Damn you BAT, I watch too many BMW's on there. I have been watching E21's for a while now, resigning myself to the fact that the 2002's are just off the scales when it comes to be attainable.
File this under WTF am I thinking.
I am not sure if the E21's will ever achieve collector status like the E30's and 2002's will but hell, the E21's are cheap enough that you can grab one and do what you like with it, drive it, mod it whatever.
I was watching the bidding on this one and compared it to past E21 sales, I had decided it was a 5K car.
I saw the bidding hit $4800 really fast and thought, "Hell, I am going to throw a cheeky $5,320 bid in there for yucks, I will probably lose"
Seems I stopped the bidding cold.
I like this car, it had a very recent (in last 2 years) window out repaint of the original color. Same color as our E30 which is cool. Lots of maintenance was done too.
Most important, the AC is fully intact, even if non-functioning I am just happy it is complete.
I am arranging payment Monday and shipping after that.
Here is a pic from BAT.
(http://13252-presscdn-0-94.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_2473-4.jpg)
Is this to be a new toy or something to flip?
You're a braver man than me!
How do you buy a car sight unseen like this? It may have had a paint job, but there's no way to know the quality of the job, is there? How do you know what you are getting? Did you have someone go look at it for you?
I bought my last Mini somewhat like this, but I did go pick it up so I could look at it in person......but not seeing it till it hits the driveway would scare me, even on a $5K car.
Congrats on the new ride tho, what are your plans for it now that you have it?
Bidding on BMW in an online auction in semi-jest and then unexpectedly winning it? I did that too!!. :-\
Except the BMW I won was an ex-California Highway Patrol police bike - a BMW R1100 RT-P. Still in its black and white livery but without the lights and radio. I loved it.
Have fun with your new car!
Quote from: 94touring on July 29, 2017, 01:53:15 PM
Is this to be a new toy or something to flip?
Rolling investment, I hope. I have been watching the BMW scene and have not been seeing many E21's for sale.
Maybe they are the hated generation of 3 series being the first ones smack in the middle of the 2002's and E30's.
I am not sure, I honestly do not care, I buy cars to enjoy them.
Initially just going to get the AC working. Then some new shocks and springs to lower her down some.
Then just enjoy it. If the prices of them escalate I may consider selling it for profit.
Otherwise, down the line, I thought it would be fun to swap a more modern 4 cyl 2.0 liter into it and make it more peppy.
Quote from: MiniDave on July 29, 2017, 02:02:51 PM
You're a braver man than me!
How do you buy a car sight unseen like this? It may have had a paint job, but there's no way to know the quality of the job, is there? How do you know what you are getting? Did you have someone go look at it for you?
I bought my last Mini somewhat like this, but I did go pick it up so I could look at it in person......but not seeing it till it hits the driveway would scare me, even on a $5K car.
Congrats on the new ride tho, what are your plans for it now that you have it?
Yeah, I have a limit on my bravery, under 10K I will take a chance. Over 10K I want a PPI, I broke that rule with the Mini Pickup and got burned. No offense, I am assuming the seller had no idea 10 PSI oil pressure at idle was not good.
I purchased a 23K Porsche 911 from a guy in Kansas City, I had an extensive PPI done on it, then flew up to it and drove it home to Florida. Best experience ever.
I purchased a 7K RX7 years ago from a guy that ran a forum (TeamFC3S.com) the car was touted on the forum as the best RX7 ever built with members from that forum that owned shops working on it. I felt I had a good deal on my hands. When it got to me it was a POS, I took the rims off of it (the first Enkei RPF1's to ever come to America) put on some cheaper rims and sold it for 5K with full disclosure as to all that was wrong with it. The engine was good, I had no doubts it made every bit of the 500RWHP they claimed just everything around it was crap.
I helped my son purchased a 8K E30 with a S52 swap (1995 M3 engine) and the seller, who was a Bimmerforums member, was very forthcoming. The car was as described and we were happy with it.
At $5K I am willing to take a chance, if the engine is crap (worse case) I will move forward with my plan for an updated 2.0 in her sooner than later. I have no worries about this car. The seller and I talked for a half an hour Friday night, he is a car guy too, he just purchased an old Range Rover to restore, hence his selling the E21.
My E30 was purchased sight unseen, I paid 12K for it. It was all the seller said it was and he was brutally honest about its flaws.
My win column outweighs my losses.
