I was in my local BMW dealership today and they have a BMW Z8 Alpina roadster for 230K! #155 out of 500 or so built. I asked the salesman why they were selling it over 100k MSRP. He told me "because we can." I asked him if I could test drive it before I bought it. His eyes lit up and said that I'd have to buy it to drive it.

I told him that he just lost out on a sale and walked out. His sales manager stopped me at my car and told me that IF I was seriously considering buying it he could make arrangements. I expressed my discontent with him and kindly told him I would never return to his dealership. He tried every trick in the book to keep me there, but I left in my M3.

Now guys, I would never buy that car, but fucking with the sales men is fun. I would never buy that car because it has a slush box in it. You figure that Alpina would put a 6-speed in it at least.

CHONGUS

Bah, that sucks. We sold ours for list. And BTW...they put an auto in it to appease those that were deferring to MB or Porsche, companies that had high-end convertibles offered in auto form. :)

haha I did that the other day except with an M5, when I was taking the Z in for a tune up. I was checking it out and everything and this salesman walks up and asks if I need help, I said, no unless I can take this for a test drive to replace my current ride(didn't say what I had) the salesman said "uhh first off no 16 year old could afford this and if one could we wouldn't let them test drive it" I said, well thats too bad, I'm 20(well I stretched the truth I won't be 20 til sept.), I can afford this car and was considering buying it until your prick ass rolled up on me" I walked to the Z got in and was about to take off when the sales manager runs out does the same to me as he did to you, I told him if he wants to sell cars he better not employ jackasses that don't take people seriously and that I'd never buy or even take my car in for service there ever again, and I plan on doing just that.

Damn 230K :eek: Hah i bet the dealer felt like an ass

Actually Crevier BMW here is charging $270K for the Alpina

Jesus. That's ridiculous! :eek:

That's terrible, when we sold ours for list...

Come buy a car from me!!! :D

230k??? put another 70k on that and you could pick up a used f40. jeez...

Geordie,

What can I get a used CPO M5 for?? About 50k?? What do I have to put down and what are the monthly payments??

CHONGUS

Alpina Z8 is a joke! Auto tranny and weaker engine, who the fuck would want that peice of shit?

Werd Rave! The Benz your getting this fall is the SHIT! I hope you are keeping the M5 also. Keep pimpin' big playa!

CHONGUS

Hmmm, that sounds like Allison BMW to me? :dunno

There are plenty of cars that you can buy for that price that exceed the Z8 in every way....

Geordie,

My cousin and his buddy is going to order 2 E46 M3's. They actually went to the dealership in SF but they wanted a mark up so they backed out. If they change their mind I'll have them call you.

Evan


Originally posted by BimmerDawg
Jesus. That's ridiculous! :eek:

That's terrible, when we sold ours for list...

Come buy a car from me!!! :D

Alpina Z8 230K @ Weber BMW, Fresno, CA

CHONGUS

Have these people not heard of Lamborghini?

for $200,000+ I don't speak BMW

I speak Aston Martin, Porsche, RennTech and Ferrari.

Ruf Ruf...Ruf are the words that come to my mind :D ...

Ah, Alpina V8 isn't all that bad... I wouldn't spend 230k on one, but its neat to see we get an Alpina in the states now at least!

But then again, few things are cooler to look upon then a grey-market car, and Grey Market Alpinas are WAY cool. Even if they do have the auto tranni... BAH!

Still pretty classy vehicles!

Steve

Sampras supposedly bought a Z8 when it first came out at Beverly Hills BMW for... $450,000!!!

Geordie,

What can I get a used CPO M5 for?? About 50k?? What do I have to put down and what are the monthly payments??

CHONGUS
Yeah, a 2000 M5 would probably go for around $50-55k. We haven't gotten a used one since I've been selling, though. As far as money down...nothing, if you have good credit.

And payments...$18/month for every $1,000 you finance for 60 months. So, $50k for an M5=$900/month x 60. :)

Geordie,

My cousin and his buddy is going to order 2 E46 M3's. They actually went to the dealership in SF but they wanted a mark up so they backed out. If they change their mind I'll have them call you.

