Will a ZHP ever become a valuable classic car?

[Vas]

Probably not.

Low mileage examples will still fetch a nice amount but higher mileage cars are worthless imo. Current owners either will keep them forever or sell them for rock bottom prices to move into something new and fresh.

I was always a firm believer that these cars are meant to be driven and more miles = smiles.

Cars that sit eventually get sold.

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[3ZHPGUY]

I don’t think the value of the ZHP will be anything crazy but, will always carry a significant following. I would put it in a class like the Studebaker Hawk. It’s a cool car but, not a huge following.


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[nextelbuddy]

if I had known what i was going to do with my car, i would have never started with a 165k mile chasis for my project and went and sourced a low mile chassis. i have a very unique car, clean carfax no accidents just high miles overall despite literally everything being replaced with full S54 and M3 mechanical conversion but still my car will never be a collector car or fetch good money.

i've actually devalued my car since it doesn't have the original ZHP engine and transmission or exhaust. my vcar will never be worth as much as a clean low miles ZHP nor will it ever be worth as much as a mid to high miles M3 because it doesnt have the WBS Vin.

i will just end up keeping my car for fun and giving it to my son one day unless i change my mind for a touring project.

ZHP enthusiasts only care about one thing.. clean carfax and low miles.

[Sockethead]

To me, the e46 is the European equivalent of a Chevy. They're everywhere and tons of OEM and after market parts are available. I imagine it's the most common BMW on the road....

[cornercarver]

Voted "continue to decline". They're not special editions (not a limited production run), have no special pedigree (like the E30 M3 had) or anything special about them, and they're just based on regular 330's. Not much is different about them than a run-of-the-mill 330i.

To me, the e46 is the European equivalent of a Chevy. They're everywhere and tons of OEM and after market parts are available. I imagine it's the most common BMW on the road....

I think these two statements pretty much sum it up. Don't get me wrong - I love the car - but I don't see anything particularly unique about the ZHP that would give it 'collector' status.

[BADCLOWN]

In as few words as I can put it: absolutely not

[joeybananaz18]

if I had known what i was going to do with my car, i would have never started with a 165k mile chasis for my project and went and sourced a low mile chassis.

But if you had started with a low milage car, wouldn't you have devalued it even more after the swap?

[nextelbuddy]

But if you had started with a low milage car, wouldn't you have devalued it even more after the swap?

Probably but it would have forced me to find a very low/matching mileage s54 swap instead. A low mileage zhp with a low/matching mileage s54 would/should fetch the same or more than one with a stock m54.

[joeybananaz18]

Probably but it would have forced me to find a very low/matching mileage s54 swap instead. A low mileage zhp with a low/matching mileage s54 would/should fetch the same or more than one with a stock m54.

ahhhh now i got you. yeah that makes sense.

[Sailor]

Interesting discussion, guys. I come to the table from a very different perspective compared to most of you. The ZHP option was unknown to me up until 5 months ago. After 13 years of driving older 3 and 5 series cars I thought I wanted an M, and had been looking for the right one for the past couple of years The ones I drove would have been very enticing in my youth but were a little too close to track-ready for my current tastes. I needed a car that could on occasion be driven 500 or more miles in a day and not wear me out, and the M didn't fit that description. After driving an old buddy's ZHP i was hooked - a quantum jump from my '96 328i, a bit more civilized than the M, but firmer and a touch quicker than the base 330i - it seemed to be just what I wanted. In 2 months I found one and am still looking forward to getting in it each day. Looking back over 50+ years of owning/driving sports and performance cars it is easy to judge which has been the best - though this Z-car is not the fastest or the most valuable, it is hands down the most satisfying, comfortable, and reliable of the bunch. I did not buy it as an investment - that's a little too iffy a place to park money, especially at my age. I bought it to drive and enjoy, and am tickled to play with it a little on back roads while still seeing 30+ mpg on the highway. I understand the motivation to modify the car - did plenty of that on other vehicles many years ago (did you know the valve clearance on the Duntov cam in the full-house 327 Chevvies was .030"? - it sounded like a threshing machine at idle.) But with grandkids now, extra bucks tend to go for non-automotive things, and I agree that the stock ZHP is pretty close to what I want and need. It will most likely be driven another 135k in the years to come, will receive whatever maintenance is appropriate, and won't be worth much at that point. But the return on investment will be obvious to the undertaker who has to remove the smile from my face. The ZHP is not rare enough to be collectible and will likely be superseded by mechanical and electronic improvements, but will always be remembered as one of the better machines BMW has produced.