engine and drivetrain First time buyer - opinions?

[BarryA]

HUGE favor and try to attend one or more of the larger events that draw signifcant numbers of '02's (Bay Area 02 Swap & Show, Vintage at the Vinyards, SoCal Vintage, etc) before making a purchase decision.

Don't know if you saw R.W.'s "first time buyer" post and the responses to it yesterday or not - mine is copied below.......

If there's any way you can swing it, try to attend the Bay Area Swap and Show at the Brisbane Marina (SF Bay area) on May 21st, even if you fly in early in the morning and fly home in the late afternoon - you'll get an opportunity to look at a large number of cars (trailer queens to beaters, stockers to fully race prepped), and talk to both car owners and commercial vendors with a wealth of '02 knowledge and experience. If you're in the western US, the $200- $300 plane ticket will probably be the best 2002 investment you'll ever make.

The marina location is only a couple of miles from San Francisco International airport, and odds are that someone from the bay area will be more than happy to pick you up at the airport and drop you back off at the end of the day.

If you can't make the Bay Area '02 event, plan to get to the L.A. Vintage BMW event in Los Angeles in October - as many cars to look at, and as many owners and vendors to talk with.Re

[Guest Anonymous]

Yeah I saw the white one in that link in person. It took a few minutes to start up after hooking up to a battery and the engine shook considerably when started up. The whole thing was rusted from inside the engine bay to the body panels and the doors didn't align right after closing lol. Also the roll bar you see there isn't bolted to anything and none of the switches work inside.

[jrkoupe]

No!

there's a lot wrong with that car for that price. I'd bet that's 166K miles not 66K. Late grill in an early car suggests significant front end damage at some point.

Your description of the engine sounds like it needs at least the head rebuit, and there is no doubt Lots more rust than meets the eye - and what meets the eye is not inconsequential.

Take your time and find a good one - unlikley in Chicago just because of the rust factor - unless it's been garaged all its life and only driven 6 months a year.

If you have to compromise between a good engine and a good body, go for the good body. Engines can be rebuilt for around $3K, You can easily spend $10-20K on body work and paint

I dont disagree w/ you in general......but saying the frt end has had significant damage due to the late grills is not fair to say..is it?...and are those late?..or just painted, I cant tell. Maybe the owner liked the blk grills?....nothing more..nothing less?.

Is it me..or do so many of us tend to really rip a car if its not worth the asking?.....wouldnt we all ask a bit more than its worth if it was ours?.

it seems to me the car we'd buy for 3k....we'd want to sell( if it was ours) for 5000...lol