E39 Alpina - New Purchase first impressions
Discussion
First proper drive in the Alpina today after the brakes were sorted out. This is my first E39 although I did have an E34 540i Touring and 2 E34 B10s a few years back. The thing that impressed me most was the engine, so sweet and revvy , feels everyone of its 260bhp. Was interesting to compare back to back with the 3.5 Alpina engine in my 6 series. Not sure how the weights compare but they felt quite similar, 3.5 stronger low down, the 3.2 better at the top end. 3.2 definitely smoother. Both have that low inertia feel that sets the Alpina engines apart from the engines they are based on. Felt very comfy, handling composed if not quite the bite into the corners I would have expected but its done plenty of miles so might need a suspension refresh. Gearbox is very smooth going up the gears but struggled with down changes from 5th to third, gate lacks definition, very easy to reslot 5th. Steering was the most disappointing thing for me, feels quite stodgy initially when turning in to a bend, to be fair I'm used to cars with quite sensitive steering and its better than the E24. Gave it a good valet today as its sat around with little use for a couple of years. Needs a bit of paint here and there and a wheel refurb but appears totally rust free. Fan blower very weak so I need to get that looked at and a few minor other bits but seems a nice sound car :0)
That's a nice early B10- looks well worth the effort. Is it Alpina Blue? I often wonder what mine would be like (B3) with a manual. It's easy to think only the V8s are "worth it", but this has all the Alpina goodness and the straight sixes are classic BMW engines, just turned up to 11. Enjoy it and keep the updates coming.
Edited by Polynesian on Sunday 5th November 22:48
Lovely! I'm biased though, have a B10 3.3 with manual.box.
It should feel spot-on on turn -in; precise and utterly inspire confidence all teh ay through from appraoch, turni to exit (and shrug off mid-bend bump sin an uncanny way) If it's not, likely worn bushes (front) or balljoints (rear) or geo (all four corners are adjustable and I have the set-up figures somewhere); it is worth getting right and not difficult. NB I've just put mine (at 140K) through a refresh with Alpina springs and dampers and while it improved body control (even better than before), it's had little effect on the steering IYSWIM.
Enjoy it - they are lovely, lovey things to drive.
It should feel spot-on on turn -in; precise and utterly inspire confidence all teh ay through from appraoch, turni to exit (and shrug off mid-bend bump sin an uncanny way) If it's not, likely worn bushes (front) or balljoints (rear) or geo (all four corners are adjustable and I have the set-up figures somewhere); it is worth getting right and not difficult. NB I've just put mine (at 140K) through a refresh with Alpina springs and dampers and while it improved body control (even better than before), it's had little effect on the steering IYSWIM.
Enjoy it - they are lovely, lovey things to drive.
Huff said:
Lovely! I'm biased though, have a B10 3.3 with manual.box.
It should feel spot-on on turn -in; precise and utterly inspire confidence all teh ay through from appraoch, turni to exit (and shrug off mid-bend bump sin an uncanny way) If it's not, likely worn bushes (front) or balljoints (rear) or geo (all four corners are adjustable and I have the set-up figures somewhere); it is worth getting right and not difficult. NB I've just put mine (at 140K) through a refresh with Alpina springs and dampers and while it improved body control (even better than before), it's had little effect on the steering IYSWIM.
Enjoy it - they are lovely, lovey things to drive.
Worth doing the PAS fluid as well? Only because I had old volvo once that had weird, floaty feeling steering that "pulsed" when holding an angle. Turned out some cheap arse fluid was used and wasn't to spec. The right fluid sorted (mostly) the problems.It should feel spot-on on turn -in; precise and utterly inspire confidence all teh ay through from appraoch, turni to exit (and shrug off mid-bend bump sin an uncanny way) If it's not, likely worn bushes (front) or balljoints (rear) or geo (all four corners are adjustable and I have the set-up figures somewhere); it is worth getting right and not difficult. NB I've just put mine (at 140K) through a refresh with Alpina springs and dampers and while it improved body control (even better than before), it's had little effect on the steering IYSWIM.
Enjoy it - they are lovely, lovey things to drive.
Otispunkmeyer said:
Worth doing the PAS fluid as well? Only because I had old volvo once that had weird, floaty feeling steering that "pulsed" when holding an angle. Turned out some cheap arse fluid was used and wasn't to spec. The right fluid sorted (mostly) the problems.
That's a good suggestion. But before doing so take a good look at the high pressure hose at the rack end where it turns into a metal piece - these tend to leak with age and might as well fix now rather than later; the part unfortunately is about £240 (NB OP - fairly complete history of work done to mine in my profile). But the PS fluid is cheap & nothing special, synthetic Dexron 3ATF on these.Generally though - the steering - while not as light/over-assisted as many cars - is very precise and linear, and turn-in eager with great feedback through the wheel, though it's not 'noisy'. I found the 3.2/3,3 B10s more precise and more engaging than the couple of e39 M5s I looked at, for me gelling as a package to drive that outweighed the power difference (noting also that an M5 is a good 300kg heavier than one of these, much of that in the nose, and you feel it everywhere). I've zero regrets about that choice at all.
Edited by Huff on Monday 6th November 14:28
Notanotherturbo said:
Gearbox is very smooth going up the gears but struggled with down changes from 5th to third, gate lacks definition, very easy to reslot 5th. Fan blower very weak so I need to get that looked at and a few minor other bits but seems a nice sound car :0)
Some precision can be added to the gear change by overhauling the linkage to the gearbox. The parts are not expensive but fiddly and a little inconvenient to access. There's one big bush that more or less fell to bits when removed, #8 here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=DL72-...
Definitely made a difference to both of my E39s. (The parts diagram & part numbers will in all probability be different for your car.) All the small bits that wear are worth changing. I reused parts #1, #6, and #9 but changed everything else.
The fan is definitely a DIY but does require a few brave pills since replacing it entails removing the entire dash. No special tools needed just a methodical and organised approach. There's a good thread or two on this over on BMW5 forum.
Notanotherturbo said:
Thanks for the advice guys, will get them to change the power steering fluid when I get the blower done, bushes sounds a good idea too, steering just feels unresponsive around straight ahead , it's ok once your a few degrees off centre.
If it's anything like the E46 it'll have a rubber bush in the steering linkage - that could well be the giving you dead feeling around centre. I remember replacing that part on one of my E46 M3's and the steering felt much better afterwards. Nice car by the way!Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff