Alpina

[chris432626]

All, my wife's not too keen on me getting a mid life crisis E46 M3 (too boy racer). Alpina B3's....are they worth the extra over a standard 330i?
I'm guessing they're going to hold their value better, but the decent ones are now the same price as the M3. Any views from previous owners?

[ross_jsy]

Slap her upside her face and tell her they have an air of class and decorum a boy racer can only dream of.

A 330i does drive lovely though, nice and torquey. Why don't you test drive both and choose one based on what you want?

[harry_p]

as i've mentioned before, i had a friend who had wanted a b3 for years, eventually took the plunge and had nothing but problems with it. eventually rejecting it admitting that when it was working properly it certainly wasnt worth the huge premium over the 330 he replaced it with.

the alpina tax on alpina specific bits also seems to be every bit as bad as Mtax!

find a nice m3 in a subtle colour, and tell her to mind her own business

[chris432626]

lol, you're braver men than I.

[Simon13]

as i've mentioned before, i had a friend who had wanted a b3 for years, eventually took the plunge and had nothing but problems with it. eventually rejecting it admitting that when it was working properly it certainly wasnt worth the huge premium over the 330 he replaced it with.

the alpina tax on alpina specific bits also seems to be every bit as bad as Mtax!

find a nice m3 in a subtle colour, and tell her to mind her own business

This is a hugely one sided view from 1 person who for all we know bought a lemon. The B3s is an aswsome all round car if needing the odd headgasket.

Most of the time the alpina stuff is worth it. Their famous for their combination of big wheels, ride comfort and handling. Which BMW themselves clearly cannot manage on the new models

[adit]

Why don't you test drive both and choose one based on what you want?

Ross, see below

....my wife....

there's your clue