ready to give up and buy a 128i, what would you do ?

[york]

thats right, your heard me, after one year of looking for the right car

Im thinking for the same price I could buy a striped 128i

only problem is I want to drive cross cuntry and the run flats are not right

I have not found a car because I have found mostly modified or

restored (rusty but repaired) cars , not stock original

Thanks to those who blog here for steering me clear of some Frankenstien

restores and your encouragements

[jeffb]

I wouldn't do what you are contemplating but get why you're contemplating it. I enjoy the search. I also enjoy planning and thinking about restorations/projects and then doing them slowly over time. If you have your heart set on a bone stock, perfect car from the early 70s where everything is turn key and you don't have to do anything, it's going to be a long search. And IMHO, ultimately fruitless. Even the very best concours restorations are going to need attention and have some downtime every once in a while, especially if a cross country drive is part of the equation, to say nothing of the time, effort, and $ necessary to keep them in that state of being.

If I were in your shoes and had the funds to buy what you're looking for, I would instead get a solid driver and then have it done to my specs over the course of months and maybe years. I think that's fun, but maybe that's not your personality and interest.

As far as a stripped down 128, I wouldn't do that either. It's apples to oranges to an 02 in my opinion. But more than that, I think it's a false choice - Perfect 02 vs modern coupe optioned to a price point primarily for the sake of the price point. Car purchases are not economically defensible decisions in the first place. Get what you really want, money be damned. You can't take it with you when it's all over. That said, if you were to post a comment along the lines of "I've decided to put the vintage thing on hold for the time being and get on the waiting list for a 1 Series M coupe", then maybe that's a different story. I suppose my overall point is don't settle for something you don't really want just for the sake of being done with the looking phase. Just my .02

[malagalaga]

A base 128 is $31,000. Unless you are seeking a 2002 Turbo, that should get you at least one, if not two, of the nicest 2002s in the country.

If that's your budget, you might as well buy the nicest 2002 you can find and commission a restoration of whatever else is needed. If you start with a solid enough car, you could come out with a concours vehicle for under $30,000 total investment.

What are you seeking that makes this so tough? A one owner Taiga tii with a sunroof?

[Bimmer-Bob]

I love my 128i, I think it's a great car, provided you option it with Sport Package and 6MT. There are a lot of haters out there, for some reason, so you've gotta learn to ignore them.

BMW just raised the MSRP for MY2012, so the deals are not what they were, however. I was fortunate to pick mine up through military sales and so only pay a hair over $30K. I bet you could find a killer deal if you were okay with CPO, though.

It's true that the runflats are not ideal, nor is the suspension to be honest. But if you're the type to mod, you're going to change these things anyway, whether you buy a 2002tii or a 128i.

If you want to know anything specific about the 128i, ask away.

[Bimmer-Bob]

A base 128 is $31,000. Unless you are seeking a 2002 Turbo, that should get you at least one, if not two, of the nicest 2002s in the country.

If that's your budget, you might as well buy the nicest 2002 you can find and commission a restoration of whatever else is needed. If you start with a solid enough car, you could come out with a concours vehicle for under $30,000 total investment.

What are you seeking that makes this so tough? A one owner Taiga tii with a sunroof?

^This. I was kind of wondering about your statement that cost would be similar.

[york]

thanks for your post, and thanks for refining my statement

your are right

Yes I know these need work and I have my Blue Factory shop manual

at the ready just in case Ive owned 6 2002's but not since 1980

[york]

the run flats are strick road tires, right ? what happens if you have to go down a rough road like at a park or camp ground ?

the 128i looks like it is so low as to not allow a choice of tires outside of

low profile ?

PS > what is CPO ?

[york]

looking for a 1972 white int, blue int, sunroof bone stock

all the cars that come close are modified ie; after market seats, preformance enging rebuild, repaired rust, transmision change to 5spd

speaker holes everywere, lowered, battery relocated, cross bars

if not all of the above , then wrong year interior or wrong dash

the list goes on

why does everyone think they can improve these cars by opting for

cheaper parts ?

Thanks for your thoughts

[williamggruff]

CPO = Certified Pre-Owned, i.e. a used car that has been given an inspection.

[Mike Self]

For a lot less money than a high $$ restored 2002 or a 128i, you could find a cherry, low mileage E30--either a 325is or a 318is and have a fun driver, good gas mileage and very reliable for long trips--and have money left over to buy a project 2002 to work on at your leisure...

I've been 02ing since 1969, and have an E30 winter beater; now I'm lookng for a nicer E30 because I like 'em so much.

mike

[Bimmer-Bob]

the run flats are strick road tires, right ? what happens if you have to go down a rough road like at a park or camp ground ?

the 128i looks like it is so low as to not allow a choice of tires outside of

low profile ?

PS > what is CPO ?

Stock tires on a 128i are 205/50/17's. If you opt for either the Sport Package or M-Sport Package, you keep the same size tires in front but move up to 225/45/17's in back. Sidewalls are obviously nothing like what you would find on an older vintage car, but not crazy low by today's standards.

Ride height is also reduced by either of the sport packages, but there still remains a pretty significant fender gap. I recall being able to squeeze all four fingers between tire and fender. My car is currently lowered on Bilstein PSS9's (by over an inch) and my tires are 225/40/18 in front and 255/35/18 in back, so you can't really go by the pic in my sig.

Run flats aren't a problem on uneven surfaces, generally. Because of their stiff sidewalls, they tend to transmit a lot more road feel than traditional tires, so bumpy roads might be a problem in terms of comfort.

You can always swap out the RFT's for normal summer tires, but the problem with this is that the rest of the car's suspension is tuned with the stiff RFT's in mind, so you introduce a bit of slop unless you also add stiffer springs and dampers. I'm also planning on swapping to stiffer M3 bushings (rear subframe, front wishbones, etc) since losing the RFTs.

It sounds like you might be interested in keeping your cars totally stock, though. The best thing would be to take a test drive - only way to know for certain if the stock arrangement will suit your needs, whatever those may be.

Good luck.

[malagalaga]

looking for a 1972 white int, blue int, sunroof bone stock

all the cars that come close are modified ie; after market seats, preformance enging rebuild, repaired rust, transmision change to 5spd

speaker holes everywere, lowered, battery relocated, cross bars

if not all of the above , then wrong year interior or wrong dash

the list goes on

why does everyone think they can improve these cars by opting for

cheaper parts ?

Thanks for your thoughts

That's pretty darn specific. One of the problems with blue interiors is that the blue carpet is prone to fading. I've actually never seen blue carpet that wasn't faded, even in concours-level cars. So I imagine that is somewhat of a catalyst for beginning to modify a car.

If you don't mind my asking, what makes '72 so important? Are you trying to "buy back" a car from your past?

There are several very nice white on navy '02s currently on the market.

[RayC911]

I've been following your persistent posting and actually have been subconsciously on the hunt for you. It took me a year just to find a nice rust free reg 02 and I wasn't too particular on color or year. I just wanted a nice roundie. You may be looking for many many years since you are so specific. I would buy an e30 as others have suggested to hold you over and keep looking. If you put all your $$ into the i128 and your perfect 02 pops up and you you're not in the position to pull the trigger, then you're going to really be pissed at yourself. GL

[bugtustlebub]

Would you be interested in a bone-stock, all original '68 1600? Charmonix over blue, 4-speed with sunroof. You will not have to paint it right away but the sooner it gets done the more beautiful it will be. Car runs and drives. It's been in storage for about 7 years, I think.

Regards,

Randy Bryant

Elkton, VA

[KrautByTrade]

why not buy a pre–owned 135i?