Is the Competition ZCP package more desirable?

[1MOREMOD]

Is a chick that's less ugly more desirable? Would you rather have a Rolex or a swatch? Should I punch your face or give you cash? Are these questions real questions?

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by Grip Addict

What I have read in this thread is the same thing I have heard many times before.

People making excuses on why they did not get a ZCP or why they did not find one.

If money was no option everyone would have a ZCP or even better a GTS, no one would be like oh yeah I decided I wanted to just get a non-ZCP.

I had a jackass friend who tried to tell me he got the V6 Mustang instead of the V8 GT because it was more smoother. Technically correct due to not having a V8 and being pointless.

If money was no option no one would have a Ferrari F430, they would all have 430 Scuds, same with any performance model of a performance model.

Think Corvette guys. Yeah I got the base Stingray because I wasn't a fan of the Z06 or ZR1.......GTFO of here. You settled financially don't try to up sell a base Corvette to a Z06.

All this being said, I have seen some base cars get modded so hard they can shit on any higher tier performance model. But that scale is less than 1 out of 10.

Lol. The ZCP is not a performance upgrade.

I much prefer the OEM 19" forged wheels to the ZCP wheels AND, to a lesser degree, I didn't want the lowered ride height. Finally, why pay more for the same car? And if you change wheels/and or suspension you're paying more, again.

Today, with the age of these cars and the ringer some of them have been put through, condition is king. You find the cleanest car in the color combo you like with the transmission you like and buy it - none of the small things matter much like ZCP, slicktop (if sedan), EDC, NAV, etc. Practically speaking, the only small thing that will actually make a notable difference every time you drive the car is the Enhanced Prem. Sound - if condition, color and transmission all line up AND you find a car with the bitchin' stereo, GRAB it.

Now, is the ZCP the right choice for some people? Sure. Would I 100% exclude a ZCP car? Probably not, but they were at the bottom of my list when shopping.

[RosieTheRedM3]

Originally Posted by sleestak

I am an owner of a 2012 6MT with ZCP option but have been watching this M3 that has been for sale the past few weeks in MN.

Seems to be in great condition located at a BMW dealership with low miles, 6MT, black/black, no accidents, reasonable price and also has the premium sound system. A car like this (especially a 6MT/low miles) I can see selling quickly no matter the distance so I'm surprised it even lasted a day! In fact, had I not found and purchased my ZCP about a month ago I probably would have pounced on this one without hesitation.

Thoughts why it seems to be taking longer to sell? Seems like a pretty solid M3....which we all know is getting hard to find those...

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...2424/overview/

I spent 5 months looking for the absolute perfect car. Yes it does have low miles but for that price, in my opinion, it seems a little high. Black on black though, you're gonna be stepping into a sauna whenever it is 80+ degrees outside. You might wanna look on autotrader. May have a wider range of M3's. The carbon fiber trim is super clean.

Nevermind about autotrader, I just did your search on there and that car was the only one within 75 miles that had your needs. That's unbelievable. If you aren't in a rush to buy a car, you could wait a month or two and see if anything better comes around.

[BOOF-M3]

Originally Posted by EricSMG

Lol. The ZCP is not a performance upgrade.

I much prefer the OEM 19" forged wheels to the ZCP wheels AND, to a lesser degree, I didn't want the lowered ride height. Finally, why pay more for the same car? And if you change wheels/and or suspension you're paying more, again.

Today, with the age of these cars and the ringer some of them have been put through, condition is king. You find the cleanest car in the color combo you like with the transmission you like and buy it - none of the small things matter much like ZCP, slicktop (if sedan), EDC, NAV, etc. Practically speaking, the only small thing that will actually make a notable difference every time you drive the car is the Enhanced Prem. Sound - if condition, color and transmission all line up AND you find a car with the bitchin' stereo, GRAB it.

Now, is the ZCP the right choice for some people? Sure. Would I 100% exclude a ZCP car? Probably not, but they were at the bottom of my list when shopping.

You are not paying more for a ZCP car. You are paying less for a non ZCP. I think we can all agree that an E90/92 regardless of your preference is badass in any iteration. I have never driven or played passenger in an M3 that I didn't like. We all have our must have/wants list but the only one that really matters is that it went through the assembly line and they placed an M3 emblem on the passenger rear trunk area.

