New Member, new owner of 1, maybe new owner of 2

[djvinylsofa 0]

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.

[shaneg 0]

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

[djvinylsofa 0]

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.

[BM WORLD 1265]

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

[Neal 512]

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

[djvinylsofa 0]

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.

[djvinylsofa 0]

Neal, Thanks for that. Will do.

[dereklau007 1]

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

[djvinylsofa 0]

Derek, I'll update after the weekend once I've seen it in the flesh.

Cheers.

[djvinylsofa 0]

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.