AlfaBMWGuy

10 minutes ago, 1936spyder said:

Sherman just posted about eight for sale two days ago if you look in the parts for sale section…

Thanks for the pointer!  I hadn't looked through the "misc. items" type threads in the for sale section.  I just sent Sherman a PM and replied to his thread as well.

-Gary

Hi Sherman, I'd like to buy an oil filler cap.  I will send a PM.

Thanks,

Gary

I'd like to find a nice condition OEM metal oil cap since my new-to-me '74 tii has a replacement plastic cap.  The condition of the seal portion of the cap is unimportant since those can still be sourced new.

Thanks,

Gary

Marc,

Geoff is the man for '02 EV conversion.  I was just searching for a post from him that would be appropriate to link when I saw that he posted in your thread.  He didn't mention, maybe out of humility, that you need to spend time looking through the Moment Motors link he has at the bottom of his posts.

Gary

p.s.  Geoff, I'm in Tri-Cities.  If I remember correctly, I first became aware of you when you swooped in and bought a nicer early 2002 in a pretty color, Nevada maybe, listed on CL out of Spokane for a great price that I had my eye on as well.  You beat me to the draw on that one.

Bump for auction ending tomorrow, Black Friday, at 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

-Gary

I debated with myself whether to include the wheels in the auction given I had original steelies with good hubcaps and newer tires on those as well--whether the end result would be enough to justify not selling the Ruspas separately or just keeping them for a while (I'm sure like most of us, I'll be back in an '02 at some point and I really love the look and uniqueness of the Ruspas).  But, they are getting a lot of positive auction comments so I think it was the right move to include them.  This is my 3rd 2002 (2nd '71 but the first wasn't a pre-71 like the Granada and then a '74 tii) and I've owned 4 E30s as the spiritual successor to the 2002.

-Gary

Yep, I'm a 5-hour drive from Boise Idaho in the dry eastern side of Washington state, but this was the 2nd original owner older BMW (the other is an E30 318is) I bought from there in the last decade.  It's a great hidden gem for finding well-preserved cars and because it's not the Seattle or Portland area (also nice to not have the rain in those places), I was able to get a shot at it before being snapped up by a local.  I found the original folding key in a one of those magnetic hide-a-key boxes that had fallen under the trunk panel over the gas tank.  Even the original owner had no idea it still existed.  Unfortunately he did not keep the original window sticker--that would have been the cherry on top for provenance.  He got the car over 100K miles in just 4 years as a small business owner who had a printing service so I'm sure he was picking up and dropping off jobs all over the Boise area.  After that the miles racked up more slowly to the 172K total now.

-Gary

This is my 2002 guys.  Since 2017 I've asked a few questions on the FAQ (and did a ton of searches) to help with bringing it back to what it should be and greatly appreciate all the advice.  It started as a good-bones car that was highly original, but hadn't been in regular use since the 1980s.  The original owner was 25 when he bought the car new and 71 when he sold it to me out of Boise, Idaho.  I completed what I call a sympathetic restoration over 3 years that primarily addressed mechanicals, but crossed over to some of the cosmetics inside and out as well.  My purchases from FAQ sellers is where the most money was spent in a single place by adding that all up vs. other sources--the Ruspa wheels being the single biggest FAQ board purchase (I'm glad to see some really are liking those from the BaT comments).  Right behind FAQ purchases was BluntTech with a ton of help from Steve.

Please feel free to ask me questions if you are interested in the car.  I'm letting Jason at Denwerks handle replies to auction comments/questions to avoid confusing people.  I previously had Jason sell an immaculate BMW M Coupe a couple years ago where I was helping a family member and that turned out to be a real positive experience given how thoroughly and honestly represents the cars he sells.  In the coming days he'll post a comprehensive video going over the entire car like he does for all of his auctions.

Thanks,

Gary

5 minutes ago, Steve Tochi said:

The deal is now in jeopardy, I discovered the seller iinca is actually not the girl in the profile picture.  We're negotiating rights to the avatar as a throw in. 

