engine and drivetrain Newbie Introduction and Thanks

[Jack_K]

Hello all

A couple weeks ago I brought home my first 2002(and first car for that matter), a 1976 automatic in Anthracite Gray. I know, I know, the smog equipment and automatic transmission make this probably the least fun edition of the 2002, but this car is meant to be a daily driver for a short work commute and light highway driving on the weekends, so acceleration and top speed aren't as important. And it's still pretty fun. I did plenty of research before buying, including consulting the Haynes Manual and McCartney Restoration Guide, but the biggest help was reading through the FAQ's and forums on this site. So thanks for all your input and passion for these cars; it made my decision much easier.

I've included some pics below. This is the only 2002 I've come across with corduroy seats. Based on the McCartney guide, I believe this is not the lux interior, but the herringbone corduroy that was available starting in 74 or 75 on American models. Thanks again to everyone on this site. I'm sure I'll be posting plenty of questions soon, and hopefully a couple answers as I get to know the car better.

[scoTTlarock]

Looks great, welcome to the community!

And I've never seen those seats before. Huh!

[vinntagejoe]

".........A couple weeks ago I brought home my first 2002(and first car for that matter), a 1976 automatic in ................"

OH the humanity!

Nice color, good luck with your ride Bro. FYI - there's a FAQ drive coming up on 8/25...............

[Koblenz]

Congrats and welcome. Very nice looking 02.

[williamggruff]

That's beautiful. An autotragic 76 as a daily driver sounds like a world of fun. One foot driving, nimble handling, and just enough power to keep things lively. As has been said a million times over, it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

Welcome to the gang!

[Mike Self]

at how nimble your automatic is on twisty roads if you manually shift it between second and third while driving...almost as much fun as a stick and not much slower...

cheers

mike

[ndog]

very nice car....looks like you got the original blue cali plates on it 2......

[Robertrob85]

Looks like mine

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,0/page,viewtopic/p,857486/#857486

[Jack_K]

Wow, what are the odds? Thanks for keeping it in such excellent condition. I assume you knew Jeanette? Would love to get a little more of the story behind this car.

[02Les]

For whatever reason, not many US '02s had the corduroy or velour seats.

My Touring has the tan vinyl & corduroy material, but the driver seat corduroy wore out by 75k. I looked everywhere in Europe to find a replacement seat or material before bringing the car to the US, but to no avail. I did get some material from Timmer, but, unfortunately, it was way darker. I went and bought tan Recaros for the hell of it.

My rear seats are still "like new-ish".

So, look after the corduroy because it will be a bugger to replace.

[webthread]

Welcome Jack, I also live in the LA area (Redondo Beach) and have an automatic, and bought mine for similar reasons as yourself about a year ago. I'd like to come check yours out sometime if time permits. I see you have the contact email disabled on your profile, but mine is webthread @ aol dot com if you'd like to meet up sometime. Best, Jay

[ndog]

^^^^drive that rig to the breakwall and get some photos...

[RayC911]

Great color and cool interior!

[tinkwithanr]

Wow, that's a very clean interior. Nice find.

And no worries, 5-speed swaps aren't very difficult.... ; )

[Collinster742002]

Very nice 76! One question, why's there no passenger side mirror? Our 76 and most that I've seen have one, and we added one to our 74... may want to consider it if it's a daily driver