Jump to content

GasProcessor

Solex
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    18

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

 Content Type 

Everything posted by GasProcessor

  1. GasProcessor
    Congrats! I’m a young man myself, dealing with a 101k mile ‘89 325iX auto at age 28 (owned for a year and since age 27 - brought with 78k miles on the clock). I am debating between a 2002, E21, and a Mercedes Benz W110 as my next classic daily driver You will have to dump some good money into this vehicle if you expect someone to do the welding for you. Otherwise, I would liquidate it and wait for a clean, unmolested example to show up on an auction website or on this forum. Good luck with your 02 ventures friend!
  2. GasProcessor
    The Dollar Store is dead… Long live the Dollar Store! With all this inflation, we as well start pricing things in Bitcoins now… no wait, I mean Satoshis as a single Bitcoin is now too expensive for the regular Joe. Perhaps we can also price things in Dogecoins as people sure love their doggies and would put them on a “currency”.
  3. GasProcessor
    Me neither. For 160k Washingtons, you could have a shop do a Concours restoration on an 02 while throwing an electric motor in there, and drive off with something way cooler than that ugly gray brick
  4. GasProcessor
    My solution to the “boring future” is to combine the best of the “fun” past and the “boring” future; that is - take a 2002, throw an electric motor in it, throw in a battery that gives about 100 miles of range, and then enjoy the amazing parts of owning a 50 year old BMW without much of the headaches of owning a 50 year old BMW. The range isn’t much, but most of these cars don’t get driven that far from home base anyways. Many on here will scoff at the thought of someone doing that, but let’s get real here; the 2002, despite being a sports sedan in its youthful (younger than 20) years, now suffers from 50+ year old car problems; NLA parts which are hard to find, lots of routine maintenance required on just the engine, less mechanics out there who can competently work on these engines, many examples in decrepit condition for sale, rust issues (sometimes in structural areas!), expensive rebuild/restoration costs, etc. I think a lot of project-grade 2002s can be (more) affordably resurrected to be something nice and roadworthy with an EV conversion in… say 10-20 years. Cars of this age are quite pretty (the body/interior styling and the chrome trim) and look a hell of a lot better driving on the road than a Cybertruck
  5. GasProcessor
    “What is the right amount of horsepower?” - depends on the use case for the car. Can’t really apply a one-number-fits all approach here. Gonna give my opinion on numbers (assume they’re for an ‘02/E21/E30 sized car) regular street use in a suburban area and interstate driving - 100-150 hp is enough for most people; torque at 4000 RPM or below is way more important driving around in NYC (assuming you live in the city and you’re rich enough to own a car there) - 50 hp is enough. You don’t need a lot of hp to sit in city traffic and bumble around at 10-30 MPH. Low-end torque below 2500 RPM is pretty much everything here. Might as well get an electric car twisty backroad driving - 250-300 hp will probably be the most enjoyable for most people. A few might want 400+ hp racetrack - the sky is the limit! To infinity and beyond!
  6. GasProcessor
    Love what you’re doing here. I’ve always fantasized about driving around in an EV-converted 02 and have done a whole bunch of research on EV conversions. Don’t know how much help I will be, but I’m open to joining the EV Builders Guild and trying to contribute what I know. I also happen to be based in NJ!
  7. GasProcessor
    “Driving around Los Angeles in the middle of the summer without AC is a little crazy” - I imagine it isn’t too bad given the lack of humidity over there. Here in NJ we have LA temps along with 40-80% humidity throughout July and August. I drove a Schwarz exterior/tan interior 325e with broken AC here during summer of 2021/2022… I was constantly drenched in sweat even with both windows all the way down. That vert he traded in for also has a black interior, which will get hot and uncomfortable when driven topless in the sun.
  8. GasProcessor
    My opinion with these cars is to keep them stock (at least until EV conversions become economical). The stock wheels, suspension, and cam might not be as fun as aftermarket, but the older I get the more I value comfort over performance. I used to modify and beat the crap out of my BMWs when I was a kid (and I quickly learned how fast things break when you do that), but as grown man these days I trust the way the BMW engineers set up the car’s engine, wheels, tires, and suspension from the factory. There are mods that can improve the car (restomods), but in my opinion they aren’t in the departments you listed. That said, I’m a regular driver and I use cars strictly as street vehicles, and I’m the type that drives an automatic transmission (so the classic BMWs I pick are really nice and had gentle owners). I also want to say that I mainly like classic BMWs from the 70s and 80s for their styling (I like boxy bodies and chrome trim and round headlights), small size (you should see my 1989 325iX compared to my little sister’s 2017 320i), and big greenhouses. My 2 cents on this question
  9. GasProcessor
    Clean up the interior bits as much as possible and you’ll get paid handsomely for them. Make the chrome as shiny as possible, make sure the letters look new. Clean the dust off the faceplate and make sure that vinyl-esque texture is as well-preserved as possible. Make that chrome have a sheen. Make it look as new as possible. Put it up for sale on Ebay for $1000 and there’s a good chance a desperate enough buyer (who’s rich and likes 02’s - he has great taste in cars I must say) will pay you that much for them. If a few months go by and no one bites, lower the price by increments of $100, wait a few more months until someone bites, then repeat until it’s sold. I’ve cleaned up three used NLA center caps for 15” E30 basketweave wheels to the point, threw them on Ebay one at a time and someone paid me $150 a pop for each.
  10. GasProcessor
    Given that these cars are getting closer to 60 years old, do you guys think we’ll see 02 shell reproductions or replica shells within the next 10-15 years? Was thinking it would be a great way to build a custom 02 from the ground up without hacking up a survivor or starting off with a shell that’s had 50 years of wear and tear on it I’ve seen companies sell replica shells for 1960s Mustangs. Granted the Mustang has been embedded in American car culture for far longer than classic BMWs or even classic Mercedes for that matter. What are your folks thoughts on this?
  11. GasProcessor
    The last time a poll like this was done was 2007. A good while has passed from now. Wanted to do a new one to see how the answers have changed since then.
  12. GasProcessor
    I’m a “looks stock (or OEM plus) but isn’t” guy. If it’s an American-spec 02, the main looks-related mods I’d do is throw on Euro bumpers (on cars with diving boards) and Euro turn signals. I would also undo some of the government-mandated requirements that I view as pointless (like rear license plate lights and side markers - less stuff to break as the car ages) Under the hood, I’d throw an electric motor with some batteries in the trunk 😁 Needs so little maintenance compared to a stock powertrain and max torque from 0 RPM is great for daily cruising (also much better for city driving vs a gas engine). With cars of this vintage, I like them mainly for their styling and the massive green house vs any performance factors or the tech (which is now ancient from a “how it works” standpoint)
  13. GasProcessor
    Before seeing this post, I used to think engine-driven fans would only collide into shrouds (assuming the radiator has a shroud). Wow that fan is pretty close to the radiator
×
×
  • Create New...