toddness
05-28-2012, 09:07 AM
So a little story, or the melding of a couple stories about our search for our 'hers' ZHP.
After getting to know my ('our', technically in California) ZHP, my wife fell in love with the car and decided to leave me. Wait, no, that's the wrong story. Let me try again. She now wants a ZHP. Can't say I blame her. I have tried to get her to look at other vehicles (M3's, M5's, Xy's, ), nope, not happening.
So we've since been on a mission to find that right ZHP for her. We don't know what the 'right one' is ourselves yet, so we are committed to kicking tires until we figure it out.
This past Friday I committed to buying the 318is mentioned here : http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?7206-Stablemate . On our way home we stopped by a local independent used car lot that seems to have a ZHP on site almost daily, and sure enough they have a 2005 vert w/automatic. Now I am old school and like the third pedal, though thought we'd give it a drive anyway. After Cadillac Man informed me that they only made this car one year (he knew this he said because of his 14 years at a BMW dealer), he gave us the keys. Down went the top and off we went. It didn't take us long (300 meters) to figure out we don't want a 2-pedal version. After talking on the ride some more, she decided a vert wasn't really what she wanted. She had an e30 325is and loved it, though when we sold it five years ago we knew it should have been been a hardtop if we had wanted to keep it.
I returned to the lot without her and then some of the fun begins. If I've bored you to this point, you probably aren't reading this, so I'll continue anyway. Cadillac Man and his pals asked what I thought. I told them I wasn't into the automatic and they went off about how I really can't tell the difference between the two. Then I told them she didn't like the grey interior either, and he proceeded to tell me what my wife really wanted - A black Cayman S with a brown leather interior for 2x the money. He's so right, he really knows my wife. lmfao. As I start to get into my car to leave they do a double take and ask me if my ZHP is an M3 clone. Where do they find these guys?
Yesterday, we get to pick up the e30, though we decide to look at another ZHP posted at another shop on the way (50 miles out of the way). This time its a slicktop manual w/110K miles. The ad does not have the ZHP listed as an option, perhaps they don't know. We chose to drive our Subaru on the trip in case the ZHP was the right one. I'd deal the Outback right back out of our life. On the way there I tell my wife the plan - play dumb. Of course I am wearing a ZHP mafia shirt, but who looks at T-shirts anyway.
So we get to the lot and our salesman, who looks something like Al Pacino in Scarface channelling Carmen Miranda. As we are walking to the car he begins to tell me this is a special performance package version, with both the sport and premium packages. This particular car was also owned by a 'collector' who had 10 or more BMW's. As the completely scratched up driver door opens, that sweet smell of cigarette butts gently crosses my nose. I don't even want to sit in it, but I do. The Alcantara steering wheel is thrashed up, so it has one of those strap on vinyl covers over it. The spokes of steering wheel are worn down so bad most of black is now exposed white. The A-pillars are pulling out. I decide to check the ashtray - just for kicks, the lighter socket is just oozing some nasty resin. My wife had been using the facilities and I let her take the drivers position while I circled the rest of the car. The passenger mirror is broken mechanically and missing it's cover, "I have that on order" says the sales guy. The front bumper is all whacked out of alignment, "We have to fix that he says". I think to myself the previous owner collector must have another ZHP, and he's just been trashing this one to increase the value on the rest of the remaining ZHP's out there. We pop the hood and Al Miranda proceeds to tell me the master cylinder and the components around it are part of the performance package. I told him I'd have to take it out for the test drive to understand what this performance package meant.
After adjusting the driver mirror and seat position, I start the car. Airbag and check engine light both stay on. I am told it's okay and just needs to be reset. We pull out of the lot and it actually feels something like my ZHP. Like the stick and slicktop, though we know this isn't our car, though I had to 'test' this a little. We got a banked 10% grade with a slight turn and I punch it, not bad on the pickup, but man can we smell the clutch. I do this for about another 300 meters and realize the gas gauge is showing empty. I abort, bring the ride back to the lot.
I get out of the car, trying to open my eyes as wide as possible, and exclaim, "Wow, that is alot of car, that performance package is way more than I'd ever need". Give him the keys and my wife and I ride off happily knowing there is a fresh e30 waiting for us, singing chica-chica-bum-chica, of course.
