I'm going to look at a 1969 BMW 2500 (later called the Bavaria) on Friday. Looks to be a clean old survivor with original paint and just a touch of surface rust on the hood.
Any thing (aside from rust..everywhere...) that I should look out for?
Per
So Xmas Eve you might be towing a new toy home?
1968 Triumph GT6 Mk1
Hopefully not towing.
Valve guides?
Trim is a bit of a pain the butt, make sure the interior stuff is there, knobs and such are difficult.
You might want to check for rust under the fender arches, floor wells behind the seat, etc. I don't know where this car is from but in the "salt belt" some haven't faired too well.
Funny noises from the suspension - IIRC these have a fairly sophisticated suspension setup, which might mean worn bushes and all that.
Just dug up a German buyers guide for those - if it's got a sunroof, very carefully check the C-pillar and the rear shock mounts as they can rust badly if the sunroof drain is blocked. They also recommend checking the trunk very carefully for rust, plus the rear wheel arches, rocker panels and if you can, remove the rear seat (which should be very easy supposedly) and lift the plastic/rubber covers over the wheel wells/tubs as they're another typical rust spot.
On the front, check A-pillars, the strengthening plates for the front shock towers, and the two 'frame' elements that hold the motor.
Blue smoke can be valve guide seals, but on high mileage ones it can be engine wear, too. Also, cylinder head can suffer from damage if the engine isn't warmed up properly.
If it's got a slushbox, the BW65 box in the early ones needs more servicing than the later ones and they hint at a parts availability issue. Manual boxes are supposed to be pretty robust.
Well, that's at least some rough paraphrasing of what they said 
.
Sanity is vastly overrated.
I found a 52k original mile car here in Florida that I'm going to look at. It was on ebay, but didn't meet reserve. So...I'm going to see if that reserve was anywhere near what I'm willing to pay. Still leaning hard towards a 2002 (that's Kim's preference) but might as well check out a cool old car in the meanwhile.
That sounds like a pretty good find.
Sanity is vastly overrated.
Per, if you pass on that car, please post up some info about it. A link to the eBay auction or craigslist ad will do.
I miss my E3. And a `69 2500 would be a rare one. They weren't called "Bavarias" until Max Hoffman (pioneer of getting BMWs into the US market, and the unofficial "creator" of the 2002) told BMW to ditch the fancy stuff and punch out the displacement to three liters. My 71 Bavaria was actually the stripped down version of the 3.0S (not "CS", just "S"), no leather, no woodgrain. All vinyl interior. Mine still had the toolkit in the trunk, but from what I can tell, it was an option.
How can it be a midlife crisis, when I've driven sportscars my entire life?
Yea, will do. Sounds like a great car, but an 02 might be more my speed (and size....) I'm looking at it in a few hours.
Per
It was nice--and under 6k would probably buy a nearly rust free Bavaria with 52k orig. miles...but I also drove a 2002Tii a few hours later. Loved the 2002's size and handling. The one I drove was a little rough--but now I've got my eyes set on an 02.
In reply to Per Schroeder:
I've owned three or four 02s, and I completely understand. And yeah, until your Stig turns 11 or 12, there's plenty of room in the back.
Gotta admit..the reason I want another E3 is entirely sentimental (although I stand by my previous comments about how competent those cars are). I really want another 2002, and kick myself on a weekly basis for not hanging on to at least one of the ones I actually had. 
How can it be a midlife crisis, when I've driven sportscars my entire life?
Ok, I've started negotiation on a Tii, complete with its mechanical FI. It's rough, but has some neat upgrades and much of where it's rough will be cut out anyway for Turbo flares.
Ok...running Tii with Panasports for 3k. Picking up Tuesday.
My welder will be getting a workout.
Wha? I could swear I remember reading a column where you swore off rusty cars... or maybe that was Tim... 
Maybe it should have read 'swore at rusty cars'
Sanity is vastly overrated.
I think that was Tim. I actually had a bunch of fun fixing the rust on the Saab 99. Looking forward to more of the same on the 2002. Picking up the car on Wed. I think it'll actually be a GRM project. It'll be pretty autocross-heavy.
Does it need rockers? I can always use another lesson in rocker replacement... My Volvo only has ghosts of rockers past...
Alfa GTV, Volvo 122, and now a 2002.
How many more T/A U2/2.5 challege cars are you going to get?
Eric
To complete the T/A 2.5 Challenge package, a 510 will have to be added next...
My 142 was also a two-liter car.
Here's some pics from my blog:
A Pinto. You know you want to add a Pinto to the U2.5 fleet.....
Cheers, Brady
You're on to something. IF I ever won one of those lotteries, I would assemble myself a B-sedan (2.5) collection. I've got the Fiat 124 Coupe already (but sold the 510 in the 80's and my dad unloaded the Alfa GTV also). That would have left a 2002 to acquire, a Cortina, Mini, Opel, Saab and a Volvo. Oh, and maybe an RX-2.
In reply to Coupefan:
What? No Capri?
Sure. A non-bastardized version please.
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