Last week, a 1976 BMW 2002, which I promptly named Carter thanks to an original campaign sticker still clinging to its rear bumper, became mine for a price that was too good to refuse. I dropped everything, took one look, and bought it then and there. Admittedly, Carter had been sitting idle for nine months and was quite dirty, both inside and out. The rear footwell was holding a couple of inches of water, likely from a leak in an aftermarket sunroof—a common issue with these older modifications. However, this was balanced by the fact that it was reportedly a California car for most of its life until six years ago, with prior rust repair work that seemed to have kept rust at bay. Plus, it started up easily with a new battery and a shot of starting fluid.
And, almost as a bonus, it was sporting a set of original 13×6″ Alpina wheels. For any BMW enthusiast, especially those looking for specific Carter Car Parts or classic BMW components, this was already a promising start.
The timing of this purchase was almost humorous. Just a week prior, I had submitted an article to Hagerty titled “Why do we buy the same car over and over?” which featured a cover photo of me standing proudly with three of my 2002s. When it makes sense, it simply makes sense. And in the world of classic BMWs, finding a solid 2002 is always a smart move, especially for someone like me who appreciates these iconic machines and often sources carter car parts and accessories.
After the transaction was complete, my immediate priority was getting Carter back home. The seller was generous enough to offer storage until the end of April, but my busy travel schedule meant I had limited time and even less driveway space. My driveway was already full of cars moved from storage, awaiting transport to their new location. As I mentioned previously, a quick reshuffle with my wife and friends allowed us to clear space for Carter.
Now, the question was: drive it or tow it?
Upon purchase, my test drive was limited to moving Carter a few feet in the seller’s driveway. There were several reasons for this seemingly unusual decision. First, while the seller mentioned the car was registered and insured, the tags were expired. Given its dusty, neglected appearance after nine months of sitting, coupled with the location in a leafy Brookline suburb, I felt the chances of being pulled over were high. It looked like it had just emerged from a long slumber, much like Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill Part II.
Secondly, I had initially planned to tow Carter home. After all, what’s the point of owning a beast of a truck (a former mouse haven, as documented here) if not for towing duties? Moving it those few feet was just to ensure I could get it onto the street for easy towing access. Thirdly, I was really not keen on having those two inches of water in the back sloshing forward during a test drive, potentially damaging the interior or electrical components – something any restorer of carter car parts would want to avoid.
But perhaps the most significant reason for not driving it further was that I felt it wasn’t necessary. My decision to buy was already made, based on the attractive price, the apparent lack of rust, a running engine, and no signs of oil smoke. Any minor issues uncovered during a longer test drive were unlikely to change my mind. The allure of a classic 2002, especially one ripe for restoration and potentially needing carter car parts, was too strong.
Carter’s previous owner had assured me it ran well before its nine-month hibernation, and he had been truthful and accurate about everything else. He even correctly predicted it would start easily with a fresh battery. While towing was a straightforward option, the idea of driving the eight miles from Brookline to my house started to feel like a more fitting, and certainly more entertaining, start to Carter’s new chapter. I was about to attend MidAmerica 02Fest, surrounded by fellow 2002 enthusiasts. The thought of facing them after towing a running 2002 a mere eight miles seemed almost…unthinkable. Thirty-year-old me would have jumped at the chance to drive it. Nine months isn’t that long for a car to sit, and eight miles on local roads isn’t a huge distance, even if the Alpina wheels were wearing badly dry-rotted tires. So, I decided to drive it.
I contacted Hagerty, added Carter to my insurance policy, and received the Massachusetts Registration and Title Application (RTA) form with the insurance stamp via email. I hadn’t yet gotten plates from the registry, but I reasoned that with the RTA form and the seller’s plates still on the car, I had a reasonable explanation if stopped by the police.
Still, when legality is in question, these things are best done under the cloak of darkness.
As dusk approached, I had Maire Anne drive me to Brookline in my E39. In the trunk, I packed a basic toolkit, a battery, a small cigarette-lighter-powered air compressor, and a few unconventional items for my “limp-a-car-home” kit: a portable sump pump, a short garden hose, and an inverter. My plan was to install the battery, plug the inverter into the cigarette lighter, connect the sump pump to the inverter, and drain the murky water from the rear floor. I was determined to avoid that water sloshing forward the first time I braked. A video of this surprisingly effective, Rube Goldberg-esque water removal process can be viewed here.
