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Question from a potential 02 buyer... Need your help guys


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First off, thanks in advance and hello to all...

New to the forum.

I found a really great deal on a 74 and I'm thinking about jumping on it... Ive been an e30 guy for awhile now, but got a chance to drive a lightly modded 02, and now I'm hooked.

The problem with the car is that its been sitting for awhile... It turns over, and is getting fuel, just not spark. I'm driving down to see it next week and would love some suggestions on what to check out, and hopefully get the thing started.

Any help would be awesome!

-Stephen

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74 with deleted side moldings looks nice. Here is a write up for checking out cars: http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/view/80/32/

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

also: http://www.bimmers.com/02/ (go to buyers guide)

you have to get the car started, ie, unless you can get it for $200. The electrical should be pretty simple, just follow the high voltage, to the low voltage to the grounds (engine ground: very important)

good luck

FAQ Member # 91

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Guest Anonymous

Take a coupla screwdrivers, an extra set of points ($3.00 including matchbook cover), extra set of plug wires, including the coil wire ($25.00), a distibutor cap ($8.00) and rotor arm ($8.00) and some jumper cables ($10.00). Best $54 you will spend on an 02...ask me how I know...!

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purple steering wheel cover that's the clincher. Just what it clinches, I'm not sure...

mike

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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..........."The problem with the car

is that its been sitting for awhile...

It turns over,

and is getting fuel,

just not spark "

save yerself time, travel, and MONEY

do not go looking at cars IF THEY CANNOT BE ROAD TESTED

ON THE OPEN ROADS !

TELL THE SELLER to get the car running before you go to see it.

any car that does not run, that can not be driving home,

cannot pass any States Safety Inspection, has excusses

list longer than your pinky finger, cannot stop, steer, beep,

light up the dark, cannot run at 80 mph...... getting the picture?

is a car worth hundreds of dollars, not anything over one

thousand. Unless you want to bring home PAIN or feel the need to

set fire to A LOT OF MONEY and end up with more PAIN?

....that rear spoiler does make it look f . a . s . t . ===->

'86 R65 650cc #6128390 22,000m
'64 R27 250cc #383851 18,000m
'11 FORD Transit #T058971 28,000m "Truckette"
'13 500 ABARTH #DT600282 6,666m "TAZIO"

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I gotta disagree with c.d.iesel on this one. I bought my 02 for almost nothing and it was non-running. The seller was very knowledgeable and had maintained the car. He was deployed and the car sat for some time. Before selling it, he had already diagnosed the problem as a fuel pump. I bought it, towed it home, was gifted a fuel pump by another FAQ'er. It started right up and it commuted 80 miles per day/75 mph for several weeks.

The key, from my experience, is how much can you invest (up front and down the road) and how knowledgeable is the seller about the car and it's history/needs. I would not eliminate it simply because it's not running.

"Why would I pay that much money for a 1981 BMW that looks...like a 1981 BMW?" -Charles William Jones, Jr.

1975 Polaris, Sunroof

1976 Malaga

1993 E36 Sedan

1992 Mazda Miata

1998 Volvo V70

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I'm somewhere between the last two posts. As with so many things in life, it's all about risk versus reward. c.d. is absolutely right that if you can't road test it, you have no direct knowledge on whether it burns oil, whether it pulls to one side, whether it runs hot, whether the trani rumbles or munches, on and on and on. So you have to go into these things assuming some level of risk. The worst case is, of course, that the car needs EVERYTHING -- engine, trani, rear end, shocks, brakes, clutch, hydraulics, electricals... everything. If that turns out to be the case, you'll be kicking yourself if you paid near market value assuming that it would run.

In practice, though, if the car doesn't look like a total piece of shit, it probably isn't a total piece of shit. People sell cars for all sorts of reasons, and an owner may be unwilling to accede to our request to "get it running before I look at it." We all have stories of buying cars for less than they're worth because they needed work. I love buying dead cars precisely because the reward side of the risk/reward curve is so high.

