Newb here

[Tuck16]

Hey everyone,

I have been looking for a new car for a while and the main criteria was a manual trans sedan, so searching usually came up with various Japanese offerings in my price range (15-20k), but low and behold a '04 330i ZHP showed up. I had never known of this special version until now and I have always loved BMW's , but never owned one. This one has only 15000 mi. Other than having it looked over, anything in particular I should really focus on before buying in regards to know issues with this model? It sounds almost too good to be true so i'm not letting myself get too excited yet. :) Thanks in advance.

[Dotpage]

At 15K miles there is not much to worry about.. check the car's history, carfax, etc..

Welcome to the family!

[kayger12]

Welcome. Glad you stumbled on the car and this site.

Lots of info here
http://www.bimmerfest.com/wiki/index.php?title=BMW_E46

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[danewilson77]

And if you go to the maintenance section.....look at sticky thread....I've got a bunch of stuff in there to keep your eye on.

Droid! Srs Legitness!

[JC540I]

At 15K miles there is not much to worry about.. check the car's history, carfax, etc..

Welcome to the family!

Agreed! with 15k miles there is not a whole lot to check out or be cautious of. Wow, wish my beast had 15k lol
Welcome.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Welcome to the site, Tuck.

[Tuck16]

Ill find out tmrw if it is legit. The maintenance and DIY sections has great info, just thought i would check with people in the know before i make a move. Is there a VIN range to let me know it truly is a ZHP car? Thanks.

[Johnmadd]

Yes, but at this time I cannot direct you to it. Enter your vin at the Zhp registry.

[danewilson77]

Ill find out tmrw if it is legit. The maintenance and DIY sections has great info, just thought i would check with people in the know before i make a move. Is there a VIN range to let me know it truly is a ZHP car? Thanks.

ZHP's cannot be known by VIN, as this was a "package" not a "model"

[Oli77]

Welcome to the site.

With such low miles, you may want to investigate or at least partially worry (until knowledgeable people chime in) about having dried out gaskets and rubber parts. Its out of warranty too, unless you are purchasing at dealer. Just 0.02$.

[Jon D]

I would not worry beyond the normal pre purchase inspection by a BMW mechanic. Mine had 20K when got outside brakes, oil, alignment. Have not touched a thing. :)

[Cadeez]

Welcome to the party Tuck, a ZHP with 15k on it is a great find, good luck!

[static667]

Welcome to the site. Sounds like you have someone's garage queen on your hands.

Sent from my rooted Fascinate. Hacked Droid FTW!

[mimalmo]

Welcome

[Tuck16]

Yeah, those were some of my concerns as well, also after reading in the bimmerfest wiki i wonder how the local dealerships might handle some of the TSB items if they aren't already addressed on this car given its age? It hasnt been licensed in 4 yrs, i was told it was a secondary car that didn't get driven much, but the carfax is clear. It has a some paint issues, it was parked under a tree and the drivers side has some pitch issues that i might be willing to live with or fix later. If ZHP is only a package, how could i tell if it really is?

[danewilson77]

Alcantara seats (cane be leather also), alcantara steering wheel (can be leather also), ///M shift knob, ///M steering wheel, M Tech II side skirts and front/rear bumper, red gage needles, style 135 rims...are some of the dead give aways

Droid! Srs Legitness!

[Tuck16]

I forgot to check the needles, but i guess i'm being paranoid. I guess i should just jump in and see if i can get a reasonable deal and go for it! :)

[M54Dave]

Sounds like an interesting find, the low miles are nice. However if it has not been licensed in 4 years I would have a PPI done at the very least. A car that has sat or been driven very little for 4 years may have some issues. You could also try to bring the VIN to the dealer to see if they will run it to see what service history the car has (I have heard not all dealers will provide this though.)

[gr330zhp]

Welcome, nice find!

[Tuck16]

What is PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection)? It had a Pre Delivery Inspection at one of my local dealerships in January is that same/similar?

[danewilson77]

What is PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection)? It had a Pre Delivery Inspection at one of my local dealerships in January is that same/similar?

Yes.....PPI = ^

[Mtnman]

Welcome

[MsRN]

Welcome to la famiglia, Tuck!

[mikeyb74]

Welcome

[Tuck16]

So are these two the same? PPI = PDI?

[danewilson77]

I would say yes.....