Alpina B3 - should I?

[sam303]

I'm looking at an Alpina B3 on Auto Trader, 2000, W plate, 3.3 auto, 42k miles, full BMW history, advertised in Scotland at £8,999.

Any help on whether this is a reasonable price for this car?

I'm driving a 330d at the moment (184bhp) and want something quicker. 330i not quick enough, M3 probably too much risk. So an Alpina with 280bhp could fit the bill - keen to hear any comments though!

[christer]

M3 - too much risk of what?

[bazking69]

Erm. Monster bills maybe?

[sam303]

Re. M3 'risk' - just cost really; seems to me the M3 (of the age I'd be looking at i.e. E36) is potentially troublesome as a daily driver - 10,000 miles per year - given that things like VANOS and SMG gearboxes can fail.

[nickg123]

Have to say i'd be wary of an Alpina - i know my MD bought a brand new Aplina 5 series (2005) when he couldn't get an M5 quick enough and it spent more time in the garage then out on the road.

From what he explained to me there are a lot of parts custom made for Alpinas which means should they fail you can sometimes need to wait for the part for up to 2 months at times.....

This was certainly his experience anyway, needless to say he sold it a year later and got the M5 he wanted in the first place.

[Crombers]

nickg123 said:

Have to say i'd be wary of an Alpina - i know my MD bought a brand new Aplina 5 series (2005) when he couldn't get an M5 quick enough and it spent more time in the garage then out on the road.

From what he explained to me there are a lot of parts custom made for Alpinas which means should they fail you can sometimes need to wait for the part for up to 2 months at times.....

This was certainly his experience anyway, needless to say he sold it a year later and got the M5 he wanted in the first place.

Think the B5 is a slightly more complex beast than the B3 though..

[anonymous-user]

B3 shouldn't cost anymore to run than a 330ci. I looked at a B3 before buying mine and the only thing that put me off is the wood trim (which I could live with) and the insurance quotes (330ci - £250, B3 - £1500!).

[fluffnik]

Crombers said:

Think the B5 is a slightly more complex beast than the B3 though..

Early ones had some issues, long since resolved.