1974 BMW 2002 for sale by owner - Denver, CO - craigslist (2024)

1974 BMW 2002
White with Blue Stripe
Interior in progress - Black seats
Sunroof
Automatic transmission
M10 4-cylinder Engine
Weber 32-36 Carburetor
____ steering wheel
__ inch modern wheels

This is a 1974 automatic that would best be characterized as a good looking daily driver. It's got a lot going for it, but it's also reflecting its age. I bought it with no intention of restoration, but as a classic that's both fun to drive and a conversation piece everywhere it goes. More than anything else and for all of the problems I've listed below, it runs great and is fun to tear around in.

Some of the things that I've done include:

Rebuilt Weber carburetor
Rebuilt heater box
Relined and sealed fuel tank
Rerouted fuel line from car's interior to hard metal vapor return line
Replaced automatic transmission and torque converter
Replaced spare tire
Replaced passenger side rear view mirror
Removed all remaining emissions control equipment from engine
Removed anodizing from both front and rear bumpers, allowing for polished aluminum finish
Located and resolved multiple vacuum leaks
Polished acid etchings out of rear window (80% complete)
Deleted the back seat and put in enclosed shelf
Moved battery from engine bay to enclose shelf location

I've been caretaker of this car for last 6 years. Prior owners have done things that I wouldn't have, and I'm sure I've done things that future owners are going to wonder about. I was in the process of removing the interior when health issues started to limit what I could do. There are a number of other projects that are also only half done.

The most significant is the interior. Both the driver's and passenger's floors have been patched with fiberglass. It works, but it appears to be an amateur job. They laid carpet on top of that and must have used JB Weld, because it took weeks to remove (dry ice didn't do anything because of the uneven fiberglass surface). I wrestled it out and have laid down some Killmat, but decided I would wait and let the next owner select whatever carpet they wanted to put in.

I repaired tears the driver's seat, intending it to be temporary, as I wanted to put in modern adjustable seats. So, it does not look great but, again, is very passable. I wasn't going to put in new seats until I upgraded the alternator with a unit that gets rid of the external regulator. That's about $350 and I decided I would leave that decision to the next owner, as well.

I pulled the dash array and installed new gauges, which includes a GPS speedometer. Unfortunately, I accidentally fried the new main unit, with multiple gauges, so that's another project to be finish. I expect to do that myself shortly, but in the meantime there are no gas, electrical or oil readings.

There is no question that the automatic transmission needs to get replaced with a Gertag 4 speed. They are plentiful and the swap is pretty straight forward, but will also require installation of a clutch box and slave cylinder. No one is rebuilding the A/Ts at this point, so when it went out, I had to replace it with another one with no known history. It leaks, which can be remedied, as I think it is the seal at either the kick-down cable or dipstick. Whether it's a year or three, eventually this A/T needs to get replaced.

Engine runs strong. I have no information on it, but the carburetor rebuild was like night and day. When cold, the number 4 cylinder skips, but otherwise there are no issues. My intent had been to do the transmission, then do an engine rebuild.

Hagerty Insurance values this car in no. 3 - good condition at $22,700, and $13,800 for one in no. 4 - fair condition. I think this is closer to a number 3 than a 4, but with so much to be done, I'm going with the lower value.

I could write pages and pages about this car, but I'll wait and just go through the additional details with those who are interested. I think the car should go to someone one who knows these cars, not a newbie to 2002s.

Thanks. Greg -