Buying BMW 02 Series – From the Old Box

Let’s assume that the BMW 02 was already (or actually still) a desirable car in 1991. BMW hit the bull’s eye with the compact model. You can see him as one of the or even the founders of what BMW has become great with: sporty driving behavior in an everyday usable packaging. The 2002ti was certainly impressive in its time. The low weight, relatively high power and rear-wheel drive made this car a joy to drive. In 1991 the 2002ti’s were still relatively pricey, but of course there was more choice.

BMW 2002 Ti

For example, the offer initially started with the 1600 (later called 1602) which, as the name indicated, had a 1.6 in its nose. In the mid-seventies the 1502 came below with a less powerful version of the same 1.6. Those who wanted something more could go for the 1802 with – you guessed it – a 1.8. At the top was the 2002 with a 2.0 that was already 100 hp strong in the base, 120 hp in the 2002ti thanks to a double carburetor and later thanks to injection (2002tii) even 130 hp. The holy grail, however, was the 2002 Turbo. Thanks to the turbo, the M10 block that could be found in the entire 02 series could even send 170 hp to the rear wheels. The lousy timing of its introduction, just before the oil crisis, unfortunately meant that the 2002 Turbo has remained very rare and today costs a godsend.

Okay, back to 1991. Then the BMW 02 was simply a nice second-hand car for those who wanted a nice driving car with sporty aspirations. The oldest copies were already 25 years old at that time and therefore just classic, the ‘newest’ would nowadays be described as youngtimer, although a 15-year-old car in 1991 was also quite an old animal. Cars were generally a lot less durable back then, so it couldn’t hurt to thoroughly investigate the potential pitfalls before purchasing such an old one. We therefore grabbed a copy to show where the biggest pain points were.

Something that often killed the BMW 02 was rust. Far from exceptional at the time. It wasn’t as bad as some French or Italian cars from the same era, but it was definitely worth paying attention. Especially in the wheel arches, around the doors and in the suspension, the rust devil sometimes manifested itself. The latter was especially an important tip: during a simple round of the car you could still spot rust in the wheel arches, but the BMW really had to get on the bridge to discover whether the suspension was also supposed to be damaged. That also brought up other pain points. For example, the driving behavior of the 02 naturally invited strong steering and acceleration, which often resulted in a worn cardan shaft or wear on the front axle.

To put it bluntly, it was often better to leave an 02 costing 1,500 guilders standing, or to turn it into a restoration project. Anyone who wanted to play it safe more quickly had to count on around 10,000 (2002) to 15,000 guilders (2002ti) in 1991 for an ‘excellent’ copy. So serious money back then, if you consider that you were already dealing with a fairly old car. In addition, the market for original parts was no longer very booming and you often had to dig deep into your pocket for maintenance. It certainly wasn’t bad, but it could be an expensive guest. “Driving has to be a hobby, otherwise you run the risk of disliking this little BMW,” we concluded. Anyone who wants to purchase a BMW 02 these days should count on towards €10,000 for a project car, €20,000 for a neat one and beyond €30,000 for a very neat or 2002ti.