BMW 2002

JoosyJoos · 08-11-2010, 02:27 PM

Anyone on these boards have experience with 2002's?

I'm thinking about buying one off of someone local to me. Its a 1975 thats pretty much been rebuilt from the ground up. Thoughts on the car in general? Things to look out for?

Is it too slow to bring on a race track? I'm not looking to run down 911's or anything... just looking to have some fun.

Please weigh in...

JoosyJoos · 08-12-2010, 09:27 AM

Wow, 92 views and no opinions on what is arguably one of the most popular cult cars of all time. Interesting...

Red Bread · 08-12-2010, 09:49 AM

Lots of us know about them, heck, I think I've even seen one or two, but I've never owned one. I'd venture to guess, it's a lot like most thirty to forty year old cars, a little hard to find some parts, but generally very simple. I had an E21 320i that was bullet proof, and since it was the unloved child between the 2002 and the E30, you can pick them up dirt cheap.

Given that it's relatively light, probably has a limited slip diff, and has a good racing heritage, I wouldn't hesitate to put it on the track.

m_thompson · 08-12-2010, 12:21 PM

A '73 2002 was my first BMW. They are mechanically simple and easy to maintain. Rust was the biggest challenge, and required an extensive rebuild and repaint. If you don't like the performance of the little 4 cylinder engine you can always swap in something much larger.

JoosyJoos · 08-12-2010, 12:39 PM

Do you happen to know some of the more common swaps?

The guy thats selling has pretty much rebuilt the whole thing with Ireland Engineering parts... suspension, big brakes, new head etc. Paint looks to be in fairly good shape and haven't seen any rust in the usual places.

He's asking 5K... and I'm thinking it might be worth it just to own a piece of history but I wanna make sure I'm not making a stupid impulse buy.

Ideally I'd like to get this out at Road Atlanta and up at Carolina Motorsports Park.

jt335i · 08-12-2010, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoosyJoos

Wow, 92 views and no opinions on what is arguably one of the most popular cult cars of all time. Interesting...

This site focuses more on newer generation BMWs.
There are other forums and sites dedicated specifically to classic BMWs, such as, the 2002. You just have to search for them.

tuco44 · 08-13-2010, 06:12 PM

Back in the day, I had 3 of them - a 1970, '72, and a '75. The '72 was the best of them IMO, smaller bumpers, and round tail-lights. The '75 model I had never ran exactly right, due to emission controls at that time. They were light and tossable and fun to drive.

BMW has come a long way since those cars. BUT, a restored one would be a fun, weekend car. I wouldn't want it as my DD tho.

08-11-2010, 02:27 PM	#1
JoosyJoos Major 113 Rep 1,347 Posts Drives: 2011 335d Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [0.00]	BMW 2002 Anyone on these boards have experience with 2002's? I'm thinking about buying one off of someone local to me. Its a 1975 thats pretty much been rebuilt from the ground up. Thoughts on the car in general? Things to look out for? Is it too slow to bring on a race track? I'm not looking to run down 911's or anything... just looking to have some fun. Please weigh in... __________________ 1997 M3 Coupe - BMWCCA I-Prepared #22 2006 M Roadster - 23,000 miles and slowly counting
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08-12-2010, 09:27 AM	#2
JoosyJoos Major 113 Rep 1,347 Posts Drives: 2011 335d Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [0.00]	Wow, 92 views and no opinions on what is arguably one of the most popular cult cars of all time. Interesting... __________________ 1997 M3 Coupe - BMWCCA I-Prepared #22 2006 M Roadster - 23,000 miles and slowly counting
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08-12-2010, 09:49 AM	#3
Red Bread Major General 4463 Rep 9,160 Posts Drives: Smog machines Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	Lots of us know about them, heck, I think I've even seen one or two, but I've never owned one. I'd venture to guess, it's a lot like most thirty to forty year old cars, a little hard to find some parts, but generally very simple. I had an E21 320i that was bullet proof, and since it was the unloved child between the 2002 and the E30, you can pick them up dirt cheap. Given that it's relatively light, probably has a limited slip diff, and has a good racing heritage, I wouldn't hesitate to put it on the track.
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08-12-2010, 12:21 PM	#4
m_thompson Major 133 Rep 1,416 Posts Drives: M-Sport 128i, 328xi, 3.0CS Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: New England, USA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 128i [0.00] 1972 3.0CS [10.00]	A '73 2002 was my first BMW. They are mechanically simple and easy to maintain. Rust was the biggest challenge, and required an extensive rebuild and repaint. If you don't like the performance of the little 4 cylinder engine you can always swap in something much larger. __________________ '09 128i - Black Sapphire Metallic\Coral Red\Glacier Silver\N51 DISA\6MT\Navigation\Premium\M-Sport\Heated seats\Xenon\Headlights\iPod\Smartphone\Euro Delivery
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08-12-2010, 12:39 PM	#5
JoosyJoos Major 113 Rep 1,347 Posts Drives: 2011 335d Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [0.00]	Do you happen to know some of the more common swaps? The guy thats selling has pretty much rebuilt the whole thing with Ireland Engineering parts... suspension, big brakes, new head etc. Paint looks to be in fairly good shape and haven't seen any rust in the usual places. He's asking 5K... and I'm thinking it might be worth it just to own a piece of history but I wanna make sure I'm not making a stupid impulse buy. Ideally I'd like to get this out at Road Atlanta and up at Carolina Motorsports Park. __________________ 1997 M3 Coupe - BMWCCA I-Prepared #22 2006 M Roadster - 23,000 miles and slowly counting
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-13-2010, 06:12 PM	#7
tuco44 Colonel 644 Rep 2,294 Posts Drives: 2018 340i xDrive M Perf Edtn Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Western Canada iTrader: (0)	Back in the day, I had 3 of them - a 1970, '72, and a '75. The '72 was the best of them IMO, smaller bumpers, and round tail-lights. The '75 model I had never ran exactly right, due to emission controls at that time. They were light and tossable and fun to drive. BMW has come a long way since those cars. BUT, a restored one would be a fun, weekend car. I wouldn't want it as my DD tho. __________________ 2018 340i xDrive M Perf Edtn Sunset Orange Previous BMWs - 19 others since 1971.
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