LJtii

Thanks, LJ, for the photo.  Your dark color likely looks fine and quite acceptable behind your grille when in place.  I likely will stay with the Inka behind my all-black grille b/c it just feels right and original.  I suppose a little color peeking through will not change the world in any significant way.  What's the sweet ride beside your '02?

Larry

The car next to the 2002 is a '50 Buick woodie my neighbor traced me for a 2002 I was going to sell. Was a good deal.

Larry, for what it's worth, here is a shot of the area behind my left grille with the grille out. Both sides are done this way, and there has not been any paint work done.

I've driven this car for about 20 minutes, as part of a roundel article I was apart of. 

 

 

It's an aesthetically pleasing car. 

What you don't say actually says a lot.

Definitely an early April car. See my information below. I have a 73 Malaga tii built 8 cars before yours, and it too has lived it's entire life in SD county. I purchased the car in Mt. Soledad. 

 

See my post below. 

 

 

 

I posted this a few days ago.

Thanks for that; it's clearly an April car. And since you mentioned Mt. Soledad...

LJ,

It might be an early April car. If the door VIN sticker is showing March, it may be one of those cars discussed above, for which the door VIN sticker shows the month immediately prior to the "manufacturing date" per BMW Archives. An email with your VIN to Archives would verify (info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com).

Thanks and regards,

Steve

Might be the case, Steve. Thanks for pointing that out. I got the letter many years ago from the archives, but can't put my hands on it.

2763751 was born sometime in March of '73. It was Malaga, and still retains its original paint and engine. Shows 136,445 miles today. It's still enjoying the CA sunshine.

Here are a few photos of the 2002 that was in the vendor displays at the recent Barrett Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ. It was a nicely-done car which wasn't for sale but was displayed to highlight the audio system installed in it.

Not so random. She said her boyfriend was horny.

I have a color shot of that somewhere. The car was Colorado in color. But I can't find it, so here's another shot of the girl.

Terrific story, Rob. But you neglected to mention that we, as members of the FAQ, are essentially a spoiled lot. We are used to asking questions and stating opinions while maintaining a sense of decency and friendliness to others who are similarly afflicted with the dreaded 2002 sickness. And we incorrectly assume that anyone we speak with who owns one will be using the same play book. Too bad that's simply just not the case. You apparently encountered one of the few true douchebags who own a 2002, and all he can be is a bad example. Move on. There are better experiences to be had just down the road. And thanks for your insightful musings in your articles.

Her's another unpainted one...

I bought the Turkis car pictured in early 1999. It had 4 coats of paint over the original finish, and the top paint job was poor, so I chemically stripped it to the bare metal and had it repainted. No one seemed to have a source for factory BMW Turkis, so we used the original paint in the engine bay as a guide and the shop did the best color-match they could provide. When I found another Turkis car and parked next to it, it was next to impossible to see any difference in the two colors. The owner of that car had no idea who had painted it or when, so it was impossible to learn what type or mix of paint was utilized. Yes, I sold the car to Keith Martin in the spring of '12, and yes, he ended up watching it go down the road with his ex, Wendie, when they divorced. She loves the car, and uses it in her Facebook profile. Pretty sure it isn't going anywhere any time soon. And Keith still wants another.

BTW, the car in photo #1 is the same car at the top of post #12, still wearing my CA plates.

Don't know what would ruin the decals other than too aggressively cleaning in there. I use a damp cloth with no soap to wipe down the finish, then dry it as I would on the exterior. I have probably waxed inside the engine bay twice in over 16 years of ownership. Have done nothing more than that.

Steve, I'm not sure which '73 you are referring to. My car still wears its original malaga finish inside and out. Unless they simply deteriorated prior to my buying the car some 16 years ago, there was no obvious reason to replace the pads.

Steve, you are likely correct. Looking closely under the center pad, which is somewhat loose, I note some glue application that doesn't look like what BMW would have done. So these are apparently replacements.

Your photo was very helpful. Are those insulation pads original as well? They look much different than the other rectangular pads. 

I have no reason to believe they are anything but the original pads. There is no evidence of anything having been there before them, and they are made of a rough texture unlike any of the repro pads being offered today.

Yes, but they achieve a nice, glossy finish with them. To tell an owner the under side of the hood on a 2002 should be a dull, flat finish is simply incorrect.

I got stuck at the viscous love triangle.

This is the underside of my '73 Malaga with its factory finish intact. There is no difference in the quality of the shine vs. the exterior paint.

 None of the 2002s I have bought second- (or 3rd, 4th, etc) hand have had dealer stickers on them to announce their origin, so on them, who knows? My current car had supposedly always been in the Santa Barbara area prior to my buying it some 16 years ago, so it likely came out of an L.A. dealer. But my first one, a Verona '76, was bought new right off the lot of Fritz's BMW/ Datsun in Trenton, NJ in the spring of '76. Oh, wait ... here comes the sales agent with the paperwork right now.

Am I not seeing the price or are you joking?

It was listed as $0.00. Why, that's almost free.

No pictures, first-time seller. And it appears it's not a BMW 2002, it's a 2002 BMW. Nothing to see here...

At that price, I'll buy as many as you can get.

As far gone as it is, it's a better starting point than some hulks I have encountered over the years.

$23,500.