Should I buy or Should I run?

[Freude am Fahren]

8 hours ago, walkinfool said:

Freude am Fahren I'm a bit late to the party though agree that the tii seller is slightly delusional with his asking price and feel that in the as is, not running state, that car may be worth somewhere in the $6-8K range. And, after reading all of the comments I thought I'd offer some additional thoughts. Firstly, the collective experience, knowledge, and expertise on this board is awe-inspiring. Secondly, it's become quite rare that a scenario like yours hasn't previously been discussed because many of us have faced similar scenarios.  And perhaps made less than thoughtful decisions. And, as a result, found our wallets a bit lighter, our knuckles a bit bloodier, and our ability to swear even more impressive. Personally, the therapeutic value I've gained from owning and wrenching with my cars is priceless and even when I know I've made mistakes, it's comforting to know that the FAQ will be there for me with more knowledge than the original '02 designers and engineers, more transparency than the clearest pane of glass, and more comedic relief than Shane Gillis, Dave Chapelle, and Sam Morril combined! Good luck with your decision! 

 

I couldn't agree more. I think at the end of the day the lasting memories are made interacting with the members here, working on our cars and enjoying the ride. 

 

The seller claims to be aware of the "fair market value" of his collectible car in spite of my sharing of comparables from BAT and elsewhere. For me to see the car I have to invest half a Saturday and/or Sunday driving to the seller's location which I don't mind but when I told him I'm looking at 5-7K range he says he is not interested and that not being in a rush to sell he will wait for it to gain further value or in the worst case scenario part it out for gobbs and gobbs of money. God bless him. He seems to have a solid plan to become rich.   

[Son of Marty]

Don't worry the right car will find you, always does.. it

[tech71]

31 minutes ago, Freude am Fahren said:

he will wait for it to gain further value or in the worst case scenario part it out for gobbs and gobbs of money. God bless him. He seems to have a solid plan to become rich. 

Any idea how old this guy is? Approximately? He's playing a very long game as the car sits and molders away😉 Thats a shame, common but still a shame.

Edited March 6 by tech71

[johnny02]

Run away from anyone who shows you "comps" and says it's potentially worth that.  There is a guy near me trying to sell a couple E30s (between them they almost make a full car) and he is asking way too much for each one, based on what they --might-- be worth repaired and restored.  That's bullshit.  I'll pay you what the car is worth now, not closer to what it's worth after I spend a bunch of my valuable time and money on it.   "i forgot about it" means I didn't care enough to take care of it, but now that I see what nice ones are fetching, I'll try to cash in on the nice car I left to rot".  

   Sorry. someone pissed in my cornflakes this morning and I'm in a bad mood.  

[Mike Self]

15 hours ago, Son of Marty said:

Don't worry the right car will find you, always does..

Way back in the last century, long before the internet, whenn 2002s were desirable daily drivers, I looked for a sunroof 73, non-metallic paint sunroof car with A/C (not too specific, was I?).   After two years of looking, I found exactly what I wanted, four blocks from my house!  Still have it (that's Ludwig).  So be patient:  no buck fever to throw your money at the first 02 that comes along.  

 

15 hours ago, tech71 said:

Any idea how old this guy is? Approximately? He's playing a very long game as the car sits and molders away😉 Thats a shame, common but still a shame.

See my previous post about the three American Austin roadsters (and the Moretti) that moldered away, owned by a guy who was "gonna restore 'em someday."  And then they disappeared, along with the guy's house and garage.  Hope that's not this tii's fate.  It's worth saving, but not at the asking price.  

 

mike

[Daily02]

Physically look at at least 5 more 2002's -preferably in his price range- constrast the results with this one.

 

Have a final plan of what you want this car to be. Then create a budget on what it will take to get the car to that point. More times than not a better condition example for more money is the best deal. Paint & body, interiors, trim, motor replacements, and parts aren't cheap anymore as they were before. Even trashed parts cars are going for a lot of money today.

 

Regards

 

Dono

 

 

[mike472]

I know a young 2002 fan who I met at a cars and coffee locally.  He got the bug to get an 02 after seeing my car and a couple of weeks later he showed up with what we would call a 5 footer in Malaga.  Paid $5000 for it.  I went inside to look because I could already see the hole in the back of the front wheel well.  Pulled up the passenger's side rug and there was roadway showing through.  Other areas around the car were starting to rust. mostly in areas where normal people won't bend down to look into.  Rear wheels were decambered way beyond normal.  The Cape Cod weather and salt where this car came from had rusted the subframe and underside of the car badly.  It was actually so bad it had bent in the middle, giving him what looked like about 5 degrees of negative camber.  

I told him to sell it and spend 15k and get a car he could improve and not have to restore.  I sold him a complete rear subframe I had and he replaced the whole thing. 

