Imagine putting a car away in 1985 and not seeing it unearthed again until the present day. For some reason, the longtime caretaker of this 1976 BMW 2002 decided, in the middle 80s, to prep it for storage in his heated basement, where it stayed until the current owner brought it into the daylight for the time in decades. The green paint strikes me as the somewhat rare shade known as “Jadegrun” which makes this unmodified 2002 all the more desirable. The seller is asking what seems like a reasonable $12,000 here on craigslist, where he lists a variety of improvements made under his care.
Now, despite being in storage for years, the seller does disclose there is some rust – which, to be fair, isn’t terribly surprising for a car presumably found near Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania isn’t particularly kind to vintage metal, and the fact that it didn’t spend another 20 years on the road when the previous owner decided to store it likely proved significant in its survival. The listing states that the interior is in better shape than the outside, with a crack-free dash (again, that long-term indoor stowage helped), a perfect headliner, and equally well-preserved door panels. The cabin does look quite tidy, and nearly bone-stock.
Assuming the engine remains stock, this 2.0L four-cylinder makes right around 100 horsepower. Though it seems underwhelming, the 2002 was always about more than its raw numbers. Out of the box handling was its strong suit, at least until the 2002 Tii came along when the model combined speed and chassis responsiveness. However, the standard 2002 was still a revelation when introduced, as it revealed that sedan shoppers (two door sedans, that is) could have their cake and eat it, too, with a car that could serve dutifully in daily commuter duties during the work week while still being a delight to drive on back roads.
I believe you can see some of the rust the seller mentions in the lower extremities of the door in this photo; it could be superficial or run deeper. However, the seller confirms that the shock towers are rust-free, which is truly the most worrisome area for rust on these cars (and not cheap to fix when they do.) The seller has reportedly gone through all of the usual maintenance items associated with a first-time start up, including a new gas tank, fuel pump, battery, and hoses, and he confirms that the 2002 runs and shifts smoothly despite its many years off the road. Would you pay the asking price for this long-stored green 2002? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the find.
Where there is rust, there is more.
Borrowed one in the early 80’s , took a corner much too fast, my Camaro would have gone off into the woods, 2002 just went around like on rails. Great car.
I had 1968 1600… good balance, great handling. It didn’t weigh much, so despite the engine size it was great fun to drive.
To greatly improve the looks of this wonderful little car just remove the hideous bumpers! Mine was a ’69 in Colorado orange.
Jadegrun is in fact a rare color, which personally I think looks nice. That doesn’t mean it’s more valuable than any of the more popular colors. But in this case (rusted rockers aside) it looks like it would rub out nicely.
I agree 100% that the new owner should back date the bumpers to ’73 or earlier style steel ones and lose the “diving boards”. There are a number of aftermarket suppliers that offer kits for this to the 2002 community. In fact just about every part you’d need to restore this puppy is readily available.
I hope someone buys this thing, cleans it up and drives it enough to make up for lost time. The price is market correct, and just because it’s not a roundie or a Tii doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a worthwhile project.