RE: Alpina D3 | The Brave Pill
Discussion
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
Sounds like you bought a lemon.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
My E90 330 was brilliant. One minor issue in three years , other than that it was just consumables.
If your A3 was such a superior car why did you buy an E9x?
Good write up! I have a 2007 dingle turbo Alpina D3 with 55k on the clock and two owners from new. Driveability I have had better cars, the turbo lag and the narrow power band for example. But I wouldn't want to part with it for some reason, it hasn't been fault free but the way it looks, the handling, quality, rarity and those wheels, I love it.
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. 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
Lol...
Water Fairy said:
Interested to know how the E90 compares to the E46 as that is the natural replacement eventually.
I gave up on diesels a while ago when I stopped doing business miles and was able to go back to straight 6 petrols thankfully! I replaced my E46 325ti Compact with an E91 325i then got an E90 330i last yearBut in general terms the E9* models feel more solid, are more refined and are way less prone to rust - but the E46s just feel that bit more fun to drive. I suppose like everything it's a compromise but if I could find a clean E46 I'd rather have that than an E9*!
Going slightly off track again I wouldn't entertain an Alpina Z4 when BMW made Z4Ms and only about 1,200 were registered in the UK - so they aren't exactly common.
Would you really want an older generation engine with a longer stroke that has a 6,500 rpm red-line over an S54 with an 8K red-line?
I enjoyed my D3 coupe over 2 years and 40k miles.
Averaged 47mpg.
I always thought it was genius that Alpina used a base spec 320d to build on because it made it a basic drivers car and more inline with traditional BMW qualities.
I do get why some would bypass these for a 330d. The 30d is a wonderful sledgehammer of an engine and BMWs should at least have 6 cylinders.
But thr D3 is a great car, I masters the 320d and isn't that all the car you need anyway?
Averaged 47mpg.
I always thought it was genius that Alpina used a base spec 320d to build on because it made it a basic drivers car and more inline with traditional BMW qualities.
I do get why some would bypass these for a 330d. The 30d is a wonderful sledgehammer of an engine and BMWs should at least have 6 cylinders.
But thr D3 is a great car, I masters the 320d and isn't that all the car you need anyway?
Water Fairy said:
Interested to know how the E90 compares to the E46 as that is the natural replacement eventually.
I had an E46 325ti prior to my E90 330.The E46 felt more solid but the E90 was the better car with less issues. Both cars were the same age when I bought them with similar miles, but the 330 seemed to hate my wallet far less!
I three years the only issue I had was the VANOS actuators, other than that it was consumables. With a bit of MOT stalking, the 330 seems to be going strong passing each year with flying colours.Mr Tidy said:
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!
I swapped a manual E91 320d M Sport for an auto E91 330d M Sport for the engine alone. The 320d was definitely the best handling of the two, sharper steering, less roll, better body control, but in every other respect the 330d was in a different league. More power everywhere in the range, really smooth with no clatter at all, sounded good. Maybe the auto box contributed but they were so different in character that they felt like completely different cars to drive. 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!
As much as I love the Alpina look, no way I’d pass a 330d for this at the same money.
Had my E91 Alpina D3 for 160,000 miles (198,000 total). Pretty bulletproof really, just had to do the shocks at 150,000 & an inter cooler pipe previously. Then just routine maintenance (although I did overdo the engine oil changes).
Only downsides were it was appalling when it snowed; got stuck on the flat if there was any sign of the white stuff & it didn’t wear rear tyres out tread wise, but the sidewall would go.
Part exchanged for a F31 330d Xdrive which came with all the bells & whistles.
Only downsides were it was appalling when it snowed; got stuck on the flat if there was any sign of the white stuff & it didn’t wear rear tyres out tread wise, but the sidewall would go.
Part exchanged for a F31 330d Xdrive which came with all the bells & whistles.
Billy_Whizzzz said:
What’s an ‘M120d’?
See quite a few of them. Think they're shipped from the factory as standard 120Ds but then go to M division for the application of eBay M badges.Seems to be a mix of opinions on this. I'd absolutely go for one of those. I think the E9X series were all decent looking cars but especially the coupe and estates. Loved my old E91 330I and have been looking on and off for the last couple of years for a D3 touring.