After all that he sold it and went out and bought yet another car for 5K that looked sort of nice(Agave) with decent looking paint(still a 5 footer), yet had rust around subframe mounts and frame rails that were rusted through. Lots of other stuff that would cost to fix.  Told him to get rid of it and luckily he did for what he paid for it. Again, he didn't get down on his back to give a good look underneath.

He finally waited long enough and on a trip to Beirut, Lebanon he scored the Golf (I think)car below through his uncle for 15K.  Took him two projects to learn.  He is now really happy with his only problem being DMV not being open right now in Beirut to do the paperwork to bring it home. From the looks of it he got a car he'll be proud to own that's one he can just improve, not restore.

[ray_]

The strut bearing caps are missing.

 

Pass!

 

 

;-)

[Freude am Fahren]

23 hours ago, Son of Marty said:

Don't worry the right car will find you, always does.. it

 

I always wanted a Colorado Orange or a Taiga Green tii anyway. I hope one of these cars find me 😄 🤣 

[Mike Self]

3 hours ago, mike472 said:

He finally waited long enough and on a trip to Beirut, Lebanon he scored the Golf (I think)car below through his uncle for 15K. 

Is that a Lux rear badge?  Hard to tell from the picture, but sure looks like an elongated L with a black background lurking under the 2002 emblem.  If so, that's an extra fillip--those were never sold in the US.

 

Is it back in the States yet, or still languishing in Beirut (not the safest place for man nor car)?

 

mike

[chargin]

On 3/5/2024 at 7:07 PM, Freude am Fahren said:

not being in a rush to sell he will wait for it to gain further value

 

From what I've seen a Tii sitting just Cost's more money to rescue, Early Plastic Runners can cost A Lot to restore to Drivable. Also as a side note getting a Injection pump rebuilt is not cheap and tuning can be a major challenge if your not located near experienced Tii tuners, not many are left. I built mine 6 years ago so I experienced the actual cost first hand, you could easily end up spending 4-8k just to get the motor drivable, most novices can not get a Tii tuned decent enough to drive. The longer it's been sitting the more that needs replaced 

 

 

[mike472]

8 hours ago, Mike Self said:

Is that a Lux rear badge?  Hard to tell from the picture, but sure looks like an elongated L with a black background lurking under the 2002 emblem.  If so, that's an extra fillip--those were never sold in the US.

 

Is it back in the States yet, or still languishing in Beirut (not the safest place for man nor car)?

 

mike

The car is still in Lebanon in a relative’s garage.  I have to ask him about the lux badge. Didn’t notice that. Good catch Mike! He sent me a video of him and his dad driving the car around Beirut. It sounded like it ran well. It was owned by a local BMW club member who also had an Inka car for sale. From his description and the photos I’d say he got himself a good car. Nice dry climate that’s probably good for finding rust free cars. Now the trick is getting it home. I used Wallenius lines a big car shipper when I imported two gray market cars picked up in Bremerhaven, Germany. Little tricky getting it back from Lebanon. Especially with what’s going on in that part of the world. He’s researching that now. 
Here are some other shots of the car. 

[mike472]

10 hours ago, mike472 said:

The car is still in Lebanon in a relative’s garage.  I have to ask him about the lux badge. Didn’t notice that. Good catch Mike! He sent me a video of him and his dad driving the car around Beirut. It sounded like it ran well. It was owned by a local BMW club member who also had an Inka car for sale. From his description and the photos I’d say he got himself a good car. Nice dry climate that’s probably good for finding rust free cars. Now the trick is getting it home. I used Wallenius lines a big car shipper when I imported two gray market cars picked up in Bremerhaven, Germany. Little tricky getting it back from Lebanon. Especially with what’s going on in that part of the world. He’s researching that now. 
Here are some other shots of the car. 

Mike I found out it is a lux model. He saw that black background with the “L” and wondered what it meant. He asked me what was different about the lux package. Sorry for the thread hijack

[TobyB]

E46, right now.  3 liter, but don't buy into the ZHP hype.

 

I'ma tellinya, that's what'll appreciate in the next 20 years.  An M3, even more so.

 

t

got his M54 handed to him by an S54 this morning, and then we both waved.

[JohnS]

On 3/6/2024 at 9:59 PM, chargin said:

 

From what I've seen a Tii sitting just Cost's more money to rescue, Early Plastic Runners can cost A Lot to restore to Drivable. Also as a side note getting a Injection pump rebuilt is not cheap and tuning can be a major challenge if your not located near experienced Tii tuners, not many are left. I built mine 6 years ago so I experienced the actual cost first hand, you could easily end up spending 4-8k just to get the motor drivable, most novices can not get a Tii tuned decent enough to drive. The longer it's been sitting the more that needs replaced 

 

 

 

 

All True.  One thing I can say with both of my cars is that once they've been set up correctly, they've been really reliable and sort of "set it and forget it".  That's been my experience