Otis Wegweiser

[Otis]

Paul - I had absolutely no idea ...

"This is the last torn up 2002 I brought back to life. It was named 'Otis', and anyone that's piloted this old rat will attest to it's character and full-on HEART and SOUL. I expect the new blue one will follow in it's footsteps. R I P dear Otis. (new owner allowed him to die in field somewhere in MD...sad) Best $700 I ever spent on a car." -- Paul Wegweiser (Facebook entry)

[BLUNT]

I really want another car like this. totally redone cars are somewhat over rated .. I want to be that old guy everyone points at and wonders about... wait...

[Guest Anonymous]

If only a place to keep (got more iron in front of my house (garage and driveway included) than my neighbors are cool with). There is this old timer that runs around Redwood City / San Carlos area that has Navy Blue (not sure what bmw color that is?) '71 or '72 2002, Automatic, dents dings, surface rust here and there, a primer spot etc., 165 tires on IE rims with hubcaps, smokes out the tailpipe. Its cool.

www.alpinabmw2002.com

[penth2o]

I really want another car like this. totally redone cars are somewhat over rated .. I want to be that old guy everyone points at and wonders about... wait...

Been wondering bout you since I met you old guy.

[cj]

I really want another car like this. totally redone cars are somewhat over rated .. I want to be that old guy everyone points at and wonders about... wait...

I miss driving Gunther.

[jerry]

I really want another car like this. totally redone cars are somewhat over rated .. I want to be that old guy everyone points at and wonders about... wait...

Amen!!!!

there's a guy in my town who is most likely the original owner of a 356 Porsche convertible with surface rust and primer on panels and years of patina on whatever paint is left on it. i'm sure he must pull hundreds of cards off his windshield from folks wanting to buy it and 'restore it'. i see him driving it with the top down and not a care in the world. we can all learn from him.

[TobyB]

awww... you buggers are going to convince me not to sell the Datsun Roadster

if you keep this up...

(first car I 'restored')

t

[jrkoupe]

I really want another car like this. totally redone cars are somewhat over rated .. I want to be that old guy everyone points at and wonders about... wait...

very profound statement...

and I agree...

But Im curious to hear some more of your thoughts re totally redone cars.....?..start a new thread!

I just dont think Id spend that kind of cash...to end up being totally paranoid.....or bummed if it was not a perfect realization of my vision.

[ClayW]

I really want another car like this. totally redone cars are somewhat over rated .. I want to be that old guy everyone points at and wonders about... wait...

That brings up a good point. Some friends and I were having just this conversation a week ago.

I'm just going to come out and say it; the BMW 2002 isn't meant to be fully restored. While many 2002 owners might reflexively reject such a hypothesis as heresy or at least wrong, allow me to elaborate.

Since I met my first fellow 2002 owner a decade ago, I've been quietly surveying each one of us, clandestinely searching for the common thread that links us. I've talked with hundreds of fellow vintage BMW owners, from the guys that have flawless restorations to the driver of a rusty `76, complete with adapted Japanese parts and a home-welded rear strut bar. I've chatted over open hoods with teenagers that only recently discovered the 2002 and I've gazed at my reflection through perfect, mile-deep paintjobs while talking to guys that remember driving an 02 as a teenager and now have a perfect restoration to serve as their own personal fountain of youth. Two things are constant in nearly all of us: We love to drive 2002s almost as much as we love to build them.

I remember how it felt to own my first BMW: a Sahara beige 1969 1600. I knew almost nothing about why this car was so great except that it handled, braked and accelerated better than the two useless American and Japanese "sports cars" that I previously tried to keep out of the salvage yards where they belonged and, ultimately, ended up. My brother had a 1992 Camaro that, after 150,000 miles handled like a station wagon and had less leg room than the 1600. After the quick realization that this was the car for me, I was immediately overtaken by an addiction that still plagues me today. I wanted, no, needed to improve this car.

To improve a 2002 means different things to different owners. Some of us want to transplant drivetrains for power or reliability; others want to restore the car to the way it felt when it was driving off of the dealer's lot. The common desire seems to be rooted, however, in the overriding respect that 2002 owners feel toward the model; it deserves to be given new parts and, in return, we will receive endless joy in an S turn whilst overtaking....whoever.

