skweezr
11-11-2015, 07:44 PM
I will update this thread with pictures soon.
On Monday, I bought my second BMW and first ZHP with the following specs:
- 2005 BMW 330i Sedan with ZHP package (Production Date: 9-23-2004)
- 6-speed manual
- Titanium Silver Metallic
- 134,600 miles
It's options include:
- Xenon Lights
- Black Leather with Seat Heating
- M Leather Steering Wheel
- Harman Kardon Sound
I had been using searchtempest.com to keep an eye out for ZHPs on Craigslist in nearby cities in the midwest region. On Monday morning, I saw one come up for sale in Dayton, OH; about one hour away from my home in Cincinnati. After a quick chat with my wife that it would be OK to check it out, I contacted the seller via text around noontime. It was a good price and so I moved quickly. The seller and I texted quite a bit and then talked on the phone, reaching a tentative agreement of 97% of the asking price. I still thought the asking price was fair even after finding out the car had been in a minor stop-and-go accident (airbags did not deploy). Within an hour, I had the certified funds in hand and was on the road driving north towards the ZHP. On my drive north, I made arrangements for a PPI at a local shop, Foreign Exchange (http://foreignx.net) in nearby Moraine, Ohio.
When I got to the sellers house, the ZHP was parked at an angle at the top of his drive. The seller had owned the car since 2010 and 61,000 miles. They had purchased it from Enthusiast Auto (www.enthusiastauto.com) and most of the miles were driven by his wife who used to commute to Cincinnati. There were no signs that the car had had repairs to the left rear side from the accident. The work had been done by Dave Orr, as recommended by Enthusiast Auto. There were a few receipts in the glovebox, including a new thermostat and synthetic oil change at 125,000. I could now tell the car had been cared for and was owned by adults who valued good maintenance and repairs. I now knew it would be mine as long as it all checked out well. We started the test drive. The car fired right up and it idled like new even though it had nearly 135k miles. The steering was properly stiff and tracked straight. Once the car was warmed up and we were out of the neighborhood, I started to open it up a bit. It reminded me of the 1998 M Roadster that I bought CPO in 2003. The engine, the steering, even the smell of the interior. I couldn't detect anything about this ZHP with 135k miles that was any different from the day I drove the M roadster home with only 8k miles on its odometer.
Next step was the PPI. The seller was OK with this and came along. The shop was awesome - Jason would be doing the inspection. You can tell from their webpage (http://foreignx.net) it's a class-act - there were two old 911s for sale in the waiting room/showroom, including a 1972 that was sweet. The shop used the closest bay so I could see Jason through the waiting room's window as he looked over the BMW with a fine-toothed comb. Nothing major was found. The service manager, Ricky, took an interest in the car and joined the discussion during the rundown of the PPI findings - he had recognized it was a ZHP. Both right side wheels were slightly out of round, presumably due to some potholes on I-75. This surprised both the owner and me as we could not feel a vibration when we drove it. The shop can send these out to be fixed for $125 each. The sensor that indicates if there is a low oil level was flagged as needing replacement even though there is no light on the dash. The shop recommends doing this at the next oil change, although I seem to recall a dipstick joke. There is a light for washer fluid on the dash - a reasonable quote to replace the washer pump and grommet was included. Other recommended/upcoming maintenance to budget for included new drive belts, a new fuel filter and a brake fluid flush. The seller told me the brakes had maintenance within the last year or so. The shop also offered a reasonable quote to restore the headlamps and replace the worn hood emblem. There are also two interior improvements that I noted and would like to pursue as well - first is some loose fabric on the front and rear pillars (the Alcantara roof liner is fine) and second is the aux-in plug has come loose and fallen into the dash. The conclusion from the PPI was no major findings and that it is a good solid car. One of the mechanics came by and joked (?) he would like to buy the car if I didn't.
Next step was to the seller's bank for the title+notary paperwork and then to the BMV. I gave the seller the check, the title paperwork was signed and we got to the BMV at 4:57 PM - just in time to get a temporary registration for me to drive home.
