engine and drivetrain Why Do We Love these Little Cars?

[schwartzerritter]

My Outback and Forster are quicker up the river to Hot Springs SD. The Gas milage is just sooo sooo My Impala SS did as good .

BLAAA BLAAA but if the Red Baron is there that is the car I drive even if it is still waiting for the body shop. The Superduty is macho. The Forester is smooth but I can only carve the corners in one. The memories are there He carried my 25 year old to meet her Grandfather the Weekend after she was babtized 1986. When I drive him I am young and the whole world is new and all is possible. The dual webers sing and old Hymn 2002 is its number.

[Mike Self]

they weren't fun to drive and work on, carried lots of stuff, lasted a long time (rust excluded!) and...did I mention...fun to drive. The only cars I've owned that approach the fun factor is my Bugeye (just not very practical), and my E30 318is...

Read David Davis's "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002"--his words are as true now as they were in 1968...

mike

[schwartzerritter]

amen

[cbgii]

Yep - about says it all:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/1968-bmw-2002-ndash-review-ndash-car-and-driver-a-splendid-little-car-page-2

Weil es Deutches isst!

[Pierre]

The variety of responses is indicative of why we love these cars.

There are lots of reasons. And for most of us it's a combination of reasons. The 2002 has the ability to do so many things well. It's comfortable, it's practical, it handles, it attracts attention, it's fun to drive, it's easy to work on, it's inexpensive to maintain, it's reliable, it's economical. In addition, 2002s are so receptive to customization. Each 2002 is unique. It can be an original restoration to take to a car show, or it can be enjoyed as a daily driver. The DD can be a nice example or a beater. It can be a canyon carver or a flat-out race car. M10, M20, M42, S14, M30, rotary, battery powered, downdraft, sidedraft, mechanical injection, electronic injection, Megasquirt, lowered, dragster, flared, shaved, and on and on. And most of them are cool, desirable and function well. OK, I may not think that a lifted 2002 with monster tires is desirable but someone did build one of those too and that is cool.

[OriginalOwner]

and some folks like to smoke their tires .....

Cheers,

Carl

[mrgesq]

I have to admit, I "liked" my car a lot until the first time I spent a full day blasting through the twisties in the hills and valleys of Western Wisconsin with a few like-minded 02 owners last fall. That's the day I fell in love with my 02. As my wife told me later, she kept looking over at me and I had this silly grin on my face. Every corner and sweeper was the speed limit times two--at least--with no slide, slip or hesitation. Red lines in the straights, downshifts into the corners. I finally had to back it down when my wife and son started turning green. Still, it was an epiphany. These car are just fun. No other way to put it.

[Jim_75Sahara]

1. It takes me back to when I was a teen driving my dad's Golf '02.

2. Sensory: it feels good, it smells good, it looks good, it is good.

3. The right combination of fun and practicality.

4. There is no overkill. You simply get it or you don't.

5. What it says about the owner - volumes of good things.

[schwartzerritter]

Das stimmt allerdings

[Ray_73Turkis_OH]

Driving

The feel

The sound

Burn outs

Corners

Track days

Functionality

Fit for a big guy

Trunk Space

Engineering

Metallurgy

The greenhouse view

Working on it.

Reasonable cost of parts

Availability of parts from stock to all the cool stuff we see on the FAQ.

Community/People/Friends!

FAQ

All of the above except I do not like all the attention every time I drive it.

Really, just leave me alone and let me drive my car.

If my car was GM Brown, like my old 71 it might not get all the attention of the Turkis.