Looks like there are a bunch of us up here in NoVa. I've had my ZHP about four months. I'm Rob--a 50-year-old airline pilot, retired Air Force. Here's my ZHP story:
Bought my first BMW about two years ago--a 1995 325i convertible (love verts), as a "beater" daily driver, and to learn about BMW maintenance as I like to do my own work. First off, I loved the way the car drove. I've owned many cars in my life, including a 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge, Porsche 928, Mazda RX-8, and still own a 99 Miata, so needless to say I like to drive hard when I can get away with it. The E36 felt really solid and confident on the road, under whatever stress I put it through. So after getting it into great running condition, for what I was surprised to discover was little difficulty and cost, I sent it off to my daughter in college.
As I prepared to send my E36 away, I spent about three months wrangling over which M3 to replace it with. I have a budget (kid in college, two teens at home, four cars already, and most pilots are cheapskates), so I was not interested in new cars. I generally like to buy a fantastic older car that I could not have afforded when new. I decided the E92 M was out of my range, so I bounced between the E36 & E46 (all verts, for me at least). Along the way I learned about the 335i and that just complicated my search. Swerved into thoughts of an AMG Merc or Audi, but based on my passion for the driving experience it was easy to stay on course with BMW.
I was being swayed by talk of the complexity of newer BMWs making them harder and more expensive for the home mechanic, so the 335i would require concessions on this point. I drove an E46 M3 vert, and while it drove well I had suspicions that I'd find lots of M3s that had been thrashed by previous 2nd & 3rd owners.
I learned of the ZHP along the way--mostly by reading hundreds of forum threads, banging my head against the table as there are so many great qualities of all the BMWs. I skimmed past ZHPs at first, feeling sold on an M3. But I kept coming back to it. Something was telling me I could find the best of all worlds in the ZHP--a much more modern chassis & style than the dated E36, more economical than an E46 M3, and more reasonable for a DIY than an E92, without sacrificing too much in performance. Since I've never been to a track, and didn't really see it in my future, I could live without the M3 performance for now, especially in a daily driver.
Eventually it was settled--I would find the best ZHP vert I could find in my price range. Given my job's travel benefits I could shop the entire country. Having grown up near Boston I knew I wanted a car that spent as little of its life as possible near snow. I came across an Alpine White vert with tan interior in Phoenix that I thought was one of the most beautiful cars I'd ever seen. I made plans to fly out to Phoenix and buy it, but when I ran the numbers for the cost of either driving or shipping it home I decided I could do a bit more shopping. I learned how to differentiate a real ZHP, so I poured through the list of all 330ci Verts in the country to see if I could spot some hidden ZHPs. Sure enough I found a white/brown 2005 330ci for sale by a dealership in Atlanta (where I work) that had only 87k miles, for just over $10k. The term "ZHP" was nowhere in the listing, but it was clearly a ZHP. Turns out this was a one-owner car being re-sold by its original dealership. I called them immediately, and someone was in the process of haggling over it at the time. I left my contact info, and when the prospective buyer was unable to make his financing they called me back and I moved quickly. I made a deposit, which they said they would refund if I didn't like the car. A few days later I came off work and went straight to the dealership. The car was absolutely stunning, and in great condition for a 10-yr-old car. The previous owner was apparently gentle on it. The test drive sold me (as if I wasn't already). It was everything I wanted, and even more beautiful than I imagined. By this time I had studied extensively about ZHPs, so was surprised that my salesman didn't seem to understand how special this car was compared to the average 3-series. He was a great guy, but he and a few others seemed to balk when I asked ZHP-specific questions. No matter--I could tell this car was all working properly.
I drove it off the lot that night and have never been happier with a purchase. Only one bad experience: driving home the next morning I hit a pothole on I-85 which blew a front tire and bent the inner lip of the wheel. I couldn't believe it! Got a new tire installed and drove home gently, not sure yet whether there was other damage. I was really, really pleased to average 30 MPG at 60-65 MPH for the 400-mile trip! What could be better? My local BMW dealership found no additional damage besides alignment, and believe it or not even told me the wheel wasn't bent enough to justify a new one.
When I'm away flying for a few days at a time I look forward to my drive home. I look back as I walk away, as if trying to steal another glance at a beautiful woman. My wife thinks it's yet another obsession, and I may get used to it eventually, but something tells me I'm going to enjoy this car for a very long time. I've performed some minor fixes (secondary air valve, front brakes, new fogs), and it was just a joy to work on. Recently completed a very stealthy addition of an Aux input to the HK Nav stereo system. I look forward to meeting and sharing this experience with other like-minded drivers. Thanks for having me! Cheers! Rob
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