Opinion on 1976 BMW 2002

[mpollee]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and looking for some advice regarding a 1976 BMW 2002 for sale. You can find the link below. I am going to look at it this week and am curious if this is a good/bad deal. At this time I am still trying to get more information about the vehicle. Here's what I know.... 1976 BMW 2002 which came from Washington (the dealers cousin had it and did some of the work on it). The dealer doesn't seem too familiar with this car. It has a newly recent paint job, new floor pans, glass, carpet, and supposedly all of the instruments, lights, and heater works. The dealer said he has all of the receipts from the work done and I am trying to obtain these. He says the transmission and engine are smooth and there are no leaks/free-play etc. Supposedly there is minimal to no rust; however, this may be hard to verify due to the undercoating. Again, any input would be appreciated. I will work on getting more information/pictures/receipts/history and continue to update this post. 

 

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-BMW-2002-d1266#listing=210319756

[jrhone]

What state do u live in?   76s can be hard to register in CA because of smog laws.  

[mpollee]

40 minutes ago, jrhone said:

What state do u live in?   76s can be hard to register in CA because of smog laws.  

I am in Michigan, metro Detroit area. 

[Son of Marty]

All in all the car looks pretty good but it all comes down to the quality of the repairs, if  all the rust was cut out and the new metal was installed well then it could be a nice buy, on the other hand if they just covered the rust with bondo and painted it that could be bad news. It might be worth your time to have a third party body shop inspect the car  for body condition, the body condition far out ways the condition of the running gear IMHO the mechanics of these car are pretty simple and can be put right for far less money than a body can be resurrected from rust. 

 

P.S. is the car from Washington state or DC theres a lot more rust in eastern cars 

Edited June 16, 2018 by Son of Marty

[mpollee]

25 minutes ago, Son of Marty said:

All in all the car looks pretty good but it all comes down to the quality of the repairs, if  all the rust was cut out and the new metal was installed well then it could be a nice buy, on the other hand if they just covered the rust with bondo and painted it that could be bad news. It might be worth your time to have a third party body shop inspect the car  for body condition, the body condition far out ways the condition of the running gear IMHO the mechanics of these car are pretty simple and can be put right for far less money than a body can be resurrected from rust. 

 

P.S. is the car from Washington state or DC theres a lot more rust in eastern cars 

I believe Washington state. I will verify when I talk with the seller again. But yes, Im trying to get access to the receipts soon to know more about the work done. Also, this may be a dumb question but do body shops have employees available to inspect the car direct at the dealership, or do you usually have to bring the car to the body shop? Only curious because I only plan to fly down for a day or two. Thanks. 

[Son of Marty]

I don't know for sure but would imagine you'd have to take it to a body shop. I'm sure one of the guys in the Dallas area could give you the name of a 02 friendly shop somewhere close by. 

Edited June 16, 2018 by Son of Marty

[mpollee]

25 minutes ago, Son of Marty said:

I don't know for sure but would imagine you'd have to take it to a body shop. I'm sure one of the guys in the Dallas area could give you the name of a 02 friendly shop somewhere close by. 

Worse case I will bring a paint/coating thickness gauge with me to help detect for any bondo. 

[Mike Self]

1 hour ago, mpollee said:

Worse case I will bring a paint/coating thickness gauge with me to help detect for any bondo. 

Also bring a magnet--a refrigerator-type magnet (a flat one) is good, as it needs nearby steel to stick very well--if the bondo is more than a few mm thick, it won't stick.  

 

Presume it's the $13999 blue squarelight...couldn't find the description, only pictures.  And the VIN they quote isn't remotely similar to any 2002 VIN I've ever seen.  From the pictures, the beltline and knee mouldings ahve been removed.  I'd want to know the clip holes had been welded up, not just fiberglassed or bondo-ed.  The "petro-wood" instrument surround has been painted black (an improvement IMHO!) and it doesn't appear to have a radio.  As an aside, that's gotta be the largest fuel filter I've ever seen on a 2002.  It's the size of a Coke can.  

 

It does look very nice (I suspect the mileage is more like 115k or even 215k); you just want to make sure the beauty is more than skin deep.

 

As has been mentioned above, go over the bodywork carefully yourself, paying special attention to the structural rust spots (inner rear wheel arches, rockers, front frame rails--esp driver's side) and subframes.  Then check the non-structural but no fun to repair spots, like door bottoms, spare tire well and front fenders--trailing edges and around the turn signals.  There are plenty of 02ers in the Dallas area who can recommend a good body shop to check the workmanship and bondo presence.

 

Good luck--but don't get buck fever.  BMW sold 88,000 2002s (and another 12,000 1600s) in the US, so they're not exactly rare.  If this doesn't meet your requirements, keep looking.  Took me three years to find the one I wanted...and that was in 1978!

 

cheers

mike

[Highnote1]

I am in the dallas area and bought a very rusty 76. Did not have access to a lift so looked where I could but have a huge project on my hands now. I am almost done with all fender, floor, rocker and quarter....on passenger side only! 

 

Get a good look at the underneath and do not fall for a good uniform paint job like I did. 

[02Les]

2377775

The same Dealer has had it for sale for over a year. Late last year he wanted $11,999 (down from $13,999 earlier in the year).

Then the company was called Republic Auto of Texas LLC.

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by 02Les

[AceAndrew]

Trim delete is a big red flag.  If they didn’t take the time or spend the money to redo this, then I would assume more (hidden) corners were cut.

 

As mentioned, there are a lot of fish in the sea.  A non-enthusiast dealer, and evidence of poor bodywork choices would keep me fishing. 

[Jim_75Sahara]

I'll admit it, I have a bias against the majority of such classic car dealers... (I might trust Wayne Carini, but I just can't afford his cars! Love his show, too... )

 

If you want this particular 2002 badly enough, you must have it carefully inspected by a genuine BMW 2002 expert. Personally, it screams: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!

[Jim_75Sahara]

13 hours ago, Highnote1 said:

I am in the dallas area and bought a very rusty 76. Did not have access to a lift so looked where I could but have a huge project on my hands now. I am almost done with all fender, floor, rocker and quarter....on passenger side only! 

 

Get a good look at the underneath and do not fall for a good uniform paint job like I did. 

You didn't buy it from Select Classics by any chance, did you?? ?

[mpollee]

11 hours ago, AceAndrew said:

Trim delete is a big red flag.  If they didn’t take the time or spend the money to redo this, then I would assume more (hidden) corners were cut.

 

As mentioned, there are a lot of fish in the sea.  A non-enthusiast dealer, and evidence of poor bodywork choices would keep me fishing. 

Yeah, I could tell the dealer is not an enthusiast from our phone call. I will check on the work done and ask about the trim delete. Is there a way to check for the quality of the repair? I imagine the most you can do without body work receipts is use a paint detector to check for bondo in these trim areas?

[mpollee]

7 minutes ago, Jim_75Sahara said:

I'll admit it, I have a bias against the majority of such classic car dealers... (I might trust Wayne Carini, but I just can't afford his cars! Love his show, too... )

 

If you want this particular 2002 badly enough, you must have it carefully inspected by a genuine BMW 2002 expert. Personally, it screams: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!

True, thats the feeling I got also. If anyone knows someone in the Dallas area who knows these very well let me know. Might have to drag them along to check it out.