Last time I checked the G coupe was getting way more attention than about anything out there including the ubiquitious and tired 3 series. Any "chicks" getting frothed up over a 3 series probaby have a stench. My sister in laws new 5 gets less attention than the G coupe. Bimmer skanks we call them. The reason to not own one not to mention the slow acceleration and reliability. Lets not forget the ZHP is geared to take off and then wheeez to 100. Don't have any skank with you when a G drives by - you'll be skankless.

 

Definition of skank: One who is digustingly foul or filthy and often considered sexually promiscuous. Used especially of a woman or girl.

You have offended me and no doubt most any woman that would read these posts with your unnecessarily crude depiction of women. Do you find yourself amusing? I don't.

 

I've got a great deal on one too. Beautiful car! Personally, I'm not worried about not having the latest model. These cars do well over time.

My concerns are these (please add feedback if you have any to give)...

Tires...How often must I replace them? I'd like to reduce cost where it make sense.

Also, what do you think a 04 clean zhp is worth? Low miles, clean, etc.

Is the zhp as reliable as the normal 3?

thoughts?

 

Tires are going to be a little on the expensive side. But then again I put Pilot A/S Sport 235's on the stock rims of my G and they run about 1K for four. I would expect a little more for the ZHP if you are going with any of the major brands (Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, etc.) due to them being 18inch rims with staggered widths. My 05 only has 3700 miles so I can't personally attest to what the tire wear will be at this point, but I hear the Bridgestone's don't last long. If you don't want to pay top dollar you may want to consider the Kuhmo MX series.

I don't know what the resale of an 04 330zhp is currently. Are you looking at coupe or sedan? I know the coupes are a bit rarer so they are likely to be higher, although you should have quite a bit of bargaining room with the sedans as there seems to be a lot of them out there.

 

You guys are talking about picking up chiks with your car and someone asked if the G/3 was chick worthy? What part of that wasn't offensive? Again, if you need a car to get laid then you are going to get stuck with a not so nice smelling and promiscous person...all the women I know of and especially the G driving women of this board are not to be misconstrued as having anything to do with being skanky. Don't get hyped and turn my words into something they are not. What do you call someone who is available based on the badge of your car? I call them skank.

 

Downtown,
I have Pilot Sport on my ZHP, but I am not sure how long they will last on ZHP. I had Pilot Sport on my E-class (235 and 265), and they lasted 30000 miles. I am planning on switching to Yokohoma ES (since I've been running them on my E-class and they are cheap and provide pretty decent handling). As far as reliability is concerned, I am not sure as I only have 16000 miles on the clock and I only took it back to the dealer once for scheduled service. Just a little door rattle on the driver side, which is barely noticeble and has way less rattle than my G. Are you considering an 'O4 ZHP? I am not sure about the resale of the 'O4, but 'O5 now is pretty reasonably priced about the same price as the Gs after discount since they really want to push out the 'O5s b4 'O6 3 series arrives.

 

To clearify my statement on the
_BMW 330i > G35 Sedan
_G35 Coupe > BMW 330ci

The G35 sedan comes with pretty pathetic stock tires before 2005. The tires have no damn grip especially in the wet. The tire difference between the G35S and G35C alone would make a world of difference for any sort of 'performance driving'. Lower the sedan and put some decent tires on it, I've no doubt it'd kick ***.

The BMW 3 series somehow manage to get by with their sad run flats and still manage to offer a level of grip/comfort/stability above the G35 sedan. I believe it has more to do with the suspension setup and balance on the Bimmer. The G35 sedan is definitely more fun to drive than the BMW 330 or even the G35C though. (for those oversteer happy freaks like me, that is)

Straight line performance? The VQ35DE would kill the Bimmer I-6 in most driving conditions - I know, I've been to the track and back. The straight line performance difference is evident. I am not talking about 1/4 drag racing, rather the coming out of a hairpin slamming on the throttle type acceleration.

Now the ZHP I can't make any real comparisons because I havn't driven one. From the specs and the tire choice though, I'd say it would be a very very good car for enthusiasts. Still, when you can get a fairly loaded G35 sedan for under $33k, the Bimmer is still at least 7-8k more expensive similarly equipped. (even when discounted)

Never liked Bimmer much, but always respected them. The 3 series ZHP, I have no problem calling it a M3-esque 330i - very nice.

 

YEs the Turanzas suck but with the other GY tire option the G sports a .9 skidpad and owned the 330 with those poor run flats in a test was on on demand video in my area for a year or so. Killed the CTS too. I think the coupe is better only by a slim margin in any comparable stats I have seen. The slalom in that on demand test is where the G really shined. I think they had goodyears but could be mistaken. That is the summer tire standard on the sport susp. package...which of course if you add the winter package on top of that like I did then you get downgraded to sucky *** all season Turdanzas. I hate the north sometimes...

 

You should take the next generation IS300 into account. It debuting March 1st or 2nd.

Cant wait. Thats probably my next car.

 

I've been thinking about my next car too. If I can even part with my G I would go for the 300C SRT8 (way to frikkin big but jesus C with power) or the CTS-V. I figure the longer I wait tho the better the sedan I can buy for the $ and the more $ I'll have to spend on such a frivilous thing as HP. O the M35 or M45 might not be bad either but with the G so low on mileage and the thing is a hoot to drive with such light weight and nice power, I think it's a tough sell to move quickly into a v-8 that's 4000 pounds. I'll wait for kids.

Meanwhile, we can all thank Infiniti as lexus and all the others are coming to bat with everything they have for this segment of the market. Caddy is rocking and may be to thank too. 3 series (topic) just seems old even with new skin and reasonable well powered motors with all the other offerings these days. Comparing cars in 3 classes makes the decision hard. 300 or 3 is a question I hear a lot now and how different are they?