Evan
Please have them call me! Hell, I sold one last month that I discounted! We can arrange for shipping, too! :D

that's not bad - $54k

not bad at all - what where they new? $69k?

Alpina Z8 = HUGE waste of money. The wheels look like trash too, because all Alpina wheels look nasty. I went to England last summer and my cousin showed me a magazine filled with Alpina wheels for sale, and I hate every single one of them, they look like trash, with all those spokes and whatnot.

Who the hell would buy an Alpina Z8 for $100k even? I would rather have an M5 and an E36 M3 for that price. The regular Z8 is MUCH better than that Alpina piece of crap.

and that's why it's a free world.

my friends mom just got an alpina z8.. it is like #60 something.. nice poser mobile.. id personally rather have the original Z8.. 6 speed, S62 M5 motor.. the alpina Z8 uses the same engine and tranny as the X5 4.6 is..

the alpina motor is worked by alpina, more torque then the M5 motor.

why does everyone over look this?

cuz its a slush box.. i know BMW borrowed the 4.6is motor from Alpina.. it is a great car.. great motor.. but id get something else..

and so would I - but I don't hear of many people complaining that their SL55 is an auto. that's the target that BMW is shooting at with this little offshoot.

Yeah, everyone's bashing the Alpina, but the car's (obviously) not targeted towards people our age or income bracket. Again, it was built to sway people who were deferring to MB, Porsche, Jaguar, or anyone esle w/autos in their high-end roadsters.

Here's some really crazy stuff for you to marinate on too...not everyone likes to drive manual transmissions! :eek:

Not driving a manual in a sports car is a sin; it's like putting A-1 sauce on a perfectly good steak.

CHONGUS

"not everyone likes to drive manual transmissions!"

That is so true. The target frame of Alpina is not young speed hungary, xcrossing people. Its people who are whealthy , rich,higher age people, who want to drive there car without having to shift gears. They probably are thinking about other stuff rather than when to shift gears. Not everything is for every body.

That is what I would say If i was a BMW sales rep =)

you can always put it in neutral to make everyone think its a manuel :D

Originally posted by Flawless
They probably are thinking about other stuff rather...

Can't get good road head from a supermodel when the stickshift's in your way... :redspot

remember the Porsche 911 Turbo 996&993 are available with an Automatic Transmission - the 993's is sourced from the S500 if I recall correctly.

I'd take an SL55 over the Alpina Z8 any day.

Originally posted by themadhatter
remember the Porsche 911 Turbo 996&993 are available with an Automatic Transmission - the 993's is sourced from the S500 if I recall correctly.
The 993T was not available in the US with an auto.

Originally posted by BimmerDawg
Jesus. That's ridiculous! :eek:

That's terrible, when we sold ours for list...

yes and you actually sold yours ;)


Theirs are still sitting there at $230K

it sucks when dealerships do that to you. I hung out at the mini dealership for way to long waiting for help, trying to get help, and to no avail. I finally left and called the place later, venting about how horribly I was treated. For all they know, I COULD have been looking at buying a new mini.

I wasn't, but that's not the point.

SAYING... "they put in the auto to get potential MB buyers" is the stupidest thing I have ever heard...

Car designers do not engineer something then throw away all that work to add another feature. They usually keep the origional feature, and then add on the additional option of an automatic transmission. To do otherwise is foolish. If they wanted to offer the Auto then they should have offered both the auto and manual...

But the whole idea of dropping in a cheeper motor, ripping out the manual tranny, and the putting big klunky wheels on it and charging a whole shit load more... Someone obviously did not pass their business classes in college...

Originally posted by themadhatter
for $200,000+ I don't speak BMW

I speak Aston Martin, Porsche, RennTech and Ferrari.

I dont speak 200k + :)

Originally posted by Hyperion
SAYING... "they put in the auto to get potential MB buyers" is the stupidest thing I have ever heard...

