What got you into 2002-ing?

[nbristow01]

I am the first American in my family, My mom and real dads family all are in Germany. I ended up being birthed in Ft Sill Oklahoma to a GI dad (not the biologcal dad....long story)So every summer when school let out, starting at age 7, my sister and I would be flown to Germany to stay with my family in a small village called Waldstetten. My uncles brother in law owned a BMW dealership so every year my Aunt got a brand new BMW. So I had the huge fortune of riding in these cars when they were new. On the autobahn from Frankfurt, then into the hills to the village. The all summer runnning around in them. I rode in new Tiis, Bavarias, 3.0CS's, Then the bigger 5's. My last ride with my aunt before she passed away was in a new M6 in the 80's. Also the fastest I have ever been in a car on the road. She was a very heavy footed German driver.

What really stuck with me with the early BMWs was the passenger side dash. I remember when I first saw it my Aunt had her pack of Krone cigarettes on the dash and I was amazed how the ridges kept them in place when she cornered. That is what really started my passion for early BMWs and specifically the 2002 because it was the first car in Europe I ever rode in

[davidmcw]

2nd year in college, 1970, I needed a reliable car.

I had a '67 Lotus Élan, it was raining, started the car so the salesman

could look at the car out of the rain. The ring gear popped

off the flywheel! Drove off with a new 2002. Best car ever!

[TobyB]

My then- girlfriend...

...eventually, she relented, and married me.

t

[beast02er]

After going to the Vintage races at SIR in Seattle at 13, I got in to cars.....Big time. I really wanted a Mini, loved the little things. I bought all the mini magazines at the book store, looked on the internet, we looked at a few.

We went to the British car show when I was 16 and almost bought one there for sale, but the blue smoke at start up had us walking away.

The next weekend my dad was looking in the classified adds in the paper and said, hey, lets go look at this red 73' 2002. He had bought a new 1974 and had passed on the 320i when it came out as he didn't like the gearbox ( in comparison to the 02)

We went to look at the car, as I walked up the driveway I saw the Verona red 02 sitting in the garage, I saw the racing seats, the panasports....and I was hooked. The guy took me for a ride and that was it, done. I still have this car, 14 years this July I believe.

Bryan

red73

[ClayW]

In the Fall of 1999, I needed a car. I was driving my dad's Beetle at the time (1970 w/ 500K on it at the time) to work, where a coworker took notice. We got to talking about cars and I mentioned that I was looking. She told me that she and her husband had "one car too many", so they were selling a BMW 1600.

I had no idea what that was.

So, I went to look it over and test drive it. Aside from being smitten, I knew that my dad wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to help me maintain it. It was all over.

[slash02]

Grew up with a 530i in the house, then a 528e. Saw this little red bmw bombing around my dad's office one day and he told me it was a BMW 2002, and when on to talk about how they have been raced etc. I was 15.

When I was 18, I bought that exact car I had seen a few years before.

Its been downhill ever since.

[Stu]

1972 I was in 11th grade. Went to buy my first car, a little red Fiat. While sitting in the car I asked the salesman what that other little red car was in the back of the lot. He said it was a BMW 2002. I asked what the difference was? He replied, one has a timing belt, and one has a timing chain. I said that would be better, so the 69' 2002 came home with me. 42 years and 6 2002's later here we are!

I grew up in Santa Monica, and lived there in '79 when I bought my 1600 (see my earlier post). Were you there in the 70's? In '72 I was at Paul Revere Junior then Pali High.

[JerryC]

In college, I drove a MGB, then a Fiat 124 4-door sedan (think Lada). The Fiat rusted to pieces within a year of moving to Ohio in 1982. In 1992, I was trying to decide on a sporty car for a daily driver that could haul a couple kids when necessary. I remembered the Fiat, I really had liked that car despite its reliability issues. Then I remembered a college friend's Sahara '69 2002 and that was when I made the decision. I'd never driven one before I test drove several, but the Polaris '71 1600 with the Miller Norburn suspension ended the search for me. I'm on my third one now. The '72 tii is a car I love to hate, but I'd never part with it. It's very slowly being ressurected from year's of hard use. Hopefully, it will become my daily driver again before I'm too old to drive.

