other Not Quite An 02... Bavaria Advice

[Adrianl]

I'm looking at a Bavaria to add to my collection. It's an old 3L automatic. The car runs, but needs a head gasket, and a front left fender (looks like somebody hit it with a hammer). Where's the ideal place to shop for parts, and is there a resource online where I can find more info on these cars? I've also thought of going the route on an S54 swap, but I've got a turbo track car already, and don't really need that for a cruiser. All tips pointers etc would be nice.

[John_in_VA]

http://www.seniorsix.org/ - not much activity there, but it's a start.

http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=16

These cars have been nearly orphaned by the BMW community.

[AceAndrew]

They're great cars, think of it as an E9 underneath with a sedan body.  They are very prone to rust, so you should definitely be thorough in your per-purchase inspection. 

 

There are people left out there who know them pretty well, but don't expect to have your hand held.  there's a different mentality born of self-sufficiency when it comes to the older cars.  Those who aren't used to it either cry and whine or embrace it as a new challenge.  

 

Be prepared for some higher costs (strut bearings $200-ish each for example), but overall its a very rewarding car.

 

I might be helpful a bit ( a n d r e w a d a m s @ i e m o t o r s p o r t . c o m ) but there are also others like The Werk Shop, La Jolla Independent, Coupe King, Korman Autoworks, etc.

[SteveK535]

I used to have a 72 Bavaria and the SeniorSix group was the only resource I got involved in.  At the time they didn't have a forum, looks like they still don't, but they did have an emailing circuit that, at the time, worked if you wanted info, but got annoying if you didn't want every single email.  They are a good bunch of folks, at least they were in 2004, lots of good knowledge and the emails were a split between technical and the love of beer and pork.  The site does appear to be falling out of currency, too bad.

[photog02]

They are very prone to rust, so you should definitely be thorough in your per-purchase inspection.

This times 1000. An intense PPI will save you quite a bit of heartache later on, probably even more than with a 2002. I remember going to look at what was advertised as a pristine "barn-find" Bavaria, only to accidentally push my finger through the C-pillar. Honest seller or not, these models love to rust.

[Mike Self]

Another thing to watch out for on Bavarias (and all Bimmers with M30 motors, for that matter)--camshafts tend to wear and may need replacement on high mileage cars; also M30 motors that were fitted with thermal reactors ('75-early 80s) had problems with heads cracking due to heat and the weight of the thermal reactor itself.  That blown head gasket on the one you're looking at may also have a cracked head and worn camshaft...and yes, they make 2002s look like they're made from galvanized steel...

 

mike

[DRedman]

One word of advice.  These are great cars for all around driving but at a minimum get a third brake light!!  The brake lights are very low and not bright.  My long gone Bavaria was rear ended twice and of course now parts to repair the damage are harder to get.

[LimeySteve]

I have a late model Bavaria, a 1976 530i , I got a legal smog on a rebuilt engine, swapped a noisy Gertrag 4 speed with a quiet but leaky (look at this Saturday ) ZF  4 speed (Cheers Jeremy ) what a lovely car to drive, mine is lowered with Bav chrome bumpers , rear one on front this Sat all being well. Good luck with the real Bav.

[Adrianl]

Thanks a lot guys. Do you know of an e-store that would sell parts for these cars? The car is stock and oh so pretty. Car number 7 doesn't sound crazy, right?

[LimeySteve]

Check out Rock Auto for 1 source .

[AceAndrew]

This was meant to be good places to start for help as well as parts.

 

 

I might be helpful a bit ( a n d r e w a d a m s @ i e m o t o r s p o r t . c o m ) but there are also others like The Werk Shop, La Jolla Independent, Coupe King, Korman Autoworks, etc.

[AndyS]

I have a very nice Bavaria that I could sell if you are interested. 

[adawil2002]

Also go to http://www.e9coupe.com

they have a Bav/E3 forum and links to all the places mentioned.

Look at the Tech Info section, they rust the same as E9s which is a lot.

 

If it's rusty with a blown head gasket walk away. You are looking at 4-7K for getting the engine rebuilt. Head gasket means new head most likely.

Edited September 24, 2013 by adawil2002