general questions

[Guest Anonymous]

Hello. I'm a new comer to the board. At the risk of

sounding really lame, I still feel honesty is the best

policy...

So, having said that, I am going to look at a 1973

2002 tonight, and I know nothing about cars. I'm

not sure what to look for or what to ask.

To be honest, I don't think he really knows much

about them either from what he said when we

spoke earlier.

He has had some work done to it since he's had it:

- all new brake system including new calipers,

discs, pads, cylinder,etc

- new starter

- new clutch master cylinder

- new fuel boot

- installed sony detachable face cd player with

infinity speakers

- new tires

He also said the previous owner had a new clutch

installed right before he bought it (which apparently

was 8 months earlier). He said the odometer

reads 44,314 and didn't know if it was flipped once

or twice, which I can only assume that it was.

He also described it as being "almost rust free".

I am pretty sure I am going to look at it later this

evening. I guess my question is what do I look for?

Anything and everything.

I did see photos and the body is very straight and

the paint looks to be in decent to good shape,

though one can never really tell from a photo.

I'm in the SF bay area... maybe someone will to

come with me?

Please help!!!

Thanks.

Corine

[Guest Anonymous]

important thing about this cars is rust or better yet lack of it. You have to look hard, like under the car, inside the trunk, the spare tire well, around the heater fan, and so on. The rest is some what easy to fix, The milage most likely 140,000 which is very normal for a 30 year old car. You are very welcome to this forum, guys and gals here love their 02s. Also you should never go to see a car at night hard to see stuff even with good lighting. Hope to see you again.

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://www.winnsecurity.com/norcal02

I am in the north extremities of it in petaluma (sonoma county) but basically probably the most important thing is how much rust there is. Dig around, look at the heaterbox firewall rust (there is always going to be some), rear shock towers, spare tire well, various nooks and crannies especially in the trunk area, under the car at the drain plugs and general bottom of the car that is exposed, any surface rust on the outside, or bubbling paint, lots of signs that could mean you're just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Any rust is not good rust, but you're not going to find one without any at all; it just doesnt work like that. For the purists out there cutting the doors and door panels to fit speakers in the lower front are nono's but it could be fine if you're not worried abou that. Another popular stereo mod is cutting the rear hat shelf to fit 6x9's, lots of people dont like that either, but it happens to a lot of cars anyway. If its the typical 02, you probably wont be able to hear the radio/cd player anyway at high(er) speeds from the wind whistling and engine noise. You might have to look around to find a keeper, the first one you go and look at you dont have to buy (hopefully thats obvious though).

[Guest Anonymous]

I appreciate your information and your warm

welcome.

C-

[Guest Anonymous]

their life in the Los Angeles area. Mine is rust-free and still has the original paint, and I'll bet there are plenty here on the board like mine that are SoCal children.

[Guest Anonymous]

The aforemention posts are all true. Bottom line as mentioned is that you want to get the best car you can for the money you have to spend (whatever that is) That may seem obvious but the market is pretty soft right now here in N. Cal for used cars--especially when you can get something new for 0.0 financing, no payments for 6 months etc., Having to pay a mechanic to wrench on an 02 can cost a lot and add up in a big hurry. Find a car with paperwork. Generally someone who saves their receipts takes better care of their car (generally). Again, as said previously, don't necessarily buy on your first outing. Unless it is a really good car that is undervalued chances are the guy/girl doesn't have people lining up for it. My oo1 cents worth.

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://www.winnsecurity.com/norcal02

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

I'm a little south of SF, in Pacifica.

I think I will wait until the weekend to go look at this

car so a very knowledgeable friend can come with

me (at least I hope). I am going to be very picky

about the car I am going to buy because I am

looking for a reliable daily driver.

Color is not a huge concern, though my favorite

colors are Golf and Charmonix.

I will make sure the car I buy gets plenty of TLC. I

am very interested in learning as much as I can

about them. I am not opposed to learning how to

do minor things myself. I don't mind getting dirty,

only my strength is relative to my size.

One thing I was told early on was to look for

hacked up door panels because they are fairly

expensive to replace. And though I wold love to

spend a lot of money on a car, my budget does not

permit me to.

Thanks for your advice.

Corine

[Guest Anonymous]

My 74 tii came from Redondo Beach where it spent a lot of time outside getting blasted by the pacific ocean sea breeze, morning "salt dew" etc., Cars can be wrecked from rust even so cal--mine isn't but did suffer more than a little-FYI.

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://www.bimmers.com/02/index.html

Go to the Buyer's Guide on the page in the link. Lots of great information there on things to look for, and specific problem areas for certain years. You can read over it before seeing the car in addition to the advice others have given you.

Waiting till the weekend sounds like a good idea, especially since it gets dark so much earlier now.

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://www.winnsecurity.com/norcal02

To buy a new door panel, it will cost >$250, each side. So if you dont like speakers in the door, it wont be cheap to get nice new panels to cover up the holes once you remove them. Used panels can be bought cheaper but, thats exactly what they are-- used.

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://www.bayarea02.com/features/buying/index.html

little or no rust, good body, good paint, and a good interior. Problems in those areas are not easy DIY projects and are really expensive to hire out. Mechanical problems are easier and cheaper to fix, so I put less weight on those. See link for a buyers guide. If you're planning to spend much on the purchase, think about paying $100 or so for a pre-purchase inspection at one of the independent BMW repair shops in the area.

[Guest Anonymous]

will take it's toll as our former-Redondo Beach car-owner pointed-out below. Your storage will be important as even in a garage you'll get chrome-pitting and the like. I haven't visted my sister, who bought a house on the beach in Half Moon Bay, for that exact reason. I demanded a garage spot or I won't visit for even one night. Let her Jag rust in the driveway.

[Guest Anonymous]

...the right car.

...and welcome to the FAQ.

I wish more women were here.

Delia Wolfe

'73tii

Inka (aka "Orange Julius")

#2762756