RE: Alpina D3 | The Brave Pill

[Pughmacher]

Daninoxon said:

just found the pic of mine. As a previous poster mentioned balance over power which is fine if this is your thing, it’s your only car and you drive on perfect public roads of known quality & quantity however in the real world power out of the corner wins. At this mileage Vs a lower mileage, lower priced 320d Msport or 330d Msport - why?

I’d buy one just for the blue dials! 😉

[unpc]

Pughmacher said:

I’d buy one just for the blue dials! ??

Whatever floats your boat. IMO it was a great car ruined by a very substandard powertrain. I could live with the austere interior but the NVH of that horrid engine and the stty gearbox ruined the whole car.

A decent 4 cylinder petrol engine and a worthy gearbox would have transformed this.

[pSyCoSiS]

I do like the look of these compared to the M Sport versions. The wheels are an Alpina icon, as are the dials.

But, I would personally prefer more cylinders.

Had an E39 B10 4.6 back in 2015. That was a lovely car with a great engine.

[Mr Tidy]

My first BMW was a 2004 320td with the M47 engine and in 42K miles I never had any issues with it.

It wasn't as gruff as most other contemporary 4 cylnder diesels, but after 3 years I replaced it with a pre-registered 123d with the N47 twin-turbo and that was way less clattery! I kept that for 6+ years and over 80K miles and only sold it after reading about N47 cam-chain issues, then BMW started the Quality Enhancement programme.

But I just couldn't walk past a 330d/335d for one of these Alpinas! And I really don't like Alpina wheels.

Still a 180K mile diesel doesn't seem particularly brave!

[Fox-]

Gareth9702 said:

I owned an M120D

[cerb4.5lee]

Fox- said:

Gareth9702 said:

I owned an M120D

[Motormatt]

cerb4.5lee said:

DoubleD said:

AlmostUseful said:

tim-jxv5n said:

E9x's are sh!t, regardless of model. I test drove one of these and my a3 2.0tdi at the time was superior in every way.

Ended up with a e90 335d for f#ck knows what reason and it was a bag of w@nk. Fuel leaks, diff leaks, engine leaks, brake judder and scumbags constantly looking round it.

Put me off BMW's for life, used fords and Vauxhall's are better than these things, I'd even expect to have less issues with a 15 year old discovery and that's really saying something

Conversely my E91 330D was essentially perfect for the 90k miles I drove it for, the EGR valve went but otherwise it was just regular servicing. Probably the best car I’ve ever owned.

A friend had an E92 330d, it was a fantastic thing to be in and was faultless.

Same and covered over 150k miles in a E90 330d without any issues whatsoever. It was a cracking all round car I thought. I ended up actually preferring it to the E90 330i I had after it(which was also faultless for the 4 years I had it).

Covered a total of 80k fault free miles in an E91 320d, changed it for an E91 330d, further 60k miles fault free. Great all rounders.

[jhayward1980]

I have been criticised for taking any opportunity to post a photo of my alpina..... This seems an ideal opportunity. I really enjoy the fact that most think its a halfords Z4, but a few know that it's something a bit different. Having sorted the gasket last year and now driving it only whe the sun is shining - it's a lovely thing to have. Not sure if this pill fits into the same category though really.

Edited by jhayward1980 on Sunday 18th October 08:49

[stuckmojo]

jhayward1980 said:

I have been criticised for taking any opportunity to post a photo of my alpina..... This seems an ideal opportunity. I really enjoy the fact that most think its a halfords Z4, but a few know that it's something a bit different. Having sorted the gasket last year and now driving it only whe the sun is shining - it's a lovely thing to have. Not sure if this pill fits into the same category though really.

Edited by jhayward1980 on Sunday 18th October 08:49

lovely looking car. I imagine these ride a million times better than the Z4.

[DoubleD]

stuckmojo said:

lovely looking car. I imagine these ride a million times better than the Z4.

That is a Z4?

[jhayward1980]

Cheers! They're not soft but they're a lot better than the Z4M (only my view) - having the Alpina setup and dampers not the BMW (in answer to the other post). The sound is superb. Had the alloys done and the front end tidied up too - once I knew I had a garage to put it in! Also refurbed the steering wheel courtesy of Royal Steering Wheels - sadly they couldn't do the spokes but I'll think of something.

[StuntmanMike]

howardhughes said:

For me Alpina, represents Understatement and performance. As for the wheels, they are in my top 5 favourite styles. Just gorgeous.

I’d agree. No desire for this one though.

[Jakg]

stuckmojo said:

lovely looking car. I imagine these ride a million times better than the Z4.

DoubleD said:

That is a Z4?

Alpina Roadster.

I like the idea of Alpinas, but I felt this missed the mark. Base spec and a 4-pot diesel, and a manual seemed an odd choice for an Alpina too.

For a similar price you could you could get a 335d. Quicker, auto & better spec.

[DoubleD]

Its a BMW Z4 that Alpina take away and change a couple of bits.

[ddom]

tim-jxv5n said:

E9x's are sh!t, regardless of model. I test drove one of these and my a3 2.0tdi at the time was superior in every way.

Ended up with a e90 335d for f#ck knows what reason and it was a bag of w@nk. Fuel leaks, diff leaks, engine leaks, brake judder and scumbags constantly looking round it.

Put me off BMW's for life, used fords and Vauxhall's are better than these things, I'd even expect to have less issues with a 15 year old discovery and that's really saying something

Nonsense. An A3 is a terrible car, only trumped by the A4 as an outright turd. They are not all gullet proof and there are known weak points, the problem is people don’t go into ownership with due diligence, but cheap cars without warranty then claim everything is ‘wk’.

[jhayward1980]

DoubleD said:

Its a BMW Z4 that Alpina take away and change a couple of bits.

Like the engine, the gearbox, the suspension, the exhaust, the seats.... Anyway. All good.

[cerb4.5lee]

I've always liked how rare and individual the Alpina Roadster is, and the people that have them always speak very highly of them too.

[Water Fairy]

njw1 said:

smithers-jones said:

....the M47 is ' kin gruff, hence i didn't buy one and had a from new D3biturbo with its far superior N47 base lump.

The M47 may be gruff but compare it to, say, a VAG 2.0 tdi of similar age and it's leagues ahead in terms of noise and refinement. I'm not sure I'd call the N47 superior what with the cam chain issues they have, in my experience the older M47 engines are nigh on indestructible. I know of a 320d that is on nearly 250,000 miles, I also know the current and previous two owners of it and none of them have had any problems whatsoever with it.

I would agree it is a little gruff but to concur it seems very robust. My E46 320cd is currently on 173k and runs sweet. Only issues I have had over the last 3 and a half years are brake pipes corroding, new intercooler and a radiator. Everything else I have spent is my choice to keep it nice. Suspension, bushes etc

Interested to know how the E90 compares to the E46 as that is the natural replacement eventually.

[Lotusgone]

Very happy with my E92 330d. I've heard it said that there will never be a diesel classic, but the engine in this might make it a close contender (probably after I sell it).

[cerb4.5lee]

Lotusgone said:

Very happy with my E92 330d. I've heard it said that there will never be a diesel classic, but the engine in this might make it a close contender (probably after I sell it).

I will never forgot the first time I put my foot down in a 330d and I couldn't believe how quick it felt. I'd always associated diesels as being very slow prior to that experience for sure. I've fond memories of the one I had.