2004 BMW 330i ZHP
Detailed Information
This BMW 330i ZHP has been my daily driver for almost ten years. It is powerful, great handling, fun, and dependable. Blue Book for an E46 330i of this year and milage in this area is about $5,770. I have priced my car higher because of the special goodies it has. This BMW is set apart from most because it has the ZHP "Performance Package" option, a twin screw supercharger, a manual transmission, and limited slip differential. The E46 BMW was the last of a breed; the last BMW to have a dipstick, the last to have a spare tire, and the last not needing special proprietary BMW diagnostic equipment for repair. Some will argue that newer BMWs separate the driver from the road too much and older BMWs lack refinement; the E46 was the perfect compromise of luxury, dependability and performance.
The ZHP package adds many desired goodies: high performance cams, M sport suspension (lower ride height), M aerodynamic package, M double spoke 18" wheels, M sport steering wheel, short throw 6-Speed, quicker final drive, sport seats, and cube aluminum trim to name a few. More Info Here
Stock horsepower for the ZHP version of the 330i was 235 HP with 222 TQ at the wheels. The European Supercharger Systems (ESS) M54B30 Twin Screw Stage 2 (TS2) supercharger More Info Here And Here adds about 70 more horsepower at the wheels (304) and 60 more torques (281). This added power is not at the top end like a typical centrifugal supercharger; it is right there under 2,000 RPM. The feeling of power is instantaneous and linear; it feels stock, but with more power everywhere. The stage 2 option adds an air-to-water intercooler to prevent power loss with a hot engine or hot conditions, and allows a more aggressive tune. No E46 supercharger has been certified by CARB, so they are technically non-compliant. In order to pass an emissions test, every car must pass a visual inspection as well as tail-pipe emissions testing. This car passes both because it doesn't pollute more than a stock E46 AND IT PASSES THE VISUAL INSPECTION! The supercharger retains the stock air filter and all parts are anodized, so it looks stock Pic Here.
The stock ZHP has an open differential and relies on dynamic traction control to keep power to both rear wheels. This looks good on paper, but what it does is automatically applies brake to the inside rear wheel when turning aggressively while simultaneously cutting the throttle; it intentionally slows you down when you want to power out of a turn. The solution is a limited slip differential. I choose a Quaife differential because it doesn't require special maintenance or special lubricants and doesn't wear quicker than a stock diff. More Info Here
This car also comes with other goodies. The functional M3-look side mirrors were made by an outfit in Australia and are identical to M3 mirrors. The head unit is an Avin Android with hands-free, GPS, streaming, backup camera, and much more (More Info Here), Alpine stereo amp for front speakers and integrated sub-woofer, custom gauges (including water temp!), UUC/Corsica TSE2 exhaust (that sounds great! More Info Here), Koni FSD dampners (More Info Here), UUC Sway Barbarians (More Info Here) custom wrapped steering wheel (More Info Here), and more.
I have maintained this car pretty well. I changed engine oil on a regular basis (generally around every 7.5k miles) as well as fluids in the transmission, differential, brakes, and cooling system. However, this car is far from perfect and I intend to sell it with full disclosure of problems that I know about. For instance, the exterior has a lot of scratches and dings, the drivers seat has a hole on the side from wear, the tint on the rear passenger side is badly scratched, the Avin head unit draws power when it's off, it's going to need new rear tires and registration soon, and the list goes on. Although I documented my maintenance, it isn't complete and I don't have all receipts (Maintenance History Here).