history and reference looking to buy my first 02 what to really ask about

[jb]

If you live in California there is absolutely no reason to go out of state to purchase a run of the mill 02, other than impatience. jb

[e30edm]

gah so many mixed opinions .. i cant find any 2002 in norcal right now and this one might be a good deal for 3500. i believe hes willing to negotiate the price if he ships it out here. can u guys remind me again what are the most important things i need cleared up if im going to not be able to see the car in person or on facetime... does running a carfax help? this guy doesnt really have maintenece records he told me so im not sure. my main concern is still rust i dont mind working on this car i have a dd already that runs just fine. thanks again u guys for all ur help even tho it makes it really hard to decide if i want to buy it still haha

[e30edm]

dude said battery tray is rusted but the strut towers and floor pans are all good ... opinions anyone?? what else should be a major spot for structural rust?

[e30edm]

there doesnt appear to be any smoke coming out of the exhaust he just sent me an 11 sec clip of the car idling.

[bmw_e30]

i guess this guy has not heard of the 20k rule for 2002's....and that number is going up every year, maybe every month

['76mintgrün'02]

what else should be a major spot for structural rust?

 

Google image search for BMW 2002 rust

 

 https://www.google.com/search?q=bmw+2002+tii+rust+typical&rlz=1C1LEND_enUS564US564&espv=2&biw=853&bih=594&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIk9Lx_8qVxwIVDTaICh3qcw0y#tbm=isch&q=rust+bmw+2002

[e30edm]

whats the 20k rule? lol

[bmw_e30]

whats the 20k rule? lol

 

 

20k rule is any pre 74 2002 will cost you around 20k either frontloaded or backloaded for a nice one. not show winning cars but "nice driver" level cars

 

the 20k rule will keep going up every year. for a roundie tii i would say you at at 30k

[M3M3]

Google image search for BMW 2002 rust

https://www.google.com/search?q=bmw+2002+tii+rust+typical&rlz=1C1LEND_enUS564US564&espv=2&biw=853&bih=594&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIk9Lx_8qVxwIVDTaICh3qcw0y#tbm=isch&q=rust+bmw+2002

There are several threads here with detail on the rust issues.

['76mintgrün'02]

I posted that when I was wanting to help, but feeling lazy.

What I learned when I bought my car is that a very small percentage of the rust that 'matters' "shows", unless you know where to dig.

Digging into mine, I found a lot under the tar mat sound deadener on the floors and under the back seat.

What the seller described as a 'small hole on the driver's side' translated into a full width patch of the floor along the front of that pan (on both sides), as well as a rusty pedal box, which needed re-bushing.

Rust under the back seat made it necessary to remove the vertical panel under the seat, as well as the tar mats.

Patching floors is doable, but time consuming.

The little hole in the back of the rocker has grown considerably since buying it and other blisters imply the need for full rocker surgery.

I priced the panels at W&N and they total $500ish.

Shock towers in the trunk, on the wheel wells rust in many ways.  The cans on top are solid on mine, but a little picking at bumps below the cans showed that they were blisters.  The shelf in the underside of the wheel well holds dirt and moisture, creating a rust point.

The point where the rear sub frame attaches, just inside the rocker/wheel well area is difficult to repair, due to multiple pieces/layers (like the shock towers).

The spare tire well rusts out, but seems easy to patch.

The front frame rails are expensive to fix and the driver's side has more issues due to leaking brake/clutch fluid.

The nose holds dirt and water and rusts.
The heater box mounting area does the same..
Wheel wells hold dirt/rust.

Behind the front fenders got little to no paint and rusts, but cannot be seen without removing the fender.

 

Pulling up carpet and the back seat and the trunk boards and the battery can give you a better idea of what you are getting.

 

Keep in mind that a respray can look beautiful, on top of a very temporary repair.

[e30edm]

does anyone on this forum know the history of the bmw 2002 i posted that i am currently interested in ? the guy doesnt have any paperwork for it and i havent gotten pictures for the places i am looking for rust.. thanks for all ur help u guys... anyone in montana willing to do a ppi for me?