Quote from: BruceK on July 29, 2017, 04:24:42 PM
Bidding on BMW in an online auction in semi-jest and then unexpectedly winning it? I did that too!!. :-\
Except the BMW I won was an ex-California Highway Patrol police bike - a BMW R1100 RT-P. Still in its black and white livery but without the lights and radio. I loved it.
Have fun with your new car!
Thank you!!
HA!! I did want it, I never expected my bid to stick.
That same thing happened to my buddy when he won a 318is with a S14 in it, threw a bid into the mix, nothing crazy and suddenly the bidding stopped. He is stoked!
Wish I had the guts to drive outside a cage. Enjoy it!
And she is home. I met the transporter by the interstate to save him the trouble of driving through town and to give me a chance to drive her a few miles home.
The battery was dead and their jump box was dead. Luckily a clutch pop as she was backed down the trailer fired her up.
Not sure what is up with the battery I have it on a battery tender for now. I will pull it Saturday and have Autozone stress test it.
She drives very well, very smooth running, pulls nicely through the gears. Not fast by any stretch with 100hp and weighing 2500 lbs or so. Nimble would be better. No problem running with afternoon rush hour traffic.
It was cool to get back in an E21 again, we had ours from 1991 until 1994. I remember seeing it on the side of the road, I paid $1200 for a 12 year old BMW. that cost about 12K new. Everything was as I remembered it, the door handles being in the armrests to open the doors. Reach in and squeeze.
She handles pretty good, considering the skinny tall tires and original springs.
She is very clean, I noticed some paint blemishes, some door dings and some minor dents here and there, I also noticed a chip in the paint in the back that should have been mentioned. BUT, she is a driver and that is what I wanted, if she was perfect I would not driver her as much and who wants that?
Now to get to sorting out the couple of small irritations and mostly the AC.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jSbL3k/i-NWLc6js/0/748bb959/X4/i-NWLc6js-X4.jpg)
Speaking of AC, I found out from a friend the existence of HC-12a. A case can be purchased on Amazon for less than $100 and is a great alternative to R-12 and even better alternative to converting the system to less efficient R134a.
"HC-12a, also called ES-12a, OZ-12a, and Hydrocarbon Blend B, is a "drop-in" replacement refrigerant for Freon-12. It is considered nearly non-ozone-depleting. The mixture can be used in refrigeration systems designed for R-12. HC-12a provides better cooling than an R-12 system retrofitted to R-134a, with much greater energy efficiency as well. Unlike R-134a, HC-12a is completely compatible with the hoses and oils used in R-12 systems, making the conversion much easier to accomplish. HC-12a is also patent-free due to its non-synthetic nature.
This is why having Government involved in any aspect of your life is never a good idea. Everything they touch turns to shit.
I went to register the car, I was pressed for time so I wanted to see if I could get everything done during lunch from 1-2 PM.
I called the police main office and asked for an officer to come and do a vin check, since this is an out of state car. I did this while I was driving home. Cop calls me and gets my vin over the phone.
When he shows up, 5 minutes after I got home, he signed my forms and walked off. Cool!! This is going smooth and as planned.
I jump in my work truck and drive 20 minutes to the DMV, walk up to the reception counter where you present your papers for them to make sure you are in order then you get a number.
I am standing there for ever, no one there, I make sure my papers are in order while waiting. Then a guy walks up and asks if I am registering a car. Yup!! Then points to a tiny little hand written note off to the side that says computers down no vehicle registration or drivers license. Tiny like 2" tall by 4" long ripped piece of paper off to the side.
I almost made a comment but bit my tongue. I asked if the DMV in the next town over was up and running he said yes.
I drove 15 minutes to that one and could tell by the parking lot I was walking into a shit show.
I go in, people lined up everywhere, 3 people working. (do not send anyone there to help from the office that is down) best guess 40 people waiting.
Lady looks up from behind one of the windows and says "I am assigning waiting numbers" I walk up and she hands me a ripped square of paper with the number 65 on it. I walk over and settle in for a wait, waiting to hear what the next number to be called is.
Someone finishes up and that worker yells the next person after this one. I think to myself WTF? They are handing out numbers and not keeping track?
Then another one does the same, and now it becomes apparent, I am not in the middle of a shit show, this is a full on government employee clusterfuck.
