BMW’s 2002 redefined the sedan. It wasn’t the fastest or the best-handling of its ilk. It’s not beautiful, nor was it cheap. But it had shades of all these attributes in a blend that somehow made it more than the sum of its parts. It was just enough of everything. This alchemy has propelled prices upward over the last decade. Project cars can still be had for four figures, but performance-modified 2002s will bring $50k and more all day long – and that’s not even the hot-shoe tii variant produced starting in 1971. Here on craigslist is this 1972 BMW 2002 sedan, fresh from long-term ownership and priced at $19,000. Drive it home from Carlton, Oregon. I know this tip was given to us by a Barn Finder, but I’ll have to thank you anonymously, as I accidentally deleted the tip before I wrote it up! Thanks, whoever you are!
The story of the 2002 began when two BMW executives discovered they had each independently installed a 2.0-liter engine in their 1600-2 cars. The men appealed to BMW management to consider a new model built around this concept, and the 2002 was born. The base model was fitted with BMW’s SOHC M10 inline-four cylinder breathing through a single Solex carburetor to produce 100 hp. Drivers rowed the gears via a four-speed manual or let a ZF automatic do the work. The seller is a friend of the owner; he states that the car has been well-maintained, always garaged, and runs well. The odometer shows just over 88k miles.
The interior is nicely kept, with only a hint of a broken outside back bolster on the driver’s seat. A thorough cleaning could bring the presentation up a notch. The headliner is nearly perfect, the gauges are bright and clear, and the rear seats look unused. The trunk is decent, and that looks like a new seal, still with the frosty look of fresh rubber. This car comes with documents, manuals, and work receipts collected since 1986.
The seller indicates that the car was repainted in the mid 1980s; that said, time has taken a toll on the finish. A few bubbles where corrosion has started are highlighted in the ad, cracks have formed by the windows, and I’m not sure this rear bumper is 100% straight. A picky buyer would likely want to bargain on the price to leave scope for repairs. What do you think of the price here?
Michelle, I always know when I read the short description on the main page if a write-up is from you, because your details are immediately obvious. Your knowledge of auto history is outstanding. Having had a 1600-2, and several 2002s, I am quite familiar with them, as I was with the Datsun 510 in the day. To me, there is little doubt that, when Datsun (later Nissan) wanted to get a better foothold in the USA, they took a BMW 2002 and copied it, right down to the sloppy gear shift (so much better in a Toyota of the same period), and the rear end that had the terrible habit of crawling up under you when you cornered too fast (much like the Corvair). The Japanese often took the best of the USA and Europe, and copied it for USA export. Back in the 60s I had a BSA, and a friend bought a brand-new Kawasaki (yes, Kawasaki made 4-stokes in the beginning), and the bikes were virtually identical, down to the way the exhaust came out of the engine and swept back. Just his was metric, mine was standard threads.
Spent a year behind the wheel of these cars and to this day I still think it’s one of the finest driving cars ever made.
I too owned and loved a 2002. Moved on to a 325i…. Great cars sensibly built.
I wouldn’t take a new one if you gave it to me.
I stopped after my 320i. BMW certainly bet the farm and about 1985, and started to separate their old fans from their new fans.
BMW marketing certainly succeeded in convincing the public that their cars were for “drivers”, while providing the buyer with some carefully crafted snob status. Cost is apparently not a concern, at least in metro DC, where BMWs seem to be half of the vehicle population.
Like you, I have zero interest in a modern one. Give me a Subaru WRX STi anyday of the week instead.
Oh dang someone said WRX STi. I know it’s really bad form to distract from the car at hand, this BMW, but I can’t help it. That Subaru has to be one of my all time favorites. How unlikely is it to take a four door sedan, kind of an economy car at that, make it into a rocketship, and then slap a giant wing on the thing to sort it from its everyday brethren. We haven’t even touched on its rally wins. I’m going to be buried in mine, I love it that much. Still passionate about more vintage metal, it’s just that the Subie never says “no”, no matter where I put it.
Maybe I can find one for sale to write up.
Michelle, yeah, its valid bring up the WRX. I see a kind of direct line between the tii and the WRX, albeit a couple of decades apart.
In my opinion, the WRX is what the 2002 should have become, but didn’t.
Both were very solid, affordable, small and nimble, and appealed to 20 somethings. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a 2002 back then, just out of college in the early 1980s.
It absolutely was a public rejection of the underpowered, overweight, poorly-built, performance-starved Detroit products of that era. Sorry. I would have preferred otherwise.
