What to look for when buying a ZHP

[TheHyeOne]

Thinking about buying a ZHP soon, since I cracked my surrent VW oil pan and fixing it will cost near 1K.

Looking at one that is bieng sold as a privet seller, so not from a dealership.
Searched the forum to see if there was anything similar to this, could not find anything.

So personally I would like to know what to look for when buying a ZHP, anything specifiic? Is it worth it to take it to a mechanic and do a check up on it before buying it?

Is there a certain milage that if the car goes over, you do want to get it checked up at a mechanic?
Stuff like that.

Thank
Tony A.

[Newjack]

The ZHP is a slightly upgraded version of the E46. So checking this wiki HERE will give you tons of information about what the common failures of the E46 are and what to look out for.

Dane Wilson has been nice enough to create a couple threads dedicated to the reliabilty of the ZHP as well as DIY guides and walkthroughs on certain procedures.

BMW E46 Reliability

E46 Words of Wisdom

BMW E46 ZHP DIY Preventative maintenance <<This thread is very useful. If you are looking at a potential car and it has a couple things wrong with it, this thread probably has the solution, and shows you the difficulty of the fix. Some problems might seem like a major hassle, but are a very easy DIY item.

ZHP Engine Parts and pictures <<This is another way to familiarize yourself with the insides of a ZHP before purchasing one. This way you can visually see the parts and know ahead of time where everything is when reading a DIY guide.



In a nutshell, do your cooling system before 100k miles. It is a known failure point on these cars and if the expansion tank cracks, your car will puke coolant all over the highway and can easily overheat your engine. A fairly easy DIY.

I would recommend having your mechanic take a look at the car before a purchase. Just for peace of mind.


Good luck finding your ZHP!

[cakM3]

Rob covered pretty much everything you need to look for when buying a new ZHP....great job Rob!


One thing to add OP is to make sure you get a PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection) done when you do find a ZHP that you think you want to purchase (what Rob alluded to above). It will cost you somewhere around $120 to get this done and you can either use the dealership or a reliable indy shop to get this done. Doing this will give you a better idea as to the actual condition of your car.

[danewilson77]

This may help as well.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5828

Sent from Corolla, NC USA = Party

[llll1l1ll]

A PPI will cover most things, but see what kind of repair records the owner might have. That will give some good insight into how well the car was cared for. Although not a total deal breaker if the car still has the original cooling system, it is just one extra thing that might fail.

[nike001]

Hey Tony, I'm from the Wilkes-Barre area.. so if you find any that are around up here.. I'd be more than happy to go with you to check it out for you and offer you some advice on it, as I do know a bit how a ZHP should drive

zhp43867 (Derek) is in the West Chester area.. and I'm sure he'd be happy to help you out as well.

Good luck!

[TheHyeOne]

Damn.... that's a ton of stuff to read.
Kinda scares me from buying a ~65k ZHP....
Not the greatest hands on guy either, can change breaks and oil and simple stuff, but I doubt I can do all that.
Deff would want to do PPI after reading all of this.

In the Vanos system link I went to, it says 3-series E46 98-05. However I would guess the 06 Coupe should also be included in it?
http://www.beisansystems.com/

Nike001, Thank you very much for the offer. The car is in VA so it will be around 3 hour drive.

[johnrando]

Yes, much of the BMW info for E46's says to '05, as the '06 started the E90 class vehicles, but coupes/verts were still produced into '06. E46 sedan production stopped in '05.

BTW, it's a lot of info but really it's about the cooling system (as those fail), and the VANOS as they degrade, but it's not a "failure" situation per se. Those are just the primary things to look for... everything else is the same as other cars (get maint records, PPI, etc). Besides, it's not like those are really expensive fixes. Good luck!

[TheHyeOne]

Well my areas of concerns are the cooling systems, VANOS, pulleys and suspension.
I see the costs for the cooling system and VANOS but no labor time on these.

There also was no cost for the pulleys and suspensions.
I can only imagine these are expensive changes.

Another example to put out, I am sure some buyers would cross shop a ZHP against a M3.
Would an M3 have these same exact issues?

[nike001]

Well my areas of concerns are the cooling systems, VANOS, pulleys and suspension.
I see the costs for the cooling system and VANOS but no labor time on these.

There also was no cost for the pulleys and suspensions.
I can only imagine these are expensive changes.

Another example to put out, I am sure some buyers would cross shop a ZHP against a M3.
Would an M3 have these same exact issues?

Cooling systems aren't that hard.. VANOS isn't hard, just labor intensive (3-5hrs) and a stock suspension should be good at 65k. Mine lated until about 120k until I felt like it needed to be replaced.

An M3 wouldn't really have the same issues. They need valve adjustments at predetermined intervals, and their cooling system is beefed up over the normal non-m models. In general terms, the M3 is a lot more 'built' than a normal non-m, since ///M models are made to be... well.. beat.