1602/ 2002 Question

[rh306]

Has anyone owned one of these? Can they be a reliable motor? Am very tempted, the main thing putting me off is the guy who runs one in Classic & Sportscar. His column every month seems to be a list of repairs as long as your arm. Do you have to 'fettle' these on a continual basis?

In contrast my E30 seems to run and run and run...

It would only see infrequent and light use if that would be a problem

[dickster]

Depends on what you are buying, if you're spending alot then you should be buying a well sorted car, I didn't and bought a Touring and had to do a few bits to it but its been simple to work on.

The other thing to consider is the age of these vehicles, they require a bit more maintenance than an E30 or even an E21, sure the engines are sound but its the other little bits like ancillaries or brakes that are getting tired with age that can cause problems.

[Rav335uk]

Here's a track prepped one.
And yes I do know the seller.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-2002-T11-1975 ... 2eaa24cdf4

[rh306]

thanks for the feedback folks, will tread carefully

[StuBeeDoo]

Here's a track prepped one.
And yes I do know the seller.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-2002-T11-1975 ... 2eaa24cdf4

Looks different with those E30M3-stylee arches, but personally I luuuurrve the 2002turbo spats.

[Rav335uk]

Here's a track prepped one.
And yes I do know the seller.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-2002-T11-1975 ... 2eaa24cdf4

Looks different with those E30M3-stylee arches, but personally I luuuurrve the 2002turbo spats.

Needs a bit of work, but he's having the engine rebuilt atm too.

[Paul02]

Like anything else you can buy the wrong car and have to spend thousands . Try to buy from someone who has done all the body restoration as the mechanics are pretty straight forward.

Personally I wouldn't do what I did . Thats buy what looks like a cheap car and spend thousands putting it right.

The trouble now is that these cars are starting to get expensive for a good one and I think you will be looking at £4000 upwards for a decent tii , thats if you can find one.

The tii is the best in my opinion for performance and reliability. I have owned several in the past and have just finished putting my tii back together after a full respray and some bodywork.
Just my opinion
Paul

[rh306]

Like anything else you can buy the wrong car and have to spend thousands . Try to buy from someone who has done all the body restoration as the mechanics are pretty straight forward.

Personally I wouldn't do what I did . Thats buy what looks like a cheap car and spend thousands putting it right.

The trouble now is that these cars are starting to get expensive for a good one and I think you will be looking at £4000 upwards for a decent tii , thats if you can find one.

The tii is the best in my opinion for performance and reliability. I have owned several in the past and have just finished putting my tii back together after a full respray and some bodywork.
Just my opinion
Paul

I'm a big fan of the poverty spec models and also prefer the post-73 styling, I'm guessing a mint 1602 wouldn't be much less than a 2002 though I heard people even go to the trouble of converting the lights to the earlier style

[inlovewithRWD]

I used to run a 2000 touring as a daily. I used to love it but they are getting on for 35+ years old and the age will show in them needing to be looked after.

Personally I would not go for a tii as they had a primitive fuel injection system which can be expensive if/when it goes wrong. I'd go for a carb model as they are easier to work on and parts are cheaper. You can also replace the Solex carb for a Weber 32/36 carb which would improve performance and fuel economy.

The biggest enemy, as ever, is rust. Try and find the best example possible.

But I would definitely recommend an '02 as they are very rewarding to drive and are fast enough to keep up with modern traffic. Parts are readily available (if expensive) from comanies like Jaymic, and the engine is very tunable. My brother has a 1972 2002 with twin carbs (soon to be throttle bodies), cam, etc and it has at least 170BHP!

Hope this is helpful.