4.6 V8's and a couple in Alpina Blue, which is my all time favourite colour for an Alpina.
Because of how few of these cars are up for sale, it's going to be next to impossible for me to be able to drive both versions and I am hoping with other members experience with these cars, I can start to narrow down the list of cars to check out.
Or should I forget about the E39 and just go for an E92 Alpina B3 Bi-Turbo , as they are going to be around the same size, but I can at least have the sexy coupe look and easier doors for me to get in and out of the car (spinal problems mean I prefer coupe's as they have longer doors, making it easier for me getting in/out of a car?
Cheers,
Felix
From looking at a number of different threads on this topic, on various sites over the years, there seems to be an even split between those who like one or the other. Most people say in real world situations, the 4.6 V8 is going to give the same or better MPG than the 3.3 straight six. For me, the car will be for enjoyment and going to car meets, or putting a special cover/divider so I can put my Labrador puppy in, as I don't feel comfortable having him in my Z4M's passenger seat (with a seat harness on).
I've always loved the E39's and the Alpina's have always been a bucket list car for me. The idea of having a manual is really appealing but I fear the 3.3 will feel slow compared to my E85 Z4M's S54. The claims about difference in steering feel have been argued against in almost every thread I found on the internet thus far. Currently there are a few 3.3's for sale online, that offer P/X on their current stock and are in colour combos+options that I find really appealing, but in the same breath, there are some lovely examples of the 4.6 V8's and a couple in Alpina Blue, which is my all time favourite colour for an Alpina.
Because of how few of these cars are up for sale, it's going to be next to impossible for me to be able to drive both versions and I am hoping with other members experience with these cars, I can start to narrow down the list of cars to check out.
Or should I forget about the E39 and just go for an E92 Alpina B3 Bi-Turbo , as they are going to be around the same size, but I can at least have the sexy coupe look and easier doors for me to get in and out of the car (spinal problems mean I prefer coupe's as they have longer doors, making it easier for me getting in/out of a car?
Cheers,
Felix
I’ve not driven the Alpina, but I have driven the E39 M5 and own a Z4M, E92 M3 and E91 335i (similar engine to the B3).
I’d say they are all very different cars, but none of them will feel like the Z4M, which feels smaller and lower than any of the alternatives and the seating position so far back only adds to that. The downside to all if this is lack of space in the cabin. IMHO it’s also trickier on the limit than the alternatives.
In terms of the E39 by far the biggest thing to watch out for is rust. If you have a garage and are dry storing it, only driving in dry and in summer etc than it’ll likely be fine. I wanted an E39 M5 for ages and went to look at / test drive loads and they all had rust. In the end I gave up and bought my Z4M in addition to my daily rather than use the M5 for everything.
The E9X platform doesn’t seem to suffer from rust and some of them are now 15 years old, which is encouraging. The N54 engine in the 335i I have is basically the same as the B3 BiTurbo, although I believe Alpina updated some of the intervals and changed the gearbox software. Compared to a naturally aspirated V8 or Straight Six it has a huge amount of torque very low down. It still sounds good, but I much prefer the S54 in the Z4M. Known issues are wastegates, injectors, coil packs and fuel & water pumps. Space wise the rear seats are decent, fine for an adult and unless you dog is huge I can’t see it being an issue.
I’d say the V8 Alpina will feel the most special, but it’s a barnstormer rather than a sports car, if you like that element of the Z4M recon you’ll miss it. I got my Z4M out the other day and hopping into it after the M3 it still felt very special.
I’d say they are all very different cars, but none of them will feel like the Z4M, which feels smaller and lower than any of the alternatives and the seating position so far back only adds to that. The downside to all if this is lack of space in the cabin. IMHO it’s also trickier on the limit than the alternatives.
In terms of the E39 by far the biggest thing to watch out for is rust. If you have a garage and are dry storing it, only driving in dry and in summer etc than it’ll likely be fine. I wanted an E39 M5 for ages and went to look at / test drive loads and they all had rust. In the end I gave up and bought my Z4M in addition to my daily rather than use the M5 for everything.
The E9X platform doesn’t seem to suffer from rust and some of them are now 15 years old, which is encouraging. The N54 engine in the 335i I have is basically the same as the B3 BiTurbo, although I believe Alpina updated some of the intervals and changed the gearbox software. Compared to a naturally aspirated V8 or Straight Six it has a huge amount of torque very low down. It still sounds good, but I much prefer the S54 in the Z4M. Known issues are wastegates, injectors, coil packs and fuel & water pumps. Space wise the rear seats are decent, fine for an adult and unless you dog is huge I can’t see it being an issue.
