April 2012
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INTRODUCTION
It’s fair to say that the 02 range helped make BMW the force that it is today. Before the 02s and the Neue Klasse saloons that preceded them, BMW was struggling to survive.
Looking back, the success of the 02s is no great surprise – these are great-looking cars that are easy to look after but also a hoot to drive, thanks to torquey engines and safe but entertaining rear-wheel-drive handling.
It all started when BMW condensed the Neue Klasse’s best attributes into a smaller, more affordable package. In 1966 the 1600-2 was launched: a two-door saloon, powered by a 96bhp version of the M10 engine from the 1600 saloon.
BMW wanted to market the car in the US, but the sole engine choice was hampering sales, and the more powerful twin-carb 1600ti engine wasn’t homologated for use Stateside. However, the 1991cc M10 engine from the 2000CS Coupé was, and inserting it into the smaller and lighter body spawned one of the greatest sporting saloons of the ’60s: the 2002. This, coupled with the addition of the fuel-injection tii, took BMW to new heights, especially in the USA.
Looking back, the success of the 02s is no great surprise – these are great-looking cars that are easy to look after but also a hoot to drive, thanks to torquey engines and safe but entertaining rear-wheel-drive handling.
It all started when BMW condensed the Neue Klasse’s best attributes into a smaller, more affordable package. In 1966 the 1600-2 was launched: a two-door saloon, powered by a 96bhp version of the M10 engine from the 1600 saloon.
BMW wanted to market the car in the US, but the sole engine choice was hampering sales, and the more powerful twin-carb 1600ti engine wasn’t homologated for use Stateside. However, the 1991cc M10 engine from the 2000CS Coupé was, and inserting it into the smaller and lighter body spawned one of the greatest sporting saloons of the ’60s: the 2002. This, coupled with the addition of the fuel-injection tii, took BMW to new heights, especially in the USA.
MARKET VIEW
The 2002 has always offered great value for money, and a carburettor 2002 makes an ideal starter classic for someone looking for something sensibly priced and easy to maintain.
Barney Halse of East Sussex-based Classic Heroes cut his teeth driving 2002s, and has specialised in BMWs ever since. ‘Values can be difficult to place on any ’02, because condition is key,’ he says. ‘A project carburettor car could start at about £500-1200. They make a great basis for a restoration, especially if they’ve been dry-stored for a number of years, because you know exactly what you are getting.’
One note of caution though: ‘It can be dangerous buying a more presentable roadworthy car for more money, as you could end up spending far more than if you’d bought a top-condition car, or were fully restoring a project to start with.’ A usable road-ready ’02 could be bought for as little as £3000, but it will need work to keep it on the road. Around £6000 is the right money for a good carburettor ’02 or three-door Touring version.
‘A superb example costs £7500 to £8500, with exceptional concours-condition unrestored cars possibly fetching £12,500. Automatics are also in high demand, and can often go for slightly more – snapped up by city-dwellers.’ Pre-1973 ‘round tail-light’ ’02s are slightly more desirable than the later cars, and qualify for free road tax in the UK.
‘Then there are the much more desirable high-performance versions. You’d typically pay about £5000-9000 for a tii in good condition, with excellent cars around £10,000-14,000. Absolutely perfect low-mileage cars can sell from £15,000 to upwards of £22,000 – although these are truly exceptional and extremely hard to find.’
Turbos should almost be treated as a separate quantity altogether, as running costs are significantly higher, some parts are hugely expensive, and even a project car will cost £10,000. ‘A lot of them were badly cannibalised when they were relatively cheap, and turned into race-car replicas or heavily modified road cars. They are still hugely popular, and a running Turbo can cost anywhere between £18,000 and £32,000 depending on condition,’ advises Barney.
Barney Halse of East Sussex-based Classic Heroes cut his teeth driving 2002s, and has specialised in BMWs ever since. ‘Values can be difficult to place on any ’02, because condition is key,’ he says. ‘A project carburettor car could start at about £500-1200. They make a great basis for a restoration, especially if they’ve been dry-stored for a number of years, because you know exactly what you are getting.’
One note of caution though: ‘It can be dangerous buying a more presentable roadworthy car for more money, as you could end up spending far more than if you’d bought a top-condition car, or were fully restoring a project to start with.’ A usable road-ready ’02 could be bought for as little as £3000, but it will need work to keep it on the road. Around £6000 is the right money for a good carburettor ’02 or three-door Touring version.
‘A superb example costs £7500 to £8500, with exceptional concours-condition unrestored cars possibly fetching £12,500. Automatics are also in high demand, and can often go for slightly more – snapped up by city-dwellers.’ Pre-1973 ‘round tail-light’ ’02s are slightly more desirable than the later cars, and qualify for free road tax in the UK.
‘Then there are the much more desirable high-performance versions. You’d typically pay about £5000-9000 for a tii in good condition, with excellent cars around £10,000-14,000. Absolutely perfect low-mileage cars can sell from £15,000 to upwards of £22,000 – although these are truly exceptional and extremely hard to find.’
