Doing a paper for school on the 2002...need your input!

[Guest Anonymous]

Commenting on 2002 ownership, WRT subcultures especially, gets me thinking of two tangents:

Round lights vs. Square

My other car is...

In any subculture or social circle, you're eventually find schisms. (Schisa?) The most obvious among '02 pilots begins with taillights but, as you look closer, reflects a general break in style and sensibilities.

Me, I am an avowed, life-long round-tail guy. Which means that I also prefer smaller bumpers, two-tone door panels, 3-piece dashes and (because my car is a pre-'71) turn-signal stalks on the right. I also, therefore, maintain a special stamptisch in my heart for that goofy little beacon of a 4-way flasher just left of the instrument binnacle.

Round-tail guys tend to opt for more period-appropriate accessories and upgrade (13" basketweaves, walnut shift knobs, etc.) Square-tails get more box fenders and trunk-mounted subwoofers.

To my eye (through admittedly round-lighted glasses) the later '02s are really more a hybrid of the "Real" '02 and it's 3-series successor. Don't get me wrong. I love all BMWs (especially of that era); I even owned an e21 323i that I drove the hell out of. But the unapologetic kitsch of the early cars will always win out for me.

Which brings me to my other digression: What else is parked in your garage? (or on your fantasy list?). I know '02 people whose other car is everthing from a 7-series BMW to a Ford F-150. At 2002 get-togethers, swapping stories of dream cars runs the gamut from Alfas to Mustangs to Triumphs to Z-cars. Says a lot about the heterogeneity of people ostensibly bound by a "common" interest in BMW 2002s.

Ever see a Venn diagram? Try this link: http://www.venndiagram.com/intro.html

(Professors love diagrams, that's why I'm on about this.)

It's basically three circles arranged in a triangle pattern and overlapping each other slightly. Most of us have the '02 in the center (which looks like the shape of the rotor from a Wankel rotary engine, presuming you're a gearhead '02 person). Each circle would have a word in in it like "vintage" "German/European" and "Sporty." The 2002 is the ideal car for someone who wants a sporty vintage German car. A less ideal car for an '02 person might be, say, a Bavaria: vintage and german, but not so sporty. Conversely, an e36 M3 would be sporty and german, but not so vintage; while a '65 mustang fastback would be vintage and sporty, but not the least german.

Sorry for the protracted tangent. I love pondering the philosophy of my 02-ness as much as tinkering and driving.

Good luck on the paper; let us know how it turns out.

Roger M

70 2002

97 Subaru Outback

Asheville, NC

[Guest Anonymous]

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

A few years ago, someone at Bay Area 02 interviewed my wife for a piece about '02 owner-spouses. The link is included below.

Also, at the Spartanburg 02-02-02 event last Feb. Phil Marx was the keynote speaker. He really pegged what it means to be a member of the 2002 cult. You might be able to get ahold of him via the 2002 e-mail list

To unsubscribe write "unsubscribe 2002list"

to: sub2002@ids.net

HTH,

Roger M