Should I buy this car?

[RockJock]

http://www.splendidauto.com/viewcar.aspx?carID=60

or should i wait for this one?

http://www.splendidauto.com/viewcar.aspx?carID=59

....... or should i wait for the 3.8L e34 M5's to show up in Canada?

........or just buy em' all? :D

[Evan]

damn that alpina is H-O-T

[Alexlind123]

The alpina.

[RockJock]

damn that alpina is H-O-T

i agree, but i think once it shows up it'll be gone really fast ...... i suspect that nuclearfusion or one of his buddies have dibs on it ;)

[BillionPa]

wow, that porsche is like, one of the cleanest cars i have EVER seen, if thats original paint, then thats just incridible.

[RockJock]

wow, that porsche is like, one of the cleanest cars i have EVER seen, if thats original paint, then thats just incridible.

yes, pretty darn sweet! and a 5 speed no less, rare! ...... just don't know how the triplets are gonna fit in the back.

decisions....decisions ...

[nuclearfusion]

The 928 is a fast one - Robert drives it pretty much every day when he can convince his wife to give it up (she loves it). Which talk of wives reminds me I should phone him - he's working on finding a good ML for my wife.

As for the Biturbo, when it arrives I'll go over and take a drive, and let you guys know what it's like. :)

I was sorely tempted by the white one he sold last month, so the blue will be quite hard to stay clear of. To help myself resist its' lures I'll just keep thinking of the price of a brake job or turbo rebuild or self-levelling suspension refit, or... :( (mind you the cars Robert gets are premium so that stuff although unavoidable would certainly not be right away)

It will probably be a few months before it turns up here though, and another month after that before he gets all the inevitable little details sorted out to get up to fully test-driveable shape.

Stay tuned!

Fusion

p.s. - It would be neat if the Biturbo goes to another local BMW club member. We're building up a decent population of Alpinas here in the Lower Mainland!

[BillionPa]

can he get ahold of a late model E36 Euro M3 in good working order perhaps?

my friend needs a bimmer to replace his 3000GT

[nuclearfusion]

Imports to Canada are easy if the car is 15 years or older. A good safety inspection and a bit of basic registration stuff and you're pretty much clear. Newer than 15 years is a whole lot more hassle. Robert tends to import mostly the 15 years or older cars I believe. The 928 is newer than that but I don't think it was imported.

Enjoy!

Fusion

[misfortune]

Do it now.

[RockJock]

Do it now.

heh?!?! ...... perhaps i've had one to many Heineken's this evening... the 928 or the B10 BT?

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

stay away from the 928. (only air cooled Porsche are fun to fix)

[RockJock]

stay away from the 928. (only air cooled Porsche are fun to fix)

hahah .... how about an 84' 911SC? :D

ERRATUM: '83 911SC, it's gotta be the damn Heineken's again ... I swear! ;)

[632 Regal]

get them both and be happier!

[Nick.Hay]

GO THE ALPINA!!!

I nearly got a '76 911 instead of my E34... Thank GOD I didn't!!

The Porsche will draw too much unwanted attention, it'll get 'keyed' the moment you leave it parked somewhere. The Alpina is subtle enough that any uneducated, unappreciative ****wit will usually walk straight past without vandalising it!!!

Plus, the alpina is still brutal... Everyone expects to have their arse handed to them when they tackle a Porsche, the BMW is a little (actually A LOT) less conspicuous!!

[angrypancake]

oh the Alpina, hands down.

[Airborne001]

Personally I have driven a few 928's, and compared to the 911's it is kind of like a Corvette. Really fast in a straight line, but God help you when there is a turn in the road.

[Traian]

Do you have any idea what he'll be asking for the B10? I am not a big fan of the V8 Porsches, but that is one clean clean clean car.

