No Longer For Sale: 2004 BMW 330i ZHP Sedan, 6MT, Silver/Alcantara, BBS CH Wheels, 32K mi, Reading PA, $21.5K

[slilley]

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**** UPDATE 7/25/2011 ****
**** CAR IS NO LONGER FOR SALE ****
**** SEE UPDATE FROM slilley ON PAGE 3 ****
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Hi guys,

This is my first post here, and it's with mixed emotions because it's to offer my 2004 ZHP Sedan for sale. :crying

Here are the highlights; more info can be found on the attached PDF document just below my signature:


2004 BMW 330i ZHP Sedan
VIN: WBAEV53464KM05581
Mileage: 32,000
Titanium Silver w/ Black Alcantara/Cloth Interior
6-speed Manual Transmission
Price: $21,500
Packages: ZHP Performance Package, Power Glass Moonroof, Xenon Headlights, Heated Seats, Harman/Kardon Sound System w MP3; Power Front Seats; Split fold-down rear seats, BBS CH wheels for summer, Mille Miglia wheels for winter, UUC TSE3 Light Exhaust, and more...


The car is in excellent condition inside and out. Maintained by a fanatical BMW owner and perfectionist - me! Was my daily-driver for one year, and then retired to "Sunday car" status and only driven on nice days or at Driver's Ed events (typically 2 per year). Always garaged. I'm the original owner; selling because I personally have three cars and this one gets driven the least. Also, when I do drive it, I can't park it anywhere without being completely paranoid that some idiot will give me my first door ding no matter how far away I park. The car still smells new inside. It's never been smoked in; it's never been in an accident; the title is clean. Overall, I'd conservatively rate both the interior and exterior a 9 out of 10 (although it needs a wash and vacuum right now :) ). Current PA inspection good until 12/2011. I do 99% of the maintenance myself - I am an engineer by day, and a car nut by night/weekend. All maintenance performed to my schedule, not BMW's. Pictures and maintenance records available on request. Car is located near Reading PA, ~1 hour northwest of Philadelphia.

If you have any questions, just hit me up here or PM me. I'm posting this here at ZHPMafia first, but I also eventually plan to list it in Roundel (and maybe a couple other local BMW mailing lists).

Regards,
Steve
2004 330i ZHP
2006 MX-5 Miata
2008 Infiniti G35
2007 X3 (Wife's)

Download for more info (PDF) -> 1616

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[danewilson77]

Ok. Welcome. Glws.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[pleasecorrupt]

interior shots are always a must :)

[flexlewis]

man that's a clean car! i wish it was imola...glws

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Good luck with the sale. It's priced to sell.

Welcome to the site, by the way.

[slilley]

> interior shots are always a must

Not until I break out the vacuum, if you know what I mean! The dash is too dusty, and the floormats aren't in their pristine state yet. I also need to give the exterior a wash, and a quick coat of Zaino AIO.

Regards,
Steve

[Go Horns!]

Just forwarded to my boss. We drove to a hearing today in my car; the hearing was in a super small town so we got to hit a lot of backroads. By the time we got back he was convinced he needed a ZHP.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

By the time we got back he was convinced he needed a ZHP.

:biggrin

[mimalmo]

Sharp car. Should sell quickly.

[echo46]

Nice car, and from my home town. Glws

[therealm3]

man I really like this car. But with shipping I think it puts me over budget. :-(

[Mtnman]

This will not be here long. If i needed another ZHP, I would be on my way north right now.

[BimmerRules!]

I had the opportunity of meeting Steve, the seller, yesterday @ his place.

The man: very, very nice person, down to earth, and a pleasure to talk to even if you know know nothing about the cars but just love driving them, like me. :)

He's an absolute zealot when it comes to maintenance. :) I mean it in a positive way, because I was highly impressed to see the care he has taken to maintain the car. Mind blowing! If Mike Milller met him for a few minutes, he will be happy to showcase Steve as the best example of guy who can do all maintenance - preventive or otherwise - in the confines of a spotless small garage.

In fact, I am planning to convince Steve to teach me - for a steeply discounted fee or better, lunch with some toxic beers :biggrin - many of the preventive DIY that lazy morons like me can do with confidence.

The car: looks fantastic, both inside and out. The alacantra shows zero signs of wear and the cloth seats are firm and comfortable. No signs of scratches or wear anywhere on the outside. BBS wheels might be an individual preference I think because I realized that I liked seeing the bmw decal/logo in the middle of the wheel.

The ride: Steve took me around for a long spin and all I got to say is WOW! The car seemed to be on rails irrespective of how tight the corner was or how high the speed was. Amazing sedan that illustrates exactly what BMW means by an ultimate driving machine that is a joy to ride. Great ride!

Final note: After seeing the condition and how it drives, it is obvious why he's so reluctant in selling the car.

