Alpina Roadster S

[mitchk]

Can anybody give me a rough idea on what my Alpina is worth.

June 2005
Toledo Blue
23000 miles
Lux pack
Black Leather

Its coming up to the end of my pcp and the buyout figure is about £15. I'm not sure whether to keep it or trade it for another, although all the Z4M's at the moment seem quite pricey.

Also, has anybody owned both cars ? and if so what were the general differences regarding them. I like the feel of the Alpina and don't want to trade it for something too stiff and crashy.

thanks

[belleair302]

Without seeing the car or knowing how you drive it, with bravado I assume...maybe as much as 18,000, possibly a little less.

[E31Shrew]

'kin ell.....£15.00?

[raceboy]

A quick glance of the classifieds shows there appear to be pitched between £17k and £20k depending on condition and options.

And thats 'asking prices' so lop a bit of that and it's not exactly ideal soft top selling weather/time of year so I'd say cars are changing hands between £15k and £18k.

My old man was tempted by the 'expensive one' in the classifieds but it does look mintier than a minty thing and fully optioned up.

[SittingBull]

mitchk said:

Can anybody give me a rough idea on what my Alpina is worth.

June 2005
Toledo Blue
23000 miles
Lux pack
Black Leather

Its coming up to the end of my pcp and the buyout figure is about £15. I'm not sure whether to keep it or trade it for another, although all the Z4M's at the moment seem quite pricey.

Also, has anybody owned both cars ? and if so what were the general differences regarding them. I like the feel of the Alpina and don't want to trade it for something too stiff and crashy.

thanks

I have owned 4 variants of the Z3/Z4 since 1997. But not the Alpina. I traded my Z4MR two days ago for various reasons. The Z4MR is neither "stiff" nor "crashy". In fact, the ride is much better than a standard 3.0Si/SE. Neither does the ///M tramline (frightening at speed) like the standard 3.0.

The Z4MR is one hell of a performance car for the money - as long as you realise that the "real" performance is only there if you shift near the red line (8000rpm).

The downsides need to be seriously considered. The Road Tax is currently £405, MPG can be a realistic 26/27, but the servicing costs (if you ever want to sell the car with a full BMWSH) are absolutely horrific! £600+ for Inspection1 & £900+ for the dreaded Inspection 2.

Now, I have been retired for 12 years & "extreme" running costs worry me (& my bank manager!) significantly. You have a relatively low mileage & very rare & desirable car which you say you can buy for £15K. Personally I would negotiate with the finance company & offer them £14K - They will take it as they have to spend hundreds of pounds to take the car back, have it valeted then transport/enter it into a national auction....

Here is the hilarious side: I bought my Z4MR in Jan 2009 for £18,400 with 15,700 miles. It was a "BMW Lease" car. Since Jan the Z4M car used prices have skyrocketed. I traded my car (straight swap from Bowkers of Blackburn) with 19,200 miles (SJ56 LHG) for a fully optioned 3,800 mile BMW 1 Series 123D 2 days ago - advertised at £19,990. The road tax is only £120 & after 2 days "playing" with it I'm getting 48mpg. When I am used to it I think I will see more than 50mpg. In the real world this car is almost as quick as the ///M... And much more pleasant to drive, with more toys..

[MarkwG]

Hi - apologies if preaching to the converted, but worth a look here - www.thealpinaregister.com , & here www.alpina-archive.com for ideas & links.

[jontysafe]

Sittingbull:Here is the hilarious side: I bought my Z4MR in Jan 2009 for £18,400 with 15,700 miles. It was a "BMW Lease" car. Since Jan the Z4M car used prices have skyrocketed. I traded my car (straight swap from Bowkers of Blackburn) with 19,200 miles (SJ56 LHG) for a fully optioned 3,800 mile BMW 1 Series 123D 2 days ago - advertised at £19,990. The road tax is only £120 & after 2 days "playing" with it I'm getting 48mpg. When I am used to it I think I will see more than 50mpg. In the real world this car is almost as quick as the ///M... And much more pleasant to drive, with more toys..

You`re not STILL hawking about this are you?? If my Z4MC ever became "pleasant" to drive I`d go boil my underpants. It is in no way "almost as quick" as the M. 123d engine is appealing but it`s packaged in a girl`s shirt of a little car. "Playing" with cars doesn`t involve economy runs for me. Me think the lady does protest too much! All tongue in cheek, I`m just ribbing you Sittingbull.

[christer]

SittingBull said:

In the real world this car is almost as quick as the ///M... ..

No.

As long as you enjoy whatever you drive for whatever reason then delusion is not necessary

[mitchk]

I'm also not sure "in the real world" that the ///M would be quicker ? hence why I ask for opinions of anybody which has had both.

From my reading on various forums I got the impression that the Alpina always made a bit more BHP than spec and the ///M a bit less ? and that the difference is more in the range calibration of the throttle peddle rather than engine.

I know essentialy that I need test drive one and make my own mind up but its a long term user opinion that I am after as I will only test drive for 20-30 mins I guess.

Edited by mitchk on Saturday 26th September 13:39

Edited by mitchk on Saturday 26th September 13:41

[gmarks1]

Hi - I've got a 2005 Alpina Roadster S, and test drove an Z4M roadster. To me, the Z4M did feel more urgent, and believe it or not, a little more compliant over the bumps. However, there's very little in it, and as now, the Alpina is several thousand pounds cheaper to buy, and costs less to run (roadtax, servicing etc). Most Roadsters produce 310 to 320 bhp, and the S54 3.2 is known for producing less than 343bhp, so in reality, there's probably almost nothing in it. The Alpina is very light, but has electric servo assisted steering, and no limited slip differential, so will not handle as well on the limit as the M. In my opinion, the Alpina Roadster is much better looking, due to the 19" dynamic alloys, and front and rear spoilers, and obviously very exclusive - I've never seen another on the road. Engine sound is amazing, particularly starting up from cold. My experience was that if they had been the same price, I would have had the M, but I've never regretted buying the Alpina, and have owned it for 18 months now, with no plans to change.

Regards, Gary

Edited by gmarks1 on Sunday 27th September 15:03