Best place to buy a 330i ZHP

[tomedkaz]

Hi,
Long time reader and amirerer here finally pulling a trigger on a 2004-2005 330i 6 speed (ZHP preferably). I have a little dilemma:
I've been searching Craigslist and autotrader.com for the past month or so and nothing good has been posted there. Of course there were a few ones which I liked but those were just overpriced.
My question is: where did you guys/gals find your E46's? I am pretty handy so a CPO is not worth the premium to me.
Thanks in advance.

PS: What's up with the ticking sound in a cold 330i? Is that normal? I've come across a few of them that ticked when cold.

[pureco99]

bought mine from luxurymotors.com.

some others buy from Ebay (buyer beware), used or new car dealerships, and/or private sellers.

[tomedkaz]

bought mine from luxurymotors.com.

some others buy from Ebay (buyer beware), used or new car dealerships, and/or private sellers.

thanks man. Luxurymotors.com seems a bit overpriced. I went down there once and they really didnt have much selection.

By the way, I'm loving your bumper. If my car is not ZHP, I"ll be getting something like that installed.

[ThEnder]

the best way to buy any used car IMO is from a private party. just make sure you get a pre-purchase inspection so you dont wind up with a lemon.

[tomedkaz]

how about auto auctions? I know a car dealer who does that and I could tag along with him.

I found an E90 (2006) fully loaded with a 6spd MT 70,000 miles for $17,900.

E46 ot E90? What's your input fellas....

[Sim117]

Autotrader.com is a great. I used that to find a car within driving distance. Paid 200 more than he owed on it (he just didn't want to pay for it anymore, he had like 4 cars and 2 boats). Alot of people are selling second or third cars because of the economy. Its a good place to start for private seller pricing.

[sockethead]

how about auto auctions? I know a car dealer who does that and I could tag along with him.

I found an E90 (2006) fully loaded with a 6spd MT 70,000 miles for $17,900.

E46 ot E90? What's your input fellas....

Auto auction is the way to go if you're not worried about warranty but you won't have that much time to research the vehicles your interested in i.e. carfax, service history, etc. 90% of used cars you see at dealers are from the auction... that includes OEM dealers. You could potentialy save thousands.

[94dinan3]

Hey, I just bought an '05 330ci vert with the zhp package at a firm in Marietta, GA. When I looked on their website late last month they had 3 330's with the zhp performance package. They buy the cars off lease and sell them for an average of $3,000.00 below the price listed with dealers.

They deliver anywhere in the US. The site is IQ Autos dot com. Sorry I cannout put the link because I am a new memebr. The three they had were the one I bought, has 27, 100 miles on it, an '05 black coupe with the nav system and an '06 coupe. Both had less than 35k miles on them.

They have all of the cars serviced at the local BMW delaership to ensure they are up-to-speed. They specialize in bimmers, volvos and saabs but have more bimmers than anything else. They list 25 to 30 pic's of every car on their site. I went to the site and test drove three cars before I decided on the '05 330ci vert with zhp and it is a blast to drive.

I rsearched the company on the secretary of state's website for GA it is lised under Jim Thompson Auto's Inc, I also researched them on the BBB site for any complaints, they had 1 complaint in three years and the BBB report indicates the delaer did everything to satisfy the customer but he could not be appeased.

Although I live in the metro Atlanta area, I had never heard of the dealer but they have been in business since 1998 and do virtually all internet sales. They also have a location in Somerset, KY. They practice passive sales at the dealer with zero pressure and were fantastic to deal with.

Check out their site and speak with Tony Lopez or Ed Wolfe. Tony is the rep I dealt with.

Good luck!

[TopasBlau46]

There are tons of ZHPs out there, what you want to do is search for "performance" or "performance package" in the search terms box.

[ThEnder]

how about auto auctions? I know a car dealer who does that and I could tag along with him.

I found an E90 (2006) fully loaded with a 6spd MT 70,000 miles for $17,900.

E46 ot E90? What's your input fellas....

the only e9Xs i would ever buy are the 335 and M3 and that's only because of the engines. e46 FTW

[sockethead]

the only e9Xs i would ever buy are the 335 and M3 and that's only because of the engines. e46 FTW

the 328 has only 5 hp less that the ZHP. I drove one for about a week when my car was getting serviced. It was just as fast as my ZHP

[ThEnder]

the 328 has only 5 hp less that the ZHP. I drove one for about a week when my car was getting serviced. It was just as fast as my ZHP

but its ugly.

