other Your First Experience With A 2002?

[Nesset127]

What exactly is all your story's of your first experience with a 2002. Mine was talking to a family friend about trying to find a E30 for my first car. I stumbled across a craigslist ad for a fjord blue 75' that had front end damage. I sent him the link and I said wow that's such a cool looking little car. He mentioned he had one sitting behind his shop. And from there I worked out the finances to buy it. My first in person sighting of a 2002 that wasint mine was about 2 months before I picked mine up. I was getting breakfast with my grandparents and we were waking down the street and I heard a slight rumble. Being a car enthusiast I spun around like I was hearing gun shots. To my amazement there was a little yellow 2002 cruising down the street. I think my jaw may have hit the sidewalk from the shock. After the 2 younger guys parked it I ran right over to it to see what a 2002 was really like. I first began inspecting the interior and it's features. Very simple I thought. Just the way I like it. From there I knew I needed one.

-Nesset

Edited December 11, 2013 by Nesset127

[simonr]

I saw 2 2002 tii's being stored at Unique Automotive in Louisville. I was immediately smitten . I started the hunt that day as neither car was for sale .

[adawil2002]

My first car was a '73 2002, named Harry Smith, I bought in 1989 for 2K. Was my daily driver until 1994. My good friend from high school had purchased a '73 2002 a few months before, he intrduced me to the BMW CCA.

[Koblenz]

I grew up a military brat.  Lived 6 years in Germany.  During that time I discovered the base hobby shop. Along with that the GIs who would introduce me to the world of Playboy, beir, slot cars and European sports cars.  Dad was not a petrol-head so my time was not supervised. 

 

The guys would invite me along to places like Nurburgring, rallyes and the various gasthofs.  During one the "boot nights" the boys got their drink on and being 11 I was limited to one beir.  So as we leave and they stagger, it was unanimously determined I was the new DD.  All well and good but I had only driven go-karts.

 

In the parking lot the key toss and a 2002.  I learned to find 3rd gear on the autobahn.

 

Edited December 11, 2013 by Koblenz

[1972_Targa]

It was 1978. I was living/working in St. Louis, two years out of college. I was driving a 1974 Maverick already inching toward its deathbed. I mentioned to my boss that I really needed to find a new car, and she asked if I might be interested in her BMW. Stupid, land-locked me replied, “What’s a BMW?” She had gone to school at Stanford, and had brought the car back to St. Louis. A 1972 BMW 2002, Agave with Tobacco, with rust bubbles already forming on the front fenders from six salty winters. $1,800 later, I was in love. Everything about that car was intoxicating. My life changed in so many fun, driving-related ways. I found a great Italian mechanic in South St. Louis to tune it (the only English he spoke was when it was time to write him a check). I drove that car in STL for two years, and saw only one other 2002 in that time (we both pulled over and went ape shit talking). Towed it to Houston in 1980, where it eventually got t-boned by a pickup that ran a red light at Richmond and Woodhead (brand new paint less than a month old). Totaled. Oddly, I got a call a year later (I was now living in Boston) from a Houston body-shop to tell me that my car was “ready.” Someone had bought it, dropped it off there to have it repaired, and never came back, and my name was the only other in the paperwork. No thanks...

[JohnM]

In 1970 I bought a '68 2002 for a commuting car. In '73 I traded it for a new Mustang because of the rust. They were both lousy in the snow.

[Mike Self]

Bought my first one new in May 1969 after watching a friend drive his for nearly a year.  He bought one of the first '68s off the boat (April 1968) and drove the snot out of it (15k miles in 10 months visiting his gf in Connecticut--we were AF and stationed in upstate NY) with no apparent problems.  

 

I still have the '69, and liked it so much I bought a '73 in 1978.  Between then and 1985 we were a two 2002 family--his and hers.  When she bought a Buick in 1985 I kept both cars.  Still have 'em.  Her Buick was gone in 4 years.

 

mike

[jrkoupe]

Great stories.

 

 

for me,...1976...

 

dad helped me buy a brand new 1976 Celica notchback...5 spd...my first new car...my first manual too! I was saving since I was like 12...lol

 

I get a p/t job at a "shop" called Time Machines, while doing grad work.....before the net  was booming of course.. we advertised in the back of R and T,.... C and D etc ...We are a catalog company, selling all the tuner stuff: Recaro Scheel, Momo VDO Cibie...every thing!!....about 90% of my pay went back into their pockets..lol

 

My manager is like a 25  yo ..hippie type.....drives a 1600 w/ a 2 liter that has like 10 to 1 pistons.....Weber single sidedraft( that no one even had..it was a prototype)...fender flares....turbo steel wheels...205/60-13 3011 tires, Scheel drivers..it was a rat.....but ran like the wind. It was cool.....but I really paid no mind, hey I had a new celica!!!!.....I put in shocks, exhaust, seats....re jetted the carb.....I was the sh*t....that is until we became more friendly, and I drove his car for the first time!!!!!

 

hey dad, "I want to sell the Celica..............

