2005 330i ZHP, Alpine White/Sand, Paddle Shift AT, 58k miles (Carlsbad, CA) - $18k

[JamesSinclair]

Hello Mafiosi,

Just joined the site to post my ZHP for sale, but have been a frequent lurker over the years; hope you don’t mind me crashing in this way. Congrats on a great site and community. I have been a BMW CCA member for more than 18 years; in the SF Bay Area, Chicago, and since ‘03 here in San Diego. So I may have crossed paths with some of you at some point.

Please see my Craigslist posting here:
(Sorry - I've taken the Craigslist post down as car is sold)

21022

This is a pampered, low mileage, one-owner, Southern California car. We custom ordered it in January 2005, in the final weeks of E46 sedan production. We took delivery March 10, 2005. For ten years the car has been the garaged daily driver of my wife, a stay-at-home mom; averaging less than 6k miles per year. For a big milestone birthday I bought her a MINI Goodwood (the Rolls Royce MINI). Now the ZHP is an extra vehicle I regretfully don’t have need or room for. Time to let someone else enjoy it.

The car has never been tracked or auto-crossed, never been in any accident, never required any major repair or service, and has been owner/dealer serviced to “old school maintenance” standards. I have all records and receipts from the day it was ordered. Other than the color-matched moldings, the M3 Paddle Shift steering wheel, and the M3 strut brace, the car is absolutely stock and original.

The car is not flawless, but it is close. As it stands, it’s a stunning driver. Get out the toothbrushes and do a couple minor touch-ups, and you’d have a concourse quality show piece. Would love to see this go to a true enthusiast.

Best way to contact me is call/text/email through Craigslist, but I’ll also try to check back here for any questions or photo/info requests.

Thanks,
James Sinclair

[danewilson77]

GLWS on a beautiful AW.

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[NoVAphotog]

Beautiful car! GLWS.

Sent from an HTC One

[ELCID86]

+2


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[ikeupinya]

Simply stunning, GLWS, I know those pictures don't do any justice to this rare piece!!!

[Vas]

Nice looking car. GLWS

[Pupil_Heads]

10/10 GLWS


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[ikeupinya]

10/10 GLWS


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Pare, I wish you can buy this now!!!

[yura]

Damn. Fantastic car!

[fredo]

Man, I drove by Carlsbad CA last week. Car looks sharp. GLWS !

[Pupil_Heads]

Pare, I wish you can buy this now!!!

Only if I already have a cash on my hand right now, and if this thing is manual


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[JamesSinclair]

I understand the hardcore enthusiast is looking for the 6MT; I would too. But I have to say the paddle shifters make for a pretty pleasant compromise with the AT. Down shifting on the approach to corners is at your fingertips. And on a twisty undulating road the Steptronic responds very nicely to frequent up and down paddle inputs. The AT is also really nice on long road trips. And if you're ever stuck in commute traffic, you can't beat ticking back and forth between first and second with simple flicks of the paddles. All while your left foot rests comfortably on the dead pedal and you hardly ever need to touch the brake pedal. We bought the AT for her, I did the paddle shift conversion for me! Pretty effective compromise in the end.

Someone with an eye for detail may have noticed: the M3 SMG steering wheel used for the paddle shift conversion comes with titanium silver lower trim and titanium silver paddles with chrome +/- characters. This matches the E46 M3 interior. To make it look right with the ZHP interior, I used the lower trim from the factory ZHP wheel. Then I removed the paddles and refinished them in satin black and white +/-. This made them look "right"; like they came from the factory. Details, details, details..........

21050


Speaking of details:

On the day we took delivery of the car, my wife drove it home and straight into the garage. Up on stands it went and I spent more than a week of evenings on my back under the car, gently removing all the cosmoline shipping goo from every suspension component and under-body panel. On BMWs I'd owned before, each had a 100 pound coating of gravel and road dust permanently stuck in all that cosmoline, plus burnt cosmoline spots around the exhaust components. This car now has none of that. And being a California car, there's not a speck of corrosion anywhere.

I'm a perfectionist when it comes to detailing. No one has ever washed this car but me. Always the two bucket method. And the paint has never seen any product that wasn't a Zaino product; lots and lots of coats of Zaino; from day one. Zaino is the best IMHO.

21052


If all this hasn't convinced you I'm psycho, maybe this will:

The original spare has been out of the trunk only once; and that was for a thorough detailing of it, the spare cavity, the jack, etc.

21051


That's all for tonight. Let me know if you have any questions or want to see something in particular.

