WolfBMW
03-07-2023, 01:02 PM
VIN: WBABD53484PD97639
Silver gray 2004 BMW 330Ci Coupe ZHP
226,500 miles
The wall of text below is the gist of all the maintenance I know about on the car. I've definitely not kept up with every receipt but this is most of it. Last inspected 6/2022, valid through 6/2023. I've had oil changes every 5,000-7,000 miles but haven’t kept every receipt. Last few were at 213,800, then ~220k, and end of last year ~226k.
I honestly don't know what a fair asking price for this car is, because I'm selling it as-is and it's in less-than-perfect cosmetic condition (see: missing L bumper reflector, small R lower windshield crack, minor dent on rear bumper, sagging headliners, worn-out weather stripping). It also definitely needs parking brake repair. The check engine light is presumably from some small vacuum leak, but I haven't had it smoke tested to see where. I used to do minor repairs etc with my dad, but in the past few years doing medical residency I haven't had much extra time or money, so I've focused on keeping it running (for which it's rewarded me with extraordinary reliability for a 20-year-old BMW). I'm moving to California this summer for fellowship and replacing it with a newer, lower-maintenance car--I have a silly romantic hope that somebody might want to buy this car so they can tinker/work on it and restore it to glory, but I recognize the high mileage makes that less attractive than it used to be.
Let me know if you're interested, and if you want more pictures of particular things. I'm not sure if buyers normally want to arrange inspection themselves, but if it'd be helpful for me to have it inspected I could bring it to the BMW dealership for that and post the result. I'm selling as-is, but my goal is to be transparent about the shape it's in so any future buyer/DIY-er gets a fair deal.
I’m the 4th and final owner; I was in college at the time and my dad split the cost of the car with me. It was registered in his name for several years but we transferred the title to me subsequently. Details:
0-49k lease
49-111k CPO
5/2011 ~111,000 miles: Car sold to enthusiast/DIY-er. They did a lot of work on it during their year or so of ownership (and had some done at indy shop) and kept records and receipts, which I still have. Replaced entire coolant system incl WP, thermometer, upper/lower hoses, WP pulley, fan switch, expansion tank + cap. Also did all pulleys and belts including AC tensioner; PS pressure line; washer fluid pump; secondary inlet airbox tube; changed engine/trans/diff drain plugs to magnetic; fixed the hood latch; replaced shift knob (OEM ZHP); changed valve cover gasket; spark plugs; transmission and diff and gear fluids; filters; new fog lights; installed a carbon fiber engine stress bar (it’s cute!); battery; power steering hose; fuel pump; DISA valve; exhaust bracket and clamp; oil level sensor; front lower control arm mounts; cylinder head cover gaskets; sport springs and Bilstein shocks; DISA valve; tires, brake rotors and pads.
2/5/12 Car sold for $11,500 from DIY-er to owner who didn’t keep receipts/records of maintenance
__________________________________________________ ________________
142,316 10/14/13: Bought from Car Lot of Lenoir, NC for $7900
142,598 10/18/13: Oil &filter, new tires and alignment
143,770 12/4/13: Expansion tank/retainer replaced, coolant flushed, front sway bar links replaced
146,463 5/16/14: Oil filter housing gasket replaced (&oil change), front brake discs/pads/sensors, rear shock absorbers/mounts/bump stops replaced
161,899 12/10/15: Starter replaced
162,018 12/16/15: First Takata airbag recall service
164,381 3/21/16: Oil &filter, air conditioning and primary drive belts replaced, fuel filter replaced, spark plugs
169,149 8/5/16: Tires replaced, alignment
171,899 11/29/16: Oil &filter. Throwing a barometric sensor code—due to DME bug as far as we could tell; no actual vacuum leak, running great
5/11/17: Front bumper replaced due to sagging clips/acute on chronic curb damage. Of note—from then on, exterior thermometer isn’t well shielded from engine bay heat and temp reads high once the car warms up
180,299 11/7/17: Oil &filter & fluids, check belts &hoses
3/19: Street parking in med school, driver’s side mirror is knocked off (presumably by drunk college kid); replaced via eBay from parted out car, OEM
6/19: Same thing happens, driver’s side mirror. I file a police report from paranoia but it was probably just some other drunk college kid. I again replace from eBay. I start to suspect a curse.
184,321 4/4/18: Smoke tested, breather cap replaced for leak
6/2019: Gravel on highway caused ~2.5in crack on right lower windshield; took to auto shop, crack was too large to fix without replacement. I never replaced it because I couldn’t justify the cost of the rain-sensing windshield but love the rain-sensing feature and didn’t want to replace without this… crack has never changed in size and doesn’t obstruct view, passes inspection.
11/22/2019: Replaced alternator (bought from ECSTuning)
fall 2020: I can't really remember the details of this one, there was an exhaust issue and a muffler shop took care of it.
197,721 6/23/20 Dealership: Drivers and passengers air bag replacements (second Takata recall). Windshield wiper replacement. Noted to need parking brake repairs (not done; brake will hold on slight hill if fully engaged, but still needs repairs). Oil pan gasket replaced. (&oil change).
7/22: Large branch falls from tree above driveway, hitting exclusively the Cursed Mirror and knocking it off. This time, glued it back on. So far, so good.
225,454 1/19/23 loud, speed-dependent low-pitched noise diagnosed as subwoofer malfunction; disconnected the subwoofer.
Flaws: See bolded above; parking brake doesn’t hold well at all. Has a stable small crack in lower passenger side windshield. Driver side mirror is tacked on (and cursed), but electric adjustments of the mirror work—it’s from an ’03 E46 gray coupe.
Check engine light is on; at last oil change in December 2022 they read it as a vacuum leak-related code but I haven’t had it smoke tested because at that point I was already planning on trying to sell as-is, and it idles and accelerates perfectly smoothly.
The automatic headlights have a quirk that sometimes when you turn right, the right headlamp turns off and won’t turn back on even when you flick the headlights on manually, until you turn the car off and on again. I therefore just don’t use the automatic headlights and always use manual mode.
The center console buttons (hazard and lock) intermittently don’t work. I’ve taken the console apart before and gotten it working consistently but that was a few years ago, and we’re back to intermittent unreliability.
When I first got the car I replaced some seals and clips in the sunroof and lubricated things up and had it working smoothly, but I don’t trust sunroofs much and that was almost a decade ago so for the past few years I just use it as a moonroof only and I haven’t even tried to open the motorized part. For all I know it works fine but I’m not risking it!
The seat heaters, electric seat adjustments, and window regulators seem to be in good shape. Rain sensing wipers work great. There are areas of sagging in the headliners and rear pillars. The shift knob trim is quite worn (see photo).
I installed an aux input to the OEM radio, so you can play music from your phone. I don’t miss the subwoofer, but you may want to connect it back up.
Startup video:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kRPUCpvi2tnvLKaL7
(the pause is because I had the wheel cut to the side so had to jiggle it to turn the key!)
Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/F6TJ2f5uuy988qxr9
Silver gray 2004 BMW 330Ci Coupe ZHP
226,500 miles
The wall of text below is the gist of all the maintenance I know about on the car. I've definitely not kept up with every receipt but this is most of it. Last inspected 6/2022, valid through 6/2023. I've had oil changes every 5,000-7,000 miles but haven’t kept every receipt. Last few were at 213,800, then ~220k, and end of last year ~226k.
I honestly don't know what a fair asking price for this car is, because I'm selling it as-is and it's in less-than-perfect cosmetic condition (see: missing L bumper reflector, small R lower windshield crack, minor dent on rear bumper, sagging headliners, worn-out weather stripping). It also definitely needs parking brake repair. The check engine light is presumably from some small vacuum leak, but I haven't had it smoke tested to see where. I used to do minor repairs etc with my dad, but in the past few years doing medical residency I haven't had much extra time or money, so I've focused on keeping it running (for which it's rewarded me with extraordinary reliability for a 20-year-old BMW). I'm moving to California this summer for fellowship and replacing it with a newer, lower-maintenance car--I have a silly romantic hope that somebody might want to buy this car so they can tinker/work on it and restore it to glory, but I recognize the high mileage makes that less attractive than it used to be.
Let me know if you're interested, and if you want more pictures of particular things. I'm not sure if buyers normally want to arrange inspection themselves, but if it'd be helpful for me to have it inspected I could bring it to the BMW dealership for that and post the result. I'm selling as-is, but my goal is to be transparent about the shape it's in so any future buyer/DIY-er gets a fair deal.
I’m the 4th and final owner; I was in college at the time and my dad split the cost of the car with me. It was registered in his name for several years but we transferred the title to me subsequently. Details:
0-49k lease
49-111k CPO
5/2011 ~111,000 miles: Car sold to enthusiast/DIY-er. They did a lot of work on it during their year or so of ownership (and had some done at indy shop) and kept records and receipts, which I still have. Replaced entire coolant system incl WP, thermometer, upper/lower hoses, WP pulley, fan switch, expansion tank + cap. Also did all pulleys and belts including AC tensioner; PS pressure line; washer fluid pump; secondary inlet airbox tube; changed engine/trans/diff drain plugs to magnetic; fixed the hood latch; replaced shift knob (OEM ZHP); changed valve cover gasket; spark plugs; transmission and diff and gear fluids; filters; new fog lights; installed a carbon fiber engine stress bar (it’s cute!); battery; power steering hose; fuel pump; DISA valve; exhaust bracket and clamp; oil level sensor; front lower control arm mounts; cylinder head cover gaskets; sport springs and Bilstein shocks; DISA valve; tires, brake rotors and pads.
