Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

Wife suggested I keep the Charger and sell the Benz. Winter is "so far away" after all. I guess that makes sense. I'll have to try to get it into a shop on Monday.

Did you ever figure out what the problem was with that car?

Wouldn't need a shop if I did. haha.

corvette

Nice looking 330i, @carnaught! I love that color. Buy or lease?

explorerx4

@carnaught,
You've got some decadent options on your car.

[Deleted User]

Very nice @carnaught, enjoy!!!

carnaught

Thanks to all who have commented. @andres3, this 330, from Chapman BMW (Chandler, AZ), replaced my ‘19 Avalon Hybrid and @corvette, this was a purchase. The dealer is on the rear car’s license frame. Free advertising ceases when I get the new plate .

laurasdada

Congrats, carnaught. My thunder, stolen.
But, in another 7.25 years, vengeance shall be mine!

corvette

@carnaught that's quite a change from an Avalon! Nice!

carnaught

@corvette, previous to the Avalon I had the Mercedes GLC300, so I make drastic changes. I like change.

corvette

Does the auto trans just kill the desirability of a ZHP? The damage to the wheels looks pretty bad.
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3p5my4Nl/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-sedan

roadburner

corvette said:

Does the auto trans just kill the desirability of a ZHP?
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3p5my4Nl/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-sedan

Yes.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

Does the auto trans just kill the desirability of a ZHP? The damage to the wheels looks pretty bad.
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3p5my4Nl/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-sedan

No doubt it kills it for many on this board but I wonder if that applies to the general public. Auto transmissions have been pushing manuals out of the picture for decades. From the viewpoint of that seller might the automatic draw upon a larger potential buyer pool?

corvette

Not sure... The factory horsepower rating and the state of auto transmissions at the time suggest to me that the manual would be faster and more responsive. I think it's also too similar to the G37 which I recently sold to merit my interest.

stickguy

really nice looking 330i. Love the color.

and no auto trans, even a really good one like on the new BMWs, can replace a nice manual trans.

stickguy

my BIL decided to push my buttons today. he sent me a picture of his latest toy. Seems that he bought a real 2 post lift for his garage. Darn, I have zero need, but want one. I assume though that I could never put one in my current garage, until I looked out there and realized I actually do have enough headroom. Might have to switch to a wall mounted opener or change the garage door, but I think if I moved the shelves from the front and shifted it all forward, I actually could put a lift in. And of course, have nothing to actually put on it!

the next house, is definitely going to have a lift and space for a little work area.

28firefighter

corvette said:

Does the auto trans just kill the desirability of a ZHP? The damage to the wheels looks pretty bad.
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3p5my4Nl/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-sedan

Having had the steptronic in the disastrous 04 330xi of my youth, I can say with 100% confidence that, yes, it kills it.

qbrozen

combo of the ZHP package and auto trans is contradictory. Anyone who wants an old ZHP wants a manual. Anyone who wants an auto doesn't care about the ZHP.

stickguy

this I agree with.

28firefighter

qbrozen said:

combo of the ZHP package and auto trans is contradictory. Anyone who wants an old ZHP wants a manual. Anyone who wants an auto doesn't care about the ZHP.

Well said.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

my BIL decided to push my buttons today. he sent me a picture of his latest toy. Seems that he bought a real 2 post lift for his garage. Darn, I have zero need, but want one. I assume though that I could never put one in my current garage, until I looked out there and realized I actually do have enough headroom. Might have to switch to a wall mounted opener or change the garage door, but I think if I moved the shelves from the front and shifted it all forward, I actually could put a lift in. And of course, have nothing to actually put on it!

the next house, is definitely going to have a lift and space for a little work area.

How about a scissor lift like Quick Jack?

corvette

The Quick Jacks are neat, but I think $1,000-$1,500 is overpriced for what they are. If you have the room, "real lifts" start around $3,000, I think.

The CarMax website shows my local store having only 91 cars on the lot right now, which I think is about half of normal. I expect the insane used car prices to continue until the inventory situation resolves.

Michaell

My BIL drove an auto ZHP for a number of years, then they handed it off to son #1. They got it to about 130,000 miles before it had needs that were too expensive to address, so they sold it and got son #1 the ill-fated GTI from CarMax.

andres3

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

combo of the ZHP package and auto trans is contradictory. Anyone who wants an old ZHP wants a manual. Anyone who wants an auto doesn't care about the ZHP.

Well said.

If enough people have that exact same viewpoint, then a bargain could be had to be "bribed" into overlooking those faults in an auction atmosphere.

andres3

roadburner said:

corvette said:

Does the auto trans just kill the desirability of a ZHP?
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3p5my4Nl/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-sedan

Yes.

Is the transmission reliable to get from Point A to Point B for many miles, even if not in an exciting way?