James

[JamesSinclair]

Forgot to say...... I really appreciate all the kind words and encouragement above. You guys (gals?) are great!

[iya_e46]

flawless! My alpine would looked yellow next to yours

[BADCLOWN]

such a minty AW car, the color matched moldings work SO well on white. good luck with the sale


http://cdn.nextimpulsesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/post-33541-Clark-Griswold-lights-up-smile-lqit.gif

[Schlag96]

:drool

Freaking beautiful.

[fredo]

My original plan was to find a ZHP with AT. But, one with MT showed locally in great condition. I could not miss the deal. Hope yours goes to a good home.

[JamesSinclair]

I've had a couple Craigslist inquiries asking if I have all the records for the car, so I thought I'd drop some more details here:

21097

In the pic above:
- Complete owner's manual package
- Original window sticker
- Factory build sheet
- Dealer order confirmation
- Original sales invoice/purchase contract
- All service and parts receipts from day one
- Original temp and DMV registration
- 2005 3 Series Sedan sales brochure

21099
Window Sticker showing $46,220 MSRP

21098
Sales Brochure includes special section for the ZHP option

21096
This is one of the coolest things: the factory Build Sheet that travels down the assembly line with the car. Our salesman knew I was a car guy, so when he saw this in the car after it came off the delivery truck, he saved it for me.

So yes, I have records.......

[danewilson77]

:thumbsup

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[JamesSinclair]

Rather than shamelessly bump my thread to the top, I'll post some more photos and details.

Today, some of the BMW accessories I added to the car after purchase:



21304
Poor lighting in this photo, but you can make out the Euro BMW First Aid Kit mounted beneath the front passenger seat



21307
Here you see a trunk mounted BMW Umbrella and the Euro BMW Warning Triangle (inside the blue container)
I couldn't stand the dedicated mounting cavity with nothing in it!



21305
Here is a BMW Spare Oil Bag, though the car has never burned a drop
And the BMW Grocery Bag Hanger, which is surprisingly useful



21306
Lastly is the Homelink Remote Garage Door Opener
Looks so nice with the anthracite headliner




Best regards to all,
James

[BMWCurves]

Looks so clean.

[yura]

I can't believe this car is still not sold. I'm not even in the market and I'm drooling.

[ELCID86]

So clean. Love the OEM mods.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[JamesSinclair]

Any SoCal folks want to have a look at the car, I'm planning to take it to the Big SoCal Euro Gathering (https://www.big-euro.com/big-socal-euro-gathering-2015/) this Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium. I'll have it in the swap meet area with signs in it. If I'm out wandering, my cell number will be on the car.

[ikeupinya]

Any SoCal folks want to have a look at the car, I'm planning to take it to the Big SoCal Euro Gathering (https://www.big-euro.com/big-socal-euro-gathering-2015/) this Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium. I'll have it in the swap meet area with signs in it. If I'm out wandering, my cell number will be on the car.

The gathering should be at Legoland, ha I wish!!!

[NYRhockey]

The gathering should be at Legoland, ha I wish!!!

have you been to Legoland before? i went 6-7yrs ago and it sucked hard, unless you have kids since all the rides are geared to them.

[ikeupinya]

have you been to Legoland before? i went 6-7yrs ago and it sucked hard, unless you have kids since all the rides are geared to them.

Yes I have back in 2010 & the kids loved it...OP is from Carlsbad & thats where Legoland is at in SOCAL.

[Schlag96]

Just curious, how is the paddle shifter different than the normal AT? Is the transmission different, or are the paddles just an added ability to up and down shift where you want to? If you don't touch the paddles does it drive like a regular AT?

If the transmission is different, how so?

Thanks,

Schlag

[az3579]

Just curious, how is the paddle shifter different than the normal AT? Is the transmission different, or are the paddles just an added ability to up and down shift where you want to? If you don't touch the paddles does it drive like a regular AT?

If the transmission is different, how so?

Thanks,

Schlag

The transmission doesn't change. All the paddles do is add the ability to change gears (only in manual mode, gears 1-5, NOT P, R, N, or D) from the steering wheel instead of having to reach down. It doesn't change response time, either; the automatic functions exactly the same.

[Schlag96]

I was more looking for the difference between the manually shifted AT and the regular AT, but I was able to find the answer.

The answer for anyone reading who doesn't know, is that the Steptronic is the same automatic transmission as a regular AT with the selectable ability to shift the gears when you want instead of the programmed shift points. Has a torque converter.

...As opposed to an SMG which is a manual transmission that does the clutch without a pedal. and has no torque converter.