By the way, my kids always wanted to arrive at school in the wife's newer car, "Dad's car is too old". Mom left town for a week one time and so I drove them in the '02. I guess the other kids thought it was very cool and so I became taxi dad.

[FunElan]

I grew up riding around in a 1969 Lotus Elan. My dad always used to talk about his BMWs though. In Buffalo NY he had a turf green 1600. I think he had another tan 1600 with Webers on it. Then eventually got a Malaga tii which brought him out to California. That car was gone before I could remember it.

When it came time for me to buy my first car, I started looking at 2002s on craigslist. I found my Caribe 1600 and bought it in 2007. I'm 21 now.

[dwalex]

My wife, the smell of horse hair, and $500.

It started with a $500, 71 Bavaria in San Diego that I would try to gymkanna when I could afford it(at least that was the idea). Flash forward ten years, as I left Intel (successfully), my wife spotted a junkyard 02. "I always loved the smell of the Bavaria's seats", she commented.... message received. $200 later, I drove home a three wheel, blown head gasket, 69 '02...with original seats!

Later, I purchased my tii from rick quick in orange county. A car that I still have. The '69 is still near me, I restored it, turned it into a "rally" car, and later gave it to a close friend, who also loves these. My car, "tupelo honey" is still the greatest thrill on four wheels,

or me.

Both cars were driven across the country in 2004 from Hollister,CA to north port, fl, with no incident (apart from my dog driving my car over a ledge while I was in the bathroom in new Mexico). Lots of great times with great cars.

Dave

72 tii, tupelo honey

67 gt-6 ###%&$*;###!!

03 z-4 name undecided

12 fiat 500s quiche lorraine

Ex-cars(the fun ones)

82 Volvo glt

76 02

69 02 the fabulous trashwagen

71 Bavaria I miss it so...

At least 10 gt-6's ..I kept the best

1969 a-h sprite

61 sunbeam alpine

Harley's, bonnie, moto-guzzi and hodakas....

Thanks to my awesome wife...

[MatthewCervi]

When I was 17 I was looking for something more interesting than the Civic I had been driving, so I test drove:

- a Beetle convertible - the worst handling thing I've ever been in

- a 240Z - it put out so much smoke you pretty much couldn't see behind you

- a MGB GT - no idea why I didn't get that one. I still like the looks years later

- and a 74 2002

I bought the 2002 and fell in love with it even though it was a rust bucket. I kept it through maybe 3 years of college when it became too much for me to keep up with. I got the itch again after we had our second child and I looked for another 2002 that I might keep for a year. Almost 13 years later, I still have my tii.

[ahlem]

A rich kid on the swim team in highschool had a brother with a green 2002tii and gave my older brother and I a ride home one day when I was 15. Some day I will drive my project car that's been waiting behind other commitments for 11 years. Bought a beater 1976 02/02/2002.

[ahlem]

A rich kid on the swim team in highschool had a brother with a green 2002tii and gave my older brother and I a ride home one day when I was 15. Some day I will drive my project car that's been waiting behind other commitments for 11 years. Bought a beater 1976 02/02/2002.

[ahlem]

A rich kid on the swim team in highschool had a brother with a green 2002tii and gave my older brother and I a ride home one day when I was 15. Some day I will drive my project car that's been waiting behind other commitments for 11 years. Bought a beater 1976 02/02/2002.

[austinmf]

I went to look at an M3 as I was bored to death with my Lexus.

The 02 was sitting on a lot with a for sale sign on it.

Probably would have missed it but Turkis is a hard color to miss.

Ended up buying it not knowing a single thing about it and just taking the sellers word about its condition.

2 years of down time rebuilding has ended up costing more than a good newish used one.

Despite many issues, I can only think of Stephen King's "Christine" every time I look at it and smile.

My wife swears I call it "my precious" when no one is around.