E36 Alpinas at Auction

[Lord Vader]

I will tell you again, do not import one with the intent to flip it. You will not be happy.

The value here is impossible to determine. Tourings were never sold here during the E36 production run and are such very rare. However the number of people who actually know what an Alpina is here is very low. The number of people who want an Alpina Touring? Substantially lower. Their is a reason their are only two in Canada. Sedans are easier to sell should you need too. Importing an Alpina is should be considered a permenant investment.

[JJJames]

Originally Posted by Lord Vader

I will tell you again, do not import one with the intent to flip it. You will not be happy.

The value here is impossible to determine. Tourings were never sold here during the E36 production run and are such very rare. However the number of people who actually know what an Alpina is here is very low. The number of people who want an Alpina Touring? Substantially lower. Their is a reason their are only two in Canada. Sedans are easier to sell should you need too. Importing an Alpina is should be considered a permenant investment.

Thank you - I realize the challenges of the market, and have no intention of flipping one. I would just not want to overpay for what is out there.

[Lord Vader]

If you want a Touring your only option is to import one. If your looking at another E36 Alpina that's already here expect to pay a decent amount. You can't compare the value of a non Alpina car to an Alpina one. Wait till one comes up for sale and pay what you feel is right based on its condition.

[jrsmitchell]

I assume this is the same JJJames with the nice Dakar euro spec M3? You can't have that and an Alpina

I mostly agree with what LordVader is saying, although that particular B6 probably isn't a good indicator of Alpina values overall. At least to me it wasn't the most desirable model. The B6 2.8 was a bit of a lower spec model to start with. And it was also Auto (but not switchtronic), regular seats, no digital gauges, etc. It did sell about a week ago, but no idea for how much.

One other thing I'd caution you about if you're thinking about picking up an Alpina is insurance. I had trouble getting insurance on mine here in Ontario, ended up with specialty insurance through Hagerty which isn't a viable option if you want to daily the car.

[Scooter]

Originally Posted by jrsmitchell

One other thing I'd caution you about if you're thinking about picking up an Alpina is insurance. I had trouble getting insurance on mine here in Ontario, ended up with specialty insurance through Hagerty which isn't a viable option if you want to daily the car.

Even though it's LHD? ON is getting to be worse than Quebec for imports.

[Stirling]

I haven't had too hard a time getting insurance through Wawanesa. Sometimes they want pics, but generally straightforward.

I agree Alpinas are generally unknown in Canada which tends to drive down prices, which is one of the reasons I started this website - to raise Alpina awareness.

What this means though is Canada is one of the cheapest places on the planet to buy an Alpina, with the exception of Japan.

So go for it!

Now, what's this I hear about a Dakar E36 M3?

[JJJames]

Originally Posted by Stirling

I haven't had too hard a time getting insurance through Wawanesa. Sometimes they want pics, but generally straightforward.

I agree Alpinas are generally unknown in Canada which tends to drive down prices, which is one of the reasons I started this website - to raise Alpina awareness.

What this means though is Canada is one of the cheapest places on the planet to buy an Alpina, with the exception of Japan.

So go for it!

Now, what's this I hear about a Dakar E36 M3?

I didn't think about insurance - thats a very good point. Before I move forward with anything I'll be sure I can make that work. Do you daily yours?

Regarding the dakar m3 - my summer car at the moment is #25 of the 45 eurospec E36 M3's imported to Canada in '94...dakar on anthracite m-cloth...thinking a B6 2.8 Touring would be about the perfect daily to pair it with..

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[JJJames]

Originally Posted by jrsmitchell

I assume this is the same JJJames with the nice Dakar euro spec M3? You can't have that and an Alpina

I mostly agree with what LordVader is saying, although that particular B6 probably isn't a good indicator of Alpina values overall. At least to me it wasn't the most desirable model. The B6 2.8 was a bit of a lower spec model to start with. And it was also Auto (but not switchtronic), regular seats, no digital gauges, etc. It did sell about a week ago, but no idea for how much.

One other thing I'd caution you about if you're thinking about picking up an Alpina is insurance. I had trouble getting insurance on mine here in Ontario, ended up with specialty insurance through Hagerty which isn't a viable option if you want to daily the car.

Yep, thats me - if the insurance thing is a deal breaker then you may be right!

The B6 Touring has some advantages which suit me - I'd want to daily the car, and the fact that its an auto makes that easier, plus the fact that the the engine size remained relatively small, and so many of the components (at least those that wear out) are shared with a standard 3 series mean it wouldn't necessarily be a particularly expensive car to run. Plus, though its not as highly spec'd as some other Alpina's out there, cams, exhaust, software, pistons, suspension, brakes, wheels and the various cosmetic touches is enough for me!

The insurance thing worries me though - would you mind elaborating on what the problem was with insuring your car?

[jrsmitchell]

Originally Posted by JJJames

Plus, though its not as highly spec'd as some other Alpina's out there, cams, exhaust, software, pistons, suspension, brakes, wheels and the various cosmetic touches is enough for me!

The insurance thing worries me though - would you mind elaborating on what the problem was with insuring your car?

I'm not sure the B6 has the things you mentioned (cams, pistons, exhaust, brakes, ...). I'll see if I have some info in one of my books. You'd get the wheels at least

As for the insurance, I'll admit that I didn't do an exhaustive search. But basically they don't have a risk model for the car so they don't know what to do with it. They can't even run the Alpina VIN. So all the brokers I called said they wouldn't touch it. Generally for insurance anything that's outside the norm is a "don't bother", except for specialty insurers like Hagerty. You might be able to register / insure as a 328.

Others here seem to have had more success so maybe I just called the wrong people.

[Lord Vader]

That's actually one of the reasons why the new Alpina's imported to NA have a BMW VIN and not an Alpina one. The Alpina VINs don't show up in searches by insurance companies so they don't know what it is. Explaining that its a BMW and showing pictures may help. The issue for insurance companies is the rarity of parts and the exorbant cost. The front air dam costs $1,200+ depending on model. Their are only two authorized Alpina parts dealers (that I know of), one of them being Alpina themselves. Even a minor fender bender can turn into a $5,000 repair on an Alpina very fast. The pinstripe kids are over $400 plus shipping from Germany.