Then Subaru comes along and reignites that compact performance sedan vibe, and did it in spectacular fashion, and now as an old boy, I wanted it and bought one. I still miss it.
Fantastic as always, Michelle! I think we need a “Michelle’s Garage” edition (no pressure…) I’ve done a few, good or bad (well, mine are mostly bad), and hopefully it’s interesting to see what a few of the writers have hidden away. Jeff has done a few of his cars over the years, and others have as well. Todd Fitch is nut-and-bolt restoring a tii as we speak, so he’s a bit of a guru on these cars as well.
Yes on the WRX! An STi, even more so, very cool!
I disagree with the “not beautiful” remark. I think the 2002 is the best looking sedan BMW ever made. 1600 is right up there too.
I bought a 72 in 73 when I was 19. one of the most fun cars out of the 47 I have owned. however, this one, while it looks very original, has some corrosion and that would be of great concern to me if I were a serious buyer. I think the car is overpriced.
I had a ’72 orange one and paid $2500 in 1980. it was easily one the most solid vehicles I have ever owned. Surpassed only by my 2003 Subaru WRX hatchback.
The 2002 was a master-class lesson in vehicle engineering, manufacturing, and quality control. This at a time when the knobs would fall off of the big-three cars while they were just sitting on the showroom floor, while watching all the fake wood trim peel away.
Some of us got fed up with being told we were expected to just buy the garbage being hauled out of Detroit.
Granted, after the 320i, which was a worthy the successor and I owned one of those, BMW went to the dark side regarding cost and complexity and I never bought another one and likely never will.
I have owned over 40 examples of the ’02-series. The only 2 types I haven’t owned are a touring and a turbo — and, yes, I have owned a full cabriolet 1600 and a Bauer or targa cabriolet. My Malaga 2002tii is featured in the Motorbooks International BMW Buyer’s Guide edited by Fred Larimer.
I noticed a few other things that would require a closer look before purchasing this car. First, the folded-over inner core flaps welded to the inner fender are smooth. In my experience, this tends to indicate a poor nose replacement repair or poor repair of a damaged nose. Thus, I would take a good look at the front frame rails.
The seller needs to take better pictures of the bottom of the nose, the rocker panels, and the trunk. Take a picture of the area where the front frame wells meet up with the floorpan. They conveniently shot the rocker panels, where they rarely rust, but didn’t take any at the factory seams or where they tend to rust.
The cracking near the rearview mirror seems to indicate bondo. Paint gauge measurements around the car – especially rockers, fenders, bottom of the nose, etc. – would help someone determine how much bondo is in the car.
The areas with bubbling aren’t as much of a concern as the areas I mention above.
Anyone else notice that it changed color? Sahara (on the sticker) is light tan. Someone either painted everything white (including the engine bay, and unfortunately, the windshield wiper and heater box area) or black, like the trunk area.
Unfortunately, I have lost touch with the ’02-series values. All of them seem too high to me, since I bought and sold before the speculators and nostalgia buyers started driving prices up. Yet, I tend to agree that this is overpriced. Someone will have to spend a lot of money to uncover what lies beneath the paint and make the car look more original or authentic. If the price were more reasonable, it looks like a good starting point for a nice daily driver or for tasteful modifications.
Although the early 1600s (with the chrome strip in the dash that matches up to the door panels) is my favorite (followed, strangely enough, by the 1974 square taillight), the 1972 tends to be most people’s favorite model year.
I wish the seller the best, and I hope it goes to a good home.
Wow. Great post.
Had a ’71 in college and it was a well made very fun car to drive and held all of my worldly possessions at the time including stereo and tools. Wish I still had it. I think $17K for this one is a little rich considering condition, but the market for these has been hot, so what do I know.
It’s been years since I have commented here even though I try to check the site a couple times per week. I have owned 4 2002s since the late 1980’s including currently a ’74 2002tii, 4 E30s including an M3, and vintage Alfas including currently a ’73 Giulia Super. I know these cars well and much of their competition at least from extensive reading, it not driving experience.
I have to ask, Michelle, what would be a better handling car of it’s ilk back in the day? I can’t think of a single compact sports sedan from the late 60’s or early 70’s that handles as well as a 2002. An all-out sports car like a 240Z isn’t of the same ilk (nor does it handle as sweetly–it’s more about the motor), nor are any of the British convertible sports cars, none of which handle in the same league as a BMW 1600/2002 anyway. A Datsun 510 is certainly of the same ilk, but it’s not a better handler at least without significant aftermarket help the BMW doesn’t need.
