Test drives

[Frupal]

Test drove a 2018 Alpina B6 with 18k miles on the clock yesterday. They are asking $76k. What a monster! I did notice, however, that there was about a .75 second lag from when I hit the gas until all hell broke loose. As I am currently driving a 640, the difference was remarkable.

I also noticed that the Alpina handled significantly better than my 640. I credit this to the better suspension. It wore the same Michelin A/S 3+ tires as my 640.

Fun fact: The valve stems are INSIDE the center cap of the Alpina wheels. I really liked this car, but I am going to wait to buy anything until the used car insanity ends.

After that, I went to Pacific BMW in Glendale and test drove a 2019 M5 competition in Frozen Blue with every option including the rear seat entertainment. It has less than 1k miles and they were asking $109k.

No lag whatsoever. This beast responds INSTANTLY in ALL SITUATIONS and not only made me smile, but also whoop, which pleased the salesman immensely. And with the Carbon/Ceramic brakes, it stopped so hard I couldn’t believe it!

I came very close to buying the ultimate beast, but then common sense kicked in. The original sticker was about $131k. The car has super low miles, but at two years old I think it is still at least 20% over-priced. This is due to the fact that during the last year - COVID - people flocked to used cars and also, with the chip shortage, there are very few new cars available. I suspect that this will all sort out in the next year or so, and I’ll be able to get a two- or three-year-old M5 competition at a reasonable price.

Yes. In a year or so, I’ll be leaving the fold. I must have that car.

[AlBowlly]

The B6 is 😍🤤

[Challengemaster]

Originally Posted by Frupal

What a monster! I did notice, however, that there was about a .75 second lag from when I hit the gas until all hell broke loose. As I am currently driving a 640, the difference was remarkable.

I'd be very careful judging a used car on it's throttle response. The drive-by-wire BMW systems have throttle body adaptation, where the ECU will over time get accustomed to the users driving style and adjust the pedal/throttle response.

You would be very surprised how much this can impact the cars performance. I recently helped a friend purchase an E92 325Ci, and the first inch of throttle pedal was essentially completely dead. Basically killed all the feel in the car. After completing a throttle body adaptation reset, it was like a different car entirely.

[Frupal]

Originally Posted by Challengemaster

I'd be very careful judging a used car on it's throttle response. The drive-by-wire BMW systems have throttle body adaptation, where the ECU will over time get accustomed to the users driving style and adjust the pedal/throttle response.

You would be very surprised how much this can impact the cars performance. I recently helped a friend purchase an E92 325Ci, and the first inch of throttle pedal was essentially completely dead. Basically killed all the feel in the car. After completing a throttle body adaptation reset, it was like a different car entirely.

Thanks for that! Excellent intel.