vinceinIL

Sadly, I'm a maybe at best after spending the past two weekends going to/from Oktoberfest, the weekend before them riding an old BMW cycle around the roads near Boscobel and LaCrosse, and the two weekends before that getting both vehicles ready. Natch, both behaved perfectly. Now the others want attention. vince

Got home early Sunday AM after enjoying the Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala Skyway on the way home. Car ran fine, used about 1/2 quart of oil on the entire trip. Fortunately, I have a 5 speed. It was great to see all the regular friends, and make new ones! Now to get ready for next year...in Elkhart Lake! So close... vince

I think they are Anton and Martha Steigerwald from Wisconsin. I don't think they are on the FAQ. vince

They are here for Oktoberfest...and the color looks to be more like Riviera... vince

Hi John, Don't kow if you're going to Oktoberfest, but I will be there with your Windy City Vintage Day Shirt. If you're there, track me down, I'm in the beat up green 2002ti with the big lights... vince

And I am feeling sorry that I won't be there. I'll be up north in the Wisconsin woods, racing around great roads on an old BMW cycle, '81 R100RT. Have fun without me! vince

Joel, my friend, you sound like quite the popular man around town... "end up hooking up with someone and later they drop me off at home", "at A GIRLFRIEND'S house and she drove me home"..... I agree there's probably more to the story, but also think there's the opportunity to try to avoid an abandonment claim if he was waiting for the car to be done, the shop was moving, changing owners, etc. I have two heads at a local shop that I'm waiting to get back. I told them I was in no hurry, as they often get urgent jobs from racers or our friend Ben. They've been there about 10 months now. I've called a few times, and now need to call again and push them to finish them. I haven't abandoned them, but it sure might look like it to someone else. Sorry I won't be at Vintage Fest, I'll miss learning the tricks of the trade from ya! vince

The way I am reading this is that your friend had title to a a decent looking, running? 2002 that he brought to 2002AD for some relatively minor work. The condition of the car is important, as if it was a stripped shell needing work, the value would be questionable. If it was much more complete, then the car would definitely have significant value to even a casual observer. If the work was completed and the shop contacted your friend that the car was ready to be picked up, and your friend never followed through or paid, then the shop would have grounds to take possession of the car via legal means (lien, etc). Abandonment is a term that comes to mind. If your friend was never contacted that the work was completed, then the shop would not have such clear grounds to take possession of the car. This is where it gets murky. Because the shop has moved and changed owners, even if your friend had tried to follow up on the car, it would have been difficult for him to retrieve it. Yes, five years is a long time. It's possible that the car was simply looked at as one of several in the lot that needed to be dealt with quickly during a sale. But what if the shop decided they could quietly acquire ownership of the car then sell it at a profit, or someone familiar with the shop decided to take it since the legal owner was apparently not doing anything about the car? I think your friend should also contact his local police department and discuss this matter with them. Bring title, registration, receipts, etc. Tell them he's been trying to track the car down and have not been able to. This is not to create trouble with 2002AD's past or present ownership, but to make an attempt to claim property of his that may have been "improperly" transferred to another owner. Of course, any pictures your friend has will be useful to post here and elsewhere! Please let us know what happens! vince

Hi Ben, My green 2002ti has a 3.90:1 LSD from a 320is in it, and also has a 5spd OD from a 320. I like the 3.90:1 with either a 4 spd or a 5 spd, the OD 5th gear is nice to have for the highway. I would think a 4:11 rear would indeed be a bit too high for today's highway driving, but the 3:64 might also be a bit on the low side, especially for a 1600. Hope this helps, vince

Bailey, it will be good to see you again! I'll be looking for the Club Sport; my Club Sport is staying home. It's much nicer/cleaner than when I got it, but still needs more work. Mike, I'll email you and see if we can meet up. I don't know just when Dave and some others are leaving yet. vince

I am going in my green 2002ti, planning to arrive Sunday afternoon and leave Saturday morning. Staying at the Comfort Inn in Buford (where Dave Mason is also staying). Hopefully I'l be able to see some other folks from this board while I'm there. Thanks, vince

Hi Ben, Looking at pictures of the cars I've owned, I don't see any regular stickers clearly missing from under the hood of that beautiful car. vince

Ben Thongsai at B&D in Westchester is considered an expert at 2002s, E30s, and other BMWs, especially those with M10 engines.... For a specific shop, try Apex Engineering in Bensenville: http://www.apexae.com/ Hope this helps, vince

24mm vince

It's my understanding that the speedometers were changed from KPH units to MPH units by the dealers in Canada. It's been several years since I took mine apart to clean it, but I remember that the speedometer section had a different date than the rest of the cluster and looked to have been changed, albeit a long time ago. The silver rings were originally chrome, which seems to have quickly oxidized to a dull silver. I've taken the out of the cluster and repainted with bright silver type paint, and it looked very accurate to the shade of silver they seemed to fade to. vince