What??? Next thing you'll be telling us the guy in your avatar is not you and a guy no one has heard of named Jackson Browne instead...

Front wheel drive, so rare.  You keep being you johnpeterbot.

47 minutes ago, iinca said:

buyer pending...Steve Tochi

Congrats Steve on that FAQ charity raffle win! ?

I will take the air cleaner box if you can send me a closeup of the top cover and it's as clean as it looks in terms of no rust or significant scratches in the paint.  I'd take the rubber bellows attached to it and the rubber hose at the bottom as well if you are throwing those in for the $20 rather than separating those.  PM me the total shipped to 99353 and your PayPal address.

oops:  looks like "tii bimmer" claimed the air box a couple hours ago.  He's got dibs over me.

Thanks,

Gary

58 minutes ago, Conserv said:

If you do decide to proceed with a sale, has “everybody” advising you to list at $15K offered to actually buy it at that price? Or are they just “advising”? There is a difference between advising and laying your money down, and “project cars” — where a buyer can neither start nor drive a vehicle — tend to have real limits on their value. Just saying....

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

I don't think he's trying to say that people are saying to list it at $15K, but that at his $7K asking price they are wanting/expecting a car that the OP believes would be worth $15K.  Whether that's a lack of understanding of the market by prospective buyers, the OP, or a combination of both is up for debate.

PM sent.

Thanks!

I will take it.  PM coming your way.

Thanks,

Gary

I'm thinking this must be for a later year 2002 since the middle area does not have pleats?  To confirm, this is the back section of the rear seat, not the bottom or base section?  If so, this should be gobbled up by someone for that price since so many cars esp. out west get UV damage where the top dries up and disintegrates from sun beating down through the rear window over decades.

Who doesn't need a Snob 100 cassette recorder in their BMW?  Sounds like the epitome of yuppie before the term even existed ?

4 hours ago, Spykesta said:

What brand are those wheels?

BWA (see center caps).  Looks like you need to spend some time on the FAQ wheels database: https://www.bmw2002faq.com/wheels/bmw2002/page/2/?d=5

-Gary

Wow, gorgeous.  You won't need any luck for a good result with bidding over $20K in just a few hours.

-Gary

35 minutes ago, FunElan said:

But the reality is that 02s are getting harder to find and more difficult to maintain. Thank goodness for Steve for keeping the faq up and running, as I find myself relying on 10 year old threads to get things right.

Harder to find is definitely the case.  More difficult to maintain I'd say is not the case.  Through the ever expanding knowledge housed by the FAQ, upstanding vendors such as Blunttech, Esty, and Ireland Engineering, as well as the great majority of private sellers on the FAQ, it seems much easier to maintain these than back in the pre-internet early 1990s when I bought my first. @FunElan, you're a couple decades too young to have that perspective.

I will add that @mike's '02 Cents Worth Roundel columns from back in the day and through the years as well as other assorted Roundel articles were extremely valuable in their own right.  Compared to the internet though and even the FAQ alone, those are more like a cool drink from a water fountain than the internet fire hose.

4 minutes ago, Slavs said:

I wonder just what type of materials they used in painting this car. If the attention to detail is anywhere as sloppy as it was with regards to some of the things I pointed to already, I don't have much confidence in the paint or the builder.

I am putting my confidence in @HBChris who judged this car in person regarding the paint and overall quality of work.  That's huge compared to seeing only pics regardless of the resolution, lighting, etc.

28 minutes ago, Slavs said:

So, how many of you guys would be willing to fork out $40K for this thing ?? 

Maybe not the $41.5K + BaT buyer's premium this thing went for, but saying this is only worth $10K is silly.  You may be hoping for a market/economy reset that would make that so, but in the current market, this is easily a $30K 2002 to a lot of collectors and enthusiasts.  You'd be lucky to be able to do show quality paint like this on a rust-free car you already own and nothing else for $10K.

