Alpinas in Canada?

Ron_Jeremy · 6th December 2001, 14:20

Hello to everyone. I've lurked on these boards for a while & finally decided to register. The amount of information flowing through here & the politeness of the members made it impossible not to join

I am a big fan of BMW & Alpina vehicles. I was wondering if Alpina ever exported cars into Canada? I am looking for any kind of B7 variant here in Canada (or the U.S.) that is for sale.

Can anyone suggest what I might pay for such a vehicle in good (or better) condition? To keep currency conversions to a minimum, please state any quoted currency figures in U.S dollars.

Wishing all a happy Holiday Season

Andy G · 6th December 2001, 16:50

Hi Ron, glad you decided to make it.
I don't think Alpina actually imported to Canada, likewise with the US, but kits may have been available for the dealer to fit on behalf of the customer.
The best thing to do, to get a rough guide to prices is to have a look at www.mobile.de (European I know) however saying that, if there was an Alpina in Canada, it may have an inflated price due to its scarcity.
I expect the only way to actually get a genuine example is to import it yourself.
Happy hunting.
AG

kees · 6th December 2001, 17:09

Ron, welcome on this messageboard! It's great meeting more and more Alpina nuts here!

One of the board members in Canada, 'Barnfind B7' had one that he imported from Japan. If I recall correctly he might be looking to sell the car, a B7 Coupe. Here is a link to his postings:
http://www.bmwm5.com/vbulletin/showt...6736#post76736

One of the issues you will come across is that if Alpinas were never officially imported to Canada, the car will likely be registered as a 530i or 535i instead of Alpina B7. But 'Barnfind B7' should be able to advise you on this. A second issue is that many cars have been reshelled over the years, so they are no longer original.

With regards to the price...its worth whatever somone pays for it...I think a fair price would be between $10000 to $20000 for an original car in good condition...not mint, but also not a basketcase. A more accurate price would be very difficult due to the relative rarity of the cars and the resulting difficulty of determining a fair marketvalue.

Depending on how much of an issue importing of cars is, you may want to consider buying a car in Germany and importing to Canada. The market value of a E28 B7 in decent shape in Germany is around DM12000 to DM15000, for a E24 B7 probably around DM20000 to DM25000. E12 B7s in original & working order are getting increasingly difficult to find.

Another guy to contact would be Frank Haas (www.nolimitz.com/alpina_b7) based in Washington State, I'd consider him one of the top Alpina B7 experts in North America (he has 2 E12s).

Hope this helps.

/Kees

Alpina B7 · 7th December 2001, 01:34

Quote:

Originally posted by keesdh

One of the issues you will come across is that if Alpinas were never officially imported to Canada, the car will likely be registered as a 530i or 535i instead of Alpina B7. But 'Barnfind B7' should be able to advise you on this. A second issue is that many cars have been reshelled over the years, so they are no longer original.

Having imported my Alpina B7 Turbo/1 from Germany into Canada and registering it as an Alpina B7 Turbo/1 i can tell you that Canadian regulations state that any automobile 15 years or older can be imported into Canada (assuming it's street legal) and you can register the car as an Alpina w/o any problems

{and, keesdh, mine is 100% original}

eric

carmel · 7th December 2001, 06:49

ALPINA B7 ....

can you give me more information here on the steps to get a alpina from germany to canada. the taxes or fees to get the car in your hands here. what is the cost to ship it and where did you take the car to be shipped...I am also looking for a mid 80's B7

kees · 7th December 2001, 10:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Alpina B7

Having imported my Alpina B7 Turbo/1 from Germany into Canada and registering it as an Alpina B7 Turbo/1 i can tell you that Canadian regulations state that any automobile 15 years or older can be imported into Canada (assuming it's street legal) and you can register the car as an Alpina w/o any problems {and, keesdh, mine is 100% original}

eric

Great, there arent that many original ones left! Pictures please!

Did you come over to Germany and purchase the car yourself or did you use an agent?

Quote:

Originally posted by alpina
ALPINA B7 ....

can you give me more information here on the steps to get a alpina from germany to canada. the taxes or fees to get the car in your hands here. what is the cost to ship it and where did you take the car to be shipped...I am also looking for a mid 80's B7

Importing an older car into the USA is a completly different story to Canada...as far as I understand it is currently virtually impossible

Alpina B7 · 7th December 2001, 23:28

Quote:

Originally posted by alpina
ALPINA B7 ....

can you give me more information here on the steps to get a alpina from germany to canada. the taxes or fees to get the car in your hands here. what is the cost to ship it and where did you take the car to be shipped...I am also looking for a mid 80's B7

alpina,

the paperwork was handled by a friend who purchases vehicles (BMW, Alpina, Ruf) in Germany and ships them to Canada. as for specifics, i can speak to him and get his exact thoughts rather then try to guess his response to your question. as for taxes i will say this much: Canada customs only allows vehicles 15 years and older into the country and the price paid for the car is compared to the market value of a similar, if not the same model. this means there is quite a bit of room to work with when you negotiate with your seller in Germany, for example, as to what the purchase price will be on the receipt.

JetBoy · 7th December 2001, 23:53

Quote:

Originally posted by keesdh

Another guy to contact would be Frank Haas (www.nolimitz.com/alpina_b7) based in Washington State, I'd consider him one of the top Alpina B7 experts in North America (he has 2 E12s).

Hope this helps.

/Kees

Does anyone here know about Frank Haas ? Last time his site was updated was in 3.20.99.

It is a pity because the site is very interesting.

I'm going to send him an e-mail one of those days.

kees · 8th December 2001, 01:02

Quote:

Originally posted by JetBoy

Does anyone here know about Frank Haas ? Last time his site was updated was in 3.20.99.

It is a pity because the site is very interesting.

I'm going to send him an e-mail one of those days.

the last time his site was updated was a couple of months ago...he just hasnt changed the date information as he is pretty busy...also the Alpinas are only part of his vast collection of cars...he has 2 E12 B7s though. The Alpina B7 registry he maintains is pretty up to date though...

He is pretty good with answering his email, so if you require his help, send him a email!!

/Kees