1975 BMW 2002

Coupe

4 - Cyl.

Manual

2361253

Gasoline

I love this car. You will, too. My girlfriend and I are going on a multi-month road trip. That means selling things we can't bring with us. And of everything I have to sell, this car is one of the ones that stings the most. I labored over it. "Maybe I can put her in storage?" I thought about giving her to a friend for a while. Finally I realized, there's no point in storing a car like this. They're meant to be driven. This 1975 BMW 2002 was named "Ruby" by a previous owner. She's not actually a ruby red, but a gorgeous maroon. The Germans call it "malaga". It's one of my personal favorite colors on a 2002. * New wheels & tires 5k miles ago: Rota RB 15", Falken ZE-912 195/50R15* Replaced shift linkage* Brand new Weber 32/36 carburetor* Professionally installed modern stereo and less-than-professionally installed entry-level Pioneer speakers This car has been under the car of one mechanic since the '80s. (Dave at 2002 Restorations. Great guy.) It's carbureted, not fuel-injected. It's the stock engine, although it was ported-and-polished in the '90s. I just rebuilt the Weber 32/26 myself--and then replaced it with a new one when I screwed up the rebuild. It's been my daily driver for almost two years. I've been slowing fixing things that had fallen into disrepair while under previous ownership. New wheels. Professionally installed stereo with a USB port and minijack input for my iPod. Restuffing the backseat with blankets after the horsehair disintegrated years ago. Paying Dave to track down the weird electrical issues that ended up being primarily due to a bad battery. The only major thing left to do that I haven't done is to replace the leaky exhaust, as Ireland Engineering has been backordered for at least six months. In the spirit of disclosure, there are plenty of issues that could be fixed if you wanted. The aforementioned exhaust. Rusting in the passenger-rear floor pan. (Which I have arrested with rust treatment and lots of sanding, but still.) There's a tiny ping in the bondo that is in front of the driver's side rear wheel. (Yup, bondo. I'm not sure what happened, but there's bondo in front of both wheels that you can see when you take off the interior cladding. It was either rust or was the fill-up job from when some trim was removed. Either way it's been cleaned up and painted over, but I didn't know it was there when I bought it before, so I don't want to pass on that habit.) The odometer is busted, but based on the paperwork--I've got a stack of receipts going back to the '80s--I'm guessing it's somewhere around 150k miles. The steering is rough, as the steering gear box leaks oil and should probably be replaced. (It's not a big deal most of the time, but it does mean you have to muscle the steering wheel at low speeds. No power steering, naturally.) The passenger seat no longer leans forward without manually unlatching the clasp. (The cable inside snapped, as did my afternoon rig-up that only held for a week. It could be fixed without much issue with the right materials.) The horn isn't hooked up. The previous owner disconnected the washer fluid reservoir for some reason when he was hooking up the Fireball ignition. The trim doesn't leak water, but it's old and cracking in many places, as 35-year-old German trim is wont to do. There is chipped paint here and there--they didn't put on clear coat when they resprayed the outside of the car three years ago--but I've kept up on touchup and even added some anti-chip stop on the bumpers where it happened most consistently. Perhaps that makes this car sound like a wreck! I'm just trying to let you know every last thing that is wrong with it because that's the right way to sell a car. That said, this car's a looker. I get thumbs up from people nearly every time I hit the streets. There's something about the combination of the front spoiler and the wheels that give her a super aggressive stance that contrasts nicely with her relatively small size. And while she's not monster fast, she'll still do every bit of 100 MPH out on the open road. I'll say it again: I love this car. I know I'll never get as money out of her as I have put into her over the last couple of years, but I hope that she's sold to someone who will drive her and keep her in good shape. Practically, I'd guess this car is best for someone who wants a relatively inexpensive, partially restored 2002 as a daily driver. Part of the reason I'm selling is because I've come to realize that if I were to do any more restoration, I'd need to take her all the way down to the frame and build from the ground up. If you're looking for a 2002 to do that with you might be better off getting one that has less work already into it. Just my advice, though, and I'm certainly not going to discourage anyone from looking at this vehicle. It's a gem.