PS: It has certainly ignited my interest in acquiring it once I figured out a way to justify to my lady the 33% jump in my acquisition price for a second car when I am already driving the first one less than 9k miles a year! :)

[danewilson77]

Is it on coilovers?

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[aurelius]

PS: It has certainly ignited my interest in acquiring it once I figured out a way to justify to my lady the 33% jump in my acquisition price for a second car when I am already driving the first one less than 9k miles a year! :)

Sell depreciating e60 while the used car market is hot. Buy the arguably appreciating ZHP. Keep miles low, resale value stays high thanks to cult status.

Problem solved, accountant happy.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Yep. Well sorted ZHPs are holding their value well in this market. I'd go with this one. You're persuasive, BR. Make it happen.

[slilley]

Thanks for the kind words, BimmerRules...I'm very flattered. It was a real pleasure meeting you as well! I hope I didn't keep you too long. Once I get started, I have a hard time shutting up. I'm actually a quiet guy most of the time, except when taking about something I'm passionate about.

Even though you don't do your own maintenance, I don't hold it against you...after all, we all started out with someone else doing our maintenance at some point in our life. If I had the extra $$s, I'd probably find someone I trust and pay them to do the maintenance, while I merrily drive-drive-drive. After all, driving is way more fun than laying under the car -- although there is something therapeutic about working on the car, staring up at the underside of the chassis. It's one of my favorite places to rest on a nice day...just don't tell my wife, she thinks I'm working the whole time I'm laying under there! :) I want to find the car a good home, and that means finding an enthusiast who will drive it more than I am right now. You are certainly qualified based on our discussion yesterday!

I had just finished washing, Zaino'ing, and vacuuming when BimmerRules arrived, so the car was looking it's very best. I'm going to take pictures of the car later this evening after it cools down a bit. I'll post some interior shots here. It looks nearly-new inside, but it should be an interior that we are all familiar with already. I did order the car with the silver cube trim instead of the default black cube trim, and I think that makes the interior look really cool.

In response to danewilson77, no, the car does not have coilovers -- it's a bone stock suspension with the exception of a front strut tower brace, done more to prevent damage to the top of the strut towers than to improve handling (strut tower damage is an occasional problem with all E46's driven on the crappy roads in the northeast, and the strut tower brace should prevent it by reinforcing the very top of the strut tower).

The ZHP came from the factory with an M Sport Suspension, and never once did I ever consider replacing it -- it's a perfect compromise for street and (light) track duty. I never even did any tweaks to the stock alignment. There's a reason these cars are so popular with the "in the know" crowd here -- they are nearly perfect right from the factory! Although BMW never produced a 4-door E46 M3, I think this is a better car than the E46 M3. The ZHP has a better shifter than the M3, a more reliable engine (albeit, by giving up some revs/HP/torque), a slightly more forgiving suspension, and better styling in my eyes (they sit lower on the suspension than the M3 does, and I don't like the M3's huge stock wheels and fender flairs). On the track, I never had trouble keeping pace with many cars, including M3s. There it's more about driver, tires, and brakes. After all, the M3 only has 40 ft-lb more torque than the ZHP, and that's less than a 20% advantage (222 vs. 262). Never forget the old saying: "People buy horsepower, but they drive torque".

Regards,
Steve

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Steve, good luck with the sale. It's very nice.

[BimmerRules!]

Sell depreciating e60 while the used car market is hot. Buy the arguably appreciating ZHP. Keep miles low, resale value stays high thanks to cult status.

Problem solved, accountant happy.


Yep. Well sorted ZHPs are holding their value well in this market. I'd go with this one. You're persuasive, BR. Make it happen.

amen! Trying to set the ball rolling on both. Let's see how it panes out.

PS: My cushy e60 seems to be pleading not to be sold, poor thing :( Acting so fast and amazingly responsive and yet so comfortable and serene. Funny how cars seem to have emotions. :)

[Marcus-SanDiego]

It's OK. The E60 will find another happy home.

[aurelius]

Which E60 model?

I've seen a couple of E60 550i Sports in a dark blue metallic over the past week or so, one of which had a manual transmission. As with the ZHP, great looking with that option pkg, wheels, etc. Big V8 but I bet the actual MPGs are similar to the ZHP.

[BimmerRules!]

Mine is 2006 530xi, black on black, 57k miles, still under CPO (expires 3/2012). Streptonic though.

Update however: I'll let Steve fill in the details later, but it looks like this zhp might not be available.

[aurelius]

BR, sell your 5 while the market is not only hot but also while a lot of buyers still think the e60 is the current model.

Only by having your ducks in a row will you be able to nab a really nice ZHP quickly. And quickly is the only way you'll be able to nab a really nice one at all.

[Johal E32]

damn this car looks sweet! GLWS man

[BimmerRules!]