In my Giulia Super I have one that could be considered close in feel, but ultimately the rigid rear axle of the Alfa (and the GTV coupe, another I’ve owned) can’t match the BMW semi-trailing arm rear suspension. I prefer the overall driving experience of the Alfa, but the buttoned-down handling of the 2002 is the one area I admit the BMW is superior.
I would say that Lotus offered better handling cars, but none were of this “ilk”–they were all pure sports cars unless you want to stretch to a Ford Lotus Cortina. I expect those did not handle with the precision of a BMW 2002 given the Cortina underpinnings, although I don’t have the personal experience to say for sure. I’ve driven contemporary BMW E9 coupes and while those are beautiful and stately cars, they don’t handle nearly as well as the 2002 (nor are they of the same ilk). Those are big, heavy GT cruisers, not lithe handlers.
Only other I can even think in the same handling league and ilk would be the (obscure in U.S.) Lancia Fulvia. Even as a front driver, in either coupe or sedan form, it’s a great handler, but can’t imagine that’s the one you were thinking of.
Finally I will reply to jageater equating 2002 handling to a Corvair. The semi-trailing arm BMW rear suspension is nothing like the early swing-axle rear suspension of a Corvair and I’ve never had a 2002 that had a propensity to “crawl up under you” when cornering. They are very composed and confidence inspiring. No, they don’t understeer like modern cars to give a safety margin and the rear end is light so they can break free if you are over-exuberant, but they are eminently composed neutral handlers.
Attempting to answer my own question regarding what contemporary car of the same “ilk” handled better than a 2002, the only answer I can come up with after more thought is a 60’s Austin/Morris Mini, with the Cooper and Cooper S models being the ones that performed in the same league as a BMW 1600/2002. Those stopped being imported to the U.S. after ’67, but still were available in Europe through the 70’s (and later) making them contemporary with a 2002. But, they are a size class smaller and it’s not clear they did handle better. I just think it’s the only model where a strong case can be made it’s a better handler than a 2002. Again though it’s another FWD vs. RWD debate and it could be argued any FWD car is not of the same “ilk” as a 2002.
I also had a 2002 and a GTV. The 2002 was the more proper, very German machine, and I liked it a lot, but the GTV was a car with all kinds of raw character. I called my Italian Camaro.
I used to take into the new Houston subdivisions that had the roads paved but no houses yet. They were like public autocross tracks. What fun.
100% agree Bluesman, Alfas have much more character than BMWs and any other car I’ve owned at least. That’s a big part what endears my Giulia Super to me more than my 2002tii. I will say there were enough functional/ergonomic compromises with my GTV that I believe the Giulia sedan is the better car and the extra funkiness of its design makes me love it even more. My Giulia has a dual carb 2.0 liter transplant so it produces as much power as my Kugelfischer-injected 2002tii so that also contributes to my fondness for my Alfa. Imported my Alfa from Belgium way back in 2007 with the help of an AlfaBB message board member back then.
Gary B’s post is very thought provoking, and has generated interesting responses. I hope I don’t disappoint with mine. ;-)
I started amateur (SCCA) racing in the early 1980s with an ex-Trans Am Datsun 510. I transitioned to ITA with a BMW 2002tii in the early 1990s. The 2002 was an easier and more enjoyable car to race.
When talking about cars of the same ilk, the Porsche 924 came to mind for me. As much as I love Italian cars, the ergonomics don’t work for me. I got to be part of a team doing a 12-hour race in a Porsche 924. I am the ‘wet weather’ driver and drove almost 4 hours in the rain. The 924 is well balanced and powered similarly to the 2002tii. I have never owned a 924, but a 924s still remains on my radar for ‘someday.’
I hope we continue this fun conversation.
Great reply Brian. Cool story of that 12-hour race. I personally would not consider a 924 of the same “ilk” being a 2-seater vs. a 2002 where you can load up a small family–not fair to make it compete directly with purpose-built sports cars, although the 2002 fairs well against them and betters the older, traditional sports cars like MGBs. Plus the 924 is a generation newer.
Yes, the 1987/1988 924S is a real sleeper–the 944 engine in a marginally lighter and more restrained body. There aren’t many undervalued enthusiast cars out there any longer, but the 924S is one of them. I wish I could still say there were undervalued older BMWs. The E30s are the last generation I would still consider for their analog driving experience, but they are no longer bargains as they were even a decade ago.
Brian, were you part of the 2002/BMWCCA/Roundel community back in the 1990’s? I recall a Brian F (last name ends in “r”, won’t give away anonymity here) out of the Bay Area who had some online presence and shared a lot of good knowledge and opinions back then.