Car designers do not engineer something then throw away all that work to add another feature. They usually keep the origional feature, and then add on the additional option of an automatic transmission. To do otherwise is foolish. If they wanted to offer the Auto then they should have offered both the auto and manual...

But the whole idea of dropping in a cheeper motor, ripping out the manual tranny, and the putting big klunky wheels on it and charging a whole shit load more... Someone obviously did not pass their business classes in college... Wow, that's interesting...b/c I was told the exact opposite of this in my BMW training... :dunno

The reason that they didn't use the same engine with a manual tranny is b/c the auto tranny used in the Alpina couldn't handle the power that the S62 put out...thus they used the "detuned" 4.6 model from the X5...then gave it to Alpina to tune.

So, perhaps you should give the folks that make my training videos (engineers) a call and tell them they're wrong... :)

Originally posted by BimmerDawg
Wow, that's interesting...b/c I was told the exact opposite of this in my BMW training... :dunno

The reason that they didn't use the same engine with a manual tranny is b/c the auto tranny used in the Alpina couldn't handle the power that the S62 put out...thus they used the "detuned" 4.6 model from the X5...then gave it to Alpina to tune.

So, perhaps you should give the folks that make my training videos (engineers) a call and tell them they're wrong... :)

Actually.. the 4.6 is motor was given to BMW by Alpina.. BMW just borrowed the motor.. its origin is Alpina..

Originally posted by badbadm
The 993T was not available in the US with an auto.

perhaps I have it backwards but I'm not going to sweat it. when the day arrives and I can buy a 993TT, the last thing I'll be thinking about is Auto or Stick! :)

That was a good story about sales people who don't take potential buyers seriously.

I had that happened to me more time than I can remember. I am 29 now but look in my early 20s. I don't dress bad but not flashy with latest designer clothes either. I went through 5 dealership in the NY/NJ area b/c some salespeople were too arrogant & don't take me seriously. I finally bought my 540 in NJ. My LS400 experience was better as I went to two dealerships only.

I had purchased a house and an apt. with a similiar experience. Brokers would say, if I can AFFORD what I am looking at...... Then when I tell them my budget, their eyes lit up and they would wipe my a** if I asked them to. Some co-op boards in NYC also discriminate (not openly) about younger people living in their bldg. I really dislike people like that b/c they don't know who I am. Some people really judge way too fast.

Originally posted by themadhatter
the alpina motor is worked by alpina, more torque then the M5 motor.

why does everyone over look this?


You are so correct.....I dont know if the average guy in this forum can actually afford the Z8 ..stock or Alpina, but all this Z8 bashing is making me sick! I will agree at 230k it is very over priced, but the Z8 is not for your average man/woman. Personally I would take the MB SL 500/600 over the Z8 any day. Not because of engine or tranny issues, but for the simple fact that for 130k and especially for 230k the car comes with a F***king plastic rear view Z3 window!!!:nono

I remember a certain episode of Top Gear where the Alpina Z8 had a track time that was equal to a Lamborghini Murcielago.
So in theory the BMW Z8 with the 400hp V8 should be even faster than the Lambo.

Originally posted by Flawless
you can always put it in neutral to make everyone think its a manuel :D

:lol:

Alpina? A Z8 is just begging for two Garrett ball bearing turbochargers. Then it's Porsche who? And Lambo what? And Fer-when?

MSRP for Alpina in vancouver,BC,canada is CAN 199000. There is only 6 availble all in Alpina Blue. The letter also states that this color is exclusive to canada, not offered in US. I have not seen one in person so i duno how it looks. But i am pretty sure it won't be over MSRP.

Our dealership has two, both at list.

Originally posted by aus
Sampras supposedly bought a Z8 when it first came out at Beverly Hills BMW for... $450,000!!!
wow he got bent over...