 

"you what.....?..its like brand new!"......

 

I know....."but I drove this old BMW...and I want one"........he was so maD AT ME....he would not talk to my buddy when he came to the house...for like 6 mos..lol.....

Edited December 11, 2013 by jrkoupe

[AceAndrew]

I know....."but I drove this old BMW...and I want one"........he was so maD AT ME....he would not talk to my buddy when he came to the house...for like 6 mos..lol.....

 

Haha, nice.

 

I was designing at Pininfarina on an internship 6-7 years ago.  On the weekends a handful of us would get together with a couple design guys from Bertone and Ducati and go go-carting (picture a 3-story indoor track filled with nerdy car geek stuff on the outside of Turin).  We always talked cars, but one night all we talked about how awesome this 2002 was, and I was completely clueless as to what this car was (admittedly I thought they were initially referring to the model year).

[jrkoupe]

Andrew....u kill me...in a good way:

 

"I was designing at Pininfarina on an internship 6-7 years ago"......is like sayin, "so I was dating Salma Hayek for a few years, and one night we see this 02 ".....lol

Edited December 11, 2013 by jrkoupe

[PaulTWinterton]

Circa 1985...While considering a trade for a boat of mine, a buddy says "hey that guy's car is a tii".  I say "so, it looks like the Jetson's car.  I'm not impressed".  He says "Wait til you drive it"...  The rest is history.  Never looked back.

[RAS-2002]

Great stories, all!

 

I probably told my tale before, but here it is again:

My first car was a 1964 Triumph Herald convertible, which I bought in Oct 1968 during my senior year in High School.  It was always breaking down and I had to resort to hitch hiking until I could scrape enough money together to get it fixed.  I was out thumbing a ride, when one of my neighbors picked me up in this funny-looking little grey car.  He drove it like a freakin' maniac, and it held the road like no British car (or any other car) I’d ever been in.  When I asked him what it was, he joked and said, “It’s a BMW. It means Barbarian Motor Works!”  Looking back, I think it was a 1600.  From that one drive, I was sold.  Had to wait 4 more years before I could save up enough to afford to buy a new 2002.  Been in love with them ever since.  Bought my latest (a ’72 Malaga ‘02) in Dec 2012, almost exactly 40 years to the day since I bought my first 2002.  I swear, every time I get in and start the engine, it’s 1968 again…!!!! 

 

-Bob

[Chamoix]

My Dad worked for GE in Philadelphia, and in '68 he and his group had to go spend a year in Huntsville AL. Mom and I went down and spent the summer with him. While there and Englishman he worked with who lived in the same apartment complex bought a new 1600. I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Fast forward to '87 and I'm working in NE Philly and there is a small Indy car shop a few blocks from my office that I would walk over to on nice days just to BS with the owner and see what kind of cars he had around. Eventually I bought and old 911 from him for $2,000. I liked it well enough, but when the exhaust system crapped out on it and he told me a new one was going to be $2500, I said no way and asked what other cars he had that we're cheaper to maintain. He traded me even up for a '76 2002. I've owned 3 others since then and had my current one (a '73) for 12 years and I know for a fact I've spent way more than $2500 on it during that time.

[roadhog0]

I was a Sophomore in high school in 2009 when I was taking drivers ed and two of my buddies (twins) that I had known since elementary told me that their Dad had this old BMW in the garage I should buy. I asked what model and they didnt know, so they found out a week later. Said it was a 2.0.0.2. Looked on google and saw a handful of quad light cars and really wasnt that interested because I wanted a Datsun Roadster or a Z, but I told them get me a price anyways and we'll talk. I bugged them for like 3 months (all of drivers ed) to get me a price. I finally went over one weekend with my Dad (who wanted an 02 as a kid in HS) and looked at this car with some stuff piled on it and 20 years of dust sitting there in the third bay of the garage with no flat tires (amazed!) and some broken wing window frames and other little issues, as well as just 60k miles!! I told em I was interested and to get me a price. It was probably another month until I finally got a call as I was driving by their neighborhood in my Dads truck saying they picked a price. They wanted $1000 bucks for it. I immediately said I'd get a trailer and be there that weekend. At that point my friends Dad (the original owner) hadn't driven or started the car in 20 years. So we aired up the tires, pushed it out of the garage, and all of us muscled it up onto the trailer. We drug it home and pushed it into the barn where I had it running in under a week and ready to drive in under two. It didnt get registered and tabbed for about a month though. But she was all mine! I thought I'd probably just sell her at first, then I started driving her. And look at me now, knee deep in the addiction 32k miles later!

 

Day 1

 

The next weekend (running and driving)

 

Here she is now! (Well, a year ago but looks the same minus a crunched fender (DAMN YOU DUMB ASS WITH A BOAT TRAILER!)

[Stuart]

My first experience was a Chamonix 76 that my dad bought at the original Don Lucas BMW facility in San Jose.  He paid $6,500 for it.  It was the second "stick" car that I drove after he taught me on his 68 912.  Good times.