FS: 2004 BMW 330i ZHP, white/tan, 6MT - $6900, Brookfield, CT

[ELCID86]

Interior looks wanting, but for that price...
http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/cto/4055091023.html

[OmairK]

Too bad it looks like shit. If it was better maintained, I wouldn't mind paying 6000 for it.

[ELCID86]

Why don't you reach out and make an offer to the owner. Are you in that area?

[E_Rak]

OMG. Why not one month ago.. I might look at this, contacting the owner

[MiniD]

No trunk lip?

[E_Rak]

No trunk lip?

+1 on that

[brettbimmer]

No trunk lip?


+1 on that

If memory serves me correctly, it was a no-cost "delete" if not wanted when ordered.

[alexandre]

There was also a shortage of lips mid-2004.

[MiniD]

I have never seen a factory ZHP sedan without a trunk lip. Coupe, yes. Sedan, never.

[E_Rak]

Will BMW still warranty one on there if it's missing?

[E_Rak]

No accidents - we are third owners
My sons father bought this for him but doesn't have orig ZPH rims
Car runs great - no issues at all
I know there was an exhaust mod but without checking with my don later I don't know much about it.
Car is fast and gas tight sport ride
We've kept up oil changes with proper oil. Recently had little things fixed like blinker switch, seatbelt, air intake boots (I think that's what it's called).
Car needs some love but the price is very low for what it could sell for with minimal work.
Clutch is fine no issues that I could tell nor mechanic who recently checked it for me.
I noticed a headlight lamp lighting in the dash but the lights go on so I'm not sure what or why. Prbly simple fix.

Kelly
"

[SureShot434]

"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qORouZ-qOgg

[danewilson77]

Will BMW still warranty one on there if it's missing?

Huh? It was an option.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

[E_Rak]

I thought I read something about owners who didn't get one having it put on for free??

[E_Rak]

Followed up with this email:



How far would you be willing to drive (if at all) to meet me to come look at the car? I'm about 2 hours away, but have kind of a tight schedule. Would like to see this or next week.

- Evan


Reply:



I'm willing to meet (I like to drive the car) beats my Mommy car. You are two hours which way?


WTF?

[az3579]

I can check this car out for anyone who is interested. I live about an hour away from Brookfield.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4

[ELCID86]

If it is not too inconvenient, I think Evan and I would both appreciate that BP. Happy to chip in for gas or a cool-one after your trip :-)

[E_Rak]

If it is not too inconvenient, I think Evan and I would both appreciate that BP. Happy to chip in for gas or a cool-one after your trip :-)

+1, if you have the time!

[trancenation]

Hopefully someone can save this one! Not a big fan of the murdered look though.


-Jay

[az3579]

I've sent the seller an email to set up a time to check out the car.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4

[az3579]

Alright everyone,
As promised, I went to go see the car tonight. For those of you that are looking for a minty fresh ZHP that needs next to nothing, I will spare you the reading. This review is for those of you who don’t mind saving a ZHP, giving it the TLC it needs to be fresh once again. The seller knows this car needs some work, hence the price of the car. It has the cold weather package and leather seats but doesn’t have premium. So, onto the review. Please note, I didn’t really organize my thoughts that much, I’m just taking a mental walkaround of the car while writing this, so forgive me if I jump sections randomly.

The car has lots of small cosmetic blemishes. The rear bumper has nicks and scratches. The right-side side skirt is popping a little bit (see below photos). The front bumper has lots of scrapes on the bottom lips of the integrated “splitters”. The hood’s front edge where the kidney grilles are has a fair bit of rust, as well as rust bubbling up under the paint on one side of the rear quarter panels. There is no lip spoiler on this car, and didn’t look like it was “removed”, so it was most likely a factory delete option. The front grilles and side mirrors appear to be PlastiDipped. The wheels are obviously not original, but they are sport package wheels, so they clear the calipers (also, obviously!). They all have imperfections. I don't remember if all of them have curb rash, but I know the rear left-side one does because I took pictures of it. I forgot to take pics of the rest. The tires are all in good shape and have adequate tread on them, probably about 60-70% estimated tread left. I didn't see uneven wear on tires on any corner of the car. The paint will require paint correction as there are water spots and lots of swirls in the paint. The headlight lenses are clouded over a little bit.

The taillights and front corner lights are tinted with Lamin-X equivalent film, so it’s removable. The front right turn signal is cracked all over; the cracking appears to be internal. The front left headlight lowbeam sometimes doesn’t work, since the seller said it was working on the way to the meet but stopped working during the trip. The front right foglight doesn’t work. The headlights are halogen units with an aftermarket HID kit installed. The front left turn signal also sometimes doesn’t work; it cuts in and out, though for almost the entire time I've spent with the car, it worked fine. It cut out for a very short period of perhaps a minute before I started driving the car.