28firefighter

andres3 said:

roadburner said:

corvette said:

Does the auto trans just kill the desirability of a ZHP?
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3p5my4Nl/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-sedan

Yes.

Is the transmission reliable to get from Point A to Point B for many miles, even if not in an exciting way?

Yes. But then you shouldn’t pay the premium that a ZHP commands. Makes no sense.

corvette

I think the auto trans in the E46 was known for failure, with a common symptom being the loss of reverse gear.

tjc78

Our new neighbors a few doors down at the campground must be big VW fans. Golf R and an Atlas.

kyfdx

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

Does the auto trans just kill the desirability of a ZHP? The damage to the wheels looks pretty bad.
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3p5my4Nl/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-sedan

No doubt it kills it for many on this board but I wonder if that applies to the general public. Auto transmissions have been pushing manuals out of the picture for decades. From the viewpoint of that seller might the automatic draw upon a larger potential buyer pool?

I think it applies to the buyers that recognize the ZHP as a special edition, and would pay up extra for it. For the general public, they are going to compare it to other automatic E46s, and run away from the higher price.

abacomike

carnaught said:

Beautiful car with the right exterior and interior colors, carnaught! I wish you the best with the new BMW - it will fit you to a T!😜🤓

driver100

carnaught said:

Gorgeous looking BMW @carnaught . Love the color and the little changes they made....like the back lights. BMW did a great job on the interior, not as flashy as some but very tasteful in the BMW subtle way (btw, the interior colors scheme goes nicely with the exterior).
I forget what your ever changing line up has been lately, but what are your impressions of the new BMW compared to what it replaces and some of the other models?
Let me know when you answer over on C&C so I'll know to come back and check, or post it there directly.

stickguy

those scissor lift units are cool, but do seem really expensive for what you get. At least a post lift lets you get underneath it. I watched a few videos at one point on a portable version (Max Jax)for home use that actually worked pretty well, but doesn't permanently clog up the garage. If you just need to get underneath your car once in a while, they are a good option.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsmoK4_1Avs

roadburner

carnaught said:

Thanks to all who have commented. @andres3, this 330, from Chapman BMW (Chandler, AZ), replaced my ‘19 Avalon Hybrid and @corvette, this was a purchase. The dealer is on the rear car’s license frame. Free advertising ceases when I get the new plate .

Nice- and kudos for getting a properly equipped G20- M Sport and RWD.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

Does the auto trans just kill the desirability of a ZHP? The damage to the wheels looks pretty bad.
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3p5my4Nl/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-sedan

No doubt it kills it for many on this board but I wonder if that applies to the general public. Auto transmissions have been pushing manuals out of the picture for decades. From the viewpoint of that seller might the automatic draw upon a larger potential buyer pool?

I would guess that at least 90% of potential ZHP buyers are enthusiasts. The average dimwit who is looking for a BMW to wear has no idea what an E46 ZHP is.

xwesx

andres3 said:

Did you get 1/8" glass at triple pane? I've wondered if I'd rather go to 1/4" glass double paned. That's 1/2" total glass with an air/gas/vacuum cushion in between. For San Diego, double paned at 1/8" is plenty.

I honestly don't remember. I am going to guess that they're 1/8" panes, as three 1/4" a panes would be seriously huge/heavy windows, and I still have all of my vertebrae intact!

xwesx

laurasdada said:

Micro USB connectors, not regular. That stinks a bit. Wish it had a cd/player juke box a la XF. That's not too old fashioned!
Will need a road trip one of these days.

Interesting. The Q5 I have as a loaner has two USB ports: One is an A, and the other is a C type. I haven't used either one; I'm still smarting about the loss of the SD slots.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Wife suggested I keep the Charger and sell the Benz. Winter is "so far away" after all. I guess that makes sense. I'll have to try to get it into a shop on Monday.

Ah, she's just sore about it not having run since shortly after you brought it home. Get it sorted, and she'll change her tune!

xwesx

carnaught said:

Hi all. Thought I’d give more info. on the new punch starting with the window sticker, pics to follow.

Nice! Congrats again; that's a fabulous color combo.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

Here’s a safety film starring andres3’s grandfather at the beginning.

Oof. That's a helluva video.

qbrozen

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

Wife suggested I keep the Charger and sell the Benz. Winter is "so far away" after all. I guess that makes sense. I'll have to try to get it into a shop on Monday.

Ah, she's just sore about it not having run since shortly after you brought it home. Get it sorted, and she'll change her tune!

I keep racking my brain about this. The codes don't make a whole lot of sense. My latest thought it that maybe, possibly, something is wrong or off about the exhaust camshaft adjuster on that one side. Since the codes are saying the crank and that one exhaust cam are in disagreement and that the "O2 sensors are swapped," which is also an exhaust issue. I can't say I understand why it would claim those are swapped, but maybe they aren't receiving what is expected if the cam adjuster is off. The adjusters can be swapped left and right, so maybe my course of action is to swap them and see if all the problems move to the passenger side. A new adjuster is $600, so not something I just want to replace willy nilly.

stickguy

This sounds like a job for the Car Wizard.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

This sounds like a job for the Car Wizard.

