A well sorted BMW 2002 for a 16 yr old high school kid? Includes snow driving....

[KarlSpackler]

So, I have a BMW 74' 2002 Tii sitting in my garage and a 10 year old son and it has gotten to the point that I either need to sell it or fix it up and keep it for him. He LOVES the car and loves my E30 M3 and would really like me to keep it for him which would be :alright for me.

But, practically, how good are these for a 16 year old kid?

A few points of interest to me

- It will have a standard M10 so it wont be fast by any means. How reliable are they?
- Does the M10 get decent gas milage?
- How does your 2002 do with cold starts. It will sit outside and have to handle -20 deg. starts some mornings.... Also, do they have decent heaters?
- We get quite a bit of snow durning the winter in South Dakota but I think with small/skinny studded snow tires the 2002 should do just as well as anything else on the road. Thoughts on this?


If you all could try and put your input on my 4 points above it would be really appreciated.

Thanks
James

[LAxitives288]

It really depends on the 16 year old. If he's responsible, has good sense and some natural driving ability, i'd say the car is just fine. Kids beat shit up though, so keep that in mind.


The cars are reliable so long as you keep up with maintenance, but anything can happen with a 40 year old car.

Mileage will vary depending on setup and driving style but mid twenties seems to be pretty representative from my experience and what i've seen from others.

Can't comment on cold starts, gotta love Florida.

[marcb]

Personally, I think it is a toss-up. I have driven several 2002's in New England winters and they do extremly well with the proper tires; well balanced and highly predictable. The M3 would probably also do very well if set up properly, but it has the disadvantage of having significantly more power and therefore a greater chance of his playing "boy racer" with it. On the other hand, the M30 also has airbags, not a bad thing for a new, inexperienced driver. Good luck.

[2many02s]

Heck Yeah! My oldest learned to drive a 73 02 at 14. Country roads, gotta love em. My wife still drives that same 02 almost everyday. That daughter told me she wants one(She's grown, now) I told her she had her chance and she could buy her own. My son has a 73 that he drives on weekends.(College student)Keeps it in a locked storage during the week.

[chili02]

I drove a stock 2002tii through college. Even during the cold Colorado winter it started every time, with no issues. I swapped out the stock diff, with a limited slip unit and ran studded snow tires in the winter. With a two sand bags in the trunk, I never got stuck, and was able to drive 70 mph (if I wanted to) in the high altitude passes. The heater was was adequate, but I would run into defrosting issues and was limited to a smaller viewing square to see out of the windshield in some conditions. I eventually put in a heavy duty alternator because the lights would dim when running stereo, defrost, etc at the same time. Another draw draw back was in 2 years time my rust free Cali car was starting to bubble on the paint, so be prepared for that anxiety. But the memories were worth it.

[mlytle]

bad idea. kids are valuable. 35year old cars are not safe. none of the modern safety features of newer cars. no airbags, no self tensioning belts, poorly designed crush zones, no abs or traction control, etc, etc. get him a modern car for a first driver, let him buy an old car after he has a few years of experience dealing with driving and the others on the road.

why risk a loved one when better options are available?

i love 2002's but they are tin cans.

[Isabel57]

http://www.infoocean.info/avatar3.jpgThe cars are reliable so long as you keep up with maintenance, but anything can happen with a 40 year old car.

[somemarine]

My first car was a 1974 BMW 2002 back in 2001. It had about 250,000 miles on it though the odometer stopped working sometime before my father and I did a partial restoration on it (mostly body panel replacements some mechanical stuff and a paint-job). It was a great car and some of my best memories were working on that car with my father. I drove it through a few NJ winters with rear snows. The car was very reliable. The slave cyl went on it at one point and it burned a bit of oil, but other than that it was super reliable.

I was fairly responsible for a 17 year old but I still took that car to redline more than any other car I've owned since. It held up very well to my youthful indiscretions, though I was probably more mature than my friends at that age, at least when it came to driving like a jackass.

The car eventually needed an engine rebuild and more rust repair and my mother forced my father to sell the car when I was overseas. The downside to all of this is now I'm perpetually in the market for another 2002.

[mrbobian]

Similar to above, my first car was an '80 320i (which my dad bought new in 1980 and I sill have.) If you want it to be your son's first car, save the "fixing up" for him to do. I can tell you I have enough knuckle blood and swear words under that e21 from replacing a clutch and getting it running when I was 15 that I still love the car more than any other and will NEVER get rid of it. Like somemarine, I think I drove it to redline nearly everytime I was able to get it warm and it even got me an outrageous ticket. I was however, sensible with my "spirited" driving, such that if I did kick the ass end out on a corner, it was done with only grassy fields surrounding the road, at low speed, and with nobody in the car. If it comes to be your son's first car, know that it will teach him how to fix things (cars do break) and how to drive. But YOU must teach him to understand the dangers of old cars too. As others have said, no airbags and a tiny car compared to so many others on the road are things to be very aware of. Still, I say go for it, I know my first car will be my lifelong friend!