Thanks Aurelius! Wise words on the e60, will bear it in mind. :)

This zhp might not be available because akin to a true zhp lover, Steve is having a change of heart :) (not because I didn't act quickly or don't have the funds).

[aurelius]

Gotcha. I think if I were in the ZHP market today, I'd pounce on anything with low miles, Alcantara, and MT.

[az3579]

Which E60 model?

I've seen a couple of E60 550i Sports in a dark blue metallic over the past week or so, one of which had a manual transmission. As with the ZHP, great looking with that option pkg, wheels, etc. Big V8 but I bet the actual MPGs are similar to the ZHP.

I'm afraid I have to disagree on the mpg's. The ZHP is capable of 27-30+ average mpg. I'd like to see a V8 E60 come anywhere near that. I think you'd be super lucky to average in the low 20's, more likely high teens.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[aurelius]

A little off topic but the EPA rates a non ZHP 6MT 330i at 21 mpg combined. An e60 6MT 550 is rated at 18 combined. Add the ZHP's final drive gearing to the mix (it has the diff from the e46 330 vert), and you gotta figure they're quite close.

But yes, even cruising at 80-85, you can still stay well above 30 mpg in the ZHP. I play around with the trip computer functions within the Nav on road trips and it really is very impressive on the highway.

And I suspect many of us do well better than the EPA rating of 21 combined, even in a ZHP. I'm usually at about 23 combined.

Actual MPG results tend to be all over the map in city driving with a manual trans, since driving style plays such big a role. Not to mention current state of air filter, plugs, O2 & coolant temp sensors.

[slilley]

Hi guys,

First off, I want to thank everyone for their support on this forum. It's been a huge breath of fresh air to be part of this group! You've all been very supportive through this process, so for that I'd like to express my gratitude.

As BimmerRules alluded to, I've decided not to sell the car. For this I owe him a huge apology. But I feel I've made a friend through the process, as long as he forgives me for not selling it to him. :) He saw the car on Saturday, and made the offer on Sunday night -- not coincidentially, at the exact time at which I was actually "riding into the sunset" in the car.

As I told BimmerRules, yesterday evening I took the car out to a friend's house to take pictures (he's got a driveway that's literally 1/2 mile long, with hills and fields all around so it makes a great background). I fully intended on coming back and posting the pictures on ZHPmafia....but instead I took the car for a nice long ride as the sun set.

The bottom line is that I can't imagine life without this particular car right now. I think it would be like cutting off an arm. I'm not selling it for any good reasons. So why did I want to sell it in the first place? My reasons, in no particular order include: I have too many cars for one person; I don't drive it often enough; when I do drive it, I can't park it anywhere because I'm afraid someone will ding it; it would be nice for my wife to be able to park her car in the garage again; one less car to maintain; it would force me to do fewer Driver's Ed events; it's 7 years old; I'll save a few bucks on insurance.

As you can see, none of those is a very compelling case on it's own. Yet I felt the need to sell.

After taking it for a long ride last night, I can't get past the fact that if I sell, it most likely will be a decision I'll regret for several YEARS. Do I intend to keep the car forever? Heck no. But realistically I could continue to enjoy it for the next 3-4 years, as both my daughters get old enough to drive. Perhaps I can do DE's with them? Both have go-karted with me, and both are pretty good behind the wheel. Plus, it's got seating for 4, and we are a family of 4. I just love everything about the car. Last night, as I was tooling around alone on empty back roads as the sun set, it hit me how much a part of the family that car really is.

Anyway, that's my story. Perhaps there's a lesson in there for others. For those that have their ZHP, enjoy them, they are a special car. For those looking for a ZHP, keep the faith -- the cars are worth the search!

Marcus, would you be able to change the title of the post for me...something like 'FOR SALE CANCELED'. Thanks! I added a note at the top of the first post pointing people here for my reasons for not selling. I also went ahead and marked the car "SOLD" on the Roundel website, just because you can't remove a car any other way.

Thanks again, guys!

Regards,
Steve

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Steve, works for us. We're just as happy to keep you around and participating on the forum anyhow. BR will find another ZHP.

Thread title changed.

[Go Horns!]

Can we still get some pics?

[slilley]

Certainly! I have a boatload of them, but these are my favorite. Notice the house in the distance on the first shot. Like it said, it's a really long driveway -- we could probably do timed runs on it! :)

16461647164816491650165116521645

Regards,
Steve

[BimmerRules!]

Now I feel like breaking down.... :(

:biggrin

[danewilson77]

Sweet car. What center caps do you have on her?

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[Marcus-SanDiego]

Steve, the car looks great (and very clean). Congrats on keeping it.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Sweet car. What center caps do you have on her?

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

Dane, standard BBS center caps.

[danewilson77]

Dane, standard BBS center caps.

:chuck

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[Go Horns!]

Looks great! Interior looks phenomenal.

[GSEN820]

Great looking car. I have those rims on my car too = ) great choice.