Well, I left my Bimmer magazine out on the table (big mistake) and my stepmom started looking at it. She's always liked 2002s and has been wanting to sell our explorer for a smaller car. Well, when she found the "2002 buyers guide" in that issue of bimmer she now thinks she wants to get one. She's about 50 years old.

Her reasoning is that I can find her one since I'm on the bmw boards all the time and I can work on it since I work on my BMW all the time. I'm not opposed to the idea, I'd love to have a 2002 in the driveway to wrench on and borrow on the weekends.

But this isn't for me, this is for my stepmom. I wouldn't consider her a car affecionado by any means, though obviously she has some taste :D . She wants reliability and fuel economy in this next car.

So I need some owner's perspective. It seems like a fairly basic car, lacking most of those things prone to breakage in newer cars. How reliable is the m10 engine? How reliable are the cars in general? Are there any mechanical problems that I really need to worry about (besides rust)? Just any info would be appreciated.

Also, what are the major 2002 forums?

what's the adage......don't quit your day job


in other words, tell her to keep the explorer but help her find an o2 that she can easily sell if it ends up not being what she expected...i wouldn't look at anything that is less than 100%

BTW....her age has nothing to do with her state of mind....something you'll get a handle on soon enough

Well, since you are from texas, it should be fairly simple to find a rust free (mostly) car. That is of course if there are any near you.

The M10 is a fairly reliable motor. they will run to high miles with only minor problems like oil seals and whatnot.

As for gas mileage, ppl have had many different experiences. You can get as much as 30, or as little as 16ish.

Check out www.bmw2002faq.com Best site out there for 02's, period. A few of the guys on here are on ther as well.

In the Austin area, Terry Sayther may be able to help you find one.

They can be very reliable, but they are 30+ years old, so unless someone has put a lot into it right before you buy it, it will have needs and quirks. Maybe a drive in a less-than-perfect example will cure her curiosity or sell her on 2002s. You should find her a good one because it sounds liek you may be stuck fixing it.