[mlytle]

I was fairly responsible for a 17 year old but I still took that car to redline more than any other car I've owned since. It held up very well to my youthful indiscretions, though I was probably more mature than my friends at that age, at least when it came to driving like a jackass.



:lol

yeah, weren't we ALL more responsible and mature than others when we were younger? especially when we were driving like jackasses!

every time i catch myself saying that, i remember the dumb things i did in cars and force my self to go teach at another street survival class as penance.

i learned how to drive in a 73 2002..but no way would i let a kid drive one today. safety and technology moved on.....
:)

[somemarine]

:lol

yeah, weren't we ALL more responsible and mature than others when we were younger? especially when we were driving like jackasses!

every time i catch myself saying that, i remember the dumb things i did in cars and force my self to go teach at another street survival class as penance.

i learned how to drive in a 73 2002..but no way would i let a kid drive one today. safety and technology moved on.....
:)

Hey now! Everyone on the road going slower than me is an idiot and everyone going faster then me is crazy. But seriously, I've never been in an accident or driven drunk, so I've got to be doing something right!

Also, I agree with your second point.

As for your third, I don't have kids so I really can't speak to that.

[jrkoupe]

bad idea. kids are valuable. 35year old cars are not safe. none of the modern safety features of newer cars. no airbags, no self tensioning belts, poorly designed crush zones, no abs or traction control, etc, etc. get him a modern car for a first driver, let him buy an old car after he has a few years of experience dealing with driving and the others on the road.

why risk a loved one when better options are available?

i love 2002's but they are tin cans.


some very well respected/ intelligent 02 owners here...myself as well(intelligent?..not so sure)

And I agree w/ ML 100%........;)

[e21newcomer]

Similar to above, my first car was an '80 320i (which my dad bought new in 1980 and I sill have.) If you want it to be your son's first car, save the "fixing up" for him to do. I can tell you I have enough knuckle blood and swear words under that e21 from replacing a clutch and getting it running when I was 15 that I still love the car more than any other and will NEVER get rid of it. Like somemarine, I think I drove it to redline nearly everytime I was able to get it warm and it even got me an outrageous ticket. I was however, sensible with my "spirited" driving, such that if I did kick the ass end out on a corner, it was done with only grassy fields surrounding the road, at low speed, and with nobody in the car. If it comes to be your son's first car, know that it will teach him how to fix things (cars do break) and how to drive. But YOU must teach him to understand the dangers of old cars too. As others have said, no airbags and a tiny car compared to so many others on the road are things to be very aware of. Still, I say go for it, I know my first car will be my lifelong friend!

Pretty much the same story for me except with a few differences!
Im 17 and have been driving my 81' e21 for 2 years now. I bought it myself when i was 14 and knew nothing about BMW's or really cars in general but my dad was there to help me having restored or fixed up several 02's. When i got my e21, it had been sitting for 5 years, had 3 PO's, and lots of rust. I fixed it up and have no problems with my 31 year old car--except for that darn hazard switch! I can say that with a rebuilt alternator, 80amp battery, and stock starter i have no problems with starting! (knock on wood!) Being an e21, it has an m10 and some other components similar to a 2002 but its only a little bit more refined.

I think that a 2002 would be a great first car! Just make sure to teach him how to drive right and be responsible! :D A couple street survival classes might not be bad either and are well worth their time. take him out to a couple empty parking lots and let him learn the limits of his vehicle. My dad has flipped an 02 at highway speeds and rolled down an embankment and he walked away from the incident with minor scrapes (he did have recaro seats though...Buy your son recaro's!!!).

the time you two spend together working on the car is invaluable, i'm sure he will never forget it and he will learn lots about cars in the process. Do it!

[bmdubl02]

bad idea. kids are valuable. 35year old cars are not safe. none of the modern safety features of newer cars. no airbags, no self tensioning belts, poorly designed crush zones, no abs or traction control, etc, etc. get him a modern car for a first driver, let him buy an old car after he has a few years of experience dealing with driving and the others on the road.

why risk a loved one when better options are available?

i love 2002's but they are tin cans.I too agree with this logic....Kids need all the protection from themselves they can get.

[Adrianl]

This was literally my dream when I was a child. I tried so desperately to save up for one, but never made it. As long as your child has a good head on their shoulders it will be just fine! Awesome dad btw!

[teen ti]

my dads first car was a '70 1602 that he bought in 83-84 and took it to college in oswego and buffalo ny where you get feet of snow. to this day we still have that car and she's still kicking just fine, id say its a good choice. my first car was a '97 ti, but what i would've given for an 02. hats off to you dad