I just bought a lightly used 2020 B7, so I typed thoughts.

First and foremost, the Alpina engine is equally a nuclear explosion and fine creme brûlée. I have literally nothing bad to say about it, it is gourmet and it is good. I am over 3 months into ownership and I am still exploring all 600+ horsepower, it scoots so hard it’s literally challenging to keep your foot fully planted because you start to get drug back. It is insanely smooth at all times unless you throw it in sport+ and find the right revs, then it turns into an absolutely hilariously high strung, ready to explode power plant. 15/10, this is why you buy an Alpina.

Secondly, you gotta understand the Alpina brand before you buy it. It will be soft riding even in sport mode. Alpina aims at Bentley, not AMG or Porsche. Corners are quick, but with restrained, soft body roll, and somewhat minimal sensory input getting to the driver. This isn’t to say it’s numb at all, it’s nimble and very quick what they do with the suspension. But a super communicative M it is not, Alpina does not do that. You are cocooned, protected, and always taken care of even at very high speeds. Their suspension is tuned with that in mind.

Also, Alpina cars are some of the hardest driven in the luxury market with 20,000 miles/yr commonly being reported by Alpina. So reliability isn’t as bad as you might think, but you will need to consider post-warranty life (I’m planning on getting a platinum level third party warranty that MUST INCLUDE GASKETS AND SEALS because this is a common issue w the Alpina engine)

Lastly, despite some stress about high maintenance cost and such, I look forward to driving my Alpina every day. It is exotic. I see people looking down at the Alpina written in the front and I absolutely love that. Alpina’s are an event for both the driver and the public. In just three months, I’ve encountered so much enthusiasm and interest for it. People yelling thru open windows to express their excitement, AutoZone employees asking for rides, valet drivers flipping out, people taking pictures in traffic and this x-factor is extremely rare to find. If that appeals to you and you can do it, then DO IT. It really comes down to how exotic of an experience do you want to have everyday.