Sunbeam Alpine Owners Club

RKAlpineC6 · Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:28 pm Post subject: Enough

I've had nothing back from paying for club membership, no paperwork, no Alpine Horn, and my Alpine still isn't running. Bought a new dizzy, tried to align it, there's no sign of the LED to indicate static timing is correct for #1 piston/TDC despite trying various orientations.

My "restored" Alpine is nothing but a disappointment.

Anyone want to buy it? Nice underside, mostly good bodywork with a few little bits that need rectification, nice roof, hardtop servicable, ran very well right up until the moment I bought it whereupon it developed a misfire and thus has spent my entire ownership lurking in a garage whilst the MOT expiry approaches.

I paid £4,250 for it and £175 for the dizzy (edit, £300, since I got a 123 and coil).

_________________
Obsessive car nut; 127 cars since 1992.
Current: "Jackie" - Alpine Series V in Holly Green - PFH 385F, 395018842
Mercedes 500 SL J500 SSL.
Citroën C6 "Binky" C6 RTK.

stevew · Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:41 pm Post subject:

Hi sorry that you're having so much trouble with your Alpine & response from the club. If you still have a little pasion left for your car & a little patience with the club. I'd like to suggest that firstly I will personally ask the membership Sec to get your stuff sorted out & secondly if you would like I will try to get someone from the west-mids area to come over to give you a hand in trying to get the old girl running. Also don't forget the National will be on at the end of the month in Warwick this is always a good event to vist to get some advice.

If I can help let me know

Steve Werrell
Chairman SAOC

Richf · Joined: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 72 Location: Warwickshire

Where abouts in the west mids?. I'm in Kenilworth and could be interested.
You can contact me on 07737 787313 or

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dibs · Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:30 am Post subject: Post subject

Hi Richard.

Just to advise, please refer to the email I sent when you applied for club membership. It did ask to observe 28 days for delivery and your application was on 25th June. (I have sent you another copy.)

Also if you do decide to sell your Alpine, which we hope you won't do, it can be advertised on the club's web site free of charge for club members. Adverts on the forum are discouraged as we would have no control over who would be selling them. i.e scammers, fraudsters and the like, as any car advertised on the club's web site has to be registered by the owner.

If you can make the National, I'm based with the Bristol group.

_________________
Regards
dibs and My Little Tourer 288D Series V 1966

Retirement. It's like being on the dole but with more money!! Or it was, until this period of economic difficulty.

RKAlpineC6 · Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 3:19 pm Post subject:

stevew wrote:

Hi sorry that you're having so much trouble with your Alpine & response from the club. If you still have a little pasion left for your car & a little patience with the club. I'd like to suggest that firstly I will personally ask the membership Sec to get your stuff sorted out & secondly if you would like I will try to get someone from the west-mids area to come over to give you a hand in trying to get the old girl running. Also don't forget the National will be on at the end of the month in Warwick this is always a good event to vist to get some advice.

If I can help let me know

Steve Werrell
Chairman SAOC

I think I'm just really frustrated that I spent what I'd consider to be a "should get me a good running car" amount of money, and have subsequently had no enjoyment from the car at all - and the weather's turned, so I feel like I just wasted the money entirely.

Love the Alpine as a car, but this experience has annoyed me. In the meantime I've bought a '92 SL500, which means that if the sun does deign to come out I'll feel happy - the Alpine could either be repaired or sold in the meantime.

I appreciate the 28 days, but I always assume that's going to be to take into account mailing cycles, so I was a bit sad to see all these posts about the exciting magazine, and not have one myself, particularly when feeling a bit run down about the car.

Arnoud has not been helpful regarding the dizzy. I think it's faulty so I need a known-good dizzy to work with - but selling this Alpine and spending more later on one I am happier with (maybe £8K on a really tidy restored one would have been more up my street) than spending £4K on one which whilst very solid and when I drove it, good to drive - and with wires - had some rectification needed (the passenger door) that when I'm not able to get out on the road just makes me feel like I spent too much for no reward.

I don't think it's a failing of the club. I think I'm not in the right frame of mind to really enjoy a 41 year old car and established owner's club, having come from a land of Japanese (Seras) and fast moving forums. That the Alpine specialists in the UK have either been unable to provide the parts or simply haven't responded has frustrated me further.

_________________
Obsessive car nut; 127 cars since 1992.
Current: "Jackie" - Alpine Series V in Holly Green - PFH 385F, 395018842
Mercedes 500 SL J500 SSL.
Citroën C6 "Binky" C6 RTK.

RKAlpineC6 · Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:15 pm Post subject:

I got all my documents yesterday, thank you very much - I really enjoyed the magazine and feel totally justified in feeling I was missing out by not having the 50th anniversary edition - a fantastic read. Is it the case that the Alpine's windscreen IS bolted on, then? This makes me feel a whole lot less concerned about scuttle panel replacement if it ever needs it. I'd assumed the screen frame was part of the monocoque.

My car still isn't running and I suspect I've missed the appropriate meet, but having bought my 500 SL I'm calm about fixing the Alpine at the pace required - I still need to sell one or the other when it's done, but the "missing out on summer (what summer?!)" aspect is dealt with (and I do rather like having 330bhp of LeMans-proven 32V V8 under my right foot).

RichF didn't go for the car, but I think I should get it running now. The new dizzy isn't giving me any voltage on the output lead when spun and otherwise connected (dizzy body grounded, 12v to +ve) so I am pretty sure that's my issue.

_________________
Obsessive car nut; 127 cars since 1992.
Current: "Jackie" - Alpine Series V in Holly Green - PFH 385F, 395018842
Mercedes 500 SL J500 SSL.
Citroën C6 "Binky" C6 RTK.

Richf · Joined: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 72 Location: Warwickshire

Good luck.

Sorting it is the best thing to do.

Chard F

RKAlpineC6 · Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:26 pm Post subject:

Sorted

Lovely cars, but not what I needed at this point - and I'm not that naïve; I simply didn't have the time or patience with everything else going on to really tolerate 41-year old maladies. I'm still keen on the cars - I'll just spend more next time I want one!

The solution for my little open car came as part of the deal Smile

The new owner, Chris, seemed happy with my description of the car and so forth and was an absolute pleasure to deal with - I'm going to ask if my membership could be transferred to him, and gave him all the materials I'd had (including the 50th anniversary book). Maybe in a couple of years I'll buy another Alpine, or be in a position to buy what I'd really like, a Tiger Smile

_________________
Obsessive car nut; 127 cars since 1992.
Current: "Jackie" - Alpine Series V in Holly Green - PFH 385F, 395018842
Mercedes 500 SL J500 SSL.
Citroën C6 "Binky" C6 RTK.