Although I've got no horse in this race (other than being one of the majority who would love a crack-free dash for a fair price), I want to speak up for @PaulTWinterton.

The proper etiquette to keep for sale listings fair is that the first to post their definite interest to the public thread should get first crack (no pun intended ?) at it--assuming they are willing to pay the full asking price along with shipping and PayPal fees incurred by the seller.  That post in the public thread should really say more than "PM'd" which is ambiguous as to the level of interest, and Paul did this with his "first dibs" reply.  I personally tend to use "I'll take this. Sending a PM." to keep it short but clear to others.  The potential buyer who posts to the thread should always send a PM within a few minutes to establish direct communication, let the seller know where it will be shipped to get an estimate for that, and ask any specific questions.

Those who only send a PM and don't reply to the thread should fall behind those who post to the thread unless the seller replies to their own thread that there is a pending sale from a PM before there is someone who claims it in the thread.  In this case it's clear that Paul should be given the right of first refusal after seeing a reasonable number of pics, before anyone who only sent a PM.  All the better in making the world right in this case, Paul has expressed in multiple threads over an extended period how much he'd like to find a lower dash in great condition that lives up to the condition of the rest of his '73 Tii.

-Gary

On 2/3/2020 at 11:43 AM, ckeen74 said:

Interesting on the impressions of 4-cyl. Alfa vs. BMW. Totally subjective, but my feelings were the opposite - while I like the way my tii pulls, I feel like the Alfas (2-liter injected spider and Alfetta GT) urge me to flog them harder, and of course the Alfetta's rack & pinion steering is super-sharp. But maybe that's just the way the cars are set up, or that I'm comparing 2-liter cars.

Hi Chris, I don't think there is a significant difference between your feelings and what Andrew and I have stated.  I think the smoothness of the BMW M10 doesn't encourage the same sort "urges" to drive the car aggressively as the more "rough and tumble" (rorty would be another word for it) Alfa DOHC Nord engine.  I've owned 4 E30 BMWs.  The M20 baby six in the 325i/is/iX is sewing machine smooth while making a bunch of torque and power.  Yet, it's my M42 318is and my former S14 M3 that want to be driven harder than the 6-cylinder E30s.  With the M20 and to a bit lesser degree the M10, there is no work on your part to get that smooth rush of power, just push the pedal.  With the M3 S14, as well as the Alfa Nord, you have to be more deliberate.  I suspect going to dual Webers in a 2002 changes the character to encourage more enthusiastic driving by taking away some of that smoothness of the single carb 2002 and injected tii as much as it actually increases power.  It's a playful vs. serious contrast.  In general, certainly not a hard-and-fast rule, Italian cars fall on the playful side while German cars fall on the serious side.

-Gary

With stock seats (including a good spring frame suspension and horsehair pads that aren't worn out on a 2002) like I have on both my 2002 and Giulia Super, the commanding view out is one of the best features of both in my opinion.  With my '74 GTV, it always seemed like a form over function compromise.  Too close to sitting on the ground and looking out of a bathtub for my taste--nothing compared to a lot of modern cars though.  At 5'8", I couldn't even set the inside mirror to effectively see traffic behind me--I was either looking at the ground right behind the car if it was aligned to the rear window or half looking at the headliner of the inside of my GTV if I bumped it up enough to see cars behind me.  But, all was solved with the Giulia sedan, which I've always said is function over form instead of the other way around as I found the GTV, and I think the handling of the 4-door was just as good as the GTV even though the latter is considered the "sporty coupe".  Definitely the steering on the 2002 is heavier and feels a bit more numb than the Alfa, which is a big part of why I said the 2002 is not as "on its toes" as a Giulia Super.  I also give the edge in braking to the Alfa.  Transmission comes down to driver preference--short, smooth, but a bit more sloppy throws in the 2002 vs. long, precise, but a bit more notchy in the Alfa.  Again, that's without worn synchros that are common in both.  Your comments on the engine in each are spot on in my experience Andrew.

-Gary