My 2005 BMW 330Ci ZHP

[97tbird]

Here are some preliminary pics ... It rained and the car is not washed/waxed, so it's semi-dirty. The inside is as clean as a 12.5 k mile car can be....

Car handles like a dream and is wickedly fast, (0-60 is 5.4 I think, as stated by car&driver at some point)

It took me a while to realize that my wife had set the camera to the smallest pic/quality size and when I realized it, it was raining too much, so better pics WILL come in the future, WITHOUT the hideous front license plate and holder; I almost didn't want to post pics with it, but here they are anyway:

Summary:

* 2005 ZHP (Performance package): for those who are wondering what the ZHP package adds to the regular 330Ci:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/wiki/index.php?title=BMW_E46#ZHP_-_Performance_Package
* 12.5 k miles.
* Alpine White
* Alcantara/cloth interior
* cold weather pkg, Adaptive Xenon head lights, Harmon Kardon 10-speaker sound system.
* Most people get 30 mpg hwy; stated MPG is 27 hwy.

According to the people at Bimmerfest and E46 Fanatics I found a rare combo of 12k+ miles, Alpine White exterior coupled with Alcantara/cloth interior which is absolutely comfortable and rather rare, and auto.
The pics really don't do the car justice...
I will take some better high-res. pics without that front license plate soon. I thik blacked out grills would look well on this car, but i really don't want to change anything on this rare beast.

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[-Clayton-]

Congrats man on the new to you ride, Very nice!

 

[Dave Hess]

It looks great. So is this car 9/10th of an M3 ?

I just love how well designed the interior of a BMW is, simple yet elegant, but also sporty.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Congrats!..That car is AWESOME!..I see you have excelllent taste!

 

[JHZR2]

Nice! You'll love it! See if you can swap m3 suspension parts...

 

[LS2JSTS]

VERY nice!

I'm usually not a fan of white cars, but that car pulls off white very well.

 

[crazyoildude]

Be real nice to that motor that is super expensive to fix some of those BMW engines cost over $15,000 to rebuild...Im in the business and i would not own a car like that...Dont get me wrong its a nice car but just the thought of something major out of waranee is too much to worry about

 

[crazyoildude]

I think it looks great in white

 

[silverrat]

This is definitely one gorgeous beast of a car. But eww on the automatic and major step up from Thunderbird repair costs.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Congrats! Those seats look awesome!

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Be real nice to that motor that is super expensive to fix some of those BMW engines cost over $15,000 to rebuild...Im in the business and i would not own a car like that...Dont get me wrong its a nice car but just the thought of something major out of waranee is too much to worry about

The engine itself is pretty reliable. It's the cooling system that leaves much to be desired. It's all plastic and tends to crack and leak over time, exposed to all the heat under the hood. If you don't catch it in time, you could potentially overheat the engine and cause some serious damage. I just ordered parts to do a complete cooling system overhaul on mine.

 

[d00df00d]

Congratulations! Welcome to the family!

One small problem, though: it looks like something's wrong with your shifter. Check to see if the car is missing a pedal.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
It looks great. So is this car 9/10th of an M3 ?

Definitely not 9/10ths. 245 hp vs. 333 hp, no LSD, suspension differences, and the chassis isn't assembled quite the same way.

However, in terms of trim levels, this is the first thing under an M3. The ZHP is also available in sedan form, which the M3 of that generation was not.

 

[97tbird]

Thanks for all the comments.

Manual transmission would have been pretty unsuitable for my driving demands, and the type of commute I have, so had to go with auto.

I educated myself a lot about those cars, and can say that I know reasonably what to expect..I know it may not be in the same category as the Tbird in reliability ( I am keeping the Tbird too), but with a huge aftermarket support, and knowing what to look out for and by doing preventative maintenance (cooling system, for example, like Quattro Pete said), people get a lot of miles out of these cars...

my favorite part: compared to the E90, this car has a big advantage: it has a normal OIL DISPTICK and the filter is on TOP of the engine, and E46 owners change their own oil with an extractor easily.

Now i am open to oil suggestions, guys

 

[Nick R]

Hah, good ol BMW automatic there. Do a fluid change (with whatever bmw uses) and your good to go.

 

[JHZR2]

I change the oil on my 135i easily despite no dipstick. BMW MTs are easy to drive in traffic - especially when set up with a heavier flywheel. Both my 318 and 135 are like butter and easy.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird

Manual transmission would have been pretty unsuitable for my driving demands, and the type of commute I have, so had to go with auto.

What sort of commute? I drive about 2 hours a day now, half of it in pretty bad traffic. Still, manual isn't too bad, and it's still fun.

 

[97tbird]

I believe you. But my commute ( a big part of it) is bad enough that a manual would be torture for me.

btw, I don't think I ever owned a KEY this complicated...apparently a myriad of memory features can be programmed on to the 2 keys...have to read a lot.

 

[mcrn]

very nice car! Congratulations!

 

[bretfraz]

Gorgeous car! Detail her up and enjoy. Congrats!