In 1995, BMW introduced the 318ti Club Sport and marketed it as the "new 2002". I loved my 2002 so it only seemed right I should get the 318ti. Well, I still have my 2002 and my 318ti and I absolutely love them both but the ti was not the 'new 2002'. Fast forward 13 years and here comes the 1-Series...another "new 2002". Once again, it only seemed right that I should have a 135. I absolutely love the 135 (actually, it borders on lust!!) but I don't see it as a new 2002. The 2002 put BMW on the map in this country and was so far ahead of anything else on the market that it really had no peers. BMW stays a step ahead of the competition with their current line-up but the 2002 blew them out of the water.
Great "garage" . . . . Nice collection & photo Dan - care to identify them . . . . Btw - how do you store them all? Best.
Thanks! Storage is definitely the biggest challenge. I have a parking area behind the garage so I can keep a couple back there under car covers and then the 2002, the 135 and my 1990 Miata stay in the garage. Here's a bigger shot of them...2002 and 135 in the front, M3 coupe, M3 sedan and 318ti in the back.
Never and don't you dare call it a TII The 1 series is just a baby 3'r. If BMWNA wants to have anything close, they will have to import the 4 Zylinder. Make the car relatively simple. No onboard back scratcher. Make it quick and fun to drive. 30+ MPG. Sunroof of coarse. I like the 2 door hatch. TII could have a performance oriented suspension and upgraded HP. Don't you dare call the 1 "the new 2002" until you give me the same functional and fun to drive 4 banger.......................... Chet Kingsbury #1188
I don't like the "rebirth of the 2002" campaign... but "the rebirth of the 3 series" is marketing suicide! Matt
The Mini The closest car I've ever driven to my 1972 2002 is the new Mini Cooper. The 1er is a small 3er; the Z3 and Z4 have feels closer to the 2002 than the 1er does. The four banger Mini (even without the turbo) has the same kind of "light on its feet" feel of the 2002, "feels" like its about the same size when you're driving, and, surprisingly, handles fairly neutrally even though its front-wheel drive. The 2002 was longer (166.5 in vs 143.1 in), but the Mini is wider (M = 66.5 vs 62.6); and even though it doesn't seem as tall, the Mini is about the same height as the 2002 (M = 55.4 vs 55.5). Freude am Fahren...
Well, my BMW ownership started with a '74 2002. When I had it, it was a boxy 10-year-old 'medium sized' (by European standards) sports sedan built with 20-year-old technology that outperformed all its contemporaries. Fast forward to 2000 when I found another BMW with the same characteristics: a boxy 10-year-old 'medium sized' sports sedan with 20-year-old technology that outperformed all its contemporaries. The '2002 for the New Millennium' is ... the E28. A decade later, I still think so.
I started with a '73 2002, then a '79 323i, '87 325iS, '93 325iS. I looked at an E90 coupe, but after so many generations the 3-series had gotten way too big. My 128i is much heavier than my 2002 was, is way faster, stops better, handles better, and has lots more toys. I think that they only other model that I would consider now is an xDrive 123d coupe.
I parked next to a 2002 this morning in a garage. My 335d is much wider, an inch taller, and about a foot longer. Looked huge; but on second looks, the 335d is actually a rather small car for today's world. The four in our family are definitely happier in it than they would be in the 2002, or even in my wife's E21 320i. The 1-series is probably close, but I voted for the Mini - just seems righter.
As noted in a recent Rondel, the 128 is the most fun BMW right now. If the 1 series becomes fwd, and the currend 1 series becomes repackaged as the 2 series, then I think that the 2002 will have been reborn. I hope that this happens.
Like you need to choose... "Storage is definitely the biggest challenge. I have a parking area behind the garage so I can keep a couple back there under car covers and then the 2002, the 135 and my 1990 Miata stay in the garage." I hate you.
Non of the above? I have owned a 1972 2002 Tii and a 1974 2002. The Tii was the best. The nearest thing I have found, Is my 2007 Z4 M Coupe. As much fun as my Tii. 02 cents
Apples and Oranges As a historian we always hate these comparisons, ie; Who was a better general, Napoleon or Caeser? They lived in different times, didn't they? And so it is with the '02 and the 1 Series. I took delivery of my '02 in March of 1970 and it was like a rent in the firmament. The sheer thrill was all consuming. 50-50 balance, torque at the bottom of the gears, double jointed half shafts, all of these were as unknown in Europe as they were in the US. European cars were much lighter with less HP then. Except for some of the big Merc's, Jags, Citroen's, etc., they were all under 3000 lbs. High winds and dirty air affect a light car's stability. In the late 60's and early 70's, a 4 liter engine was considered huge. Speeds on the Autobahn were usually never over 160 kph. Luxury options like servo asst. seats and windows didn't exist. I'm afraid that now, the German mfg'rs design to high speed stability on the Autobahn. This is what's important to them; getting from Munich to Dusseldorf at 200 kph. The residual effect for the North American market is they offer a very nice, exceptionally stable car that is far more than capable at speeds we can't drive. I took European deliver of my 135i in November of '11 and I can say without equivication that it performs flawlessly on the Autobahn and is a fighter on the Nordschleife. It's a heavier faster car, by leaps and bounds over the '02, but it should be for that kind of driving. Its an evolution.O==(00)==O
E30 318is I have owned 18, 02s. and the 91 318IS is as close as it has gotten. I thought the 1 would be a sub but NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Just a baby 3. Give me a fourbanger with some guts. May a two door hatch HHHMMMMMMMMMMMM. Chet Kingsbury
