I think I found it! Help needed..

[Mazubo]

Hi all! I'm very close to a purchase here, and looking for help with the VIN number for a particular 2002. I was told to offer the VIN to the members of The forum to help check authenticity, etc? Sorry if this is not the correct way to conduct this, or in the wrong forum..

 

Vin# 2744022

[Conserv]

If you send an email to BMW Archives (info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com) with the VIN, and request their data, they will confirm the actual manufacturing date and the original exterior color.

 

RealOEM.com shows the car to be a May 1976 U.S.-spec 2002 with a manual transmission. The current color is Fjord metallic: BMW Archives will show whether that is original.

 

There’s no such thing as CarFax for cars with seven-digit VIN’s. Does the car have any records that accompany it?

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited July 31, 2018 by Conserv

[catlin]

I emailed the VIN to find out its delivery date and original color. The response sometimes takes a few days. 

 

Otherwise, realoem says the VIN is a 05/1976 BMW 2002 manual. 

[Mazubo]

Thanks Steve! Apparently the owner is the 3rd owner. Said to originally be from Florida, then Michigan, and now California. He has supplied me with a list of maintenance done about 7 years ago as well. I will ask about receipts for work done etc.. 

 

Thanks for the tip re Carfax. I didn't know that. This is the first time buying a vehicle out of province/state/country for me. I live in Vancouver BC, and the vehicle is in California.. 

[Mazubo]

@catlincustoms thank you for that! Indeed it is a 76 manual in fjord blue ?

[Mazubo]

Below are a few pictures the owner sent me. I asked him to show me areas such as the shock towers, and under the body where the frame/body meet. Also the spare tire wheel well..

 

 

[Simeon]

It looks OK from 20’ but I would get a good pre-purchase inspection completed on it. I am a bit worried by some of that rust and yet the paint is fresh plus the front spoiler was not attached very well. What else has been covered up?

[Mazubo]

Ok so a pre inspection service; gotcha. He tried to scrape some of the material away in order to show the underneath is what I'm told..

[Simeon]

The wheel wells in back look OK but the pin holes in the driver’s side frame rail and the junction with the floor look suspect. I imagine you will find that frame rail is rusted thin so you could poke holes in it plus the floor pan around when they are welded together would be shot. Pretty typical issue. 

 

My concern is more of a philosophical one in that someone has taken the trouble to give it a nice paint job and spoiler but haven’t probed the mysteries of the floor pan or trunk floor between the wheel housings for rust. As we used to say when I was growing up, that car is ‘all fur coats but no knickers’ as in it looks nice but might be missing the basics underneath. 

 

All of this is repairable but it it is best to go in with your eyes open (plus you haven’t told us the price they want). I would be definitely haggling before buying. 

[zellet]

If it’s under $8,000 US, buy it.
If it’s more, investigate it.


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[Mazubo]

@Simeon thanks for the information and tips ?. It's listed for 13200 USD. The paint is a BMW glasurit which from what I'm told is expensive..

[Mazubo]

@zellet straight to the point, I like it! To be honest I don't even know what I'm looking for within those pictures. I see the frame rails, and shock towers, as well as the spare tire wheel well..

[Simeon]

This is the kind of thing that you could be looking at. 

 

 

 

[zellet]

It’s been doctored-up (patched?) underneath, but the shock towers look good...
But is bondo covering up some rust? Probably. It lived in Michigan...
To be fair, I can totally relate to the “excited 2002 buyer syndrome”.
If you love it, and YOU think it makes sense, buy it.
In the end, it depends on how much work you want to put into it.
My 2002 makes me smile every time I look at it.

That makes it a lot easier to put the work in...


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['76mintgrün'02]

Cuidado...

 

those frame rails have had patches tack welded on top of them... or something like that.

 

I smell rrrrrrust.