Pictures added 11/12/2015:
22557
22558
On Monday, I bought my second BMW and first ZHP with the following specs:
- 2005 BMW 330i Sedan with ZHP package (Production Date: 9-23-2004)
- 6-speed manual
- Titanium Silver Metallic
- 134,600 miles
It's options include:
- Xenon Lights
- Black Leather with Seat Heating
- M Leather Steering Wheel
- Harman Kardon Sound
I had been using searchtempest.com to keep an eye out for ZHPs on Craigslist in nearby cities in the midwest region. On Monday morning, I saw one come up for sale in Dayton, OH; about one hour away from my home in Cincinnati. After a quick chat with my wife that it would be OK to check it out, I contacted the seller via text around noontime. It was a good price and so I moved quickly. The seller and I texted quite a bit and then talked on the phone, reaching a tentative agreement of 97% of the asking price. I still thought the asking price was fair even after finding out the car had been in a minor stop-and-go accident (airbags did not deploy). Within an hour, I had the certified funds in hand and was on the road driving north towards the ZHP. On my drive north, I made arrangements for a PPI at a local shop, Foreign Exchange (http://foreignx.net) in nearby Moraine, Ohio.
When I got to the sellers house, the ZHP was parked at an angle at the top of his drive. The seller had owned the car since 2010 and 61,000 miles. They had purchased it from Enthusiast Auto (www.enthusiastauto.com) and most of the miles were driven by his wife who used to commute to Cincinnati. There were no signs that the car had had repairs to the left rear side from the accident. The work had been done by Dave Orr, as recommended by Enthusiast Auto. There were a few receipts in the glovebox, including a new thermostat and synthetic oil change at 125,000. I could now tell the car had been cared for and was owned by adults who valued good maintenance and repairs. I now knew it would be mine as long as it all checked out well. We started the test drive. The car fired right up and it idled like new even though it had nearly 135k miles. The steering was properly stiff and tracked straight. Once the car was warmed up and we were out of the neighborhood, I started to open it up a bit. It reminded me of the 1998 M Roadster that I bought CPO in 2003. The engine, the steering, even the smell of the interior. I couldn't detect anything about this ZHP with 135k miles that was any different from the day I drove the M roadster home with only 8k miles on its odometer.
Next step was the PPI. The seller was OK with this and came along. The shop was awesome - Jason would be doing the inspection. You can tell from their webpage (http://foreignx.net) it's a class-act - there were two old 911s for sale in the waiting room/showroom, including a 1972 that was sweet. The shop used the closest bay so I could see Jason through the waiting room's window as he looked over the BMW with a fine-toothed comb. Nothing major was found. The service manager, Ricky, took an interest in the car and joined the discussion during the rundown of the PPI findings - he had recognized it was a ZHP. Both right side wheels were slightly out of round, presumably due to some potholes on I-75. This surprised both the owner and me as we could not feel a vibration when we drove it. The shop can send these out to be fixed for $125 each. The sensor that indicates if there is a low oil level was flagged as needing replacement even though there is no light on the dash. The shop recommends doing this at the next oil change, although I seem to recall a dipstick joke. There is a light for washer fluid on the dash - a reasonable quote to replace the washer pump and grommet was included. Other recommended/upcoming maintenance to budget for included new drive belts, a new fuel filter and a brake fluid flush. The seller told me the brakes had maintenance within the last year or so. The shop also offered a reasonable quote to restore the headlamps and replace the worn hood emblem. There are also two interior improvements that I noted and would like to pursue as well - first is some loose fabric on the front and rear pillars (the Alcantara roof liner is fine) and second is the aux-in plug has come loose and fallen into the dash. The conclusion from the PPI was no major findings and that it is a good solid car. One of the mechanics came by and joked (?) he would like to buy the car if I didn't.
Next step was to the seller's bank for the title+notary paperwork and then to the BMV. I gave the seller the check, the title paperwork was signed and we got to the BMV at 4:57 PM - just in time to get a temporary registration for me to drive home.
Pictures added 11/12/2015:
22557
22558