Hello all,

Looking to purchase a 330zhp by the end of the year, and was just wondering what you paid for your car w/ options. This would help me tremondously in the bargaining process, and I would be very appreciative of your info. Feel free to PM me if you don't feel comfortable posting a price.

Thanks and happy motoring,
Jason

I just got one 2 months ago:
I paid $41,300(sticker said $43,095) The options I got were:

Xenon lights, heated seats, leather seats, and moonroof...

it comes with upgraded sound and upgraded M wheels of course.

Alcantra seats are nice when you're out pretending you're Michael Schumacher, but for everyday I think leather is easier to manage.

Originally posted by Raikkonen
Alcantra seats are nice when you're out pretending you're Michael Schumacher, but for everyday I think leather is easier to manage.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but why is leather easier to manage then alcantra?

Yeah, I think it should be the other way around.

Alcantra holds on to everything(it's supposed to) but when you get in your car with nice clothes it bascially grabs on at first contact including your coat and anything else. I tested one in early summer with a t-shirt and jeans and loved it. Then I stopped back after work one day beforee I bought one and tried it with dress clothes on and it was not very comfortable. Plus alcnatra grabs anything floating around as well. The alcantra around my gear shift has lint all over it and it's a very tiny amount of material there. Imagine if all your seats were made of it.. you would need a giant lint brush every week. and God forbid you spill any food at all by accident on that material.

Bottom line.... get the car!!!!!!!

thanks for the alcantara vs. leather discussion! Very helpful.

Anyone else have a price/purchase experience they'd like to share?

BTW, I'm leaning away from the ZHP due to its 18" tires and the cruddy roads of San Francisco. See my other thread regarding this.

unfortunately, i havent got mine but its coming in from cali to florida. i paid sticker for my 330i zhp but i worked it out on the other end with my trade in. i didnt get screwed there so i feel i made a good deal. therefore you question is only valid if no trade in is in the negotiations. basically you work off of one end or the other. then of course is the back end of financing.

I don't think there is a huge difference in 18" and 17" wheels you would get normally... Don't not get the fun car because of a small wheel difference.

fun car indeed! basically, my concern is that the 18's will be eaten up by the roads here. (you need to see some of the potholes I'm talking about) so in an effort to protect them (and keep them as track wheels =)), I would feel safer if I was riding on 17's in the city. It's the added cost of this that I don't want to mess with. Though I wonder if the dealer could hook me up with an extra set of 17's as part of the deal.... :alright

it sucks to stay away from nice rims because they'll get chewed up.. would you feel safer in a 17 cuz they'll be cheaper wheels or just because they are 17s?

i guess you better start planning your route aroudn the major ugly pot holes! :D

I initially liked 17's for a couple of reasons.

1) I could mount a slightly more ride compliant tire on them, and with the added profile of the 17's, ride should be great around town, and hopefully there will be more protection for the rims from a slightly higher profile.

2) This would keep the 18's from getting messed up and after the pilot sports wore out I could slap some S-03's on them.

Though after doing the math, I realize that the difference in profile in a 245/35/17 tire and a 255/40/18 isn't really that different. So I dunno... any suggestions?

Certainly avoiding potholes and planning routes is a priority!

I got mine for $40,900 Xenon's, heated seats, moonroof which is about 1400 under MSRP. I pick it up on Monday, Damn thats gonna be a good day!:redspot

I just paid $42,000 (msrp 43,595) for 04 330i zhp, cold weather package, moonroof, leather and xenons.

Regarding the ancantara upholstery, I wonder how well it will wear.

BTW, since we're talking bwm's here, i believe its pretending to be ralf schumacher - but then again why would you want to do that...

awesome. thanks for the prices guys! it's gonna be helpful for me when i go in and negotiate this weekend. :) i'll let you all know how it went

Originally posted by DxBimmer
I'm leaning away from the ZHP due to its 18" tires and the cruddy roads of San Francisco.


My 04 M3 is awaiting transport and I had the same concern with the 18" wheels and low sidewall height. I live on a 1.5 mile dirt road and like to go mountain driving in Utah, NM, Colorado etc. I was concerned over wheel damage until I researched special 17" M68 wheels specified by BMW for the M3.

The wheels just arrived and I am mounting 225/50-17 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires for all year use. Now all I need is the car to arrive.

For those who are groaning "how could you?!?" at least I get the fun of an M3 and can go anywhere (no ski trips of course) w/o that much worry. Yes, the stock 18s look better but I rather enjoy the car.

Attached is a photo of an M3 with the 17" wheels.

are those the same wheels as the 330i sport? and just to clarify, are you mounting 225/50/17 on all four corners? or wider in the rear?

thanks for the info! very helpful.

Originally posted by DxBimmer
are those the same wheels as the 330i sport? and just to clarify, are you mounting 225/50/17 on all four corners? or wider in the rear?


Same design but special offsets for the M3 - they even have a //M tag on each wheel. Eack wheel is 7.5" wide and all corners have the same size wheels/tires. This wheel is used extensively in Europe for winter use for M3s. The combo was approved by Gary and Jim at Tirerack for my needs. Refer to http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=139657 for all my hand wringing on the subject.

Also refer to:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41959
for someone who put 330ZSP wheels on his ZHP. I have no direct experience with this switch but ask the fellow in the post.

Do not let wheels/tires affect your ultimate choice on the ZHP. Wheels/tires are not the same as facial tattoos - you can change them. Do the research first (watch out for total diameter) and go for it.

I went through this exercise 3 months ago in trying to decide on either the ZHP or M3. The M3 won - it was produced 12/5/03 and is now on some dock in Germany being driven around by some 16 year old doing burnouts.

Good luck!

Awesome! Congratulations on your new purchase! That's a sweet setup and if you ever hit the track, you've got your stock 18's to use as track wheels.

Thanks for the links. They were very helpful. Take care.