Alpina used values and general opinion of these cars pls?

[texasjohn]

Evening Gents (and ladies!)

I can't seem to find the Alpina listed in the Glasses guide...

There are a couple of B3S saloons for sale at present on PH:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1327011.htm

E46, 2003, 65k-70k miles. They are advertised for 11.5k. I know they are a very different beast but similar age 330i's are considerably less. Does anyone have CAP or similar where these cars might be listed? I'm not looking to beat the sellers down as such, just want to be sure that I pay a fair price.

At 11.5k I'm just thinking it seems very close to B3S cabriolet prices, and I don't really need the saloon but prefer its aesthetics. Of course there are the M3s as well, but I like the idea of something a little more stealthy.

Also there is a B10 V8S for sale here on PH (2003 model) for a similar price. It's in a lovely colour too.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1375828.htm

I know I am comparing completely different types of car now (E39 V8 vs E46 I6) but MPG and number of seats is not an issue for me as this will be a second car. On that note, 3.5k to 4k more gets you into 2005 Alpina Roadster territory, has that nice 3.4 motor with a lot less weight to carry!

So, does anyone have any idea on how to gauge values for these rare beasts or where to find values for these cars?

The one thing I have noticed (and read comments on Alpinaregister supporting this) is that other than perhaps the Z4 the Alpinas can seem to take a long time to sell.

This car: has been on sale since time began, almost (well, since at least before Summer 2009 anyway) http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2008...

[Crombers]

I'd say the B10 V8S is on the money, or even good value for money. The B10 V8s are cracking cars, I've had my touring for almost two years now and can't for the life of me decide on what to replace it with. I've never had a car which has drawn so much attention, I've had many a random give the thumbs up over the duration!

The Switchtronic box is a joy too, far better than the usual Steptronic system. With the lockable torque convertor and paddle shift changes the car's character is far different to that of an auto 540.

Keep in mind the V8S can set you back a grand when replacing the front brakes, but I gather they last the pace anyway.

Don't know about the B3, never been a 3 series fan but I'm quite sure it won't disappoint either.

[texasjohn]

Whats the MPG like on the V8, please?

<cringe!>

[Crombers]

I tend to see a typical 17/18mpg, shooting up to a delightful 24 / 25mpg on a gentle London to Glasgow trip.

Still, every mile is a joy so musn't worry about the little things

[texasjohn]

That's about what I expected. Still, you can't magic 370hp from mid air and its no worse than the AMG 55 engine!

[B10BRW]

I have a B10 V8 which has averaged 25 mpg over the six years I have had it, often get 28mpg on a long journey.
The B3S Cab I had was also averaging 25mpg,in a much lighter car, in my view the 6 cylinder engine is not ideally mated to the switchtronic gearbox.
I also have a Roadster S which has the 6 speed ZF box, this I consider makes full use of the 300bhp.
The Roadster has averaged 32mpg.
As far as I know there is nowhere that you can obtain the value of used Alpina's.
Sytner won't help as they are only interested in selling new cars.
Alpina's when new were considerably more expensive than the donor car, and therefore are very difficult to value.

[texasjohn]

Thank you for your comments B10, a useful insight from an owner perspective.

[parksie]

B10BRW said:

I have a B10 V8 which has averaged 25 mpg over the six years I have had it, often get 28mpg on a long journey.
The B3S Cab I had was also averaging 25mpg,in a much lighter car, in my view the 6 cylinder engine is not ideally mated to the switchtronic gearbox.
I also have a Roadster S which has the 6 speed ZF box, this I consider makes full use of the 300bhp.
The Roadster has averaged 32mpg.
As far as I know there is nowhere that you can obtain the value of used Alpina's.
Sytner won't help as they are only interested in selling new cars.
Alpina's when new were considerably more expensive than the donor car, and therefore are very difficult to value.

The Invoice for mine was pushing £58k back in 2001, where as the equivalent 540SE was around £44k,I'd like to say that my car is worth around £9-10K at todays pricing where as the 2001 540 is probably around £6k.

So in my opinion I'd say the Alpinas are or [should] be worth between 35 - 40% more than their donor stable mates