Now, after a little over a decade of 2002/1600 ownership, I can recall a thousand memories of happy 2002 existence. I remember an ill-advised six-hour drive to South Padre Island with no tools in the summer of 2000 that resulted in a Friday afternoon radiator patchjob and exhaust stud oil fire that meant I'd never drive without a fire extinguisher and a combination 12mm/13mm wrench again. I remember fumbling through my first engine swap and the permanent smile that came with testing out the new 2 liter engine. The same smile returned when I tested out my new five speed at 1AM. The photo below was taken at 130AM the night before we left for Vintage at the Vineyards 2010 and represented the tireless work of a lot of fellow addicts as we thrashed to throw together my current 1600 from rolling body to road-worthy(ish) in just seven weeks of spare time.

One of my favorite memories of that trip was stopping for a an hour at a gas station to build the alternator wire that we forgot to install. A local German car mechanic saw us and stopped to give us a jump when all was repaired.

We've all got visions of what our cars will eventually become, when time and money become available. Some of us want track demons with finely tuned and highly modified suspensions and drivetrains. Others are restoring our cars for daily driving duty with a little fun on the side, and maybe an overdrive transmission. I've met a lot of them and we're mostly the same; few of us have finished cars. Even the guys with drool-worthy paintjobs and roaring DCOEs get excited to see someone else's early chrome-bottomed dash, original Alpina wheels or rear brake disks under Rota RBs.

So, here's the thing: the owners that bit the bullet and shelled out huge amounts of time and money to build perfect cars all seem to have the same look on their faces. It's the same lost look of a man three years out of retirement with no hobbies; "What do I do now?"

It's even worse for the owners that never turned a wrench on their own projects. Don't get me wrong; if you drive a 2002, you're a brother to me, but you're missing out on the scars, the grease and the glory.

When asked what their favorite project is, many professional hotrod builders have defaulted to the same answer; "The next one." I humbly submit that this same sentiment can be applied to 2002 owners, except that most of us don't ever finish our projects. We complain about "scope creep" and chasing the rust out of our shock towers and rocker panels, but we're ultimately all dogs chasing cars; we don't really know what we'd do if we reached our goal.

It is for this reason that Steve "Blunt" Petersen can't help but gaze longingly at a $700 beater 2002, even after his S14-enhanced, perfectly updated and restored 2002 has earned multiple magazine stories and has caused the drool of many a passerby. Though it might take a little convincing, most of us really enjoy having imperfect cars. They give us a goal and, somewhat more importantly, they give us something to do. I suggest finding that $700 beater and going for a drive. Then break out the tools and get your hands dirty; sanity will be your reward.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some engine degreasing to do.

[FunElan]

****applause to Clay**** thank you for so eloquently describing how we all feel about our cars. Mine's not perfect, do I care? No. I like driving it. Will my friends ever understand my addiction? No.

[bills2002]

+1 on the kudos to Clay. You are spot on my man.

[SteveJ]

I want to be that old guy everyone points at and wonders about...

Careful...this is why restraining orders exist.

[amdavidson]

Clay is so correct it's scary.

I recently decided to scrap my plans to do any bodywork to my car. I will sand it down and fix the tiny little surface rust spots that are starting, but I don't see the need to make it pretty.

The 2002 is mechanically beautiful and that's all I care about. After all, I'll be the one in the driver's seat, not looking at it from the sidewalk.

Even with the bodywork plans scrapped, I don't see the project finishing any time soon and I relish that fact.

[BLUNT]

I really want another car like this. totally redone cars are somewhat over rated .. I want to be that old guy everyone points at and wonders about... wait...

very profound statement...

and I agree...

But Im curious to hear some more of your thoughts re totally redone cars.....?..start a new thread!

I just dont think Id spend that kind of cash...to end up being totally paranoid.....or bummed if it was not a perfect realization of my vision.

There are many reasons I built my s14 car the way i did. Part of it was business related. But the bigger part was to have something my father and i could relate to and work on. It evolved as it went. I started to just build a nice driver but when my dad showed interest I figured id go all out and have a great father son project. I love that car to death but Im not afraid to drive it like a 700 dollar beater either . as long as i dont pile it up I can repaint it and replace worn parts. I really do enjoy the car the way it was meant to be enjoyed. But i cant park it in a lot and walk away and enjoy myself. Thats what I miss and thats why i have a bunch of cars. I think car people were meant to have multiple cars for different occasions. Not one suits all our needs. My favorite of all cars is anything thats 100% mechanical and looks good at 20 feet at 70mph

[02for2]

I really want another car like this. totally redone cars are somewhat over rated .. I want to be that old guy everyone points at and wonders about... wait...

Meaning absolutely no disrespect (in fact, the utmost respect) ... you are that guy Steve!

Don't forget... I've seen your garage!

Cheers!