so i have been looking for a luxury car to daily drive, and haul babies around. i really like the Alpina, and the 760li (used, 05 or 06). i like a bit of performance, but with a car of this size its not all that important as the durability. how reliable are the drivetrains in these cars, and do they have any common problems? if anyone has any personal experience with these it would be great to get an owners perspective. Thanks!

 

I personally like the B7 Alpina better.

 

1+ on the alpina

 

check out te B7 at crown mercedes dublin ohio

 

good call. thats a steal. under the price i was looking at as well.

 

would an M5 be more preferable than an Alpina as far as handling and power is concerned? they both seem to have close to the same interior room (by the look of photos) and they seem to have the same price range. for options, comfort, and reliability, should i also be considering the M5?

 

The extra 5 inches in the li kill the driving pleasure of a BMW. I would get the b7, as I was bored to death with my 750li. Shorter length car = more enjoyment.

 

i drove a 760LI for 4 years, and if you want luxury, I would highly recommend it. The seats are as comfortable as any car seat I've sat in and friends would fight to sit in the back reclining seats with tons of leg room. If you want a sporty sedan, I would skip it. V12 has plenty of power, but all of it is hidden because the car is just really soft and heavy. For family vacations, it was a perfect car, but if I had to do it all over again, I personally would pick the B7 Alpina because the 760LI just didn't drive like a BMW. Your choice is really sporty + luxury vs. extreme luxury.

 

That generation of 7 series was quite a bit roomier (in terms of perception) compared to the E60 M5. That said, the M5 is much quicker and 'livelier'.

 

The M5 would be better in terms of handling and power then an Alpina. The drawbacks would be not as roomy(but good enough), much less luxurious interior, 10/14mpg, and clunky smg tranny.

 

Alpina is my vote too or an M5. I had a 745i back in the day. They accidentally had ordered the wrong car and they ordered a 745li. I refused to accept it eventhough they were giving it to me for even money as the i. I made them reorder another one for me in the right lenght. 745i not li.

 

i drove a 760li yesterday and its wow long. the inside reminded me of the maybach, very luxurious, great materials, but the power is just not really there. i suppose if i was gonna be riding in the back the whole time it would be perfect, but its not exactly a drivers car. so that narrows the search between the B7 and the M5. maybe i should change the title of the post to B7 vs M5.

 

are there people out there that tune the B7 aftermarket? it is possible to safely get a little more power out of the supercharger setup? a pulley and a tune maybe?

 

Thats what I am talking about with the length of the LI. Did you know the 760 comes as a "i" and is the same length as the alpina. But the alpina will still be sportier and probably feel faster.

 

X2... I am also in the same situation trying to decide between the m5 and alpina. Not being able to increase performance in the alpina is a big reason im leaning toward the M. Are there any options as stated above pulley tune etc?