E46 BMW 330 ZHP Buyers Corner -- Is it a good deal?

[fredo]

OP, sorry to hear it sold so fast. Similar thing happened to me recently: I saw on Autotrader a 2005 ZHP sedan Imola Red on a Friday. When I called on Monday morning it was gone !

Oh, well. That only means we need to look a little longer.

[PKR]

Truth be told my search is not purely for a ZHP, but this one was priced and described as if the dealer didn't know exactly what it was. Oh well ... the search is at least half the fun!

[aurelius]

Imola/NB, 64k, automatic:

http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/cto/3559050131.html

[330blast]

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...ngId=122508891


Someone else posted this one on 8/10, the then asking price was $12,000. The price is $11,000 now. Is this too good to be true?

Reviewing the CarFax report, I see 2 possible flags:
1. The car made a lot of trips to the dealership. In several cases, there were two trips only 1 or 2 months apart, each with either inspection performed, or even oil change (unusally frequent). Wondering if there is some major issues.
2. The car apparently was bought and serviced at SF BMW all the time, yet when it was finally traded in, the dealer put it into auction. I would assume the used car manager knows ZHP is in high demand, and a clean one-owner, low mile car like this one will sell fast with a significantly higher price than we are seeing now.

With all the said, I did talk to the sales person there, and also found that the used car dealer owns a auto shop right next door.

I am very tempted by the price and overall condition from the picture and CarFax, but a little worried why such a nice car priced relatively low had such a hard time to sell. In the last few months, I saw 2 cars at local BMW dealer with lower mileage, but higher price sell within a day or two.

Can you folks chime in?

Thanks in advance

[Avetiso]

Link doesn't work.

[330blast]

Sorry, here it is

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...ngId=122508891

[fredo]

I would not be worried with the carfax history. But, I wonder why the car has been for sale 3 months already (since 06/28/2013).

How far is the dealer from you ? I believe a test drive is in order and then you decide if it's worth to pay for a PIP.

[alexandre]

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...ngId=122508891


Someone else posted this one on 8/10, the then asking price was $12,000. The price is $11,000 now. Is this too good to be true?

Reviewing the CarFax report, I see 2 possible flags:
1. The car made a lot of trips to the dealership. In several cases, there were two trips only 1 or 2 months apart, each with either inspection performed, or even oil change (unusally frequent). Wondering if there is some major issues.
2. The car apparently was bought and serviced at SF BMW all the time, yet when it was finally traded in, the dealer put it into auction. I would assume the used car manager knows ZHP is in high demand, and a clean one-owner, low mile car like this one will sell fast with a significantly higher price than we are seeing now.

With all the said, I did talk to the sales person there, and also found that the used car dealer owns a auto shop right next door.

I am very tempted by the price and overall condition from the picture and CarFax, but a little worried why such a nice car priced relatively low had such a hard time to sell. In the last few months, I saw 2 cars at local BMW dealer with lower mileage, but higher price sell within a day or two.

Can you folks chime in?

Thanks in advance

I don't know. I'd see it more as a very attentive PO, vs most owners who don't care and just swap cars every 4 years. Also the SF market has a lot of money, so maybe people are just looking for more recent cars, etc... I'd go test drive it, do a thorough inspection, and go for it if it checks out. Maybe people try to haggle and the dealer is firm, etc.

[330blast]

Update - I went to the dealer, and took a test drive. They have replaced the catalyst converter and clutch, so shifting was very smooth, and the power train seems to be fine.

But cosmetically, it was big let down. All 4 wheels are badly scratched. Left fog light is broken. paint scratches everywhere - on the hood, roof, trunk lid, etc. albeit not deep ones, and might be buffed off. Interior is average, to the best, at least no cracks or deep crease on the seats, but boy, they can really use a nice detailing. It is just dirty.

It is always amazing that dealers would try to save money on detailing (including BMW dealers), and try to convince customers that they can get the car cleaned and detailed to "like new" condition. Well, why don't you do it and show it, then I will just buy it.

Anyway, the car certainly did not live to my expectation, so I did not even bother to take it to PPI. I guess that explains why the car has been on the lot for 2 months, and had to reduce the price from $13K to the current $11K.

Nevertheless, it could be a good buy if someone is not that anal to the cosmetic stuff.

[fredo]

Good review. Now we know why it's taking so long to sell. GL on your search for "the one."