I actually did not know that about the premium package - that the auto dimming mirror is apart of it! Or the leather, I assumed leather came on all E46's and then nappa leather on M3? And yeah I don't care about heated seats unless the interior is brown probably. I think that color is my end goal.
Absolutely. I mean, I have a car with a complete manual and a lifetime warranty on the clutch. So yes, absolutely considering autos. I'm actually having some friends in LA check out a 2004 ZHP with 135k miles but is an auto. 135k feels a smidge high mileage to be honest.
So yes I am looking at that grey on black ZHP and also this red ZHP:
https://lascruces.craigslist.org/cto...374845568.html
The owner has been wonderful to work with. I mean, so far I've requested if he'd be open to a ppi and for some videos of the body. He agreed to a ppi if I wanted. He also washed the car and sent me a video, and now I'm on the fence
Pros:
- low mileage
- already manual
- sexy combo
- tastefully modded
- thorough maintenance (which doesn't include cooling system)
- valuable interior for resale
Cons:
- out of state, not to mention quite far. A large hassle to get back to NorCal for sure which increases my net purchase cost.
- hood is heavily "pilted" (can't think of the word) by rocks and other debris
- non-color matched headlight trim
- peeling headliner (or C and A's that I can see)
- odd dent ("small" though) in the passenger C pillar
- rear driver bumper corner has a scratch that would need paint
- very heavily swirled paint. Likely never detailed.
I should ask about the weird discoloration in the passenger c-pillar. Maybe it's just polish or heavily swirled. And then there's the price, $14,000. Granted it's only ask, but that price feels like a "this is a clean example" price, but the body is pretty rough. The hood alone is really aggressively pelted and the dent/discoloration in the C pillar is also risky. Then the rear bumper has a scratch deep enough for paint, and the oddly mismatched headlight trim show's how difficult it would be to just find an Imola hood.
Ironically cars and bids has two cars with similar mileage and also red on black coupes with a few mods. They sold for $9.3k and $9.6k but were automatics. So on one front, this guy deserves a premium for the manual. On the other hand, the body is significantly more rough and deserves a "demerit" in value for that. My friends say his mods deserve some premium, but the other cars had some mods as well and mods don't translate as well in resale in my opinion. So I really don't know how to value this car.
Then there's the grey car. It seems the current owner is flipping it. However, if it test drives well and is the right price, does it matter? Aside from a couple dings on the bumper that are smaller than a quarter, it looks pristine (in-person look and test drive is scheduled). It's also listed for $8k for 135k miles. As I said, I have a manual available, so the auto isn't that much of an issue. The interior isn't as nice but it has nearly 50% more miles, so you wouldn't expect it to. Interior is easy to replace unlike body work. The mileage is just a smidge out of my comfort zone, but the body is clean and I like the color more than red. Not mention it's easier to acquire. For me colors go Estoril>White>Silver>Red.
It's a real toss up.