Merritt07
05-29-2012, 03:50 PM
Hey guys, I'm a long time lurker here and a member at e46 fanatics. I purchased my first BMW in Nov. For a long time, I had very specific attributes that I was looking for in a car, and it fell down between an Audi 3.0 Quattro and 330i ZHP. I immediately fell in love with the BMW. It had precisely what I was looking for in a car.
http://i.imgur.com/XUgnm.jpg
'05 330i ZHP
6 M/T
48k miles
H&K sound (my Cobalt had a better system, but I bought the car to drive, not to listen to the radio)
One owner
ImolaRed (beautiful color)
Dealer wanted $19,600. I went with the 3rd party warranty for another 3k, and took a 2k loss on my old car. :facepalm Ended up paying a bit more than I'd like, but I love my car, so whatever.
The car was in really good shape. The engine and the interior was immaculate. The body of the car showed signs of its age, and the stupid air deflector left a line where it sat. (A good polish should fix it). There are a few dinks here and there, one added today since it appears that parking lot etiquette has degraded to people using their cardoors as battering rams against mine.
After purchasing the car, I had it for two weeks and learned why DSC should be left on. I work late night and coming out of my work parking lot, I wanted to get her a bit sideways. Being new to rear wheel drive, and stupid, I pulled out a bit hot and did what I wanted to do. Everything was fine up until the rear tires touched the yellow line and went out a lot further than I would have liked. I counter-steered, feathered the throttle and found grip. This caused me to quickly whip back around and up a grass embankment. A $1600 dollar lesson. Ruined the bumper, lost the brake duct, broke a lot of plastic, and damaged a fog light. I replaced all OEM from thebmwpartstore.com. Mike was awesome to work with.
http://i.imgur.com/4hyco.jpg
She is 95% back to perfect. I still need to replace the passenger side fog lamp, but that can wait. I had to wait until temperatures warmed up before getting the bumper replaced and painted, since I was afraid the paint would cure right with cold temperatures. About a month after getting the bumper replaced, I was traveling down the highway at about 70 mph in the fast lane, when the car in front of me slammed on the brakes. They swerved over into the next lane, revealing a semi tire that was mostly intact in my lane. I got on the brakes and looked to bail out of my lane only to be blocked by an elderly lady, who was also braking. I got over as far as I could and clipped the tire, scuffing the bumper, ejecting the driver side fog cover, and putting some small scratches on the rear fender. The scuff buffed out and I still need to order fog covers. A good polish should remove the scratches since they are not all that deep, just clear coat.
I've read just about every piece of information I can about my car. I would like to DIY most of the maintenance on my car, but I lack the flat space, jackstands, and tools. I will slowly acquire these things as I go, though. I'm fairly capable and learn well.
There was a grand opening to a car shop not too long ago that was offering 3 runs on a dynojet for $40, so I threw her up there. I pulled 205 on both HP and Torque. It was only a 4th gear pull, which I hear isn't as accurate as one that would run you through the gears, but who knows. Either way, the engine pulls strong and runs very smooth.
I love my car.
http://i.imgur.com/bpe5e.jpg?1
If you guys have any questions for me, feel free to ask away.
http://i.imgur.com/XUgnm.jpg
'05 330i ZHP
6 M/T
48k miles
H&K sound (my Cobalt had a better system, but I bought the car to drive, not to listen to the radio)
One owner
ImolaRed (beautiful color)
Dealer wanted $19,600. I went with the 3rd party warranty for another 3k, and took a 2k loss on my old car. :facepalm Ended up paying a bit more than I'd like, but I love my car, so whatever.
The car was in really good shape. The engine and the interior was immaculate. The body of the car showed signs of its age, and the stupid air deflector left a line where it sat. (A good polish should fix it). There are a few dinks here and there, one added today since it appears that parking lot etiquette has degraded to people using their cardoors as battering rams against mine.
After purchasing the car, I had it for two weeks and learned why DSC should be left on. I work late night and coming out of my work parking lot, I wanted to get her a bit sideways. Being new to rear wheel drive, and stupid, I pulled out a bit hot and did what I wanted to do. Everything was fine up until the rear tires touched the yellow line and went out a lot further than I would have liked. I counter-steered, feathered the throttle and found grip. This caused me to quickly whip back around and up a grass embankment. A $1600 dollar lesson. Ruined the bumper, lost the brake duct, broke a lot of plastic, and damaged a fog light. I replaced all OEM from thebmwpartstore.com. Mike was awesome to work with.
http://i.imgur.com/4hyco.jpg
She is 95% back to perfect. I still need to replace the passenger side fog lamp, but that can wait. I had to wait until temperatures warmed up before getting the bumper replaced and painted, since I was afraid the paint would cure right with cold temperatures. About a month after getting the bumper replaced, I was traveling down the highway at about 70 mph in the fast lane, when the car in front of me slammed on the brakes. They swerved over into the next lane, revealing a semi tire that was mostly intact in my lane. I got on the brakes and looked to bail out of my lane only to be blocked by an elderly lady, who was also braking. I got over as far as I could and clipped the tire, scuffing the bumper, ejecting the driver side fog cover, and putting some small scratches on the rear fender. The scuff buffed out and I still need to order fog covers. A good polish should remove the scratches since they are not all that deep, just clear coat.
I've read just about every piece of information I can about my car. I would like to DIY most of the maintenance on my car, but I lack the flat space, jackstands, and tools. I will slowly acquire these things as I go, though. I'm fairly capable and learn well.
There was a grand opening to a car shop not too long ago that was offering 3 runs on a dynojet for $40, so I threw her up there. I pulled 205 on both HP and Torque. It was only a 4th gear pull, which I hear isn't as accurate as one that would run you through the gears, but who knows. Either way, the engine pulls strong and runs very smooth.
I love my car.
http://i.imgur.com/bpe5e.jpg?1
If you guys have any questions for me, feel free to ask away.