Hey all - got a chance here to buy a '75 BMW 2002, it's not a ti or tii, not certain yet on the mileage, but it's licensed and insured, and running well. Rebuilt engine in March, I'm going to look at it in the next day or two - any suggestions on what to look for? Shock tower rust, sunroof rust, bad 2nd gear synchro, steering slop, etc. . .

Thoughts, suggestions, etc? Thanks.

 

Depending on the pricing, go for it. 74 would be the year I would want, but 75 is great too. Stay away from 76 I have heard though, something with the tranny, or something to that effect.


Do show us pics, for years I have wanted one, but have never come across one that I love within my budget.

 

Until I got my MINI, my 1972 2002 was the most fun driving car I ever owned.

I drove it for 5 years and never even put a radio in it because I loved to hear the engine purr.

Look for rust around the marker lights on the top of the front fenders..I slaved over that car like I do my MINI and still could not prevent rust in that area. I also burned through 2 second gear rings in 75000 miles. Also fresh shocks (I always used Konis) are key to the handling, and get ready for some steering wheel size shock, compared to the MINI it will seem HUGE !

Good luck....they are fun cars !

 

Also, look for rust under the spare tire and around the fuel tank.

Congratulation!! Great find.

 

What do you think would be a fair price for it? Did a quick drive-by today, didn't get into it or start or drive it, but the body was solid - trunk was unlocked and I peeked in - solid, no rust, front and rear shock tower braces, 3-series wheels, tires okay, BMW Recaros (wrong color and lotsa holes), no A/C (good thing), faded beige paint but good shape. Could be a driver, maybe an autocrosser, who knows? I haven't had a Bimmer in about 10 years so I'm kinda foggy on what to look for, and honestly, I have no idea what a 30 year old Bavarian Bomber is worth. . .

 

Actually the '75, in its orginal form, is often regarded as the least desirable year. However, it is likely the smog pump, etc has been removed long ago in most cases. For the unitiated, the obnoxious impact bumpers came on the scene with the '74 model year (in add'n to more weight). While some regard these later square taillight cars highly, it is the earlier round taillight Tiis (72 -73) which consistently bring the higher dollars (I've had pristine/ show quality examples of both). From extensive personal experience, I can say that these are absolutely great cars to drive and enjoy; however, they are not practical as a sole daily driver.

 

Value is highly dependent upon condition, as with any older car. Do some research to identify some of the problem areas for rust (i.e shock towers, fenders, etc), mechanical items to be aware of etc. A good site containing a detailed restoration may be found at www.my2002tii.com

Good luck

 

Carefully check the rear shock towers. The problem was not rust, but flex/metal fatigue. The struts were known to push through the towers (on 2 of my 2002's, one friend's and heard this was a problem from a mechanic back in the early 70's, from what I can remember )

 

Photo below.

Trying to arrange a crawl-over and test drive, but I hear that we have stainless headers and dual Webers, new Bilsteins and Eibachs, new brakes, etc. Keepin' the fingers crossed, but I don't know. . .it's OLD. . .

 

next to classic Mini's, old 2002's are about as cool as it gets in my book.

 

Here're a couple of resources to do a little research on 02s (note section on 2002 buyer's guide on the bimmers.com site):

http://www.bimmers.com/02/
http://www.thewerkshop.net/
http://2002haus.com/
http://www.roadfly.com/bmw/classifie...ds.php?cat=201


It's becoming increasingly difficult to find nice examples of these cars - as with any older classic, try to buy the nicest one you can afford as you won't ever recover the costs of a restoration. Fortunately, there is a fairly broad vendor and enthusiast support community for these truly great cars. Joining the BMW CCA is a good starting point.

 

Right on, thanks. Already been to one of those sites (and a few others as well) - hopefully I can find one that's even 1/10th as helpful as NAM!!

 

That is the same color as my '72 was...wasn't my first choice but really grew on me, also held up better than the reds and oranges that my friends had..they really faded bad.


I know they hold their value because after 5-1/2 years I got what I paid for it on a trade in for a '77 320i(what a disappointment). Once you get into the "antique" catagory(over 30 yrs) and heavy mods like you have mentioned you have to make a "gut" feeling decision and realize that you may never get your investment back, but the fun and pride of owning a "classic" has un-measurable value as well!

