I think we can all agree that owning a classic car is cool. It doesn’t really matter what sort of car it is, what brand it came from, or how old it is. If it’s old enough to be considered a classic and it’s in running condition (which isn’t always mandatory), it’s cool. However, owning a classic BMW, as desirable as it may seem, can be difficult, costly, and sometimes scary. So you can’t just go out and buy any old Bimmer if you have no experience with classic cars. But if you have no experience, you have to start somewhere. So what’s the best classic BMW to start out with, for the novice classic car enthusiasts?
Let’s start out with some of the more famous classics. The first one that comes to mind is the BMW 2002. Not only is it an icon for the brand, it’s one that still holds up today. Not all classic cars are as good as we remember, once you take off the rose-tinted specs and actually get the thing in your driveway. The 2002, though, by all accounts is as enjoyable and charming as it was back in the ’60s. Maybe even more so now. Plus, it’s a simple car, with a small 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, a four-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, and no real electronics to speak of.
If a BMW 2002 doesn’t run, you really only need to check the three basic things any engine needs: fuel, air, and spark. There really aren’t any sensors to worry about, not much wiring to deal with, and nothing to plug into a laptop. It’s all pretty simple and pretty easy to work on. Plus, because tuners and enthusiasts have been building and restoring 2002s for decades, there’s a plethora of parts, both stock and aftermarket, available and a massive community of online enthusiasts willing to share their knowledge. The only real downside of a 2002 is that they’ve become quite pricey, so even a ratty one will set you back $10,000-$20,000 and that’s before any restoration.
It’s a bit more complicated than the BMW 2002, having debuted 20 years later, but the E28 5 Series is a great classic Bimmer for enthusiasts to start with for a few reasons. One is that it…
