What do you think of this? Advice pls

[Liam79]

Soldmy 51 330d sport the other week and in the market for a new car. Been browsing the classifieds for some suggestions etc and came across this. Always loved these and didnt realise they were in my price range.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1251275.htm
I think it looks great in that colour. What are peoples opinions on these and any advice on parts/servicing etc?

[boobles]

I love that car & colour & would go for something like that without a doubt.
Servicing probably will be quite exspensive & probably fall into the same category as an M powered car simple because of the badge im affraid, but there are specialists out there who won't rip you off like the main stealer will.

[christer]

Looks nice, any BMW dealer / independent can service - not sure of the reason for the comment around M3 sized costs.....?

Not sure about colour either, but if you like it go for it.

I have looked at these, but got a 5 series instead for a little extra space.

[MarkwG]

www.thealpinaregister.com : have a look, it's on there. It has all the hallmarks of a good'un, to me. Costs won't neccesarily be any worse than a 330, unless something untoward happens with the Alpina specifics. My indie services my B10 & M3, & he doesn't charge any more than a standard BM for either. They're designed to be serviced by any BMW agent, they're not meant to be Sunday cars or hangar queens.
There is another very similar car out there, all I'd say is, be sure which one suits you best...

Edited by MarkwG on Monday 28th September 15:20

[boobles]

My comment about prices being simular to M powered cars were purely based on my experience with dealers local to me. Asoon as they see something remotely "sporty" they see cash signs before there eyes. Not all dealers are like this i don't think.

[gmarks1]

I believe the owner is a regular poster on the Alpina register. Greats cars, and it's good that it has a 'proper' Alpina interior. Servicing costs significantly less than M cars, and real exclusivity. Iny my opnion, if you're looking for an auto, worth the premium over a standard 3 series (and I drive an E46 330Ci Sport)

Regards, Gary

[richterswil]

No idea on servicing/insurance/depreciation etc etc costs but I do know that it looks great, offers something different to the norm and if it is owned by a regular poster is likely to have been looked after (unlikely a car like that would end up with a non enthusiast).

Buy it I say and let us know how you get on. Looks great.

[ncbbmw]

The Alpina B3.3 starts life as a 330i so servicing costs should be the same however I'm not sure if the B3.3 had larger discs and pads from the M3 which will bump up repair costs.

Be warned though that the bespoke Alpina parts cost a fortune! Different cylinder head, instrument cluster and all that Alpina nappa leather.. Ouch!

I never got to drive a B3.3 but the earlier B3.2 was a dog to drive slowly, the go pedal was either on or off with a very heavy pedal.

The car does look the buisness though and judging by the plate an ex Sytner demo as they used to have all the B? ALP reg numbers.

[ncbbmw]

http://www.thealpinaregister.com/B3/3.3/saloon/242

[ncbbmw]

Just checked they use standard 330i front discs and pads but appear to have bespoke Alpina caliper.

You can download the Alpina parts catalog here.
http://www.thealpinaregister.com/download

Full 11 digit part number means standard BMW part, 7 digit number means be-spoke Alpina.

[Liam79]

Do you think it is overpriced and is the private plate worth much although i understand it is model specific.

[Slurms]

It's a little over-priced but not by thousands..

Only issue with the 2000 - 2001 B3's is that they have a tendancy to be very fond of oil..

You'll find more info on the alpina forum but some people have reported very high oil consumption figures and had bmw\alpina report them as "within tolerance"

[gizlaroc]

If you use a heavier Oil then it uses hardly any though.

I think it looks an OK price, great plate with it too, you could probably get £3k for that selling it back to Sytner or an owner who is buying anew £55k B3.

[Liam79]

gizlaroc said:

If you use a heavier Oil then it uses hardly any though.

I think it looks an OK price, great plate with it too, you could probably get £3k for that selling it back to Sytner or an owner who is buying anew £55k B3.

Arent they designed to use castrol tws motorsport oil so going away from that may cause more problems. I thought the plate maybe an excellent selling point in future sale. Going to view it on sunday so hopefully all is well and can do a deal.