other thoughts on this 1974 for sale

[vairter]

it's not cheap.  and it's only had 1 bid.

 

but what do the pictures suggest to you guys?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-2002-Base-Coupe-/151598732501?pt=US_Cars_Trucks

[Ultralite]

I saw this one earlier using another search engine (that linked to eBay). A close up of the shock towers would be nice as well as a pic under the spare tire, not to mention any shot of the car underneath.

I did not see any signs of overspray. If it's always been a CA car, then it's got a greater chance of being more solid with less rust.

That does seem a it high to me....

[ray_]

Looks like a nice car.  That is indeed a euro VIN. Better pics would be better; not much to find fault with from what is shown. It has some dings, and the door seals are old. Worth a closer look.

 

Cheers,

[vairter]

So this was a car that was originally sold in Europe?

 

Are there any issues that I should be aware of in comparing European to US cars of this 1974 vintage?  Emission control differences?  Engine differences?  Any issues in getting replacement parts that would fit a Euro-sold car vs. a US-sold car?

[ray_]

So this was a car that was originally sold in Europe?

 

Yep! Not built for U.S. market.

 

Are there any issues that I should be aware of in comparing European to US cars of this 1974 vintage?  Emission control differences?  Engine differences?  Any issues in getting replacement parts that would fit a Euro-sold car vs. a US-sold car?

 

Not per se, as far as I know.

 

Cheers,

['76mintgrün'02]

That apears to be a nice example.  It does look clean without the U.S. side markers.  I was about to say they did a nice job with the bumper conversion then thought 'duh, euro bumpers.'

 

Is that a Euro dash?  I thought they did not have the writing around the knobs, but rather used symbols on the knobs... no?  It looks like new, as in no cracks.  (I think that is a big plus).  

 

I don't really see overspray either, but the driver's side shock tower looks eXtra Inca.  He did say there were some touch ups.

 

"She has original steelie wheels which look good, they are 13x5 in front and 13x5.5 in the rear.  Tires are old but I am including 4 new tires."

 

So not actually Original... at least not two of them.  Mixing sizes does not make much sense to me.  

 

New tires are 165/60/13, so you will think you are getting great mileage and going faster than you really are.

 

The missing hood seal up front and the gap in the trunk seal might make it a little stinky.  Minor details, but hard to ignore sometimes.

 

I thought the 74 used the two barrel Solex, not so?

[schoir]

Nice car overall.

 

The paint color on the driver's door does not match the probably-original paint on the left front fender, also doesn't match the left rear quarter panel.

 

Also, as mentioned by '76Mintgrun'02, the left rear shock tower looks to have been repainted, so it might be worthwhile investigating whether that was a rust repair and whether it was done properly.

 

Regards, Maurice.

[Conserv]

 

...I thought the 74 used the two barrel Solex, not so?...

I believe that only automatic-transmission Euro cars received the two-barrel Solex. As with other features, it related somehow to U.S. emissions requirements.

If rust is not a problem -- and I have no reason to believe it is -- it seems like nice example.

Regards,

Steve

[Roland]

Pictures are rarely as good as an  in person inspection.  They may fairly depict  cosmetics but do not necessarily offer an accurate or complete recitation of mechanical condition.  It is also hard to measure "running like a dream" or "clutch is good."  It would be comforting to know what, if any, mechanical work has been performed on a four-decade old car.  The polished valve cover suggests something beyond mere maintenance, but that is just a guess. 

The mention of "unrestored" and "patina" seems to refer only to the paint.  The polished aluminum and/or chrome valve cover and air filter housing may be attractive customizations, but unless they are special one-off examples, they are unlikely original.  This may matter to a matching numbers purist.  It may not matter at all to an enthusiast. 

 

The seats appear to have been nicely recovered.  The text states: "I had the seats Upholstered to it's original condition see pics."  Elsewhere, the listing specifically mentions leather.  This would be a big plus in my mind, although I would prefer a closer look since I do not recall  original seating offered in leather.  Of course, there may be rare exceptions.

The disclosure of a couple of headliner tears can be trivial or significant.    A picture or two could be helpful.

 

From the pictures included in the ad, a nice and extremely clean specimen.

 

 

 

[simonr]

If everything is really the way it looks in the pics I don't think 12500 is out of line. It has many features that we would do to a 1974 already done. Bumpers , Turn signals Etc. It is a great color and looks sound with very few warts. Try to see the car in person or try to get a PPI. I like the car If I was looking for a 2002 right now I would strongly consider this car . Good Luck

[ray_]

The manifold heat shield is missing, btw...

 

I bet this one will see $20K.

 

Cheers,

[Conserv]

The listing originally had a $17.5K Buy-It-Now option, now gone.

Someone still needs to examine this closely for rust. A '74 Euro version could have arrived here -- gray-market style -- in '74 or shortly thereafter but, dollars to donuts, it arrived later, perhaps '79, coinciding with the earliest surviving records. Where did it come from? Note that places such as Northern Europe are high-rust areas. A '74 -- whether in the U.S. Northeast or Germany -- could be a complete rust bucket in 5 years. Those of you who didn't live it would be shocked how rapidly a '70s (or '60s, or whatever) car could disappear before your eyes.

Again, this looks good in the photos, but if you're not getting a PPI by an '02 person, you're taking some real risk.

Leather upholstery was, indeed, a factory option but was extremely rare in Europe and much MORE rare here, since neither Hoffman Motors nor BMW NA permitted buyers to order from the factory, except for European-delivery U.S.-spec cars. The second bullet point under the color samples in the attached photo, taken from the '75-'76 Farben und Polster (paint and upholstery) brochure, shows the leather upholstery policy at that point in time.

Regards,

Steve

[markmac]

+1 on the PPI.  WIth that being said, if I were in the market for an o2 right now and this car didn't have serious issues I would be very interested.  Over my lifetime I have had to roundies ('69 o2 and '73tii) and one square ('74tii) .... and now the AlpinA race car which is roundie ('70 ti) converted to a sqare.....I really like the look of these Euro bumper +'74 cars.  Inka is an appealing color and if there isn't something seriously wrong with the car I think it is worth the money (where it is now + some).

 

http://www.alpinabmw2002.com

[dorwoon]

The drivers door seems a different shade of inka than the rest of the car and the trim seems to be a little off. This might just be the way the picture came out but needs an up-close look. Also, the license plate is 2011 or newer so if it's really a California car, where is the previous plate?

 

Edited February 27, 2015 by dorwoon

[LimeySteve]

FYI those plates are English , with white at the front & yellow in the rear, not a true 1974 numerical order though it would be L or M at the end of 3 letters & 1-3 numbers ie  ABC 123 L just a little insight into the plates, it would also be Right Hand Drive of course unless imported to the UK from Europe , hence the odd number plate . My 02 cents . It does look really nice though

Edited February 27, 2015 by LimeySteve