I was about to inflate the tires when I checked them with a gauge and found them all around 20 PSI. Considering the slow pace of the little compressor, I decided this was sufficient for an eight-mile crawl at 30 mph. With the interior no longer resembling a mobile swamp, I eased Carter out of the driveway onto a quiet Brookline side street and began heading west towards Newton.
It quickly became apparent that this might have been a miscalculation.
First, the headlights died. I had to hold the stalk in the high-beam flasher position to get them back on. I pulled over. Fortunately, repeatedly working the headlight switch seemed to revive them, suggesting a simple issue with dirty contacts in the switch – a common problem in older cars and a potential area for future carter car part replacement or refurbishment.
Next, the engine, which had been idling smoothly, underwent a dramatic transformation. Under load, it ran terribly. It felt significantly underpowered, and above 2,500 rpm, a loud clattering noise emanated from the engine compartment, worrying me that it might be rod knock. As I mentioned before, while the idea of an M20 engine swap for Carter was appealing, I didn’t want to be forced into it before even getting the car home. Perhaps this noise was related to a simple carter car part needing attention, or maybe something more serious.
The suspension and steering were also alarming, with clunking from the rear and loud banging from the right front, making me suspect a worn ball joint. Combined with the underinflated tires, it felt like driving through sand while occasionally hitting hidden obstacles.
To compound matters, after just a few blocks, I made a wrong turn, Maire Anne got stuck at a red light, and I lost her completely. I pulled over and called her, but she didn’t answer. I waited, but she didn’t reappear. Finally, I shrugged and continued homeward. I used Siri to send voice-to-text updates to Maire Anne every five minutes, informing her of my location, but the plan of having a follow car for assistance was effectively gone.
Despite the wheezing, sputtering, thunking, and clunking, Carter limped into my driveway in Newton about twenty stressful minutes later. The initial excitement of getting Carter at a bargain price was quickly fading, replaced by doubts about my purchase and my decision to drive it home. However, a part of me couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of a 63-year-old still doing something so impulsive and potentially foolish. The experience underscored the importance of thoroughly checking and potentially replacing various carter car parts on a newly acquired classic car.
Yet, there was a larger significance to Carter’s arrival. It was the first car I had bought since before the pandemic. My last purchase was the “triple-unicorn X5” two and a half years prior. (Yes, there are nuances to that statement. I also bought back Zelda the Z3, but since I had owned her before, it hardly counts as a new acquisition. And the mouse-infested truck, well, it’s a truck, so it barely registers in the enthusiast car category.) I had considered several other enthusiast vehicles, but none had materialized. So, having something new in the driveway was, undeniably, something new. And it was very welcome.
There’s a unique thrill that comes with a new project car. Part of it is, as Bobby Rahal famously described as “the Fresh-Rattle Syndrome” in Roundel decades ago – the desire for something new and rattle-free after becoming weary of the quirks of your current car. But there’s a deeper dynamic at play, something I hadn’t fully grasped until I tried to articulate it.
Few automotive experiences are as exhilarating as those initial days or weeks with a new project. This period is a golden window for making the most impactful changes to a car.
Think about it. Transforming a car’s body condition is a significant undertaking. Bodywork and paint are costly and time-consuming. Rust, dents, and faded paint are not easily or quickly remedied. Similarly, major drivetrain issues like low compression, oil burning, clutch slippage, or transmission problems are not quick fixes. And a neglected interior with torn seats and a sagging headliner demands considerable time and expense to restore. Sourcing specific carter car parts for these major repairs can also be challenging and costly.
However, a merely neglected car offers a different opportunity. Dramatic improvements in appearance, function, and performance are often achievable by addressing the initial layers of neglect. With some cleaning, attention to the ignition and fuel systems, perhaps new brake pads or shock absorbers, you can often elevate the car to a new level in a matter of days or weeks. Nowhere else in the ownership lifecycle can you make such significant progress so quickly. This rapid transformation is what makes the initial phase of project car ownership so intensely satisfying. It’s about identifying the right carter car parts and performing targeted maintenance to unlock the car’s hidden potential.
The morning after Carter’s eventful arrival, I washed it in a light rain. The first layer of grime was removed. In the photos that follow, the car looks surprisingly good, though much of the shine is just water, not polished paint. Still, the improvement was dramatic.
Once the rain subsided, I tackled the interior. I removed the trash, vacuumed up leaves and dirt, used a chamois to soak up the remaining water from the carpet, and ran a fan overnight to dry it thoroughly. I then left the car open in the sun for a day, followed by a few hours with my ozone generator running inside. By the next morning, the musty odor from the damp carpet was gone.
