Description
So after 10 amazing years it's time to say bye to number 098 - one of 35 made for the UK market.
I am thinning down my collection to make way for a van for my growing 2 wheel obsession and as I also have a B3 3. 3 Touring, the coupe is not getting the use it deserves and has been largely laid up (insured and taxed) for the past 6 months with the Touring assuming all family, dog and tip run duties.
I bought it in September 2013 from a chap near Heathrow who had first dibs on cars that were offfered to a BMW dealership where he used to work on a PX basis. He bought it and added it to a small collection of rather nice German cars he was accumulating as part of his retirement plan.
I saw it and bought it on the spot despite actually looking for a 330ci.
It has been the best accident ever and once smitten by the Alpina bug, you cannot shake it off easily.
This example has been in daily use since I bought it and I have put on around 60, 000 miles so average around 6, 000 yearly. It has been religiously maintained in strict accordance with the Alpina service schedule which requires a plug change every service.
It's a basic spec inside with 6 CD changer in the boot and nothing else. All switchgear works as it should and the car drives tight and rattle free as you'd expect for an example that is well maintained mechanically.
Discs and pads are good and tyres are only ever Michelin Pilot Sports
Like all E46's, it has its gremlins. There is some rust on the usual suspect areas including rear arches and tailgate. The front wings are good. They were replaced less than a year ago with donor wings from a 330ci cab in titan silver. Before fitting they were treated with POR 15 and Dinitrol so they should comfortably outlive the life of the car. The gearbox has been throwing up an "excessive slip" fault code since I bought it. I have never had it looked into because it has never bothered me. I had the gearbox inc torque converter on the Touring overhauled by Stephens in Ware and back to back they feel simillar enough.
If I were to keep the car for another 24-36 months, I would be looking to budget for a wheel refurb and a rear quarter respray including wings, tailgate, spoiler and bumper. There are some stone chips on the bonnet and on the door trims. The front windscreen was replaced sometime before I took ownership and is not a genuine BMW item. The centre support bearing will need replacing within 1000 miles. Its a £100 part and can be done DIY in 4 hours as I did with my tourer.
Now to save wasting time and effort, I am not desperate to sell and would rather wait for the right enthusiast buyer who will cherish the car as I have done. They are not making them anymore and with the recent sale of Alpina to BMW and the likely direction of travel, big-engined semi-bespoke Alpina's will from next year become a distant memory. I don't need to sell the car to buy the van but the extra driveway space would be welcomed.
Worth noting that if you do buy one that has not had the suspension refreshed already, the items are NLA so sourcing genuine Alpina parts could be an issue.
Happy to discuss and to arrange any viewing with genuinely serious and motivated buyers who are actively in the market to buy a B3 Coupe and are immediately proceedable. I will insist on speaking to any prospective buyers on the phone to establish whether a viewing makes sense for both of us.
ULEZ compliant with certificate from Alpina and letter from TfL.
Will consider a RWD L1 Mercedes Vito with cash my way.
With Christmas looming, I am happy to consider very near offers after which it will be kept indefinitely with the B3 3. 3 T taking on motorbike transport duties courtesy of a Motolug and tow hook!The only people entrusted to work on my Alpina's are Russ and Tim at Swift Performance in Stoke Mandeville and Boris Jiminez at CPC in Amersham. All of them would be happy to speak about the car.
The head gasket was replaced at CPC a few years back. I then had the suspension fully refreshed with genuine Alpina springs and shocks imported from FMW in Germany. The kit is NLA so if you are in the market for an Alpina then make sure you check what suspension it is running. It's not an Alpina without the Alpina specific Boge and Eibach shocks and springs.
Over 10 years every invoice has been collated in a very large and overflowing A4 folder. I am a bit of a nerd so like to keep things in order.
