Reliable?

[Jaycen_PNW2002]

I've used an 02 as a daily driver since Aug. 92, with the exception of a brief stint behind the wheel of 318is.

02s are great daily drivers, fast enough and nimble enough to keep up with modern cars. I'm currently on my sixth one and the first was the only one that ever left me stranded (faulty gas gauge). Before making an 02 a daily driver it is always a good idea to go through the cooling system and electrical system to ensure drivability.

-J

[SteveH]

No. Well not mine atleast.

The shifter linkage fell apart on an on-ramp a week ago. Other than that, nothing has been BMWs' fault. It has given me alot of problems that made the car unsafe for long trips.

Too many problems that could have easily gotten out of hand if I wasen't lying under the car everyday. Right now, I can't think of anything else, but the car has put ALOT of stress on me in the 15k miles and one year that I've owned it. Its a love hate relationship. I don't have the guts to sell it, so I'm buying another car to daily drive.

I have looked foward to driving it every-single-day, though.

[jpcapoc]

I've been driving my '70 every day now for three months. I bought the car just to tinker with as a weekend car, but my youngest daughter just got her licence and hijacked my late model taurus. So unless I get her a car, the bimmer is my everday driver, but truthfully, I can't stand driving anything but the bimmer now! It's pretty reliable, but I don't have all the kinks worked out yet. I agree, this message board has been extremely helpful!

[Guest Anonymous]

I have owned three 2002s over the past 7-8 years and none of them has been reliable. But all were far from perfect when I picked them up too. If you are familiar with 914s, think of a 2002 the same way. They started off as very well assembled cars and are great when everything has been taken care of, but they will require your constant attention if they have been off the road for a while or neglected. As with 914s, rust can be a major problem. They are easier to work on than 914s.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I went and looked at the car today. Definitely NOT worth what the guy was asking for it. The interior looked a lot worse once inside, and there seemed to be electric problems in the steering column area (wipers going whack, turn signal stalk broken, horn was really sensitive or going off randomly).

He said the rebuilt engine had about 20k miles on it. The custom exhaust on it was pretty nice though, and soundy nice and beefy. Though it was not hung correctly and made a very loud annoying rattling sound when driving.

He mentioned there was an exhaust (head?) leak. Common?

I couldn't get the seats to slide forward, though I am not sure if they do?

The car seemed to shift pretty well. Although the engine was acting weird. When you would step on it, the car would hesitate for a second and jerk really hard and then finally move smoothly. It really seemed to only happen in 2nd gear, though I didn't really try to see if it did in any others. What could that be from?

Although it ran bad, it was A LOT of fun to drive (first time ever driving one). I'm worried now, because I really want a 2002. But the question still remains if I can find one reliable. My step mother would kill me if she found out I had another non-running/reliable car. I'd hope if I found one in good condition and well taken care of it would be reliable.

If I were to actually get one and engine troubles were to come up, how expensive are these to fix/maintain? I know with my 914 a rebuild at the minimum costs about 5k...expensive

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[_z_]

ya for that kind of money you should expect a better car.

Keep trolling craigslist & the forsale section here .. your 2002 might show up!!