Next, I addressed the engine clatter. The following morning, with a cold engine, I adjusted the valves. While I doubted they were the primary cause of the noise, as valve noise is usually constant, it’s a familiar and comforting step when getting acquainted with a new car. A few valve eccentrics were slightly loose, but nothing was out of the ordinary. The valve train also had a healthy brown patina, unlike the black, untouched appearance I found when I removed my 2002tii’s head the previous winter. This inspection also provided an opportunity to assess the condition of potential carter car parts within the engine.
I then went to the registry and obtained plates for Carter. Now fully legal, I inflated the dry-rotted tires and took it for a short drive around the block. Surprisingly, it ran better than during the drive home, but the metallic clatter around 2,500 rpm persisted.
I discovered that a significant portion of the noise was from the unused battery clamp. Using a mechanic’s stethoscope, I traced the remaining noise to a loose bolt on the unused smog pump bracket and a detached exhaust heat shield due to a broken manifold bolt. Tightening the former and removing the latter eliminated most of the noise, leaving only a faint timing chain rattle audible through the stethoscope. Another short drive confirmed that my fear of engine disintegration was unfounded. These simple fixes highlighted the importance of checking even seemingly minor carter car parts for issues.
The next area to investigate was the suspension. The banging from the right front was the first priority. I jacked up the car, secured it on stands, and inspected the steering components, testing the ball joints with pliers for play. They were fine. Lowering the car and bouncing the front right corner immediately reproduced the banging sound. I traced it to the right front strut tower bushing. With the right spring compressor, these bushings can be replaced in situ, without removing the entire strut assembly. Upon removal, the old bushing clearly had a failed internal bearing. I replaced it with a good used bushing from my garage. The banging vanished. This repair showcased the value of having spare carter car parts on hand for quick fixes.
Next, bouncing the rear of the car replicated the thunking noise heard while driving. Opening the trunk and repeating the bounce revealed that the tops of the shocks were moving due to worn rubber mounts. Replacing them with a new pair from my spares eliminated the noise completely. Again, having readily available carter car parts like shock mounts proved invaluable.
At this point, I had to pause my work. A vacation with Maire Anne in Santa Fe, followed immediately by MidAmerica 02Fest, were fast approaching. Upon my return in early May, new tires for those Alpina wheels are next on the list. Driving on severely dry-rotted tires, even for short distances, is unnecessarily risky, especially for highway driving. Investing in new tires is a crucial step in ensuring Carter’s safety and drivability, and a key aspect of sourcing essential carter car parts for restoration.
From a “getting to know you” perspective, some mysteries remain. Initially, the center-exit tailpipe suggested a 1975 model. However, the VIN clearly indicates a late 1976 build, consistent with the partially de-smogged engine bay, featuring a disconnected smog pump and a still-connected EGR system, but lacking a thermal reactor integrated with the exhaust manifold. Yet, the head is stamped E12, not E21, which would be expected for a 1976 model. Verifying the VIN on the engine block to confirm its originality is still on my to-do list. These details are crucial for accurately identifying the specific carter car parts needed for future maintenance and restoration.
The source of the water in the rear footwell also remains unresolved, as I haven’t observed any sunroof leaks. And a thorough undercarriage inspection is needed to assess the extent and quality of the reported past rust repairs. These unanswered questions about Carter will be addressed after my return from MidAmerica 02Fest.
Regarding MidAmerica 02Fest and The Vintage, many have asked if I plan to drive Carter to either event. My immediate reaction is laughter.
Much of the winter was spent repairing Louie the ’72 tii’s cracked head, so it’s now ready for the MidAmerica trip (and it has air conditioning!). However, eight years ago, just two weeks before The Vintage, I bought the Bavaria, jokingly dismissed it similarly, discovered it was surprisingly sound, and ended up driving it to The Vintage and back. I don’t get that same “Let’s go!” vibe from Carter yet. Despite the progress, it still feels more like a grumpy old man roused too early from a nap.
But overall, the purchase has evolved from “Unbelievable luck at this price!” to “What have I gotten myself into?” and finally to “Okay, maybe not road-trip ready yet, but still a great deal.” We’ll see if I pursue the M20 engine swap idea. While it makes sense on paper, recent expenses might make selling the now-cleaned-and-running Carter more appealing. Ultimately, the decision will likely hinge on the availability and cost of suitable carter car parts and the overall direction of the project.
My next post should be from MidAmerica 02Fest. Wish me luck! —Rob Siegel
Rob’s new book, The Best of The Hack Mechanic, is available here on Amazon, along with his seven other books. Signed copies can be ordered directly from Rob here.
