Beginner looking for car + advice

[Alyssa]

I am a teenager with little experience with cars. I am super interested and want to buy a 2002 to make my first project car! Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated (I heard 2002 owners are the nicest).

[tech71]

Before even looking at cars you need to secure access to workspace and tools, seriously.

Time spent here on the forum reading up will be very helpful in getting an idea of what you are getting into.

Dont buy a rusted out car, more than  most veteran 02 fixers can deal with let alone a newbie

53 minutes ago, Alyssa said:

(I heard 2002 owners are the nicest).

Where did you hear that?😉

Edited September 29, 2023 by tech71

[Leucadian]

Welcome to the forum!

 

Budget is going to be your biggest determining factor, and play a big part in how big of a project your project car ends up being.  If your funds allow, I'd recommend finding something that runs, and is relatively well sorted.  That way you can get the instant satisfaction of driving your new 02, while also learning to fix and tune things as needed.  

 

Unless you want to go ham and buy a car that needs a lot of work, in which case, more power to ya!  Either way, you'll learn a lot about cars in short order.

 

As @tech71 mentioned, start reading up about 02's.  Learn about what to look for when buying, difference in model years (roundie vs squaretail), 02 vs tii, etc.  The search function on this forum is your best friend.  

 

Good luck!

[AceAndrew]

1 hour ago, Alyssa said:

 (I heard 2002 owners are the nicest).

 

Lies and deception.  We caught another one everybody!

 

However, you will find many here will go to the ends of the earth to help someone who shows a desire to learn how to help themselves (myself included).

 

The 02 is a fantastic car to learn to work on mechanical-wise.  My initial advice is similar to others (read a ton) and put the word out.

[Alyssa]

1 hour ago, tech71 said:

Before even looking at cars you need to secure access to workspace and tools, seriously.

Time spent here on the forum reading up will be very helpful in getting an idea of what you are getting into.

Dont buy a rusted out car, more than  most veteran 02 fixers can deal with let alone a newbie

Where did you hear that?😉

Thank you so much! I have a workplace and tools, along with access to friends who worked on bmws and have anything I don't already have. I appreciate the help so much.

[Alyssa]

1 hour ago, Leucadian said:

Budget is going to be your biggest determining factor, and play a big part in how big of a project your project car ends up being.  If your funds allow, I'd recommend finding something that runs, and is relatively well sorted.  That way you can get the instant satisfaction of driving your new 02, while also learning to fix and tune things as needed.  

 

Unless you want to go ham and buy a car that needs a lot of work, in which case, more power to ya!  Either way, you'll learn a lot about cars in short order.

If my budget is 10,000 do you think that it's possible? I've been able to find some for under that seem in okay shape, but maybe working on a broken will allow me to learn more? 

[slowbert]

Get something that at least runs - then you will be motivated to keep it on the road and work on various projects.  Seems Bring a Trailer has seen a few project/driver cars in the $10K range, and may be you can find something on Craigslist to get going.

 

It is easy to start spending all kinds of money on it with upgrades/fixes, but if you keep it simple, you can do endless fun projects on it that will not break the bank.  It used to be that there were 2002s in the junkyards, and you could find nearly any part you needed for cheap.  Those days are gone, but there are still plenty of affordable parts out there.

 

I would be tempted to find 2 or 3 parts cars for $3-4K and use those to build one decent car out of it.  That is, if I had the room and was wanting to get into it for the first time.

 

I cannot stress how important it can be to have a parts bin - no matter how small - of extra pieces and example assemblies when you are trying to figure out how to recreate/resurrect/rebuilt/reassemble anything.  Most people who own these cars have a 'collection' of parts, and make sure you gather up as much of that as possible, maybe from multiple people.  I bought my car in 1991 and it came with a pickup truck full of parts, and they have been utterly invaluable.

Edited September 29, 2023 by slowbert

[Alexander]

 

I got into these cars when they were dirt cheap and I was only 17-18 years of age back in 1982. Yes, BMW 1600-2002 owners are generally nice and down to earth people ( although, I must admit, the 02 scene attracts some quirky and weird people), but things are changing as these cars have appreciated in value and  discovered by the Collectors, San Francisco Yuppies, Metrosexuals, Silocon Valley Technocrats, Cross-Marque-Deviants, Melon Vendors and Peddlers, etc.. It's nowhere near as bad as the Porsche scene, though, thank God ! I strongly advise you to focus on something more modern and affordable where the parts are more readily available. But, if your heart is set on one of these, put a tool set together and learn how to wrench on them.

Edited September 29, 2023 by Alexander

[NYNick]

A teenager who has a $10K budget who wants help to buy an '02 and fix it up?

 

Mike S?

Satch?

Roundel?

FAQ?

 

I expect there will be no shortage of people, local and otherwise, who would be overly generous with their time, advice and expertise to help you attain your goal. Get to know your local 2002 people and have at it.

 

Don't buy a rusty car. Just don't.

 

Good luck!!!

 

Nick

 

 

 

[tech71]

1 hour ago, Alyssa said:

If my budget is 10,000 do you think that it's possible?

No, I dont. Sorry

[Leucadian]

1 hour ago, Alyssa said:

If my budget is 10,000 do you think that it's possible? I've been able to find some for under that seem in okay shape, but maybe working on a broken will allow me to learn more? 

 

I think it's possible if you take your time with the search.  Start by doing some reading up on what to look for in a potential car, and what to avoid.  That will help you narrow down candidates pretty quickly, but as @NYNick said, avoid (serious) rust at all costs.  

 

Ideally, you would find one for under 5k, and then use the rest of your funds to fix it up.

[jgerock]

Welcome to the community!
 

You are in Denver. Start researching what year you want then look for something that’s from the Western states.  I’ve purchased two Bimmers from Arizona. Very dry if the interior has been protected by the sun.

 

Rust is not what you want to buy.

[mgben]

Support for a 2002 is there, but seriously the car was designed in the 60's.   They are easy to work on, and very handsome.

But are you comfortable leaving it to go into a store? 

And like 

For fun factor I would get your feet wet with an E30 or newer perhaps. 

You can save money by getting a 4 door oor sometimes a convertible when winter approaches. (like a 91-93 318 convertible). Or a 91 sedan (if you seek an M42 engine 4 cyl). 

Good luck with your hunt. try Bimmerforums  for the hunt possibly.  Like others have said it is a tall order to get a decent rust free 2002 at your price point.

Do you have a daily driver? Is this just for pleasure use?

[Stevenc22]

Buy something will no rust. Everything else can be fixed up in the garage but rust is such a PITA.

 

Square tail cars are much cheaper than roundies, good for the budget. I have no doubt you can find something drivable for $8k but it will take probably $5k just to get it good and road worthy, but you can take your time and spread your budget over multiple years. Paint will be the most expensive but you can wait on that if you get a reasonable car.

[Son of Marty]

You might look to California for a 76 02 they need to be smogged in Cali with all the factory equipment in place while this can be done it's not easy and so the price is down on them.