In 1971, when I was about to be discharged from the U. S. Army in Europe, I was told that I could send a car home from Germany for free.  So the thought came to mind to buy a 250 Mercedes Coupe.  After determining that $5500 was more than I could afford, I settled on the 1971 BMW 2002 for $2900.  I drove it to the port and then was left without a car until I returned to the states and picked it up in New Orleans.  It was a renewed friendship when I drove it back to Arkansas from Louisiana.  After a brief loss of the car due to divorce, I bought it back, and then later sold it to a couple from Louisiana.  Years later, I found the "red" car on e-bay and the rest is history.  It is a great little car.  Read on and click on the red links for additional pictures.

The red car is for sale for $12,500.   

     The BMW 2002, introduced in 1968, laid the groundwork for the modern sports sedan. It offered nimble, sports-car-like handling and strong performance in a conventional two-door sedan. When Consumer Reports first tested the 2002, in July 1970, they said "the BMW’s quick acceleration and nimble handling make it a car that’s fun to drive--well worth considering." The successful 2002 is the grandfather of the current BMW 3-Series.

     This car is a late model 1971 BMW 2002, VIN 2572582, manufactured on April 21, 1971; delivered on May 4, 1971 to the US-importer Hoffman Motor Corp. in New York.  Click on the red for a mock up of the window sticker.

     I bought this 4 speed, sunroof, BMW 2002, (after it was donated to a church auction by its original owner, George C. Reinmiller), on January 12, 2003. It had been cared for and kept garaged in Portland, Oregon. There was no rust from the sunroof. The only rust was on each door toward the rear, where almost all of these cars will collect water, even from washing, and some rust on the front lower panel, and a minor amount in the spare tire well. All this was repaired during the restoration process, which included changing the color from Sahara to Verona, and can be viewed by clicking here.

     EVERYTHING works on this car. With a lot of help from the various members of BMW forums and Chris and Danuel at Skip’s Foreign Car Repair in Conway, Arkansas, I managed to get this car in great driving condition. The engine had a new short block #5473598 installed by the previous owner and has a Weber 38 with electric choke and modified breather, and Petronix ignition. Redline fluids are being used in the tranny and differential.  It is strong and fast as anyone in the Arkansas group can attest to, and got 30 miles per gallon on a 1200 mile trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, for Cruisin The Coast, 04.

     The interior is original vinyl re-sprayed with SEM camel dye.  The original AM/FM radio has a tape player and even the clock in the radio works.  Two Sony X-plod speakers are in the rear shelf.

     The following items were added new to the car:

• black carpet
• leather shift boot 
• leather shift knob with BMW emblem
• chrome beltline trim
• "b" pillar rubber trim 
• front and rear roundels
• license plate lights
• passenger mirror 
• mirror gaskets
• windshield gasket
• windshield
• rear window gasket
• passenger and drivers window squeegee 
• chrome inserts for both front and rear windshields 
• trunk gasket
• electric trunk release
• door handle gaskets  
• washer bottle
• wipers and wiper arm gaskets
• hood insulation
• all new decals under the hood
• sunroof crank spring
• sunroof drains to the rear wheel wells
• sunroof gaskets
• sunroof cables
• upgraded transmission mount 
• stainless steel brake lines
• blue cloth brake fluid hoses 
• 318i radiator
• Weber 38 carb with electric choke
• modified stock air filter housing
• drains under hood
• hood gaskets
• front lower control arms and ball joints
• center steering link
• rear axle bearings and seals
• slave cylinder
• clutch master cylinder
• poly bushings in the front and rear sway bars  

     The car runs on 13" Michelins on turbine style wheels, and has an extra set of 13" stock steel wheels with new wheel cover emblems on good full-size wheel covers.  See the different wheels I've tried here.

     Additions to the car include:

• Metric Mechanics 4-speed
• Sport steering wheel
• Red-tip radio antenna
• XM satellite radio docking station 
• under-dash courtesy lights
• trunk carpet over new boards and vinyl 
• Bilstein sport shocks on the rear
• Hella H4 headlights
• euro front turn signals with tap-a-light bulbs 
• tii front bumperettes, crafted to fit the all-chrome bumper
• third brake light with electronic flasher 
• VDO clock and 12 volt accessory plug behind the console 
• removal of lower black trim and front side and rear reflectors
• removal of the single speaker in the console
• added a Solstice drink holder
• stock exhaust and muffler 
• heater box rebuild with new aftermarket control valve
• rebuilt front calipers and new rear master cylinders
• intermittent wiper switch 
• door storage pockets on both sides
• new chrome trim on door panels
• EURO look all chrome bumpers  

To view a video of a great stretch of road near Jasper, Arkansas (Highway 123), click here.