The interior is tan. The seats could use a good cleaning and a leatherique treatment to make them shine, and are in otherwise good shape. The driver’s seat is the only seat with any wear in the usual places, on the left lower and upper bolsters, but is typical with a car of this mileage. The passenger seats front and back are in good shape. Seat adjustments worked. Side mirror switch controlled the driver’s side just fine but the passenger-side mirror didn’t move at all; I don’t know if it’s the switch or the mirror motor. I forgot to do the reverse test to check for tilt. All window switches work but the passenger front window switch is broken off, so you’d have to push it with the tip of a fingernail for it to go up or down. The hazard light switch works but the door lock switch is stuck in the pressed-down position. It doesn’t appear to affect the door locks, though. All stalks and buttons appeared to work. Radio and speakers work and sounded fine. Heated seats work. Instrument cluster shows real mileage with no tamper dot (163k-ish miles). The moonroof shade needs clips; it was pulled back and when I went to test the moonroof functionality, it pulled the shade with it and got stuck, so we had to pull the shade back out from its recess to be able to close the moonroof. The glovebox doesn’t open. All maplights work, as well as instrument cluster and center stack lighting. All window switches in the back work as well. The car has a tint, somewhere between 35% and 50%. The rear-left door for some reason didn't want to unlock when pressing the button, but then a few minutes later it opened just fine. The trunk latch button doesn't appear to work, nor does the key button for the trunk. It has to be opened from the keyhole with the key itself. There were quite a few scratches on the black cube trim on the sides; the center ones are ok for the most part. The steering wheel has a leather cover stitched on.

This ZHP has an aftermarket exhaust. I don’t know what make it is since it’s not written on it, but I can say that it has a nice tone to it. It is not obnoxiously loud, (or loud at all, for that matter), but has a nice sound to it when you get on it. (This is the only opinion expressed in this review). I do not know if it’s a cat-back or axle-back exhaust since I couldn’t get underneath the car at the time.

The suspension appears to be good. I didn’t hear any clunking when going over bumps, nor did the car bounce on bumps, so the shocks must be in working order. The steering response wasn’t quite as sharp as my own ZHP, so it is possible that tie rods might need replacing or other things, but by no means was there any large amount of play in the steering. The play there was so minute that you’d have to drive a car with new tie rods to notice a difference when comparing the two. Otherwise, suspension on the car felt good, and didn’t exhibit anything that was obviously wrong. The engine pulled well into the RPM range all the way into redline at lower speeds, though there is an exception to this. On the highway, in any gear above 4th, acceleration between 55 and 70 was jumpy. In 4th gear and lower at the same speeds, acceleration was smooth. I did not observe this lumpy acceleration when at a lower speed in the same rev-range in the lower gears, so it may not necessarily be that rev-range itself. On the way back to the meet location, the coolant light came on, so we pulled over and I inspected the engine bay. I didn’t notice any obvious coolant leaks, and when I lightly twisted the expansion tank cap, I heard the usual hissing and bubbling of liquid, so I knew there was some in there. Sure enough, when we put the key back in, the light didn’t come back on. I did notice some leaks lower in the engine bay, around the oil filter housing, so it may need the usual filter housing gasket job to be done. I noticed an unplugged connector for what appeared to be a light assembly on the driver’s side; I didn’t check to see where that connector went to. Please note; cruising at 70 on the highway was buttery smooth. I didn’t feel any vibrations or anything out of whack; it was a pleasant ride down the few exits we drove by. I also checked the brake pads; they all have acceptable meat on them. The front probably has about 60% pad life left and the rear more like 70%. I don't know about the rotors but I didn't hear any usual noises during regular braking and during the hard stop I did.

There is no rock-solid maintenance history on this car from the recent timeframe. The driver of the car didn’t do much in the way of maintenance from what I’ve been told, but I have been told that oil changes were done more frequently than 7500 miles (probably between 3000-5000 miles) on a regular basis. The quick history is that the mom is selling the son’s car because he now has a different car, so she doesn’t know too much about what went on with this car during her son’s tenure.

I've been given a CarFax, but because of potential personal info (I haven't read the whole thing... really tired right now), I will ask that you PM me for a link to the report if you are interested.