Mr Tidy said:
Going slightly off track again I wouldn't entertain an Alpina Z4 when BMW made Z4Ms and only about 1,200 were registered in the UK - so they aren't exactly common.
Would you really want an older generation engine with a longer stroke that has a 6,500 rpm red-line over an S54 with an 8K red-line?
https://www.evo.co.uk/tvr/tuscan/14195/bmw-z4-m-v-boxster-s-v-tvr-tuscan-v-alpina-m-power-strikes-backWould you really want an older generation engine with a longer stroke that has a 6,500 rpm red-line over an S54 with an 8K red-line?
Evo road tested them against each other in 2006. The Alpina Roadster S was a bargain at £38k compared to £43k for the Z4M.
“As in the M Roadster, the first thing you notice about the Alpina Roadster S is its engine. Deeper sounding, with a softer, less acute throttle response, the hand-built 3.4-litre engine is more evenly muscular and effortlessly potent, with a great surge of sweet power from 3000rpm that keeps it in touch with the M and a few metres ahead of the Boxster.”
spreadsheet monkey said:
https://www.evo.co.uk/tvr/tuscan/14195/bmw-z4-m-v-...
Evo road tested them against each other in 2006. The Alpina Roadster S was a bargain at £38k compared to £43k for the Z4M.
“As in the M Roadster, the first thing you notice about the Alpina Roadster S is its engine. Deeper sounding, with a softer, less acute throttle response, the hand-built 3.4-litre engine is more evenly muscular and effortlessly potent, with a great surge of sweet power from 3000rpm that keeps it in touch with the M and a few metres ahead of the Boxster.”
I remember reading that article when I had my Z4M and for me I'd actually prefer the Alpina 3.4 engine for its deeper sound. The S54 engine is quality for sure, but the noise it makes is a little bit marmite I reckon(it is quite tinny sounding at times for me). Evo road tested them against each other in 2006. The Alpina Roadster S was a bargain at £38k compared to £43k for the Z4M.
“As in the M Roadster, the first thing you notice about the Alpina Roadster S is its engine. Deeper sounding, with a softer, less acute throttle response, the hand-built 3.4-litre engine is more evenly muscular and effortlessly potent, with a great surge of sweet power from 3000rpm that keeps it in touch with the M and a few metres ahead of the Boxster.”
Mr Tidy said:
Going slightly off track again I wouldn't entertain an Alpina Z4 when BMW made Z4Ms and only about 1,200 were registered in the UK - so they aren't exactly common.
Would you really want an older generation engine with a longer stroke that has a 6,500 rpm red-line over an S54 with an 8K red-line?
Unfortunately I think the Alpina roadster had a similar engine problem to the E46-based B3 - head gasket issues.Would you really want an older generation engine with a longer stroke that has a 6,500 rpm red-line over an S54 with an 8K red-line?
Not that the S54 is exactly the paragon of reliability either.
Absolutely we are off topic. My head gasket did go on the Alpina - but at 90k miles so not too bad. I felt that they are very different characters - both very appealing. I had the choice of the M or the Alpina and I just loved the Alpina engine sound and feel so that's what I bought. The cold startup is fantastic! Each to their own. Agree both are rare but only 136 right hand drive Alpinas ever made gives it the nod.
We've not had enough 'here's mine' posts I feel. So here's mine. 2007 D3 in Montego blue. As has been said above, most are factory standard 'SE' spec. This one has Alpina leather (very soft, not the usual German stuff), heated seats, cruise, bluetooth. It also has anthracite bamboo trim in place of the nasty silver plastic, which is really rather lovely. Must have cost the first owner thousands.
It's used every day for my 30 mile commute. The brief was a small/medium size estate for less than £10k, less than 100k miles (this one's now on 92k), reliable, reasonably economical, and above all interesting.
Most people think it's just an old 3 series. But those who know, know. And I like that.
Yes, the 4-pot diesel is pretty agricultural by modern standards, yes the gearbox is a bit crap, yes the turbo lag rivals the worst of the 80s, yes I've just spent £1400 on a clutch, flywheel, front discs and service (but I'm still all-in for under £10k), yes a 330 would be faster and smoother but that really isn't the point. Those who know, know.
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