djvinylsofa 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2012 Hi all. I'm new to BMWs (ex Saab). I live rurally, north of Auckland. First addition to the family has been a 2002 318i Touring (below) which is my girlfriend's. Now I'm looking at getting a 2003 528i sedan. It's still on the wharf, but from the one blurry pic I've seen it seems to have an Alpina hood badge. I couldn't find much info except on wikipedia. Can anyone please tell me about Alpina? i.e. differences/pros/cons/tips that a newbie might not be aware of? COuld this affect price and/or maintenance later on? Or is it possible someone has just put a badge on it for no reason? Cheers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shaneg 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) Or is it possible someone has just put a badge on it for no reason? Cheers. This most likely.I think they made a B10 in 528, and 540. with a 3.3l and 4.8l engines accordingly. Although youd firstly be able to tell via the price itd be a lot higher than normal and would probably be called and Alpina B10 3,3 http://www.thealpinaregister.com/stats Edited February 28, 2012 by shaneg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djvinylsofa 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2012 Thanks for the reply. These useful FAQs were also on the link you provided: http://www.thealpinaregister.com/faqs At least arms me with some knowledge when I go to view... will be interesting to see how it stacks up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted February 28, 2012 this is normally where alpina badges come from http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-...n-452396278.htm or here http://www.ebay.com/itm/2PCS-82MM-73MM-ALP...=item3a6fd0a2ab proper alpina mods go a lot further . engine , suspension , wheels , steering wheel , seats , body kit etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neal 540 Report post Posted February 28, 2012 Check out the Aplina's on pistonheads with should give you an idea the differences between a standard BMW and an Alpina. Normally they have spoke wheels , have been lowered a bit and have a higher standard of inteior trim. The will also have logos on the seats and steering wheel if they are the real factory version. I don't remember seeing any Alpina's 528i's when I was living in the Uk where they are more comon. Most seemed to be 3.3's or larger. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?...t=&nodays=0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djvinylsofa 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2012 Riiiiighhht. As easy as that eh... Well if it's a fakey but still rocks as an E39 I'll get the badge changed before buying. False pimping is like cleaning your tongue with a toilet brush. It might feel good at first, but its a shitty thing to do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djvinylsofa 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2012 Neal, Thanks for that. Will do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dereklau007 1 Report post Posted February 28, 2012 I believe that the 528i's (M52B28) last year of production was 2000. Then it was replaced by the 530i (M54B30). One way to find out exactly what engine the car has is to get the last 7 characters of the VIN and plug it into realoem.com Some extra information can be found on the official Alpina site about the E39 Alpinas Like Shane pointed out that if it is a genuine Alpina B10 it will have a price premium on it. Would be interested to find out what the real deal is with the car you are looking at. Cheers, Derek Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djvinylsofa 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2012 Derek, I'll update after the weekend once I've seen it in the flesh. Cheers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djvinylsofa 0 Report post Posted March 1, 2012 Would be interested to find out what the real deal is with the car you are looking at. Cheers, Derek Well, checked it out early and it was in fact a 'Racing Dynamics' badge. The car was not for me so will probably end up on a lot/auction somewhere. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites