1st ZHP memory...

[TRELO]

So I was 18 yes old. Mid summer got a call from a friend of ours auto repair shop that he needed a detail on an M3. At the time I still had my first BMW - 89 325xi. And was super excited to go pick up the ultimate driving machine. An e46 m3 6 speed vert. So I get there to find it's a 330 Zhp vert. Still was like boing red vert in 90 Chicago...lake shore drive and Michigan ave here I come ( I was 18 gimme a break).

I was blown away. I had driven a few e46 M's and plain old e46 cars but this was way more fun. The suede, the trim...the way it drove great balance of power and handling...I had to have one.

So almost 7 years later I finally bought one and I'm sure glad I did.

I love the e30/36 M series cars but the e46 has some funky feel and I think the Zhp leveled that out. Could be the over worked motor or the sound that's given out of it. Just isn't as appealing as the Zhp. My cousin has an 04 M with a list of mods but now has turned his focus to maybe swapping for a Zhp.

It's a memorable car and made me def want one so bad I skipped an M3 for it...

Let's hear your stories!


Opa iPhone

[Johnmadd]

My first memory was sticking my head inside Danes imola zhp and I was hooked like crack. My budget went from 1200.00$ to 12,000.00$. Im happy now.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Until the summer of 2010, I had not heard of a ZHP.

I was looking to pick up a second BMW; my friend said that, if I was looking at 330s, I should check out the ZHP. Once I saw one in person, I knew that I'd be getting one. Great looking car right out of the box.

I recently got rid of my 335 (lemon). I don't miss it that much. I'd definitely miss the ZHP if I got rid of it, though.

The imola red with natural brown is pure win. This is the best BMW I've ever owned.

[JohnnyGraphic]

Was at the local BMW dealership and about to hammer out a deal on a manual 330i. Then, I saw the ZHP on the showroom floor and I was stunned! I was already blown away by my very first drive in a BMW. The steering, throttle response, everything was great! Then, I saw the alcantara steering wheel, the new wheels, the M-Technic body kit. It was all so new and so cool! Never saw one before. I just had to have it. It's been almost 7 years now that I've had this 'affair' with my car now!

Johnny

[Johnmadd]

Until the summer of 2010, I had not heard of a ZHP.

I was looking to pick up a second BMW; my friend said that, if I was looking at 330s, I should check out the ZHP. Once I saw one in person, I knew that I'd be getting one. Great looking car right out of the box.

I recently got rid of my 335 (lemon). I don't miss it that much. I'd definitely miss the ZHP if I got rid of it, though.

The imola red with natural brown is pure win. This is the best BMW I've ever owned.

I love my zhp, but mark it is obvious you have never had an e30.

[lilcdkey]

Until the summer of 2010, I had not heard of a ZHP.

I was looking to pick up a second BMW; my friend said that, if I was looking at 330s, I should check out the ZHP. Once I saw one in person, I knew that I'd be getting one. Great looking car right out of the box.

I recently got rid of my 335 (lemon). I don't miss it that much. I'd definitely miss the ZHP if I got rid of it, though.

The imola red with natural brown is pure win. This is the best BMW I've ever owned.

Marcus, you sold your 335!?

[johnrando]

Used to subscribe to Car and Driver. I remember the article they wrote on the first ZHP... thought "that is cool". Always wanted a BMW ZHP VERT, was never able to pull the trigger until two years ago. Hey, that reminds me. Happy anniversary to my car... bought it 2 years ago this month!

[kayger12]

First time I really started looking at the ZHP package was after Dane had his last car totaled and picked up his.

Started reading up on them and knew that it would be my next car.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[rikdee]

During '08, my company had office space in a multi-story bank buiding in Naples, FL. Often when visiting, I would notice this cool looking silver gray 330Ci always parked in the attached garage. Sometime before that, I had become aware of the performance package cars through casual reading and suspected, but wasn't sure, this 330Ci was a ZHP. Well later, and upon closer parking lot inspection, my suspicion was confirmed. During March of '09, I purchased mine through an ad in Roundel (I was very lucky to get it as it had been nationally advertised for more than two months prior to my inquiry). That parked car was what really lit me up.

[Sockethead]

I knew what a ZHP was when I started looking for my second Bimmer but I wasn't planning on getting one. My criteria was 330i black on black, 6sp manual, Xenons and sedan with fold rear seat for work.
After 4 months of looking and 1 deal that I backed out of, I saw this ZHP at a BMW dealer in York PA which is a hundred miles away. I didn't do anything for 3 weeks. then I decided if it was still there, I'd go look at it. It was everything I was looking for plus, it had new tires, brakes and a CPO warranty. I drove it home that day. I'm SO glad I got the ZHP!

[09mageec]

It all started last Aug. I had just totaled my VW Jetta GLI a month before and thought i was all done with little red sporty German cars. So i went to my nearest Honda dealership to look into V6 accords maybe(in the back of my mind i knew this wasnt what i wanted). I pulled into the dealership and saw a beautiful red BMW 330i that i didnt even know existed. I walked up to the car and was amazed buy the stance the wheels the color the options when i saw that there was a sold sign in the window which made me very sad. I asked the sales person about this car and he said that a tech there was buying it but his loan fell through going through the dealership so he was trying to go through the Credit Union. I showed alot of interest in the car and next thing you know i was putting a hold on it for the next person in line if his loan fell through a second time it was mine, if everything worked out alright!!!!! The next two days were so stressful waiting to hear the good or bad news(the next day while still in waiting mode i got to test drive it which made me fall completely in love with it and made it WAAAY more stressful. 2 days roll by and i get a call saying the car is mine if im still interested. This was the best phone call and day of my life!!!!
First day home pic!
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l249/magee_01/IMG_0460.jpg

[kpro]

My 2 year b-day with my non-zhp is coming up this weekend :)

I've called the E46 ///M3 my dream car since just after buying the NSX in 07' and wanted one BAD, alpine white please...but that was the extent of my BMW knowledge. I had been driving my shit box 93 Civic LX (with B16 engine swap) as a daily driver for almost 7 years. While on my way to a funeral visitation for a co-worker, the a/c in the civic quit again. It was 90 out that day, I spent the time to straighten my hair and I was so hot that it started to get curly and afro like...I was pissed off!! Seriously that's all it took.

I was about to jump on the freeway when I saw my car parked on top of a hill at Buckeye Nissan with $17,900 across the windshield. I thought that was cheap for a late model BMW (yeah, I was dumb) I stopped and looked in the window, it had 3 pedals!! I took it for a quick drive, around some round-abouts and couldn't give it back. I did some quick pricing research via calling my bro and having him access kbb for pricing, then told the sales guy I would pay 13,600 out the door. At first they lol'd at me and I went on my way, kinda sad. They must have stewed over it for a day because they called me told me to come get her!

Yeah, I had a moment of stupidity that day never did any research or I would have bought a ZHP, but I couldn't imagine another summer with no a/c and I wasn't going to dump $800 in $1500 car! My husband thought I was kidding when I told him I bought it. I purchased my car on the last day of the month...used that to my advantage to get such a low price. It had 54k miles on it and was a 1 owner, BMW Financial employee lease turn in (BMW Financial is in my back yard pretty much) Granted this is my beater...but I love her very very much, and the a/c is still cold! My beater civic is still in use by my friend Brian

Still wish it was a ZHP or ///M3, oh well. At least my 160hp won't get me in too much trouble :)

[Stu]

My first ZHP memory:

I drove all the way up from NC to PA after sealing the deal on the car on spring break. I had literally driven about 24+ hours throughout that week to various beaches, ranging from ones in NC to Daytona and back.

I drove up with two friends who are huge car nuts (one owns two Alpha Romeo Spyders) and was really excited to Topgear-esque trek up to get my BMW.

We get to the dealership and I see the car. I get the keys, sit in it and am so amazed at my first car purchase ever. I go back in, pay, and am told that the notary that closed literally two minutes after I got there, so we were going to go to another dealership 2 minutes away that has a notary to sign my registration papers. While he was getting all the paperwork out, I hopped in my car and started fiddling around with all the gadgets and learning how it worked. He said once he was ready, he'd let me know and I'd follow their secretary in her car down the road. I could take the BMW if I wanted to. Of course I wanted to drive it there!

So, my friends and I are checking out the car, fiddling around with it, etc. Finally, I get a wave from the secretary and I pull out and start following her.

We stop at a stop sign, and she makes a right. So, I make a right, noticing that there is a cop behind a car that is coming down the road. I notice he kind of peeked out right behind the car, and started to follow me after the car made a turn.

He flicked on his lights and pulls me over. :facepalm

So, my friends in the car are freaking out, thinking I'm about to get a ticket or something. I'm sitting there, thinking this is hysterical: Within three minutes of buying my BMW, I get pulled over in it :rofl

The secretary in front of me pulled over, too. I figured she would explain everything; however, in her infinite wisdom, she stepped out of her car with her stack of papers inconspicuously held up as if she was hiding something, and then begins walking towards the cop car. nono

So, Officer Douchenozzle flips a shit, barricades himself behind his door.

Officer: "MA'AM, STEP BACK IN YOUR VEHICLE!"
Secretary: "Can I just expl-"
Officer: "DID YOU NOT HEAR ME - STEP BACK IN THE CAR NOW!"
Secretary, obviously not getting the clue that she's about to get tazed: "But I ca-"
Officer: "WHY ARE YOU NOT LISTENING? GET BACK IN THE CAR NOW! WHEN I SAY GET IN THE CAR, YOU LISTEN TO ME!"

So, after getting the clearly subtle hint that he was giving to head back into her car, she stepped back in and waited.

I'm thinking, "Sweet, now he's primed and paranoid that I'm going to speed off or something." He walks up to my car:

Officer: "Hi, my name is Officer Douchenozzle, I need your license and registration please."
Me: "Yeah sure, but I can only give you my license because I literally just bought this car three minutes ago and kind of don't have any registration and I'm on my way to print out my insurance card."
Officer: "So...you don't have your registration or insurance?"
Me: "No, but I'm on my way to go get those things, the lady up there will explain everything."
Officer, looking at my license: "So you live in NC?"
Me: "Yeah."
Officer: "And you drove all the way up here to buy this car?"
Me: "...yeah? It's my first big purchase, I've been saving a while for it."
Officer: "Okay, hold on."

He goes and talks to the lady. I'm still thinking this is hilarious, my friends have no idea what's going to happen. I only say he's a douchenozzle based upon stories that the dealership guy told me. Apparently he's really known in this town for pulling people over for the stupidest reasons.

He talks to her and comes back, apparently finding it "Funny" that she "told [him] the same story that I gave." Gee, whowouldathunk that people tell the truth? Did he seriously think I made it up on the spot?

He walks back to my car.

Officer: "So uh yeah, the reason I pulled you over is because you don't have a license plate. The dealership people are coming over to get you one to screw onto the back. I mean...you kind of can't drive without a license plate. Let me run your guys' IDs just to check for any records and I'll be back."

So he takes our IDs and runs them. The dealership comes and gives the lady the license plate and drives away. She goes and screws it in on the car as the cop watches. He walks back to the car with our IDs and hands them to us.

Officer: "Here you go, you're all set. She put a license plate on the back but uh...it looks like she didn't really screw it on well, so if you hear a 'clunk clunk' like something fell off, it's probably your license plate. Have a good day." And walked back to his car.

So we drove off, I got my registration and temp tag, and told the dealership the story. The guy thought I was going to be pissed about it, but I kept telling him this literally just enhances the experience of buying my first car like ten fold. As I was driving back home, I happened to pass the same cop on the road. I rolled down my window and waved to him.

So that's how I got pulled over in my BMW after only 3 minutes of ownership.

[kpro]

Good story Zell :) I'm known at my dealership for leaving with no tag on dealer cars and getting pulled over for it ;) I think I've been pulled over 3-4 times for no tag. One time I was about a half mile or so away from the dealership when he hit his lights. I was pissed, and in a hurry, so kept driving til he followed me into the lot. He kinda lectured me, but all was good. Now everytime I leave they always yell at me... Wheres your tag Kristen?!?!! I don't forget anymore.

[danewilson77]

Driving it home from Arlington, and popping a code about half way back to Williamsburg.

[Sockethead]

That sucks
When I brough home my first Bimmer, I went to take the wife for a spin and the battery was dead.

[az3579]

I've been interested in ZHPs for a couple of years now, but only in a sense that "that's a nice car" and then went on my way. I never imagined I'd have one.
So, after 4 or so years of E30 ownership, I started getting tired of all of it's little issues. My OCD was bugging me to get something with 0 problems, so I started thinking about what I wanted to buy. What prompted me to want to buy another car was a 10hr drive round trip to Finger Lakes National Tour for SCCA back in July (I think) 2010. The M3 was the support vehicle, and I was driving it. Fell in love with that thing. Had to return it, so that I did, and on with life I went - for another month.

Then when I started putting up For Trade posts (S50 E30 for E36 M3) and saw no interest, I realized I was going to have to buy a car outright. So, I immediatley started looking for a ZHP. Why a ZHP? It was the first thing to pop into my head, despite not ever having driven one, and once I had that thought in my head, I didn't want an E36 M3. It was too old for my tastes.

I've heard some people shopping for the "right" car for months, some even a year or more. For me, I found Wobbie after only 2 weeks. In fact, I actually found this car after only a week, but I kept passing over the ad because it had mods. I wasn't looking for mods. But then, after finding only faraway cars (Texas, Ohio, Florida) with the right mileage and none under $17k, I decided to look at this one relatively close by (3 hour drive in MA). Upon first sight, I was SOLD. Went back a couple of days later to pay for it and pick it up.

The second I test drove it, I wanted that car, not the black ZHP I saw in Ohio, or the Silver-Grey ZHP I saw in NC; that one.






Perhaps I shall now continue the tradition of red BMWs by buying only red ones. On a 2-BMW streak (hell, the only two cars I've had were red BMWs)...

[zhpnsnv]

In 2003 when the ZHP came out and the Club cognoscenti went all aflutter ("330is!!! is what it is!") I knew I'd have one one day, in Imola with Alcantara interior. And make it a sedan because they said there'd be no coupes.

At that time I was driving my E30 325.

In 2005 it was time for a new car and I had a hankering for the MINI Cooper S, so I bought one. ZHP didn't really cross my mind as it was still well out of my price range.

In 2006 at a track day I pitted next to a TiAg ZHP. The owner and I talked about his car. I remember him telling me, "It's literally the perfect car for me, and it's the best BMW I've ever owned."

In 2008 my best friend decided he wanted to try out BMWs after I'd been trying to indoctrinate him for 6 straight years. We decide he needs an E46 325ci. The search commences, lasts a while, then ends when I get a phone call that goes something like this:

Him: I'm looking at this 330ci and I think I want to buy it, but I want to run it by you first.
Me: Okay.
Him: It has a different body, wheels with M emblems, and a carbon fiber interior.
Me: A carbon fiber interior?
Him: Yea, sort of.
Me: Does it have red dial needles?
Him: Yes.
Me: It's a ZHP. You don't need that car, but it's an awesome find! Buy it!

When I test drove that car after he bought it, I knew it'd be a matter of time.

In 2009 I began my search. 3 months later, I bought a plane ticket for myself and my father. We flew out to Michigan to pick up the car then drove it all the way back to NJ, all in the same day. It was a grand time.

[kayger12]

Great story, Marc.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Great thread.


iPad. Tapatalk. Bi-winning.

[zhpnsnv]

Thanks, Keith. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's stories in this thread.

[johnrando]

Great stories. Love Zell's... getting pulled over within minutes of the buy, classic! :-)

[mr hish]

well i first knew about the zhp when looking at BMW pics at Google and found out that zhps looked way more beautifull than the normal e46 specially the coupe models, and since i am a huge fan of coupe i took the decision to buy a coupe zhp , i searched all the local car lots a couldn't find one so i searched the internet and found one in Denver so i bought it and had it shipped to my house and since then i have never been happier :D

[billschusteriv]

It was about 0745, I was parked in the Williamsburg Outlets parking lot, idling my e30, and enjoying some Starbucks after driving during the wee hours of the morning (since 0400) from Rockville, MD.

I was wondering where all the cars for Cars and Coffee were hiding. No sign of anyone yet. I had already driven through the parking lot once looking for DW and Johnmadd.

I was faced towards the road hoping to see someone I recognized so I could head over to the right spot. It was a nice morning... Blue skys... Sunshine...

Then I hear it. A recognizable, throaty rumble coming from the West bound lane - just out of my line of sight. I look up hoping to see the driving machine that was producing such a wonderful symphony to my ears.

Then I see it. A blur of imola red enters my vision. I blink, clearing the last of the sleepies from my eyes. From all of the pictures I've seen, the blur is instantly recognizable as DW's ZHP. Gorgeous imola red paint looking delicious, slippery, and almost wet. No holes license plate, Thule roof rack and wind fairing, and his trademark stance.

(Maybe I'll write up more later on my first ride along impressions)

[Marcus-SanDiego]

well i first knew about the zhp when looking at BMW pics at Google and found out that zhps looked way more beautifull than the normal e46 specially the coupe models, and since i am a huge fan of coupe i took the decision to buy a coupe zhp , i searched all the local car lots a couldn't find one so i searched the internet and found one in Denver so i bought it and had it shipped to my house and since then i have never been happier :D

Hish, great story. That's three of us who bought our cars in Denver.


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[az3579]

Hish, great story. That's three of us who bought our cars in Denver.


iPad. Tapatalk. Bi-winning.

Another weird one is just how many of us bought our cars in August of 2010... :dunno

[danewilson77]

Another weird one is just how many of us bought our cars in August of 2010... :dunno

Eye

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Another weird one is just how many of us bought our cars in August of 2010... :dunno

Indeed.


iPad. Tapatalk. Bi-winning.

[VA//M3]

Another weird one is just how many of us bought our cars in August of 2010... :dunno

hmmm, I bought mine in August as well...

[danewilson77]

Werd!

Droid + Tapatalk = FTW!

[zhpnsnv]

August for me too. Of '09.


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[09mageec]

Aug. is officially the ZHP holiday!!! lol

[danewilson77]

Aug. is officially the ZHP holiday!!! lol

The whole month? Nice!

Droid + Tapatalk = FTW!

[mr hish]

Well that is great :D boss