And, from what I've read, Steptronic can shift just as fast as a manual unless you're a serious pro at shifting.

[az3579]

And, from what I've read, Steptronic can shift just as fast as a manual unless you're a serious pro at shifting.

This is not entirely correct. It really doesn't take much effort to shift faster than an auto, but this is not the thread for that discussion.

[danewilson77]

This is not entirely correct. It really doesn't take much effort to shift faster than an auto, but this is not the thread for that discussion.
One guy, in an auto, that doesn't know how to drive, will always beat the other guy, in a manual, that doesn't know how to drive.

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[JamesSinclair]

Just curious, how is the paddle shifter different than the normal AT? Is the transmission different, or are the paddles just an added ability to up and down shift where you want to? If you don't touch the paddles does it drive like a regular AT?

If the transmission is different, how so?

Thanks,

Schlag


OP here, just confirming and clarifying......

This car has the original 58k mile, 5-speed, torque-converter equipped, Steptronic automatic transmission, just as it came from the factory; just as any automatic ZHP came from the factory. ZHP's were never offered to the public with SMG transmissions.

The paddle shift, M3 steering wheel (as spec'd in an SMG M3) was purchased new from BMW and installed in the first days of ownership. The rotary contact slip ring behind the steering wheel was also changed to the M3 SMG version with contacts for the paddle shifters. A custom two-wire harness was made and installed between the slip ring and the transmission shifter assembly. Factory connectors and contacts were sourced as well as the black cloth wrapping to match the factory wiring perfectly. No wires were cut or spliced. Even an expert would have a hard time distinguishing the install from a factory job. And if you really wanted to, returning to stock would be a plug and play task once you sourced an original steering wheel and lever boots. I do not have the originals.

As noted above, the cosmetic details on the M3 wheel were matched to the ZHP cockpit, and the shift and brake lever boots were changed from alcantara to leather, matching the steering wheel. Again, presentation looks totally factory and proper.

Functionally, when the transmission is in P, R, N, or D, the paddles have no function. The paddles can be safely pulled, but have no effect. When the transmission is shifted into SD (SPORT DRIVE), the paddles function exactly the same as the Steptronic shift lever. Moving the shift lever fore or aft or pulling either paddle, switches the transmission into MANUAL shift mode. Shifts can be performed from either the shift lever or the paddles, and you can switch or alternate between them seamlessly. In MANUAL mode, if you forget to shift or shift in the wrong direction at the wrong time, the transmission programming overrides, preventing harmful under or over-rev conditions. Simply moving the shift lever from SD to D returns to standard DRIVE, or a quick SD-D-SD gets you back in SPORT DRIVE.

SPORT DRIVE mode does provide firmer, more aggressive upshift an downshift points than standard DRIVE; but that is the normal factory setup. From experience, I do think the ZHP AT programming is different than non ZHP E46's; but mostly standard DRIVE feels more aggressive; SPORT DRIVE pretty similar. The paddles don't impact any of this; they just allow you to shift manually with both hands on the wheel.

If you absolutely want a manual transmission, if ultimate 0-60 is top priority, this isn't the car for you. Paddle shifting isn't going to change that. If you're thinking you might want an automatic, or need one as I did, this is perhaps the cleanest, lowest mile, best documented, most completely optioned, desirable colored, original owner, automatic ZHP you're going to find. It's a car that makes me happy every time I drive it. A car I'd keep if life's priorities allowed and I had the space.

Thanks,
James

[Vas]

Man I like it more and more.

[Schlag96]

If you absolutely want a manual transmission, if ultimate 0-60 is top priority, this isn't the car for you. Paddle shifting isn't going to change that. If you're thinking you might want an automatic, or need one as I did, this is perhaps the cleanest, lowest mile, best documented, most completely optioned, desirable colored, original owner, automatic ZHP you're going to find. It's a car that makes me happy every time I drive it. A car I'd keep if life's priorities allowed and I had the space.
Yeah, this car is exactly my dream car. Exactly the compromise of sporty but auto. The only question is, will I go way beyond what I can presently afford to snap it up while I have the chance.

:blink

[JamesSinclair]

Sale pending. Just wanted to thank everyone here for all the positive comments and support; and for the great forum and community you've built.

The new owner is not from SoCal, so it will take us a week to get things wrapped up. I'll circle back here when all is finalized and done.

Best regards to all,
James Sinclair

[JamesSinclair]

Car is sold! Hopefully the new owner decides to register and become part of your community here. Thanks again everyone!

[BMWCurves]

Congrats!