 

Finally got an appointment to drive it tonight. . .keepin' my fingers crossed that the mechanicals are as good as the body. . .

FWIW - figuring the curb weight and approximate power of this car (I'm guessing around 2,200-2,300 lbs. and 110-130 bhp) it should run pretty good, at least around town.

<sigh>

I know it's not a new MINI (our new one is being built this week!!!) but it's a potential new ride, and it's still exciting.

Well, to me, at least!

 

Cool cars. I remember when those came out. They had fender flares and a rear spoiler. A racy look stock from the factory. It was shocking. What were they trying to tell us? I miss the basic sports sedan concept. Everything today is so overdone.

 

Although it's not a sedan, in a lot of ways, I feel the MINI has recaptured the spirit of the 2002 (which is, BTW, my all-time-favorite).

- It's a fun drive, very sporty
- It's designed with classic styling
- It's built for most enthusiasts, not just those with $$$$
- It's not "overdone"

I also read an article once that said the BMW 2 series (if ever released) and the M2 will do the same for sports sedans as the 2002 did back in the early 70s.

BTW, one of my goals in life is to own a real, life sized, fully restored version of this:

 

I would have to agree - this is part of the reason I chose the MCS as it has the spirit of a modern day 2002tii. One of these days I need to scan and share some pics of my previous pristinely restored beauties (Inka orange '72 Tii and Chamonix '73 Tii). As you hear from just about everyone that really enjoyed these cars, I regret not being able to hang onto one of them having sold the last several years ago. Btw, there are others that have had these cars that hang out on this board somewhere I believe..

 

Well, right now, my main concern is the Colorado Front Range smog test - I need to make sure it's streetable before I write the check, but I drove it last night and it was a nice running car. . .slight miss at idle and low revs, probably (hopefully) from sitting so long, might need to tweak the Weber and toss some new plugs in it. Almost no smoke, no rattles, good clutch, nice tight suspension.

We're in final details right now. . .hopefully it'll come together. . .

 

2002s are sweet.

 

Good luck! I restored a '72 2002tii which I purchased from the original owner. They are great cars. Most parts are available, though some are a bit pricey. You've been given good advice on what to look for. Don't forget to check out the inner rockers and lower nose under the radiator for rust. Mechanically, most rubber fails but all of it is easily replacable. Steering gets very loose but is adjustable to a point. Have fun!

 

i love these cars, i just looked at a '70 2002, 3K on a rebuilt tii spec motor, the thing moved out pretty well. the valves needed lashing and the carb needed some tuning, the thing was like being in a paint can shaker at idle. it also needed a tad bit of body work and a new paint job would do it nicely. once over 2500 it moved pretty well. it had a crap paint job, paint bubbling up everywhere, makes you wonder if there is rust under it. for any classic car that i buy it would have to be pre 1973, to avoid the smog regulations...

 

I agree that the MINI has captured a lot of the driving spirit that the 2002 represented. The big difference between cars like the 2002 back then and now is all of the options. My father had a 356 Porsche and he didn't even get a radio. The option list was zero, power nothing! Even MINIs come with a list of options so long and complex that they have a high tech website to explain them and as a result they are hundreds of pounds overweight and they cost a lot more. I got this link in a marketing email today.

http://www.miniusa.com/crm/main.jsp?...12&pid=3484457

 

Don't forget reliability!

 

Hey, UUNetBill, are you the proud owner of a 2002 or what ?

 

Sorry, guys - should have posted - but I took a pass on the car. It was really solid, a nice - real nice - project car. But the Colorado Front Range emissions testing was gonna be too tough to get through. According to their website, all of the factory installed smog gear had to be in place and functional on '75 and newer cars. The owner's son had 'misplaced' the air pump, and in any case, the car had a '73 head on it, which pretty much didn't have air injectors tapped into it, so even if we had the pump, we couldn't have gotten it hooked up. So as much as I wanted to grab this guy, the timing just wasn't right for me.

On the flip side, the guy who owns it decided to take it to Florida with him, so if any of you in the Tampa area want a nice old '02, I'm sure he'll be willing to make you a good deal on it.

Thanks to all for the input, suggestions, and advice. I sure love this group here!!

Bill