Oh - the car was listed at 12,999 - I wouldn't give him 6.
After getting to know my ('our', technically in California) ZHP, my wife fell in love with the car and decided to leave me. Wait, no, that's the wrong story. Let me try again. She now wants a ZHP. Can't say I blame her. I have tried to get her to look at other vehicles (M3's, M5's, Xy's, ), nope, not happening.
So we've since been on a mission to find that right ZHP for her. We don't know what the 'right one' is ourselves yet, so we are committed to kicking tires until we figure it out.
This past Friday I committed to buying the 318is mentioned here : http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?7206-Stablemate . On our way home we stopped by a local independent used car lot that seems to have a ZHP on site almost daily, and sure enough they have a 2005 vert w/automatic. Now I am old school and like the third pedal, though thought we'd give it a drive anyway. After Cadillac Man informed me that they only made this car one year (he knew this he said because of his 14 years at a BMW dealer), he gave us the keys. Down went the top and off we went. It didn't take us long (300 meters) to figure out we don't want a 2-pedal version. After talking on the ride some more, she decided a vert wasn't really what she wanted. She had an e30 325is and loved it, though when we sold it five years ago we knew it should have been been a hardtop if we had wanted to keep it.
I returned to the lot without her and then some of the fun begins. If I've bored you to this point, you probably aren't reading this, so I'll continue anyway. Cadillac Man and his pals asked what I thought. I told them I wasn't into the automatic and they went off about how I really can't tell the difference between the two. Then I told them she didn't like the grey interior either, and he proceeded to tell me what my wife really wanted - A black Cayman S with a brown leather interior for 2x the money. He's so right, he really knows my wife. lmfao. As I start to get into my car to leave they do a double take and ask me if my ZHP is an M3 clone. Where do they find these guys?
Yesterday, we get to pick up the e30, though we decide to look at another ZHP posted at another shop on the way (50 miles out of the way). This time its a slicktop manual w/110K miles. The ad does not have the ZHP listed as an option, perhaps they don't know. We chose to drive our Subaru on the trip in case the ZHP was the right one. I'd deal the Outback right back out of our life. On the way there I tell my wife the plan - play dumb. Of course I am wearing a ZHP mafia shirt, but who looks at T-shirts anyway.
So we get to the lot and our salesman, who looks something like Al Pacino in Scarface channelling Carmen Miranda. As we are walking to the car he begins to tell me this is a special performance package version, with both the sport and premium packages. This particular car was also owned by a 'collector' who had 10 or more BMW's. As the completely scratched up driver door opens, that sweet smell of cigarette butts gently crosses my nose. I don't even want to sit in it, but I do. The Alcantara steering wheel is thrashed up, so it has one of those strap on vinyl covers over it. The spokes of steering wheel are worn down so bad most of black is now exposed white. The A-pillars are pulling out. I decide to check the ashtray - just for kicks, the lighter socket is just oozing some nasty resin. My wife had been using the facilities and I let her take the drivers position while I circled the rest of the car. The passenger mirror is broken mechanically and missing it's cover, "I have that on order" says the sales guy. The front bumper is all whacked out of alignment, "We have to fix that he says". I think to myself the previous owner collector must have another ZHP, and he's just been trashing this one to increase the value on the rest of the remaining ZHP's out there. We pop the hood and Al Miranda proceeds to tell me the master cylinder and the components around it are part of the performance package. I told him I'd have to take it out for the test drive to understand what this performance package meant.
After adjusting the driver mirror and seat position, I start the car. Airbag and check engine light both stay on. I am told it's okay and just needs to be reset. We pull out of the lot and it actually feels something like my ZHP. Like the stick and slicktop, though we know this isn't our car, though I had to 'test' this a little. We got a banked 10% grade with a slight turn and I punch it, not bad on the pickup, but man can we smell the clutch. I do this for about another 300 meters and realize the gas gauge is showing empty. I abort, bring the ride back to the lot.
I get out of the car, trying to open my eyes as wide as possible, and exclaim, "Wow, that is alot of car, that performance package is way more than I'd ever need". Give him the keys and my wife and I ride off happily knowing there is a fresh e30 waiting for us, singing chica-chica-bum-chica, of course.
Oh - the car was listed at 12,999 - I wouldn't give him 6.