2/5/12 Car sold for $11,500 from DIY-er to owner who didn’t keep receipts/records of maintenance
__________________________________________________ ________________
142,316 10/14/13: Bought from Car Lot of Lenoir, NC for $7900
142,598 10/18/13: Oil &filter, new tires and alignment
143,770 12/4/13: Expansion tank/retainer replaced, coolant flushed, front sway bar links replaced
146,463 5/16/14: Oil filter housing gasket replaced (&oil change), front brake discs/pads/sensors, rear shock absorbers/mounts/bump stops replaced
161,899 12/10/15: Starter replaced
162,018 12/16/15: First Takata airbag recall service
164,381 3/21/16: Oil &filter, air conditioning and primary drive belts replaced, fuel filter replaced, spark plugs
169,149 8/5/16: Tires replaced, alignment
171,899 11/29/16: Oil &filter. Throwing a barometric sensor code—due to DME bug as far as we could tell; no actual vacuum leak, running great
5/11/17: Front bumper replaced due to sagging clips/acute on chronic curb damage. Of note—from then on, exterior thermometer isn’t well shielded from engine bay heat and temp reads high once the car warms up
180,299 11/7/17: Oil &filter & fluids, check belts &hoses
3/19: Street parking in med school, driver’s side mirror is knocked off (presumably by drunk college kid); replaced via eBay from parted out car, OEM
6/19: Same thing happens, driver’s side mirror. I file a police report from paranoia but it was probably just some other drunk college kid. I again replace from eBay. I start to suspect a curse.
184,321 4/4/18: Smoke tested, breather cap replaced for leak
6/2019: Gravel on highway caused ~2.5in crack on right lower windshield; took to auto shop, crack was too large to fix without replacement. I never replaced it because I couldn’t justify the cost of the rain-sensing windshield but love the rain-sensing feature and didn’t want to replace without this… crack has never changed in size and doesn’t obstruct view, passes inspection.
11/22/2019: Replaced alternator (bought from ECSTuning)
fall 2020: I can't really remember the details of this one, there was an exhaust issue and a muffler shop took care of it.
197,721 6/23/20 Dealership: Drivers and passengers air bag replacements (second Takata recall). Windshield wiper replacement. Noted to need parking brake repairs (not done; brake will hold on slight hill if fully engaged, but still needs repairs). Oil pan gasket replaced. (&oil change).
7/22: Large branch falls from tree above driveway, hitting exclusively the Cursed Mirror and knocking it off. This time, glued it back on. So far, so good.
225,454 1/19/23 loud, speed-dependent low-pitched noise diagnosed as subwoofer malfunction; disconnected the subwoofer.
Flaws: See bolded above; parking brake doesn’t hold well at all. Has a stable small crack in lower passenger side windshield. Driver side mirror is tacked on (and cursed), but electric adjustments of the mirror work—it’s from an ’03 E46 gray coupe.
Check engine light is on; at last oil change in December 2022 they read it as a vacuum leak-related code but I haven’t had it smoke tested because at that point I was already planning on trying to sell as-is, and it idles and accelerates perfectly smoothly.
The automatic headlights have a quirk that sometimes when you turn right, the right headlamp turns off and won’t turn back on even when you flick the headlights on manually, until you turn the car off and on again. I therefore just don’t use the automatic headlights and always use manual mode.
The center console buttons (hazard and lock) intermittently don’t work. I’ve taken the console apart before and gotten it working consistently but that was a few years ago, and we’re back to intermittent unreliability.
When I first got the car I replaced some seals and clips in the sunroof and lubricated things up and had it working smoothly, but I don’t trust sunroofs much and that was almost a decade ago so for the past few years I just use it as a moonroof only and I haven’t even tried to open the motorized part. For all I know it works fine but I’m not risking it!
The seat heaters, electric seat adjustments, and window regulators seem to be in good shape. Rain sensing wipers work great. There are areas of sagging in the headliners and rear pillars. The shift knob trim is quite worn (see photo).
I installed an aux input to the OEM radio, so you can play music from your phone. I don’t miss the subwoofer, but you may want to connect it back up.
Startup video:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kRPUCpvi2tnvLKaL7
(the pause is because I had the wheel cut to the side so had to jiggle it to turn the key!)
Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/F6TJ2f5uuy988qxr9