Pics are below:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2893/9729203680_194710a966_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203680/)
1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203680/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2855/9729203698_3372336e27_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203698/)
2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203698/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7320/9725973251_74dba6ed70_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973251/)
3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973251/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/9725973259_bf97ac65e4_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973259/)
4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973259/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7289/9725973231_ac6eeb0095_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973231/)
5 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973231/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/9725973211_4db6313693_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973211/)
6 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973211/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2827/9729203586_92769cbc28_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203586/)
7 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203586/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3693/9725973177_fcb26b0d5f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973177/)
8 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973177/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2887/9725973185_6941484f68_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973185/)
9 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973185/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

^This might actually come out with a clay bar. I didn't feel it to see if it was damage or just gunk that got stuck on.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5324/9725973135_3a1774dc1d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973135/)
10 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973135/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/9729203512_8a2c0663ca_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203512/)
11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203512/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/9729203520_264265c160_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203520/)
12 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203520/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/9725973081_08efc376a7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973081/)
13 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973081/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3791/9725973061_3bdcc6380d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973061/)
14 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973061/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3756/9725973049_ba462217fd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973049/)
15 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973049/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/9725973045_768bab4932_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973045/)
16 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973045/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/9725973013_8c65d21b10_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973013/)
17 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725973013/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/9729203410_af2279f8b3_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203410/)
18 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203410/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2875/9729203528_100ac28750_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203528/)
19 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203528/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3734/9729203366_1072d11eaf_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203366/)
20 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203366/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/9729203350_cc513cd062_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203350/)
21 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9729203350/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5462/9725972965_da72268f96_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725972965/)
23 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725972965/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3812/9725972835_6f164ccee0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725972835/)
24 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725972835/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/9725972819_e08ce4e8d6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725972819/)
25 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65070296@N06/9725972819/) by botond.pal (http://www.flickr.com/people/65070296@N06/), on Flickr

[JupiterBMW]

Nicely done on the writeup man. Thanks a bunch. At least for those interested! :thumbsup

[Avetiso]

Sounds like a solid pick-up. Good stuff.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[E_Rak]

Wow incredible review, excellent detail... This thing really can be saved, anyone want to throw out a $ estimate for all the work?

[Avetiso]

Wow incredible review, excellent detail... This thing really can be saved, anyone want to throw out a $ estimate for all the work?
Too subjective. One person here will say "Repaint the whole car," while others will buy it and won't even care that the wrong wheels are on it.

[fredo]

The best review I have read in a long time ! Hope this ZHP stays in the family.

[Mike V]

BP ftw! :)

[az3579]

I should also mention that the seller isn't happy with how her son just bought mods but not much else, and she really hopes this car goes to an enthusiast and not just another kid who has to borrow money from his parents to buy the thing. So far that's what it's looking like might happen (because of the price point), and says that anyone on here that's interested let her know ASAP! She does care about this car and hopes it gets the TLC is deserves.

[az3579]

Wow incredible review, excellent detail... This thing really can be saved, anyone want to throw out a $ estimate for all the work?

In my opinion, it's going to need a new front bumper, possibly a rear though that could possibly be saved with a respray... the hood needs bodywork and a respray, and the big dent on the side of the car where the window trim is will need attention. I don't know how much that would set you back. The rest of the paint needs some quality time with a random orbital and some detailing products, and only after that happens is when you'll have an idea of the condition of the paint. Because it's white, it's very difficult to gauge how the paint is holding up, but I think it might be alright after a detail for the most part. The side skirt is probably just a clip, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Just buy new kidneys, take off the PD from the mirror caps, and you might have a decent exterior given the other bodywork that needs to be done. The only areas of true concern are the rust spots, so that should be taken care of first. I'm sort of kicking myself for not taking pics of the bubbling on the rear quarter, but you know what that looks like.

I'm thinking if you put a good 2k in paint/bodywork and another 2k in maintenance, the car would be solid. You might end up spending the same amount after all is said and done as another ZHP with the same kind of mileage, but at least this one would be all taken care of in maintenance by then while the other 10k ZHP would require the maintenance to be done. Just some food for thought.



BY THE WAY: I forgot to mention that I also checked the brake pads; they all have acceptable meat on them. The front probably has about 60% pad life left and the rear more like 70%. I don't know about the rotors but I didn't hear any usual noises during regular braking and during the hard stop I did. I copied and pasted this paragraph into the review for convenience.

[ELCID86]

Thanks again Botond.

[az3579]

'Tis my pleasure. :)

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4

[JupiterBMW]

I would say for someone that wants a reliable, decent looking ZHP, plan on spending $10,000 all in. It won't get the car as clean as some, but it will make it a good looker and plenty reliable. That being said, $10k for a 161K mile ZHP isn't all that terribly high, it is AW after all.

[ELCID86]

Yeah, but you're prejudiced! The crease (roof?) and rust worry me.

[JupiterBMW]

Yeah, but you're correct! The crease (roof?) and rust worry me.

Fixed. :shifty :biggrin

[ELCID86]

Too funny! :rofl

[az3579]

In a way, I secretly wish I had extra money for this car as well as an S54 swap and bodywork. I would really want to make this my track rat... Four doors for better sturdiness, with a carbon fiber roof or at the very least a moonroof delete, S54 engine and SMG tranny, no back seats, BBK, widened fenders for fatter tires, and... let's throw a supercharger into the mix. :)

[az3579]

FYI to all who may be interested,
This ZHP went to a man who had every intent on saving it. :)

[ELCID86]

Do we know him??:foottap

[az3579]

:dunno