Years to stay away from on 2002s ?

Not being the most mechanical person on the planet, are their certain years of the 2002's that had more problems than other years.
Thanks

Originally Posted by smardie

Not being the most mechanical person on the planet, are their certain years of the 2002's that had more problems than other years.
Thanks

Mechanically there isnt much difference between the years. The later Tii models had fuel injection which can be a bear. I think the main thing with the 2002 is rust.

any tips on telling if a car has rust besides the obvious signs of rust ?

Originally Posted by smardie

any tips on telling if a car has rust besides the obvious signs of rust ?

Items of concern are:

Rear shock towers, floor boards, rocker panels and so on. Main thing is the chassis. Basically if you see any surface rust AT ALL, you will find trouble when you start digging.

Wa state would be bad for a 2002 purchase. Spending more now will save unholy amounts of time and money in the future.

Originally Posted by Lanc3r

Items of concern are:

Rear shock towers, floor boards, rocker panels and so on. Main thing is the chassis. Basically if you see any surface rust AT ALL, you will find trouble when you start digging.

Wa state would be bad for a 2002 purchase. Spending more now will save unholy amounts of time and money in the future.

I bought and sold a 73 tii about 6 months ago and would agree with the above except for the comment about Washington state. The car I had came from the high desert in Eastern Oregon and didn't have any rust. The same little rain/low humidity conditions exist in Eastern Washington.

Re tii's. As another poster noted tii's can be a bear - an expensive bear. Be sure the injection system is in good shape before you buy a car or discount the purchase price to pay for repairs. Parts have gotten almost impossible to find and very expensive.

Check out http://www.bmw2002faq.com/ There's an article on the front page Re what to look for when buying.

I am original owner of a 1973 tii and can tell you most parts are readily available through Mobile Traditions, BMWs classic parts division. If the part isn't available, it is not available for all years and models of 2002s. As for what to stay away from, avaid a 1976 if you are in California. The smog equipment added made those cars seem underpowered compared to previous years and you CANNOT remove it an pass the yearly inspection. The 1975 and older can be tuned or modified to be great performance engines. Many prefer the 1973 and earlier cars for the small bumper and round tailights, but it is all a matter of preference. BTW, roundies rule!

I caught this on Craigslist a few days ago. It's a 76' 2002
http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/car/586770458.html
Thought it was way too cool, so I called the guy.
Says it runs great. A friend of mine fell in love with it, so we're checking it out this week.

I'll post a little report.

Looks rusty.

Be careful.

Yikes, a lot of cancer on that one. I would stay away.

Most of the emissions stuff is long gone from these cars, but 75s were burdened with thermal reactors that got hot and did bad things to the head/engine and even firewall insulation.
The 75 also had very poor seat stuffing (gummihaar) longevity, especially the rear seat back.
As mentioned, most parts are available and work on many different years of these cars.
ALL tiis had mechanical fuel injection; it can be costly and bothersome, but is a joy when running well!

I've owned three 2002's and would recommend to stay away as this one has a lot of rust. Save your money and find the cleanest one and best maintained 2002 you can find otherwise this one may end up draining your cash. I previously purchased a 1975 Polaris M2 (with a E30 engine and 5 speed built in. Not nearly as much rust as this one and still ended up selling it because it would have been a money pit. Good luck.

thanks for the suggestions. I am going to look for one in better condition and wait for the right one.
What about gas. Does using unleaded gasoline over regular gasoline cause problems for the older engines ?

Originally Posted by John in VA

Most of the emissions stuff is long gone from these cars, but 75s were burdened with thermal reactors that got hot and did bad things to the head/engine and even firewall insulation.
The 75 also had very poor seat stuffing (gummihaar) longevity, especially the rear seat back.
As mentioned, most parts are available and work on many different years of these cars.
ALL tiis had mechanical fuel injection; it can be costly and bothersome, but is a joy when running well!

Jonn, can you elaborate more on the heat problem?