Alpina B3 and B10 saloon buying advice needed

[ICSD]

Hi there

I've currently got a 911 3.2 Carrera and a Saab 9000 and I'm thinking about getting into a car that combines the two (and saving a bit of cash due to house move). I was thinking of a 530i Sport but Fluffnik pointed me in the direction of Alpina cars and I'm rather excited at the prospect.

The first question is, boot space and rear legroom aside, should it be a B3 or a B10? I'd be looking at something for around £10-12k (is that sensible?)

The second question is about costs. Will an Alpina be more or less expensive than what I've already got. I don't spend a lot on the Saab (obviously), but the Porsche is approximately as follows:-

Maintenance £800 pa
Tyres £450 pa
Fuel 23mpg
Depreciation - zero
Insurance £500

Also, I've heard mention of ongoing warranties - do you need to buy a car with one? Can you get one retrospectively? Do cars with them fetch considerably more money?

Lastly, do you need to go to BMW for maintenance or is there a specialist network available?

Thanks for your help.

Iain

[nixb10]

Iain

I would say that your life will be easier with the 530i but more enjoyable with the Alpina. If you need legroom and bootspace then you have to go for the B10 against the B3. For £10k-£15k you should be able to find a good example of either. If you go for a B10 you need to decide between the Straight 6 3.3 and 4.6 V8. I owned a 3.3 for 3 years and found it fulfilled all my needs adequately and as you are considering a 530i as opposed to say an M5 or 540 I would go for the 3.3.

General service costs should be much the same as the 530i but any specific Alpina parts you need along the way will be more costly than the BMW equivelant and if the need to be shipped from Alpina dont expect next day delivery.


I used to get late 20s mpg out of the B10
Insurance is steep so be sure to check out costs before committing.
Depriciation on an Alpina is more difficult to pinpoint. You will sell a 530i quicker than an Alpina. If you are the type of person who changes car regularly then go for the 530i.

Strangely I used to run Saabs and they cost me a fortune which is why I stopped buying them.

If you get an Alpina and dont want to use the BMW network then find a specialist that knows Alpinas.

Now that the government has screwed up the extended warranty schemes for everyone (£1800+ a year for M cars and Alpinas) your chance of finding a used Alpina in your price bracket with extended warranty has dramatically diminished. Dont let that put you off though. They are great cars. The E39 is a great saloon in pretty much any form.

For answers to any further Alpina questions checkout the Alpina Register

www.thealpinaregister.com/


Nick

>> Edited by nixB10 on Saturday 13th May 19:57

>> Edited by nixB10 on Saturday 13th May 19:59