Some lady walks in at this point and asks what number they are on, seems she did what I toyed with doing, left and got lunch and came back, except they blew past her number but were not sure, they asked some people nearby what numbers they had. There was a good chance her number was not called. She has to get a new number which is 70, I hear her telling her son as they settled in next to me.
Then people start coming out of a back waiting room and they are getting pissed because their numbers are not being called and they are getting passed over. They start dragging their chairs into the main room so they can make sure they are next.
At this point I started laughing to myself, this is a complete and utter clusterfuck. I hand my #65 to the lady next to me and tell her she just jumped ahead 5 spaces I do not have time for this bullshit and I left.
I am anxious to get the car registered but do not NEED to, nor do I have time to stand in a den of incompetence waiting to pay my fees to the state.
The E30 is in getting some panels painted (front rear bumpers and hood) and paint correction on the rest of the car.
E21 got tint.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jSbL3k/i-ZcqLH4Z/0/22cba777/X4/i-ZcqLH4Z-X4.jpg)
E21 outside my office today, I went and grabbed her, I drove her 50 miles to go fetch my son from school early (early release) and decided to keep her out.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jSbL3k/i-t8kF9wJ/0/21877229/X4/i-t8kF9wJ-X4.jpg)
Slowly getting suspension upgrade together, just need shocks (bilstein sports seem to be the choice) and some while you are in there stuff. Rubber things are tail light seals, I think mine are leaking. Gonna change them this evening
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jSbL3k/i-NS4DKF6/0/82802048/X4/i-NS4DKF6-X4.jpg)
I hate when cars have no paperwork with them. I grabbed an owners manual off of ebay.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jSbL3k/i-HPGWm5t/0/089d3c00/X4/i-HPGWm5t-X4.jpg)
Then found a sale brochure from 1981.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jSbL3k/i-zRxqKgg/0/c2781c48/X4/i-zRxqKgg-X4.jpg)
This made me laugh.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jSbL3k/i-Tc8dP27/0/58a4cd61/X3/i-Tc8dP27-X3.jpg)
Oh and requisite rear window stickers for the E21, I need to fly my colors.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jSbL3k/i-ZmN5xLK/0/d0242bc4/X4/i-ZmN5xLK-X4.jpg)
Nice car! Looks so simple and timeless too.
I should not have to explain to you Mini guys, there is something about driving a car this old, rowing through the gears and tossing it around, they have character.
I just got an ANSA cat back, I had this exact cat back on my 79 back in 1990 and I can still hear it today, I cannot wait to get it on, it will be done with the suspension.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jSbL3k/i-fsQLgmz/0/4b2719c9/X4/i-fsQLgmz-X4.jpg)
Bruce, somewhat timeless but causes a stir on the road. It LOOKS old and people in the know, know it.
It attracts as much attention as the Mini, especially from enthusiasts.
Nice Beemer! It's always a fun gamble when you buy a vehicle off the internet. I've done it twice off of ebay.
The first was a classic mini from "The Mini Farm" in Georgia. Does anybody remember that guy? It worked out pretty good for the most part except the door steps were crustier than advertised--but it wasn't a big deal.
The second was an ex-police BMW R45 from Newcastle. I'm slowly making that one exactly how I want it.
Have fun!
Quote from: MiniGene on September 09, 2017, 12:30:05 PM
Nice Beemer! It's always a fun gamble when you buy a vehicle off the internet. I've done it twice off of ebay.
The first was a classic mini from "The Mini Farm" in Georgia. Does anybody remember that guy? It worked out pretty good for the most part except the door steps were crustier than advertised--but it wasn't a big deal.
The second was an ex-police BMW R45 from Newcastle. I'm slowly making that one exactly how I want it.
Have fun!
Thank you, I am indeed enjoying the snot out of this car.
Drove her 50 miles again Tues. to get my younger son from School. AC never really started to blow cold. Had to go with windows down. Not too hot but not very nice either. Preferred AC.
Gonna take it home and see what is up.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/General-Pics/n-PspN3q/i-VFjbCQg/0/bf8fe49f/X3/i-VFjbCQg-X3.jpg)
Tues. evening I was taking it back to put it in the storage unit, it was a delightful evening, nice and cool out, all the window rolled down, I turned the wrong way and took her for a spin around town. Then tucked her back away. Cannot wait to take her back out tomorrow afternoon. I hope to spend some time on her this weekend and get the exhaust installed and AC sorted.