Hi Tony, Nice going, you've saved several of us from having to buy it! Prolly saved a few marriages, too. There are several ways to remove the tint, depending on how old it is, how bad it's stuck on..... Be careful with razor blades as it's easy to scratch the glass. The car originally had an alternator. I think the fittings on the carbs are vente; I've never seen anything on them. The vacuum gauge is aftermarket, used to monitor engine vacuum while driving. A vacuum gauge is interesting to have for tuning, but kind of odd for regular driving. The big reinforced hose that goes to the brake master should not have any other hoses attached. Tell us more about how the brakes failed and we can try to diagnose it. vince

That car was red, though probably not Verona, but Granada. The repaint would probably not be correctly mixed. Then again, I don't put a lot of stock in McCartney's book or it's information, as it's a neat primer, but some of the info is misleading or incorrect. As for turbo vs ti, far fewer turbos were produced, but a turbo was like a cabrio, not the kind of car people bought for daily usage, but kept in the garage. Plus, there wasn't nearly as much interest in the turbo for racing in Europe, probably due to regulations that had changed and low production that was NOT for homologation like the E30 M3. With the advent of the internet, and the easier opportunities to import old cars from Europe, it's easier to find a rare car, and thus it's easier to bring over a turbo. The turbo has become collectible. I might also mention that I believe an older car has to pass much tougher inspections, etc to be registered in many European countries. Think of the US as a safe haven for many older cars that might not pass elsewhere. End result is that while fewer turbos were built, you will see more of them at shows than you ever will tis because there are probably 25-30 tis running around North America, and from what I'm told, fewer in Europe. Like I told Mike Pugh at VatV, "I remember when turbos were rare" because you often see them at shows nowdays when in the older days, you never saw either car. Tom, my friend, isn't Chico Joe available for transport duty? vince

The close ration transmission was an option. It is considered to be fairly fragile and expensive to repair, but for collectability, it is nice to have. For daily driving, especially higheway, the later 320i OD trans is a better choice. The problem with a lot of these cars that turn up is they are too rusty or incomplete for most people to want to save. This car is very complete, and regardless of what work is needed, would be worth saving. It doesn't need to be made perfect, but kept in decent shape and enjoyed. Over time, repairs aren't that overwhelming then. Rarity isn't everything, but collectability is good to consider. Myself, I already need to buy a house with a 10 car garage. There is only so much time in a day... vince

Though I am biased, having one of the single-eyed things, I would have to say if it's that complete and runs at that price, it's a pretty good deal. There are lots of little bits that differ in a ti, and while it's not that hard to gather most of the bits and make the changes to the shell, I've never seen anybody manage to do it, let alone do it well. If I had some more room, and wanted to spend more money on another toy, I'd grab it. vince

Hey guys, thanks for the kind words. Joel, how did you know I roll around in grease and dirt under the cars at least once a week? Down to earth, sure! The green car was cobbled together years ago with no regard to appearance, just make it complete, reliable, and enhance the performance a bit. Engine is close to stock. Ben Thongsai was a big help with tuning the 40 DCOE Webers, though they had been well set in the past. It has a 3.90:1 LSD from a 320i. The original engine and carbs are in my basement. It holds what I'm told is the BMW CCA Oktoberfest Long Distance record, going from Pacifica, CA to Waterville Valley, NH and back in 1997. On US 50 in Nevada, it covered 96 miles in one hour. That was with the 4-speed trans. The only mechanical issue on that trip was an alternator going out on the return through western Iowa, where I found a 320i unit that could be made to work from a local junkyard. Now I always carry an extra alternator. The return trip was almost 3400 miles, done in 3 and a half days, including a full overnight stop near Chicago, and another full overnight stop in Nebraska to find and replace the alternator. vince

Yep, I will be at Vintage Day, as well as Oktoberfest in Atlanta. Lots of patina for sure! At VatV, my car was parked beside the lake towards the back. Pictures are on their site, the green car with the big, now old Hella Rally 2000 lights in front. There are several other tis around, including John Fisher in Anniston, Alabama. Not many seem to belong to people who are active on the FAQ or other car activities. vince

I used Wise Auto Shipping for a car a few months ago, and they were very reasonable pricewise, and the service was great, covered trailer and all. www.wiseautoshipping.com I worked with Nathan. Hope this helps, vince

If you want to open a place, don't limit yourself to 2002s. There are other old cars and trucks who need driveshafts rebuilt or modified for 5-speeds. vince

If it were closer, I'd probably try to drag the 911 home.... Youse guys are lucky to have such temptations out there! vince

Like so many others have said, it's a matter of personal style, and there is more general interest in a car that is closer to original, appearance wise. This car looks like a decent start towards a resto-mod, but the smoked lights just don't fit it. The lack of an air filter is worrisome, though, what does the oil look like, and why didn't they find a filter? What else important might they have skimped on? vince