[pbonsalb]

I take the M3 badges off my M3s.

[BOOF-M3]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I take the M3 badges off my M3s.

Lols

[Bomiz]

Originally Posted by EricSMG

Yep, but nothing looks as good as a clean black car. So if you want the best you have to put in the most effort. You can go MUCH longer between washes with lighter colors without the car looking like shit, I'll give you that. Black car must be washed weekly.

The lighter colors can be quite handsome but they lack any real depth or reflection. That said, the only two colors I would really consider are Jet Black and Alpine, in that order.

Totally agree on the cloth interior - hideous.

To the OP - I specifically didn't want a ZCP.

if you ask me,

the cloth interior is much superior over the leather.
looks cooler, wears less, more comfortable.

I have cloth in my e90 and I currently have leather in my E92.

[sleestak]

Dude- what the hell are you even talking about and what’s with all the damn acronyms!? Nobody knows what you're talking about and if they say they do they're lying!

Originally Posted by CSBM5

...and heated seats. CA was a mandatory option when I was looking for the M3 6 years ago and the E91 two years ago. Ordered it on the E90 330i and we quickly became spoiled. After just selling my E39 M5 recently, now have no car that requires physically using a key any more.

When I was hunting for my E90 M3 back in 2012, I was specifically looking for non-ZCP cars, lol. I was looking for a slicktop and 6MT but no ZCP. I wanted to have a competitive F-stock SCCA autocross car, and the SCCA had not yet passed the new rule allowing up/down 1" in diameter for wheels. Hence any ZCP car with its 19" wheels would not be competitive since back then no competitive tires were produced in 19". The BFG Rival had just come out, the RS3 was a competitor, etc. Similarly, I did not want EDC shocks on the car either.

Looking back on it, I'm surprised I ever found a very low mileage, garage queen, slicktop, 6MT, comfort access, heated seats, no zcp, no edc out of only about 180 2011 6MT slicktop cars.

[RosieTheRedM3]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I take the M3 badges off my M3s.

What's your reasoning for that?

[RosieTheRedM3]

Originally Posted by sleestak

Dude- what’s with all the damn acronyms!? Nobody knows the hell youre evening talking about!

Which acronyms are you confused about?

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by RosieTheRedM3

What's your reasoning for that?

I’d rather go lower profile. I don’t like M snobs. My 08 535xit is debadged also. Looks just like a 530xit.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by sleestak

Dude- what the hell are you even talking about and what’s with all the damn acronyms!? Nobody knows what you're talking about and if they say they do they're lying!

Maybe I spend entirely too much time on this forum... But I understood it perfectly

[RosieTheRedM3]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I’d rather go lower profile. I don’t like M snobs. My 08 535xit is debadged also. Looks just like a 530xit.

Well you're only a snob if you act like one and drive like one

[Crazy8.M3]

When I was looking for my M3 I was pretty sure I wanted ZCP but read up as much as I could on these forums to see what everyone was thinking to be sure.

Personally I felt if I got a non ZCP, I would regret it later but then found a thread where someone simply said, "Go big or go home!"

You're buying a used M3 so you're paying more than enough so why not get one with every bell and whistle.

[Ab28]

Originally Posted by sleestak

Dude- what the hell are you even talking about and what’s with all the damn acronyms!? Nobody knows what you're talking about and if they say they do they're lying!

Nope, no liars.

Any true BMW guy knows what all of those acronyms mean without even thinking.

[BOOF-M3]

I do go back and forth on it. Realistically it's as if we are saying the M3 was not worth purchasing from 2008 until 2011. And in retrospect it is kind of foolish for me/us to say or think that. Is was a well known enthusiast car before they added the 359's and lowered it 10MM. So I for one probably need to re think the whole ZCP vs non ZCP debate.

[wyatth]

I think ZCP commands (and deserves) a premium from street-driving enthusiasts, especially if we're comparing low mile cars, or when the owner isn't interested in heavy modifications. But, that's not everybody so I can surely understand why someone would not care about ZCP.

