Bavaria?

[Guest Anonymous]

I have a chance to buy a pretty good 72 Bavaria... am I going to enjoy this car as much as a 2002? It'd probably be a just-for-kicks car until the 2002 restoration is done, then I'd set to work on it...

How hard are the parts to find? What parts are compatible? Would the i6 make a good motor for the 2002?

-Patrick

[Guest Anonymous]

than a 2002 and not nearly as tossable. The Zenith carbs are pure shit and should be replaced immediately. That M30 straight six is a really sweet engine though. The Bavaria will cruise at 100+ MPH and not even act like it is working hard and hang into most twisties very well.

The M30 engine would be a very difficult conversion into a 2002. Once you did it, the front end would be way too heavy and you'd loose most all the balance that makes an '02 so much fun.

All in all, the Bavaria (and all other E3's) are generally overlooked and you can buy a lot of nicely made German touring car for not very much money.

Cheers!

John N

[Guest Anonymous]

Well, I'm going to doubt the 100mph story with the 4-speed manual it has in it, but the guy who has it has a bunch of parts and has a 5-speed close ratio for $300... can someone say fun car?

[Guest Anonymous]

Check out the senior 6 board and the E3, E9 boards for parts info: they are plentiful. Very good friend of mine has 72 Bav,and 73 Bav, and after seeing all the upgraded components, I want one too. For a 4 door car- they are classics. Sunroof, Nice leather seats from a 6 series, and nice paint- they are great cars. Put 3 38s on one and watch it scoot! I think they are a compliment to a 2002. They are in a different league- long highway cruisers, that are capapble of handling the twisties, but that is what the 2002 is for. ///

[Guest Anonymous]

Had a 2500 (same as Bav but w/ a 2.5L) w/ 4-speed up to 115 mph (indicated) on a shakedown cruise with more on tap. Fantastic highway cars and still tossable in the twisties. I'd love to have another someday...

Karl

ex-'71 2500

[Guest Anonymous]

Check out www.firstfives.org for a factory parts interchange list. It is set up for E12 owners, but E3, E12, and E28 cars have a lot in common. I've always thought a Bavaria would be a great companion car for an 02!

[Guest Anonymous]

If set up properly the Bav. will out corner a 2002 on big sweepers. I never got over 21 MPG, but I always cruised @ 80 +. Great car, just didn't have time to keep it maintained and keep my race car running.

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2408646010&category=6056

It's in Burlingame, CA, just outside of San Francisco. I have pictures, if you'd like. The body is good and the interior is not bad either. Email if you'd like to see some photos. I've attached the old link from an Ebay auction for the car.

Thanks,

Nate

p.s. If you buy a Bavaria and you're an '02 fan, you'll definitely enjoy it.

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

owners manual that said if you were going to do extended cruising over 100 MPH that you should fit appropriate speed rated tires. The speed had a maximum indicated 140 MPH (IIRC), 100 was certainly not a problem.

Cheers!

John N

[Guest Anonymous]

The Bill and Tammi show was on tour for the One LAp in their E36 M3 powered Bavaria.

That's almost as good as the Chevy V8 powered Bavaria I saw at Willow Springs years ago. The owner called it a BaVette.

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

I agree with all of the above. Even with Weber 32/36's it feels pretty lively. Definitely more of a high-speed cruiser that a fling it through the twisties type car, but lots of fun still. Parts are more expensive than 02 stuff generally, and a little harder to find. From what I can tell so far they don't really share any interchangeable parts with the 02 other than stuff like switch knobs and window cranks. Highly recommended otherwise, buy a real nice one for $3-4K and just drive it, don't try to restore one.

Matt

Maximillian Importing