[sockethead]

but its ugly.

I wasn't talking about looks..

[spoonerDee]

www.autotrader.com is pretty good. i found my e36 on there and now im eying an e46 zhp on there. But sadly i wont be able to buy anything till next fall. Have to sell this one first.

[cpatstone]

craigslist, but you can't do a national search... unless you go first to crazedlist.org. It'll bark at you for searching nationwide, but it always works. Search for ZHP, then use your browser to search for "DEC" to scroll to each ad.

For my efforts, you can buy me this one:
http://york.craigslist.org/cto/949287117.html

[tomedkaz]

craigslist, but you can't do a national search... unless you go first to crazedlist.org. It'll bark at you for searching nationwide, but it always works. Search for ZHP, then use your browser to search for "DEC" to scroll to each ad.

For my efforts, you can buy me this one:
http://york.craigslist.org/cto/949287117.html

That is pretty sweet! How did you find it? I did a search on PA but nothing came up. I might give this guy a call - the price seems fair (and by that I mean i would talk him down $2,000)

Also, for those who care - this is the car I'm getting rid of.
a 2003 S40 with lots of mods done including bigger turbo, sitting on coilovers. I've began stripping it down to stock already. The wheels have been sold, swaping the stock suspension back in this weekend and then need to have the exhaust put back together. It will be missed, but I couldnt stand the auto transmission

[pureco99]

thanks man. Luxurymotors.com seems a bit overpriced. I went down there once and they really didnt have much selection.

By the way, I'm loving your bumper. If my car is not ZHP, I"ll be getting something like that installed.

The luxurymotors branch I bought from here at Chicago O'Hare has got TONS of cars. I bought the car b/c I was able to test drive it home (about 100 miles on the highway one way) and brought it back the next day. I completely fell in love with it, regardless of the color, as I was originally looking for Silver and a Coupe.

Also try to search off www.autotrader.com or www.cars.com. These are valuable sources.

As for the bumper, www.ddmtuning.com has it on sale now for $99 + freight. I love it!

[TopasBlau46]

the only e9Xs i would ever buy are the 335 and M3 and that's only because of the engines. e46 FTW

E92s aren't ugly O_o, and facelifted E90s aren't bad at all compared to pre-facelift IMO.

[Rizzo2008]

Id go with certified pre-owned if you can afford it. You get the assurance that if something goes horribly wrong they have to cover it for you

[mimalmo]

Spent 4 months looking for mine before finding it at a local BMW dealer. The CPO search on BMW's website can help. Look for the ZHP bumpers and wheels in pics and the words "performance package" in descriptions.

Other places to check:
Classified section on the following sites
Bimmerforums
E46Fanatics
BMWCCA

[slammedE36M3]

Here is one by my house in SF, CA
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/ctd/950228021.html

I love it just cant get my self to do it.

[Rizzo2008]

Here is one by my house in SF, CA
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/ctd/950228021.html

I love it just cant get my self to do it.

But its white...eww!

Also found a 330ci ZHP although I think you are looking for the sedan
http://tkcarsites.homenetinc.com/Jak...knumber=B51275

Also here's a 330i ZHP but the mileage is kind of high at 54000 (but hey its CPO)
http://www.bmwstore.com/preowned/view.php?car=5557

[mimalmo]

But its white...eww!

Also found a 330ci ZHP although I think you are looking for the sedan
http://tkcarsites.homenetinc.com/Jak...knumber=B51275

Also here's a 330i ZHP but the mileage is kind of high at 54000 (but hey its CPO)
http://www.bmwstore.com/preowned/view.php?car=5557

That black with Natural Brown leather is

[tomedkaz]

Thank you gents for all your responses.
My Volvo is completely stripped of all its upgrades now and now the painsteaking process of selling it privately has begun.
At the same time I'm looking for the 330i. Found a guy in NY who's got a 2004 nice imola red 330i zhp with 70,000 on it for $16,000 but it looks like it's got the notorious Vanos rattle issue....Not sure If I"m willing to deal with that. Perhaps I should start looking into regular 330's...

[Jaska]

found mine on craigslist!