Hi everyone. I am new to these forums so if my thred breaks/ is borderline on breaking any rules, Mods feel free to delete it.

Well anyways, my father and I are looking at a 1975 2002 that has 90k miles, never been in an accident expect for being sideswiped and a rear ender which left no damage on that great bumper. The car itself will be about $1900.

My dad owned 2 or 3 of these cars and absolutely loved them and he is already excited for owning another. He once worked at a european sports car garage in the seventies so he worked on tons of these cars. He remains great friends with the owner of the shop so we will be working on it together in his garage. My father wants to get a new paintjob, maybe switch to a 5 speed (it is under consideration seeing how the tranny is in great shape and the servos and everything seems to be a ok), he wants to get a new steering box, and some interior stuff. Also, new shocks because after going over some speeed bumbs, it felt like the car was going to nosedive.

I was just wondering what horsepower these cars have. I know its not going to be much at all, am I right when I guess around 100? Are there any mods that would make the driving experiance more enjoyable besides getting the 5 speed tranny for the overdrive? I want it just to be a fun first car to have but is there an after market for these cars? Do you guys enjoy these cars? Is it going to suck money from my wallet?

Thank you guys, your help is most definatly appreciated and once again, if this thread breaks any rules, please delete it immediatly.

I was just wondering what horsepower these cars have. I know its not going to be much at all, am I right when I guess around 100? Are there any mods that would make the driving experiance more enjoyable besides getting the 5 speed tranny for the overdrive? I want it just to be a fun first car to have but is there an after market for these cars? Do you guys enjoy these cars? Is it going to suck money from my wallet?

Welcome! A Big YES is the answer to all these questions. especially those last two :D

It wont really suck money unless you go overboard with mod's or decide to restore it.

The 5-speed swap is very nice. to make the car more enjoyable, I would recommend bilstein sport shocks, H&R sport springs, ST swaybars, and urethane bushings. Throw a 38/38 weber on there if the motor is healthy and it will be very fun! A 3.96 LSD from a e21 320is also adds to the fun factor and is a nice combo with the 5-speed.

Have fun!

Thank you very much. I started to really eye these 2002's after I finally saw my dad's friends track ready 1988 M3 with the works. Mmm, what a beauty that car was. For some reason, these cars are just so appealing to the eye. And I never thought I would own a BMW seeing how my father owns an S430 and my mother an E320. :stickoutt

EDIT: Also, I have been checking the prices for the suspension upgrades you listed and how much do you think that would cost just to compare with the numbers I am getting. Don't worry about installation and labor.

One place to go surfing for parts and ideas is Ireland http://www.bmw2002.com/

Since they're in your neck of the woods you'd save on shipping too.

Have fun with the car man -- we sure all do!!

Always good to know when a young enthusiast joins the fold!

Let us know if you decide to buy the car and, if you do, pics are mandatory!

Happy '02ing,

Just curious: How much horsepower can you get out of the stock engine. The one we are looking at has extremely low mileage for a car of its year so I would suspect it can take more compression. I kind of wanted to get the horsepower up a tad. I am being realistic about the horsepower, its not like I want to drag race this car. I'm only lookin at my options so if any of you guys could point me in the right direction , I'd really appreciate it.

well, since you mentioned a budget, you would be dealing with bolt-on's.
Consider that with a 38/38, ignition, and exhaust upgrades you could probably get 105 hp at the wheels with a good tune. If you want more, rebuild the motor with higher compression pistons and a cam.

If this is your first car, I would recommend only bolt-on's. As a 16yr old I was 100% satisfied with my car in stock form with only a weber 32/36 and a 2" exhaust. In my 2nd 02, I upped the anty to 9.5:1 compression, flowed head, 284 cam, header, 38/38, etc. While it was a very fun combo, the fun/dollar ration wasnt much better than a stock motor. That motor cost me about $2k to build, dont plan on spending less.

My advise is keep it stock and get it running right before you change anything. Drive it for awhile and see what you think.

Welcome to the club, you will now become addicted to 2002's! :evil2

Haha. Thanks. Yea I am suspecting that the car will remain mostly stock. I threw out the idea of a nicer suspension but maybe I need to reinforce the fact that I would pay for it. My mom thinks the car is too goofy looking for me. Heh, mothers...

2002maniac is wise


I've got a tii -- my first 02 in good tune that puts out about 130 HP. Recenly I got a very much abused 70 all stock and I gotta say its got plenty of ooomph. I was surprised how good the stock 100 hp engine is... ya there is a slight lag you don't get on the tii and the upper end isn't quite as dramatic, but its a blast to drive and seemingly has enough power.