Originally posted by BimmerDawg


Here's some really crazy stuff for you to marinate on too...not everyone likes to drive manual transmissions! :eek:

SAY IT AINT SO!!!!!!:bawl

Originally posted by aus
Sampras supposedly bought a Z8 when it first came out at Beverly Hills BMW for... $450,000!!!

thats just dumb.

when you get rich do you lose part of your brain???? I have lost all respect for that man just from this knowledge.:nono

thats just dumb.

when you get rich do you lose part of your brain???? I have lost all respect for that man just from this knowledge.:nono


Dude, he's Sampras, 450,000 is nothing to him. Of course he got ripped off, and I bet even he knew how badly he was getting ripped off, but I bet he just wanted to be the first person to own one. Carries a certain amount of prestige that is worth more than double sticker to some people.

Whoa, back from the dead!

hmmm they have one at my local dealership for $139,000...

Not driving a manual in a sports car is a sin; it's like putting A-1 sauce on a perfectly good steak.

CHONGUS

Amen, brother.

my dad did that trick when he asked if he could test drive a 360 modena

Sampras supposedly bought a Z8 when it first came out at Beverly Hills BMW for... $450,000!!!

I would be very surprised if that was true. My brother used to play tennis so I know that the BMW NA people would have done whatever they could to help Pete get his z8 right away and I would be extremely surprised if it was a penny over MSRP. When my brother and my step-dad (with the help of my brother's tennis fan bmw contacts) wanted their BMW's they called and within a week they had several cars to choose from and the dealers actually were told to sell them for below MSRP. BMW wants cars like the Z8 to end up in the hands of celebrities and athletes because it is good for their image.

on a side note: For those who say that this statement holds no validity due to the very limited production #'s of the Z8 I will say only this: Pete did not pay over MSRP for his 993 Turbo S (something like 93 were built) and I know this because he was living with my brother waiting for his house to be built when he got his 993.

Dealers would do that, my dad had a friend who had just won like 3 or 4 gold medals in the 80's and after he got back from the olympics he went to buy a car and the dealer told him he couldnt buy a car just because he did look nice enough, and they guy whipped out, like 30 or 40 grand so he could buy any car he wanted. My friend and i went to a lotus and jaguar dealership, and the dealer first told him to get out of a old lotus then a X type, because we couldnt ever get those cars, my friend was there looking to get the aston martin they had there, let me just say i stomped out of there saying i would never came back. I also gave them i nice honk good by in my E55. I dont get just because im young means i cant afford a car.

Dealers would do that, my dad had a friend who had just won like 3 or 4 gold medals in the 80's and after he got back from the olympics he went to buy a car and the dealer told him he couldnt buy a car just because he did look nice enough, and they guy whipped out, like 30 or 40 grand so he could buy any car he wanted. My friend and i went to a lotus and jaguar dealership, and the dealer first told him to get out of a old lotus then a X type, because we couldnt ever get those cars, my friend was there looking to get the aston martin they had there, let me just say i stomped out of there saying i would never came back. I also gave them i nice honk good by in my E55. I dont get just because im young means i cant afford a car.


Interting story, but...
your dad had a friend who won 3 or 4 gold medal in 80ties
right after that he went to buy a car

now, there werent e55s back in 80ties, and back in 80ties you would have hard time reaching a horn to honk in YOUR e55 since you were born in 1984(in yourp profile)


btw, you cant buy any car for 30-40k.

^ these are two of the most confusing posts I have ever read ^

^ these are two of the most confusing posts I have ever read ^

agreed

I saw an Alpina Z8 on the road the other day, which got me interested enough to look at the spec. The Alpina version makes less hp than the stock version, and has an auto. What's the appeal, beyond the Alpina cachet?

I have a cousin who has a friend who went to college with someone who played for the Boston Celtics so I went to a Ferrari dealer to test drive a car and the salesman didn't give me the time of day so I pulled my gold rope from out from under my collar and then the sales manager came out to kiss up to me. I said "talk to the hand" and rolled off in my 328i. The sales manage followed me home and offered to mow my lawn if I would just come back and test drive his car. I was tempted but told him to kiss off. I had a friend go back the next day to see if that saleman learned his lesson and another sales guy said that my guy was fired but didn't know why.