But there is a question on how much work you should do when the owner isn't willing to do it. If you buy this car as-is and it needs more than you thought, than you'll be pissed. But if you spend two hours over there, get it running, and find that it needs very little, it'll be harder for you to drive a tough bargain.

I just went through all this with a '73tii. Very interesting car... largely but not completely rust-free, sunroof, a/c, Recaros, but hadn't been run in 20 years. I didn't even get as far as trying to start it; I stretched over my battery cables, turned the key, heard the fuel pump run, and fuel gushed out everywhere because the fuel lines were dry-rotted. I was not willing to spend the time to change them (unless I bought the car, it would've been essentially a free repair), and the owner wanted the sell the car as-is but for a price closer to something running but needing sorting. And this WAS a car that needed shocks, hydraulics, exhaust, and who knows what else. In the end I walked away.

There's not one right answer to this. It depends on what other factors the car has in its favor, what your opinion of the owner is, how many other cars there are in your area (here in New England, the pickings are slim), what your budget is, how badly you lust for this particular car.

Just factor some risk in there, because, whatever the resolve of the ignition issue, the odds that the car will have NOTHING wrong, will need NOTHING, are zero.

--Rob

The new book The Best Of The Hack Mechanic available at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0998950742, inscribed copies of all books available at www.robsiegel.com

1972 tii (Louie), 1973 2002 (Hampton), 1975 ti tribute (Bertha), 1972 Bavaria, 1973 3.0CSi, 1979 Euro 635CSi, 1999 Z3, 1999 M Coupe, 2003 530i sport, 1974 Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special (I know, I know...)

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thoughts on negotiating in this situation......

Won't work in all cases with all sellers, but you can attempt to negotiate an acceptable price for the car "as is" with the conditions that a) you're able to get it running and B) it passes your minimum acceptable standards for drivability once it can be driven a reasonable distance.

If being certain that the car runs and drives is mandatory for you and you're only willing pay "non-runner" money for it, try approaching the seller on that basis - (s)he may agree to a non-runner price to get it sold. If they're willing to go that far, ask them to agree to a hand-written purchase agreement contingent on the car meeting your conditions and both of you sign it - the seller may still back out once the car runs, but it's less likely. Not likely you'll get a $4k car for $1500 this way, but you may be able to save a few hundred dollars.

Barry Allen
'69 Sunroof - sold
'82 E21 (daily driver), '82 633CSi (wife's driver) - both sold
66 Chevy Nova wagon (yard & parts hauler)

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Damned fine reasoning, Barry.

The new book The Best Of The Hack Mechanic available at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0998950742, inscribed copies of all books available at www.robsiegel.com

1972 tii (Louie), 1973 2002 (Hampton), 1975 ti tribute (Bertha), 1972 Bavaria, 1973 3.0CSi, 1979 Euro 635CSi, 1999 Z3, 1999 M Coupe, 2003 530i sport, 1974 Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special (I know, I know...)

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The guy is firm on $1500 cash for the car, I thought about getting it myself, but you would have to spend some dough to get it into shape, we don't know about the clutch or engine condition, had to be something serious to be towed in the first place and just been setting there in the towing company parking lot for a while.

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I went and looked at the car briefly today. Here are my observations...1. Both front floor pans are rusted through and they would need to be replaced or patched. 2. There is a nice size rust hole in the trunk to the right of the gas tank. 3. There are rust bubbles poking through by most of the window seals. 4. Poor paint throughout, looks like it may have been jade grun, or some sort of green as indicated in the front of the doors when they are open. 5. rust has started to get at the frame rails, but did not appear to have perforated them yet, but I didnt poke at them. 6. it will be sold via a mechanics lien, so know your state laws and paperwork. 7. he is certainly negotiable on the price as he said "make me an offer" and i said no thanks.

Unless you are good at welding, body, and paint work I would stay away as there is likely more rust hiding than can be seen. Trust me when I say that if you are not good at those things, you will dump more money in this car than it would cost to buy one that is rust free. Body and paint work done right is not cheap...my 02 cents

1973 2000 Touring "Lars"

1967 2000cs "Fritz"

1974 2002tii

1984 Euro 635csi

1999 M Coupe

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