WTB: 04 or 05 330i Sedan MT lower miles

[Agincore]

All- my first post here in the forum. interested in a lower mileage, close to stock, 04 or 05 ZHP MT. Not shy to fix cosmetic issues or minor mechanicals. Looking for a long term car that has not been abused. Thank you for your help in advance.


Year(s): 04 or 05 (ideal is 05)
Desired Mileage:50-80k
Transmission type: MT (must)
Desired number of Doors:4
Desired Color combos: ideal Sapphire Black/ Black; silver or graphite w Black interior; alpine white/black
Desired Packages: cold/premium/performance/ or no premium w Alcantara cloth/HK stereo
Funds lined up? Yes (cashier's check)
Have a car you need to sell first? No

I also saw this but not sure on the mods/condition.Thoughts appreciated-
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1079584

[fredo]

Welcome, sir. Car looks clean and the seller seems to be honest. Good thing the OEM wheels are included. For that price, I would expect a car that doesn't need service or repairs anytime soon. GL !

[ELCID86]

Welcome. Fred nailed it ^


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[Agincore]

Thanks again to all who have commented. What is a good mileage range to pick up a ZHP? When is it time for retirement? Thanks in advance

[NoVAphotog]

Thanks again to all who have commented. What is a good mileage range to pick up a ZHP? When is it time for retirement? Thanks in advance

I need to pull them up or maybe you can find them, but there are some good threads on this matter. "Well maintained, higher mileage zhp vs. low mileage" is a common debate. Each of them have their pros/cons I would say.

From own experience, I bought mine last year at 58k and have about 74 on her now. In that time, a LOT of preventative maintenance has been completed along with routine maintenance I felt would benefit the car and has. I would say at this point, looking back, I would have wanted to get a higher mileage car that had been well maintained. Obviously, doing the PM was a choice and I could have probably waited at least another 20-30k for most of it, but at this point these cars are all at least 10 years old and have a lot of parts that wear on time as well as use. So, expect to put at least 1.5-2k into any ZHP you find REGARDLESS of mileage.

You can find a well maintained higher mileage car...there are definitely quite a few that pop up where folks have gone above and beyond. There is no "premium" they can charge (private sellers) for that sort of upkeep if the mileage is high so instead of paying the "premium" for a lower mileage car and then still having to pay more on top, it's better at least from a purely financial standpoint to hunt for those sorts of examples which could be anywhere around 100k. I mean, it doesn't take much to see there are some members on here with 150-200,000+ miles and their cars run great some even have the original clutches! Well maintained, these cars will definitely last so "retirement" is relative to attrition and maintenance.

[markmiller.xu]

I need to pull them up or maybe you can find them, but there are some good threads on this matter. "Well maintained, higher mileage zhp vs. low mileage" is a common debate. Each of them have their pros/cons I would say.

From own experience, I bought mine last year at 58k and have about 74 on her now. In that time, a LOT of preventative maintenance has been completed along with routine maintenance I felt would benefit the car and has. I would say at this point, looking back, I would have wanted to get a higher mileage car that had been well maintained. Obviously, doing the PM was a choice and I could have probably waited at least another 20-30k for most of it, but at this point these cars are all at least 10 years old and have a lot of parts that wear on time as well as use. So, expect to put at least 1.5-2k into any ZHP you find REGARDLESS of mileage.

You can find a well maintained higher mileage car...there are definitely quite a few that pop up where folks have gone above and beyond. There is no "premium" they can charge (private sellers) for that sort of upkeep if the mileage is high so instead of paying the "premium" for a lower mileage car and then still having to pay more on top, it's better at least from a purely financial standpoint to hunt for those sorts of examples which could be anywhere around 100k. I mean, it doesn't take much to see there are some members on here with 150-200,000+ miles and their cars run great some even have the original clutches! Well maintained, these cars will definitely last so "retirement" is relative to attrition and maintenance.

+1

I just bought a 60k mile zhp and am sinking money into it because the preventative stuff wasn't done. I'd be more comfortable with a higher mileage well maintained version with all preventative maintenance performed.

I took it to the dealership to have inspection II done and they wanted about $4k for the preventative maintenance (i.e. Changing fluids and what not). That didn't even include a cooling system overhaul or any new hardware really. Most of this was recommended due to the age. Now, I'm not paying that because I will do it myself, but you get the idea.


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[san]

I bought mine last year, a 2006 coupe with 95k miles... I wanted a an 05 or 06 with less than 100k miles on it... The previous owner didn't do much preventive maintenance, so within the first few months I had to change to cooling system, diff bushings, sway bar links and bunch of other stuff... I recently also bought koni yellows... I agree with Daniel, expect to spend close to $2k regardless of miles in the car....


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[Agincore]

Thanks for all the comments on impact of mileage. The $2k "rule of thumb" for misc preventative, etc. is a good assumption to keep in mind. Good advice.
K

[BMWCurves]

I'm late to this thread but I have a similar sentiment to what the others have said. I got mine a few months ago and it had only 49k miles. While I love the low mileage, it is a 10 year-old car meaning many of the parts that should be in good shape mileage-wise may or may not be in good condition on a purely time-based evaluation (fluids, rubber hoses, etc). I am in the process of doing a lot of preventative maintenance myself to save on labor, but in parts it has cost me about $2,000+ to change fluids front to back, replace filters (fuel, cabin, intake, oil), cooling system refresh, spark plugs, pulleys, belts, and suspension refresh.

[fredo]

138,000 miles on my 2005 sedan and running strong.