The largest difference between the two cars is the suspension. My tii has Ireland springs, bilsteins, camber plates, urathane bushings, strut bar .. the thing corners like a mofo. The 70 has some old koni shocks and frankly needs some work down there after 30+ years of use.

the 70 still corners great but you can tell the difference bigtime -- just thinking about what to do with this car I'm much more inclined to work on the suspension than worry about hopping up the engine.

So like 2002maniac says give that sucker a good bit of driving and get the existing engine tuned right and then think about how it corners and if that needs some improvement -- all the HP in the world won't get you through that tight curve any faster if your suspension isn't up to it !! :)

best of luck man!

-z (still kindof a noob 02er even after 3 years)

I might have said this already, dont know but: When we test drove it and went over some big speed bumps, it felt like the car was going to nose dive. The suspension definatly needs some love.

IMO the first mods to any BMW is upgrade the suspension and brakes. Out of the box BMW's are good performers engine wise. Besides it's not that expensive to beef up the suspension on a 2002. Im looking into coilovers from Ground Control for a decent price. Brakes are a great upgrade simply for safety but I wouldnt worry about that untill you tweak the motor. The most Ive heard out of a M10 is 180hp which Im guessing my car has. (Need a Dyno!!!.....and a S14)
If your anything like me the money wont even make it to your wallet. I get near a BMW and it's all over. Bye Bye money.
Have fun!!

Before we buy the car, my father was wondering if it will run ok on 91 unleaded.

yeah, it will probably run fine on 87

IMO the first mods to any BMW is upgrade the suspension and brakes. Out of the box BMW's are good performers engine wise. Besides it's not that expensive to beef up the suspension on a 2002. Im looking into coilovers from Ground Control for a decent price. Brakes are a great upgrade simply for safety but I wouldnt worry about that untill you tweak the motor. The most Ive heard out of a M10 is 180hp which Im guessing my car has. (Need a Dyno!!!.....and a S14)
If your anything like me the money wont even make it to your wallet. I get near a BMW and it's all over. Bye Bye money.
Have fun!!
What kind of suspensiondo you have now? Also to have that amount of hp that thing must be BUILT, especially for a street engine with no hairy cam...

Actually there is NO WAY a m10 will make that kind of power without a very hairy cam (or a turbo).

Post specs!

Actually there is NO WAY a m10 will make that kind of power without a very hairy cam (or a turbo).

Post specs!
I am pretty sure he is NA. I absolutely agree...

What kind of suspensiondo you have now? Also to have that amount of hp that thing must be BUILT, especially for a street engine with no hairy cam...
Without hijacking the thread.... Current suspension: Bilstein's & cut springs :nono
The engine is extremely modified.
2002 block/1600 crankshaft
.050 oversized pistons
Alpina valve big journal head
ported polished
balanced and blueprinted
310 cam
Weber 45 DCOE's / velocity stacks
Metric Mechanic high capacity cooling system
headercraft headers/ansa exhaust
Allison & MSD Ignition
5 speed Group B rally gearbox/straight gears
The only '02 faster is one with a S14 :devillook Without a dyno run Im not positive on the hp, but from reliable people I.E. previous owner/builder and my experiences driving it Im willing to bet 180hp

very cool! I was expecting something along those lines if you were getting 180 hp! Also about coilovers, if you are considering them I hope this is not an everyday car or your life will be miserable, the only way I would do it is if the streets around my house were perfect, but unfortunately they are not, so I stuck with Ireland springs with Bilstein Sports which ride surprisingly great for how stiff the car is...

Stage 1 springs and sports? My setup is Ireland stage 1 and HD's

trying to decide if your combo might be better for the 70. I do like Irelands stuff .. the sport vs HD thing is the question

Im going with ground control coilovers in the front with adjustable camber plates and ireland coilovers for the rear with some camber corrects. It's a multi purpose car. Definately not a everyday car (E34 for that). I will be doing some club racing and autocross as well as terrorizing the streets, so I want the adjustability. Roads around here are not always the best but at the present time damn near every road is freshly paved! :redspot

Stage 1 springs and sports? My setup is Ireland stage 1 and HD's

trying to decide if your combo might be better for the 70. I do like Irelands stuff .. the sport vs HD thing is the question
I have to say I really like the combination! My only problem now is lacklustre tires... Unfortunately companies don;t make high performance 13's, I am considering my options in the 15" size.

Im going with ground control coilovers in the front with adjustable camber plates and ireland coilovers for the rear with some camber corrects. It's a multi purpose car. Definately not a everyday car (E34 for that). I will be doing some club racing and autocross as well as terrorizing the streets, so I want the adjustability. Roads around here are not always the best but at the present time damn near every road is freshly paved!
Excellent! As long as it's not the daily driver you will be great especially since there are nice paved roads by your house, unlike where I live... :(