tires and wheels Don't buy a 2002 if you don't like attention....

[deschodt]

With my 02 finally back on the road with fuel injection, it's just nuts how many people love those things and will risk like and limb to tell you...

2 days ago, I park it outside while servicing the ol' porsche, an older woman stops by with her 325, tells me about how she had one of those and should never had sold it, and "who services mine?", etc.... Then she asks if she can sit inside the 2002 for a minute to smell the smell and relive the past... why not ? ;-)

Yesterday, I go to CVS and I cannot leave the parking lot for 10 minutes as a gentleman tells me he has a Tii (but now carburated) and again, who services mine, what kind of wheels are those, etc...

Yesterday night, I go pickup food to-go, a lawyer flat out gives me his business card in case I ever want to divest of any of my "exotics" - I swear he said that... We chatted briefly on 02 and old porsches and he must have thought I owned 12 of each or something ;-) (just 2 Pcars and one bimmer, total!)

Man.... I've had interesting/cute/original cars over the years, things like Karmann ghias, 356s, cars you don't see everyday and that people look at fondly. But that 02 takes the cake... Do not buy one of these if you are antisocial !

[www.bmw2002.co.uk]

Great Story. People actually smile instead of cutting you up for a change. Love the 02.

Keep 02ing

Richard.

o==00==o

[72Golf]

Like you, I also drive a Porsche and an '02. Whenever I'm out in the '02, people wave and give me the "thumbs up" sign and smile. When in the Porsche, they usually use another digit. Go figure.

Roundies Rock!

[dubois]

My 02 is also getting a lot attention lately, not sure why - except I keep it clean now!

I believe that the difference is that 02's and their owners are viewed as more approachable, less elitist. The 02's have always been fun first, exclusive last.

Whenever I drive my P car, I make serious attempts to dismantle the stereotype: jeans and t-shirt, leave the car open with the windows down, just like I do with my 02! Still, I get double takes, but no conversations. If they only knew what my real fun car is!

[deschodt]

Yup... I left out previous stories since all the above truly happened within 24 hours, but a few monhs back I had a guy drive like a complete tool in traffic just so that he could catch up with me and give me a thumbs up..

Also a couple in an old 3 series (I'm not good with E-numbers yet) turned around and followed me home just to stop and chat about my 02... It's nuts !!!

On the flip side, all this attention has made me want to restore it faster and it's given me motivation to keep at it, because when I got my car, honestly, it was a rusty piece of junk that could barely breach 3000 rpm ;-) Now I get it...

On the P-car vs the 02, it's funny to me because both my Pcars (the backdated 83 911 and the original 69 912) cost less than the 02 if you factor in the repairs I just did ;-) Yet the P-cars have this aura of "in your face" to non porsche drivers, while the 02 does not! Too bad really, good people on both sides of the fence,and all good cars (rear wheel drive is the key)... Now if I could add an Alfa GTV 1750 to "Scuderia-Greg" I'd be set for life !

[cj]

There is something magnetic about the '02. I think people are just drawn to the simplicty of the cars and unique aesthetics. Past owners ALWAYS share stories about how great of a car it is and express regrets when they sold it.

Now the '68 Camaro- not so much!

Cris

[deschodt]

There you go - I write something nice about her, and she breaks down....

Well... she breaks down in my driveway, a sure sign of a good car, that !

All my "good" cars broke down at home! It's no biggie, a little metal clip (presumably) that secured the throttle cable to the lever on the throttle body must have jumped off never to be found again... 2 tie-wraps later and she's running again ! Better here than on the freeway !

I don't have the bit to do that properly but she'll go back under the knife again to give me a little more gas pedal travel and re-weld the shifter properly (it's on wrong thanks to the previous mechanic, and the console is therefore not centered correctly around the shifter, so you cannot put a boot on, or it prevents shifting in 2nd and 4th!!!)... Little things... ;-)

Hey, at least, while she's at the shop, stranger don't come up to me !!

[1974bmw2002]

sometimes rarely my dad lets me take out his 06 carrera 4s out and i get the same stares accept the people hate me. IM 16! the 2002 the same thing accept they love it. i can even hear them talking in town about how cool the 02 and of course how young i am. O=00=O

[SteveJ]

I went to a service school for surgical tables last week. People attended from Michigan, Sacramento, Washington, all over. Going to lunch I offer to drive a few of us. All three passengers had ~some~ sort of previous experience with an 02. You'd have thought I was giving Kevin Bacon a lift.

The real nice thing is that they all knew the proper "touch" to close the door on a 2002!

One of the guys had a brother that worked for Bavarian Autosport.

Small workd.

[adamm]

People I meet always have such fond memories of these cars.

I used to race mountain bikes but haven't now for some while. Anyway at the weekend I had to go to the bike shop and it must be nearly 2 years that I've been in, first thing the guy in there says isn't "hey, great to see you back in the saddle again!", oh no, it was "hey, how's that wonderful 2002?". 5 minutes later he's showing the Saturday boy exactly what a 2002 is on the internet... "no, that's not the model year..."

I'll never grow tired of the positive emotions these cars spark in people.

[Jim_75Sahara]

Fond memories is right. At the Ault Park Concours yesterday, I was admiring a black '62 Cadillac convertible. Turns out the owner had owned a number of '02's & an E21. He greatly admired Bill Williams' Touring on display nearby. You start off talking about Caddy's & then you're talking about '02's suddenly.

[skylund]

I believe that the difference is that 02's and their owners are viewed as more approachable, less elitist. The 02's have always been fun first, exclusive last.

Yeah, I think that's it exactly; more like you are in a "good taste" club rather than "buckets of cash" club. I think that same attitude applies within the 02 community, as people are stoked to see another 2002 on the road, regardless of the condition.

[TobyB]

There is something magnetic about the '02

which must be why everyone tries to drive into mine.

The little things are invisible on the road. I finally

gave up, and now I run the headlights all the time.

Helps a bit. Still have to drive like I'm riding a bike...

On the up side, the cops NEVER see this car... even at 80+ in a 60...

t

[BillWilliams]

So true, we all could right a book on the looks and admiration our cars get.

WHen at Ault park, Opel, was in a line up of several rare Mercedes and other nice cars. I thought the Opel was getting the majority of the looks. Biased I thought. After the judging done and awards awarded, one of the judges approached me and made the comment, "that car really gets the eyeballs."

When a few of us were eating dogs and chili, a lady made her way back to our table, "excuse me, are those your 2002s? My husband is still out there looking at them. They are beautiful."

These little cars do get the attention!