2007 D3 Alpina

[Mr Roper]

Hello all,

I'm going to be looking at a Alpina D3. It's been about 10 years since my last BMW so I'm quite looking forward to it.

Other than the obvious is there anything I should pay particular attention to? The car is an 07 with 55k on the clock, immaculate condition. The car will come with 12 months warranty BUT I'd still like to know what faults current or pending at this age/mileage if any?


What should I be checking??

Thanks in advance

[Mr Roper]

I guess they must be faultless cars then?

Oh well, guess I'll know more tomorrow when I have a spin in one

[Johnny Drama]

Great cars, loved mine to bits.

The main item to check is whether the clutch has been replaced. My D3 had a new clutch at 4k miles after it developed serious judder and I know others have had similar problems. The Alpina front spoiler is prone to severe stone chipping and I had mine repainted under warranty after successfully arguing about the paint quality (the bumper area above the spoiler was unmarked). The only other item I'd want to check is that the tyres have plenty of life left in them - new PS2s are not cheap.

You'll find loads of information and owners views over on http://www.thealpinaregister.com/

[Mr Roper]

Johnny Drama said:

Great cars, loved mine to bits.

The main item to check is whether the clutch has been replaced. My D3 had a new clutch at 4k miles after it developed serious judder and I know others have had similar problems. The Alpina front spoiler is prone to severe stone chipping and I had mine repainted under warranty after successfully arguing about the paint quality (the bumper area above the spoiler was unmarked). The only other item I'd want to check is that the tyres have plenty of life left in them - new PS2s are not cheap.

You'll find loads of information and owners views over on http://www.thealpinaregister.com/

Thanks for the reply.

Was the clutch a recall?

[Johnny Drama]

Mr Roper said:

Was the clutch a recall?

It was never a recall AFAIK but I know other owners had similar issues. The D3 MT uses the standard clutch from a 320D and the explanation for the juddering is usually given as a faulty seal allowing oil onto the clutch plate. I did wonder though whether this clutch can cope with the extra torque of the D3 and think Alpina should have specified the 330D clutch.

Good luck with the test drive. You'll find the D3 does have a narrow power band but if you've driven a contemporary BMW you'll be amazed by the difference in ride quality that an Alpina offers

[Mr Roper]

Had the test drive

The handling is oh so sweet, not harsh, nor skittish just very sure and smooth. I wasn't taken back by the the throttle response or the lag and compared to my lesser powered audi (mapped) felt less punchy BUT the rev range is nothing I've experienced from a diesel before, really liked it.


So in short, I love the looks, the handling, the exclusivity and the experience as a whole for what is in essence quite a sensible car.


I've put a deposit down and will be collecting next Friday.

A friend (who has previously remapped my car, very happy with the results) has advised a 38HP and 70NM of torque increase. Has anyone had this done? Is it an actual increase and more importantly does it improve the lag and punch??

Thanks

[gmarks1]

I think that alpina have already extracted the majority of what is available from the 2 litre monoturbo. I'd be highly surprised if you could get a further 38 bhp from that engine without compromising reliability or drivability. Suggest you have a look at the alpina register forum - plenty of owners on there

[Mr Roper]

gmarks1 said:

I think that alpina have already extracted the majority of what is available from the 2 litre monoturbo. I'd be highly surprised if you could get a further 38 bhp from that engine without compromising reliability or drivability. Suggest you have a look at the alpina register forum - plenty of owners on there

Thanks for the link, very useful.

[andy665]

I thought the D3 came with the twin turbo 2 litre lump from the 1 series!

[gmarks1]

andy665 said:

I thought the D3 came with the twin turbo 2 litre lump from the 1 series!

Now it does, but the original D3 was single turbo ala 320d (hence lack of tuning potential, as it's already been taken a long way from baseline power/torque)

[Mr Roper]

Well I bought the D3 on Friday and so far I'm really enjoying it.

Although it's not the most powerful car I've owned (its not slow by no means) it is certainly the best handling and the exclusivity will keep it looking 'special'.

[Mermaid]

Mr Roper said:

Well I bought the D3 on Friday and so far I'm really enjoying it.

Although it's not the most powerful car I've owned (its not slow by no means) it is certainly the best handling and the exclusivity will keep it looking 'special'.

Excellent. Some pics?

Alpina cars are so well rounded, that outright speed/handling/braking does not matter 99% of the times.

[98C4S]

Best car I have ever owned - bought one brand new and 45k miles and nearly 3 years later, I still adore it!

Ive never owned a car for more than a year, Ive had 5 'weekend' cars in the time Ive had my Alpina..

Best kept secret imo