engine and drivetrain First 2002?

[gcoll]

I am hoping to soon buy my first BMW and could use some advice from what seems to be a very knowledgeable community. First an introduction:

I just moved to the Bay Area from Boulder,CO, sold my Subaru and am looking for a BMW into which I can invest a bit of time and money.

Does this seem like a reasonable purchase or should i keep looking?

1971 2002

the engine from a 1973 2002 was rebuilt and installed a couple years ago (need to find out more about this)

Most everything works well but there is a "minor leak in the rear brakes" and a couple of the gauges don't work.

There is some rust around the rear windows and front left skirt(pictured) but none around the shock towers or anywhere else.

Dash is THOROUGHLY cracked

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/cwkchan/sets/72157626802079265/

Seems to have been well maintained with a bevy of new parts and fairly extensive records of maintenance and repairs, although I have not seen them yet.

With this car I would expect to replace the dash and fix the brake problem myself, and then have someone fix up the rust.

Asking $5000 which seems a little high given the rust and state of the dash.

I will be going to see the car this weekend and would greatly appreciate any input.

Also, I apologize if this is not the appropriate spot to post this.

-Garrett

[Cyclone101]

Welcome to the forum! We don't really care where you post what, this is a very laid back community.

I am always scared of rust on these cars(although I bought a rust bucket)

Its hard so know how extensive rust really is unless you cut it open and see for yourself. Rust is also expensive to fix if you don't do it yourself.

I also think the price might be a bit high.

I would recommend you keep looking for a rust free example(as far as possible), its much cheaper to fix a couple of mechanical problems than rust.

The car does have nice seats though, and a rebuilt engine is nice, if it was done well.

I would either get his price down or look for another example.

Regards

Jacques

[Nicad]

That looks to be not too rusted.Might be a decent car. Looks likethe basics are done on the engine with the upgraded rad, etc.

[c.d.iesel]

non-original motor of questionable quality

rust,

unpleasent interior - that's where you sit and look out of 100% of the time

any minor brake leak IS A KILLER!

on to all the other areas of this simple car that need attention

suspension

steering

transmission

rear diff and suspension

exhaust

electrics (it's nice to have working gauges)

rot at around front and back windows is bad and requires

patience, time, and needed repair to prevent water

entering and causing more rot in the floor

paint

tires

rims

brakes

can't find your photos - best to post directly to your thread here

even without photos, from your description it's a $1000 car

you can't drive a car with a "minor brake leak"

you need to purchase a second car to suppliment the

the down time restoring, and storing the 02.

happy hunting

[hegedus]

I test drove that car when I was in the hunt about 4 months ago. The brakes were basically gone. The car was all around much rougher then others I checked out at the time. The interior is really bad IMHO. There was just too much out of sorts.

$5k seems too high.

[gcoll]

Wow thanks for the quick responses. All very helpful. I will probably keep looking. Anyone have suggestions about where else to look other than CL and the classifieds here?

[Timmer]

Garrett,

try bimmers.com, Pete Sliskovich at (coupeking@aol.com), Carl Nelson at his shop ( bimmerdoc.com ) and various '02 repair shops that post on the board here, at least for starters.

Tim

[moshulupkwy]

Wow thanks for the quick responses. All very helpful. I will probably keep looking. Anyone have suggestions about where else to look other than CL and the classifieds here?

Here is where I look EVERY DAY. Came from a helpful faq person here.

You are in the right part of the world to find a fine example. Don't jump.....stay calm..... and keep checking daily!

The guys here are very helpful and knowledgeable

http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/mash.cgi?cat=cp&itm=bmw+1970s&state=&fil=&ys=&ye=&submit=++++go++++

-mpkwy

[srnoncom]

Garrett,

In addition to what everyone else stated, and living across from you in San Carlos.....make sure it's a 75 and older! No smog worries!

Good luck on your search.

Brett

[02for2]

Garrett,

Welcome!

$5k is too much to pay for what is at best a $2k car!

Rust that's showing is ALWAYS the tip of the iceberg with these cars.

Of course, you will never find a perfect '02, at least not one which hasn't had a full rotiserie restoration, but now you're staring uncomfortably at $20k.

Some issues are workable, even some rust one, but they better be very minor.

My advice is to pass, especially since you have now moved to the 'Land of '02s'.

Cali has some of the nicest examples out there and I'm certain your patience will be rewarded.

Don't leap at the 1st one(s) to come along. Use the journey as an orientation and learning tool so when the right one comes along, you'll have no trouble spotting it and taking it home.

Cheers!

[gcoll]

Thank you for all of the responses/suggestions. They have really helped to improve my understanding of what to look for in a car, as well as how to approach the purchasing process.

After a little more thought, I have decided that, since this will be my only car as well as my first old BMW, an E30 may be a better choice. I am going to continue looking for just the right 2002 to have as a project, but I think an E30 will be a better daily driver for me. Once I have a decent car to get me around town, I can focus on finding the right 2002. Thanks again for all the input and I will keep you updated with any changes.

-Garrett