Found on Craigslist: 2005 Alpine White ZHP Sedan w/ Engine Rebuild

Hi all, new to the forum but actively looking for a ZHP in the Los Angeles/SoCal area. Found this listing on CL with no pictures (which always feels like a red flag to me) for a 2005 AW automatic sedan over Alcantara interior (sucker for a rare combo) with 146,000 miles for $7800, but inquired nonetheless out of curiosity for this engine rebuild mentioned. Here's the link, but I'll paste the writeup on the ad below anyway: https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sg...810121839.html

"The car engine has been replaced with overhauled repaired engine on 116k miles.
Tires are new. Radiator and coolant hose are new. Car is very clean. Suede interior.
This car has been maintained to perfection.
Issue: Driver side seat top part is torn"

I chatted with the guy on the phone and had him send me pictures - I have yet to see the car in person, but cosmetically, it's definitely not perfect. You can see the front bumper is misaligned and has a significant scuff/scrape on the passenger side bottom, a handful of dents, and the driver's seat bolster is torn up badly. I've attached the pictures he's sent me below.

I'll recount everything he told me about the car in terms of mechanicals. It's got a clean title, but this guy (a mechanic at a shop somewhere in Glendale) bought it with a blown engine in 2013. He did the following work himself (but doesn't have any receipts to prove the work, but he said he'd write up a parts list if I wanted it): at 115k miles, he took the engine out of the car and did basically an entire top-end rebuild. This included the cylinder head, pistons, rod bearings, engine mounts, spark plugs, as well as the entire cooling system, all the belts, hoses, and all 4 brakes as good measure. (He was talking fast so I may have missed some engine parts when he was rattling them off) The automatic transmission is original and he claims it has no issues. The suspension is original and he says it's fine. He didn't note anything about the VANOS, but he claimed the car needs nothing else mechanically besides a driver's side front shock mount that he's planning on replacing because of a squeaking sound.

He and his wife have been driving the car since this work was done in 2013, and they've driven it about 30k miles with seemingly no issues.

I would never take someone's word alone when buying a car, so of course I'm planning to check the car out in person. I'm not sure how I'd be able to verify the quality of work he did on the car, if he used OEM parts or not, etc - so I'm definitely wary. Just wanted to put this car on everyone's radar and share it with the community. What do you guys think?

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7847/...7cd12fb5_k.jpg20190206_151556 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7913/...8ead77a1_k.jpg20190206_151546 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7874/...c16cd8c0_k.jpg20190206_151610 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7817/...9beed798_k.jpg20190301_124933 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7894/...68fddc86_k.jpg20190301_124938 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7817/...ed4aec7a_k.jpg20190301_124956 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7888/...de33176d_k.jpg20190301_125051 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

Last year, there was a similar car in ATX. The last asking price was $4,500.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...-000-Austin-TX

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fredo

Last year, there was a similar car in ATX. The last asking price was $4,500.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...-000-Austin-TX

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Thanks for pulling this one up. That one might have even been a little better because of the documentation it had... I don’t think the one I posted has any records at all before 115k. Sounds like $7800 is way too high.

The white one suffered from the worst option...tan interior.

Get a ppi

7800 is asking a lot for an auto esp with that many miles imo. I paid 9300 for my auto with 93k and that car was in near mint condition and mechanic owned. I almost bought one that had 86k but was a repaired salvage for 5k, with that milage and rebuild I'd say 3-4k would be the max you should pay for that car if it's in good condition mechanically. White and Alcantara is a rare combo but you can buy an Alcantara interior for ~1k if you find the right car.

Don't settle, I'm glad I didn't.

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Original suspension? Fine? No sir. Pretty sure it's done for. I'd shoot for 6k and pocket the rest for the things that sneak up on you.

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Remember, the buyer is in Cali, so the price is going to be a few grand higher than most places in the US, but I still Believe it is high for the current condition and options and mileage.

Honestly, I would hold out and wait for a better one. I wish I did this when I bought my ZHP. I'll keep my eyes out for ya. Im up in Santa Barbara so just north of you.

For references, I paid $10,000 out the door for my ZHP. At the time it was just a tick over 100K miles, manual, silbergrau metallic, black leather, and some recent work done to it. I took a gamble on the car having no work history, and ultimately ended up paying for this as many parts needed to be replaced. I was ok with the price because it was the color combo I wanted in leather, and when I first go the car, it was damn near perfect inside and out.


If I had to do it over again, I would have waited for a member here to have on up for sale that was in good condition with work history and would have flown to get the car. Or would have waited for one with work history to show up in Cali. Price could have been cheaper but it is what it is :/

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/...805592268.html

Little south from you, but I think a way better example of the breed. Mileage and price about the same but condition is much better, has records, was garaged, and you can always haggle the price some.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/ws...832270867.html


Lower price higher miles and comes with a lot of race parts. If it was a track car then it may need some maintenance to account for it.

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/...827085499.html

Dirt cheap because of the title but don't always jump to conclusion on salvage titles. I know there are people that walk away the second they see that, btu my car was considered "total" and it only took $2,300 to fix what was caused in the accident. My radiator was even damaged and my insurance company claimed it needed over $9,800 dollars in work. If there is proper documentation and photos, maybe something to consider, but only if that is there. I took over 400 photos, so I have that documentation lol.

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/...816275093.html

Little further south but around same price and mileage with tons of work done to it. You can tell the owner is more of an enthusiast and that this car was cared for.


Anyways, that was a 5 min search on CL. I would hold out for the right one. These cars come up for sale all the time out here.

I waited almost 2 years to find my zhp. There are good ones out there.