If you’re a fan of BMW’s old-school styling tropes, then today’s Nice Price or No Dice 2002 should really ring your bell. It has the shark nose, twin kidney grille, and Hofmeister Kink sidelights. Most importantly, it’s a TII edition, the model that set the stage for M3s to come. Let’s find out what that might rightfully be worth.
American political journalism has, of late, been sullied by what’s been referred to as “Bothsideism.” This is the practice of reporting on the heinous acts of one party or group and equating that to some minor infraction by the opposition. This presents the audience with an unbalanced view of the issue at hand, stemming from the misguided attempt to create a sense of equilibrium.
There was no such discord in opinions on the Chevy-powered 1970 Porsche 911 we looked at yesterday. While the seller described the car as being in “excellent” condition, the pictures in the ad showed something much jankier than that term usually denotes. An empty interior and what appears to be a half-completed engine installation mean that more money would need to be invested in the car’s resurrection, making its $22,000 purchase price untenable for the vast majority of us. Ultimately, those factors led to the car earning a huge 90% No Dice loss.
Max Hoffman
For years now, BMW has offered buyers some of the most technologically advanced driving machines money can buy. That leads to super-quick cars and “ultimate” driving experiences but comes at the triple threat costs of excessive complexity, finicky reliability, and, to a certain degree, a lack of soul in the metal.
Back in the simpler times of the late 1960s, however, the company’s method for making its cars go faster and be better was completely analog. It involved simply putting a bigger motor in a smaller car, in the traditional muscle car fashion. Today’s 1972 BMW 2002TII is an example of this practice, taken to II. The 2002 is an offshoot of the Neue Klasse 1600 model line, which was introduced in the early 1960s. Named for the 2.0-liter M10 SOHC four-cylinder under the hood (20) and the number of doors (02), the model was championed both internally by its engineers and externally by BMW’s biggest American importer, Max Hoffman. The TI edition (Touring International) never made it to the U.S., despite the “International” part of its designation. The fuel-injected edition, dubbed TII, did, however.
Touring International Injected
Trading a two-barrel Solex down-draught carburetor for Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection bumped the M10’s output from 100 horsepower to a crowd-pleasing 130 ponies. The model wasn’t just a meathead muscle car, either, as BMW fitted the TII with a heavier-duty clutch ahead of its Getrag four-speed, beefier brakes and suspension components, and larger diameter wheels. Presaging models like the M3, the 2002TII established BMW as a maker of capable sporty cars. The rest, as they say, is history.
This car is pretty historic, appearing almost completely stock and in seemingly excellent shape. Painted in Chamonix over a black interior with blue seating surfaces, it also presents as a remarkably clean example. The mileage is listed as 111,111, which seems to be a number populated solely to appease the Craigslist ad requirements and may not be the actual distance the car has traveled. The title is clean, and there doesn’t appear to be any issue with the registration, as it’s wearing current tags.
Sleeper
Aside from the 2002TII badge on the back and the wider basketweave wheels, there’s nothing to denote that this is the hot edition of BMW’s ’70s small car line. That is, of course, until you pop the hood and revel in the massive intake and quartet of fuel lines worming from the pump to the head that lets you know this isn’t your average bear.
That engine looks completely stock, and sadly, the ad gives us no information regarding its condition or maintenance history. A mixture of newish-appearing and obviously old hoses indicate that it’s been kept up, but not meticulously so.
The cabin is in a similar state. Overall, it looks amazing, but upon closer inspection, some minor flaws crop up. Most notable among those are the broken piping on the seats at the radius of the backrest. The shift boot is also non-stock, looking like it came from something in the 1980s. The single-DIN stereo is also a latter-era update, but at least it looks appropriate and plays through door-mounted speakers that aren’t too visually intrusive.
The exterior shows some age as well but in a good way. This being the first year of the TII means it has the small bumpers and coveted round lamp rear end.
Selling for a friend
According to the frustratingly brief copy in the ad, the car has been in the hands of its present owner for 38 years. It’s now being offered for sale with the help of the owner’s friend, who says that interested parties should not bother contacting them unless they are “ready to come and BUY it.” They warn, “NO BS.”
Anyone with such a mix of spontaneity and sobriety should bring with them $27,500, as that’s the asking price set by the seller and their friend. That gets a classic BMW that probably won’t ever be worth anything less than what the buyer can get it for now. But is that asking a fair price to, in actuality, get it now?
What do you say? Is $27,500 a good price for the OG ultimate driving machine? Or is that price just not what you’d call a friendly deal?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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