[PACarGuy]

I can only speak from my experience, which is that I was looking for a car w/ZCP when I did my search because I liked the 359's a lot, wasn't interested in heavy suspension mods (as wyatth said), and wanted the (supposed) improvements that BMW believed made a better handling M3 straight from the factory. Now, whether that difference is noticeable or not is another story, but it was an option that supposedly improved handling and came from the factory, so made sense to me that it would be a desired option when searching for one. That being said, it's certainly no deal breaker.

[MachinesWithSouls]

Clarkson once said the ZCP was worse than the standard M3. "A little button that makes it worse" referring to the revised EDC mapping.

But I'm not so sure. Mine rides fine. Never crashes. Looks better with lowered tide height and 359 wheels. Not really any performance boost, but definitely not slower.

At any rate, the real value of ZCP now comes from it being a real ZCP as oppose to an M3 with wheels and a lowering kit.

And for realsies - carbon roof and forged vs ZCP wheels track day bros. Stop it. You cannot feel the weight difference. I'd point to the fact that this car has a usable back seat and trunk before that stuff.

[PACarGuy]

Originally Posted by SoManyBlueCars

Clarkson once said the ZCP was worse than the standard M3. "A little button that makes it worse" referring to the revised EDC mapping.

But I'm not so sure. Mine rides fine. Never crashes. Looks better with lowered tide height and 359 wheels. Not really any performance boost, but definitely not slower.

At any rate, the real value of ZCP now comes from it being a real ZCP as oppose to an M3 with wheels and a lowering kit.

And for realsies - carbon roof and forged vs ZCP wheels track day bros. Stop it. You cannot feel the weight difference. I'd point to the fact that this car has a usable back seat and trunk before that stuff.

It's interesting about Clarkson's review, which I watched as well. If I recall, he was referring to ride quality, right? If so, I too don't feel any ride penalty with ZCP.

Other reviews at the time (https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-re...e-2010-review/) said the car had better turn in, less understeer, etc. and was faster, sturdier and felt better (https://www.motortrend.com/cars/bmw/...3-first-drive/) w/ZCP, and BMW themselves said the car was "measurably faster" in ZCP trim (https://www.bmwblog.com/2010/05/13/b...e-even-faster/).

So, given those factors, which many folks looking at E92 M3's will read, it's likely that the ZCP makes the car more desirable.

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by wyatth

I think ZCP commands (and deserves) a premium from street-driving enthusiasts, especially if we're comparing low mile cars, or when the owner isn't interested in heavy modifications. But, that's not everybody so I can surely understand why someone would not care about ZCP.

Originally Posted by PACarGuy

I can only speak from my experience, which is that I was looking for a car w/ZCP when I did my search because I liked the 359's a lot, wasn't interested in heavy suspension mods (as wyatth said), and wanted the (supposed) improvements that BMW believed made a better handling M3 straight from the factory. Now, whether that difference is noticeable or not is another story, but it was an option that supposedly improved handling and came from the factory, so made sense to me that it would be a desired option when searching for one. That being said, it's certainly no deal breaker.

I totally agree that it's worth more, and, generally more desirable. It's cool and exclusive and even though I prefer the 220s, the ZCP wheels are sexy.

Rereading my post above it came off as if I thought he ZCP was worthless and that's not the case. I just don't think it's a "must have" - it's a sorta take it or leave it kinda thing. I objected the poster who I quoted who suggested that no one wants a non-ZCP car.

The same argument happens with the 46M and F8XMs, although without question the latter is by far the most thorough comp pack to date and really does change the overall nature and character of the car.... and dramatically changes the look with those pimp daddy 666s. But even so, there are plenty of people who don't want that.

[Transfer]

I wanted a mostly OEM car so the wheels, slightly lower suspension, and mild EDC tune that ZCP provides has been just right for me. The civic M3 suspension isn't bad but I do feel like the sport EDC damping is a little better on ZCP, especially when on undulating surfaces in corners. The slight prestige is nice as well and resale values will hold a touch better.

I've owned an E90 ZCP in the past, driven non-ZCPs with EDC, and now own an E92 ZCP.