I’d say the V8 Alpina will feel the most special, but it’s a barnstormer rather than a sports car, if you like that element of the Z4M recon you’ll miss it. I got my Z4M out the other day and hopping into it after the M3 it still felt very special.
survivalist said:
I’ve not driven the Alpina, but I have driven the E39 M5 and own a Z4M, E92 M3 and E91 335i (similar engine to the B3).
I’d say they are all very different cars, but none of them will feel like the Z4M, which feels smaller and lower than any of the alternatives and the seating position so far back only adds to that. The downside to all if this is lack of space in the cabin. IMHO it’s also trickier on the limit than the alternatives.
In terms of the E39 by far the biggest thing to watch out for is rust. If you have a garage and are dry storing it, only driving in dry and in summer etc than it’ll likely be fine. I wanted an E39 M5 for ages and went to look at / test drive loads and they all had rust. In the end I gave up and bought my Z4M in addition to my daily rather than use the M5 for everything.
The E9X platform doesn’t seem to suffer from rust and some of them are now 15 years old, which is encouraging. The N54 engine in the 335i I have is basically the same as the B3 BiTurbo, although I believe Alpina updated some of the intervals and changed the gearbox software. Compared to a naturally aspirated V8 or Straight Six it has a huge amount of torque very low down. It still sounds good, but I much prefer the S54 in the Z4M. Known issues are wastegates, injectors, coil packs and fuel & water pumps. Space wise the rear seats are decent, fine for an adult and unless you dog is huge I can’t see it being an issue.
I’d say the V8 Alpina will feel the most special, but it’s a barnstormer rather than a sports car, if you like that element of the Z4M recon you’ll miss it. I got my Z4M out the other day and hopping into it after the M3 it still felt very special.
Thanks for posting, this really was the type of reply I was hoping to get from someone. I was worried that my post waffled too much for a question to be found in it.I’d say they are all very different cars, but none of them will feel like the Z4M, which feels smaller and lower than any of the alternatives and the seating position so far back only adds to that. The downside to all if this is lack of space in the cabin. IMHO it’s also trickier on the limit than the alternatives.
In terms of the E39 by far the biggest thing to watch out for is rust. If you have a garage and are dry storing it, only driving in dry and in summer etc than it’ll likely be fine. I wanted an E39 M5 for ages and went to look at / test drive loads and they all had rust. In the end I gave up and bought my Z4M in addition to my daily rather than use the M5 for everything.
The E9X platform doesn’t seem to suffer from rust and some of them are now 15 years old, which is encouraging. The N54 engine in the 335i I have is basically the same as the B3 BiTurbo, although I believe Alpina updated some of the intervals and changed the gearbox software. Compared to a naturally aspirated V8 or Straight Six it has a huge amount of torque very low down. It still sounds good, but I much prefer the S54 in the Z4M. Known issues are wastegates, injectors, coil packs and fuel & water pumps. Space wise the rear seats are decent, fine for an adult and unless you dog is huge I can’t see it being an issue.
I’d say the V8 Alpina will feel the most special, but it’s a barnstormer rather than a sports car, if you like that element of the Z4M recon you’ll miss it. I got my Z4M out the other day and hopping into it after the M3 it still felt very special.
Back in early 2011, I was looking at the e46 Alpina B3 3.3 Coupe's. There were plenty of 4 door version that were in the right colours etc and rust free, but as soon as I came across a coupe, they were suffering with rust on the front arches and wings. I put it down to the coupe's being driven much harder on B roads, where the 4 doors were more about bombing down the motorway at "interesting" speeds.
I was just speaking with an old friend who works on Alpina's for his living and he gave me a good breakdown. I worked out that if I can get a pre 2001 E39 B10 4.6 V8, I would save around £500 on tax and insurance over my '08 E85 Z4M Roadster. He advised me about how there are some issues with the 3.3 and it's just a bit better than a 530i and for real world driving, the V8 really suits the car much better. So I'm now on the hunt to see if I can find a trader/dealer who does P/X, so I can take a good chunk out of the for sale price on a V8 B10, as I don't want to have to deal with selling a M roadster at this time of year as the market starts to get flooded and with what's going on in the UK and the world, car prices are going to really get out of whack.
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