Re-Introduction...3rd ZHPs a Charm!

[dlucas589]

Hi my name is Dave Lucas and I'm from Milwaukee, WI.

I figured a re-introduction was necessary as I've been away from the Mafia for a solid year and it feels good to be back. I've been told I have car ADD. I say I just haven't found the perfect one...until now.

In order to understand the full extent of the ADD - I'll try to paint a brief history of my car ownership over the past 5 years...

2012 - Entered the world of the ZHP. 2006 330ci Imola 6MT. Bought from a used car dealer in Carol Stream, IL. 75K Miles. Impulse purchase. At the time I was 22, recently graduated from UW Madison, moved to downtown Milwaukee with a brand new job. Traded in my hand-me-down 2004 Honda Accord Coupe and drove away same day. Likely overpaid for it and of course got eye rolls from the parents but I didn't care. I was hooked.



Due to a job change, I needed 4 doors, so I was forced to sell my first BMW after 2 short years. I bought a new Chevy Equinox and I was immediately disappointed. Merging on the highway with its underpowered 4 banger... just...awful. I ended up selling that and started my quest for a 4 door 330i ZHP.

2014 - Found an enthusiast in Montreal with a Mystic Blue 330i w/Alcantara thru Craigslist. New Member Intro 2014 Flew to Montreal and made the 15 hour journey home. Learned a ton about importing a car from Canada and being forced to pay taxes twice . Again, I didn't care. I was back in a ZHP, albeit one that had been HEAVILY modded/tracked. I spent 2 years getting it back to stock condition.



Summer 2016- Of course, life and circumstance got in the way. At the time, I didn't have a garage for the ZHP and was forced to park it on the streets of Milwaukee for over a year. Of course, corrosion started to intensify, I got scared, and I ran for the hills. Other things related to the heavy modifications also bugged me. I found a great deal on a 2013 328i AUTO in Colorado that I quickly snatched up and drove that one home. The ZHP sold within the same week I posted it.



I was now able to find garage parking so no more worrying about that. I drove the 328i for about 6 months and sold it. Something about the 4 banger and AUTO trans really bugged me. At the time, I found a ridiculous lease deal on a 2016 340i 6MT MSport and picked that up which I have right now.




And here we are, July 4th, 2017.

After a stint with 2 newer BMWs, I came to the realization that I missed the old school feel...and my original Imola red. I found a friend who was interested in taking over my lease and found this very clean, one-owner beauty in a small town in New York. 117K Miles.









Photo picking it up yesterday. Drove it home straight through yesterday 12 hours. Ran like a champ, no issues.



Paint is in good shape, no body rust, but something to be extra careful about since it is a NY car. Leather, carpet, and dash are pristine. Rubber moldings need some rejuvenation and the mirrors need replacement (thinking about sourcing some M3 side mirrors). I'll be starting a maintenance thread to document the projects on this beaut.

Excited to be back on this forum. After following bimmerfest and bimmerpost for my newer BMW, ZHPmafia is truly the best. I've learned a ton from everyone on here and for that I am thankful. Looking forward to being a resource here in any way I can!

[zhpnsnv]

Awesome story and a beautiful pickup! Would love to hear more about the 340i msport 6 speed. Of all the offerings BMW has at the moment, that is the only one I would look at with any seriousness. I'm not going to look at it, but I'm intrigued to hear your perspectives on it compared to the ZHP. You've boomeranged back to E46 like many of us have!

[fredo]

Welcome back, and congrats ! Your IR sedan looks really good. In for project thread. :thumbUp

Edit : I was told last week the 340i replaced the 335i. And the 330i replaced the 328i. That was news to me.

[zhpnsnv]

Edit : I was told last week the 340i replaced the 335i. And the 330i replaced the 328i. That was news to me.

That is correct. They have the newer versions of the engines. 340 has the b58 which makes something like 330hp out of the box.


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[thinkpad240]

Congratulations on your way back. I like that red color. I'm all for car additions,

[Oli77]

Great story with bunch of BMWs. Glad to hear again and again that true love stops at the e46.

[ELCID86]

Welcome back.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous E46 fanatic

[ZHPizza]

That was a fun read. Glad you made it back to imola. Seems to attract the crazies...

[BMWCurves]

That was a fun read. Glad you made it back to imola. Seems to attract the crazies...

+1

[Dual]

Congratulations, and welcome back! As a Maine winter driver, I'm very interested to know where on teh body you noticed rust forming when you were parking on the street.