Turbos should almost be treated as a separate quantity altogether, as running costs are significantly higher, some parts are hugely expensive, and even a project car will cost £10,000. ‘A lot of them were badly cannibalised when they were relatively cheap, and turned into race-car replicas or heavily modified road cars. They are still hugely popular, and a running Turbo can cost anywhere between £18,000 and £32,000 depending on condition,’ advises Barney.
EIN A NUTSHLL
As with most cars of this age, corrosion is the biggest killer. Most panels are readily available but it could be prohibitively expensive to buy a car with a rusty shell and restore it with all new panels.
‘Three-quarters of the challenge is finding a car with a solid shell,’ says Barney. ‘Low values in the ’80s and ’90s mean a lot of older restorations will have been done on the cheap, using non-original parts and patching up corrosion instead of doing it properly. A lot of these cars are on the market now, and even though they might look shiny on top, they can hide all sorts underneath.’
The main hot-spots are the rear spring boxes on the inner wheelarch housings, outer arches into the rear sill areas, inner and outer sills (especially around the four jacking points), front inner wings, the lower outer and inner front panels, front floors, lower A-post areas, inner front wing box sections and boot floors.
The Touring is slightly more complicated, although most of the metalwork can be repaired using saloon parts. ‘It is imperative that you check the condition of the tailgate, though. If it has rusted badly, it could be extremely hard to repair, and it’s almost impossible to replace.’
With regular oil changes and maintenance, the M10 engine is good for over 100,000 miles between rebuilds. ‘If the engine hasn’t been rebuilt by now, it will definitely need a thorough going over.’ A small amount of oil burning is normal, but any blue smoke from the exhaust indicates worn valve-stem seals, or even worn cylinder bores. ‘When the oil has warmed through, hold the car at about 4000rpm for a short distance, back off the throttle, and check your mirror for signs of smoke.’
Be wary of any car that appears to have cooling issues, as the aluminium cylinder head can warp and crack if it overheats. Both manual and auto gearboxes are strong, and should outlast the engine if they have been serviced correctly, though the manual’s synchromesh can wear out, causing a crunch into second and third gear on downshifts. A floppy gearlever can usually be rectified with a couple of new bushes, costing around £30. A limited-slip differential and five-speed close-ratio gearbox are rare and desirable options.
For ease of servicing and reliability, the carburettor car is the one to go for – the tii’s complex Kugelfischer fuel injection warrants specialist servicing, though, as Barney says: ‘The tii is a wonderful car when it is set-up correctly – it’s worth the extra effort, and is my favourite.’
There’s great parts support for the ’02, from BMW Classic in Germany and companies such as Jaymic in the UK, 2002 specialists for over 25 years.
‘Three-quarters of the challenge is finding a car with a solid shell,’ says Barney. ‘Low values in the ’80s and ’90s mean a lot of older restorations will have been done on the cheap, using non-original parts and patching up corrosion instead of doing it properly. A lot of these cars are on the market now, and even though they might look shiny on top, they can hide all sorts underneath.’
The main hot-spots are the rear spring boxes on the inner wheelarch housings, outer arches into the rear sill areas, inner and outer sills (especially around the four jacking points), front inner wings, the lower outer and inner front panels, front floors, lower A-post areas, inner front wing box sections and boot floors.
The Touring is slightly more complicated, although most of the metalwork can be repaired using saloon parts. ‘It is imperative that you check the condition of the tailgate, though. If it has rusted badly, it could be extremely hard to repair, and it’s almost impossible to replace.’
With regular oil changes and maintenance, the M10 engine is good for over 100,000 miles between rebuilds. ‘If the engine hasn’t been rebuilt by now, it will definitely need a thorough going over.’ A small amount of oil burning is normal, but any blue smoke from the exhaust indicates worn valve-stem seals, or even worn cylinder bores. ‘When the oil has warmed through, hold the car at about 4000rpm for a short distance, back off the throttle, and check your mirror for signs of smoke.’
Be wary of any car that appears to have cooling issues, as the aluminium cylinder head can warp and crack if it overheats. Both manual and auto gearboxes are strong, and should outlast the engine if they have been serviced correctly, though the manual’s synchromesh can wear out, causing a crunch into second and third gear on downshifts. A floppy gearlever can usually be rectified with a couple of new bushes, costing around £30. A limited-slip differential and five-speed close-ratio gearbox are rare and desirable options.
For ease of servicing and reliability, the carburettor car is the one to go for – the tii’s complex Kugelfischer fuel injection warrants specialist servicing, though, as Barney says: ‘The tii is a wonderful car when it is set-up correctly – it’s worth the extra effort, and is my favourite.’
There’s great parts support for the ’02, from BMW Classic in Germany and companies such as Jaymic in the UK, 2002 specialists for over 25 years.
CONCLUSION
As long as the shell is solid and the engine pulls well, you can enjoy an ’02 on a modest budget. It’s more important to buy on condition than on model, although our favourite all-rounder is the tii – the injection gives it a stonger pull that you’ll really appreciate on the road.
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