Nah, I’m sure the dealer won’t rest until he throws enough parts at it to fix it.

corvette

xwesx said:

laurasdada said:

Micro USB connectors, not regular. That stinks a bit. Wish it had a cd/player juke box a la XF. That's not too old fashioned!
Will need a road trip one of these days.

Interesting. The Q5 I have as a loaner has two USB ports: One is an A, and the other is a C type. I haven't used either one; I'm still smarting about the loss of the SD slots.

You might have already tried this, but some systems allow you to plug pretty much any device into the USB port. If you have a USB to SD card adapter, it might work.

roadburner

corvette said:

xwesx said:

laurasdada said:

Micro USB connectors, not regular. That stinks a bit. Wish it had a cd/player juke box a la XF. That's not too old fashioned!
Will need a road trip one of these days.

Interesting. The Q5 I have as a loaner has two USB ports: One is an A, and the other is a C type. I haven't used either one; I'm still smarting about the loss of the SD slots.

You might have already tried this, but some systems allow you to plug pretty much any device into the USB port. If you have a USB to SD card adapter, it might work.

I had to buy one of those in order to update the software in my Foxwell Scanner- because it uses a TF(Micro SD) card. I went with a UNI USB 3.0 adapter that reads TF and SD cards. $12.99 from Amazon.

roadburner

qbrozen said:

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

Wife suggested I keep the Charger and sell the Benz. Winter is "so far away" after all. I guess that makes sense. I'll have to try to get it into a shop on Monday.

Ah, she's just sore about it not having run since shortly after you brought it home. Get it sorted, and she'll change her tune!

I keep racking my brain about this. The codes don't make a whole lot of sense. My latest thought it that maybe, possibly, something is wrong or off about the exhaust camshaft adjuster on that one side. Since the codes are saying the crank and that one exhaust cam are in disagreement and that the "O2 sensors are swapped," which is also an exhaust issue. I can't say I understand why it would claim those are swapped, but maybe they aren't receiving what is expected if the cam adjuster is off. The adjusters can be swapped left and right, so maybe my course of action is to swap them and see if all the problems move to the passenger side. A new adjuster is $600, so not something I just want to replace willy nilly.

One thing I really like about the British magazine BMW CAR is that every issue contains several technical articles. About one year ago the magazine's tech guru Andrew Everett wrote a series of articles on resurrecting a tatty Z3 that he had picked up on the cheap from Copart. The ABS and ASC lights were glowing constantly. The fix? A new MAF; even though the old MAF wasn't throwing any codes, it was the cause of the ABS/ASC issue- and it's something that you wouldn't know about unless you were extremely familiar with the M52TU motor.
I wonder if there isn't some similar issue at work in the ML63.

graphicguy

@carnaught.....ooohhhh....nice punch. Like that color combo, a lot.

breld

@carnaught - a little late on my response, but agreed with everyone else...beautiful punch!

carnaught

Thanks, @graphicguy and @breld!

pensfan83

Yes, that's a nice spec. Love the color combo too.

xwesx

corvette said:

xwesx said:

laurasdada said:

Micro USB connectors, not regular. That stinks a bit. Wish it had a cd/player juke box a la XF. That's not too old fashioned!
Will need a road trip one of these days.

Interesting. The Q5 I have as a loaner has two USB ports: One is an A, and the other is a C type. I haven't used either one; I'm still smarting about the loss of the SD slots.

You might have already tried this, but some systems allow you to plug pretty much any device into the USB port. If you have a USB to SD card adapter, it might work.

Oh... good thought! I do have one of those. It's a bit clunky because it's a full-size SD card rather than a micro inside an adapter, but worth a shot. If that doesn't work, I have plenty of flash drives... I just need to take the time to push the SD card's data over to one.

I haven't been using the Q5 since coming home. We have had all sorts of snow in the last week, including 10" of heavy, wet stuff yesterday, so it felt like the better move to park it and use the Forester.

xwesx

Saturday, before the additional 9" of wet stuff that fell overnight Saturday until around noon on Sunday:


Forester stuck at the bottom of the driveway. After getting pulled free by a neighbor, I ended up having to put the chains on to climb up the drive. Later that night, I had to go out again, and that time I was able to get to the top with a little rally-style drifting.

xwesx

It was probably a 45-minute ordeal trying to get up the driveway during/after that last pic. By the time I had the chains on, there were several neighbors that had congregated on the road there to chat and predict my fate. Once I arrived at the top of the drive, I got out of the car and exclaimed my victory. One of my neighbors, who drives a Jeep TJ, shouts, "darn it! You lost me twenty bucks!" LOL