[Traian]

Crazy import: http://www.splendidauto.com/viewcar.aspx?carID=20

[VentoGT]

Unless you want to set your wallet on fire with upkeep costs, avoid the 928. Beautiful, fast tourer but they are hideously expensive to maintain. www.rennlist.com and the 928 board. All you need to know about these cars.

I have never driven an Alpina but that spoiler is naff IMO, as are the graphic strafes all over the side of the car. I would go for the M5 personally, my 3.6 is the best car I have ever owned thus far [which includes 3 911s, a 356, a 968, an e46 M3, and an e46 323Ci]. The M5 is not exactly cheap to maintain, but much less expensive than a 928 I can assure you.

[RockJock]

Personally I have driven a few 928's, and compared to the 911's it is kind of like a Corvette. Really fast in a straight line, but God help you when there is a turn in the road.

go for a test drive in a 2002-2006 ZO6 'Vette :D ..... unbelievable handling and very fast. not sure if/when they're going to put the "Blue Devil" into production: http://www.domesticdisturbance.us/article_zo6nbr.htm

and another link:

http://www.worldcarfans.com/spyphotos.cfm/spyphotoid/6050701.001/americancarfans/1.html

[RockJock]

I would go for the M5 personally, my 3.6 is the best car I have ever owned thus far [which includes 3 911s, a 356, a 968, an e46 M3, and an e46 323Ci]. The M5 is not exactly cheap to maintain, but much less expensive than a 928 I can assure you.

you're obviously talking from experience, i suspect that the M5 is a much more 'visceral' ride than the alpina. perhaps nuclearfusion could share some further insight?!

[nuclearfusion]

... I suspect that the M5 is a much more 'visceral' ride than the alpina. perhaps nuclearfusion could share some further insight?!

If the question is about the M5 and Alpina B10 Biturbo, re which is more visceral, it's not necessarily a straight up answer. The Biturbo is significantly heavier and feels glued to the ground, has a taut yet comfortable road manner so is quite pleasant to drive around town. The two small turbos seem to be turning all the time, so there is nothing abrupt about the powerband. My impression is that it drives quite unlike most turbocharged cars. When you reach over and turn up the boost controller than press down on the pedal it goes like... well, like no other sedan I've ever been in. It's highway manner is very confidence-inspiring even at quite ridiculous speeds. And it gets to those ridiculous speeds ridiculously quickly. :)

The M5 is different - more of a race-derived car and you can feel it. I find its' character coming out quite clearly all the time, even around town. In that sense you might say it is somewhat more visceral.

The B10 and B10 Biturbo have several differences to the M5 - immediately noticeable is the engine. The Alpinas both use what amount to highly souped-up versions of the M30 engine (one NA version, one turbo version) but in both cases recognizable immediately as "more" of what you have come to expect from the M30. The M5's S3x engines have a different powerband and thus respond differently. You drive them differently, maintain them differently, etc.

All are lowered, stiff suspensions, etc. Either Alpina B10 seems to be a bit more comfortable as a daily driver. All three are terrific at speed, very agile and connected, etc. B10 Biturbo feels quite a bit "heavier" on the road than the B10 and a little "heavier" on the road than the M5. By this I don't mean the Biturbo feels slower or hard to accelerate or anything like that - it's simply a vehicle with about 400 extra lbs in drivetrain and you can feel that additional mass. Far from making the Biturbo feel sluggish it helps make the car feel very confident and solidly glued to the road.

My observation is that the Alpinas are very high-performance touring-inspired, the M cars very high performance race-inspired.

Enjoy!

Fusion

[RockJock]

nuclearfusion - thanks for your impressions ... excellent little write-up!

[e39dream]

that blue alpina is a gorgeous car- every square inch!

[1995 525i]

http://www.splendidauto.com/viewcar.aspx?carID=60

or should i wait for this one?

http://www.splendidauto.com/viewcar.aspx?carID=59

....... or should i wait for the 3.8L e34 M5's to show up in Canada?

........or just buy em' all? :D

Hands down you should get the Alpina.