Mechanically the car still runs on its original engine, which now shows 111.000 miles. We have had the head rebuilt and all the oil seals replaced.
Tallying up all our bills (all from jaymic I might add) we have spent approx £2500 replacing various small parts: headlight reflectors, chrome trim, bumper sections etc.etc.etc. The interior remains totally original and untouched, the original radio having pride of place and we are now both experts on the BBC world service!!!!!
Between us we have spent many months of meticulous cleaning and rejuvenating old original parts, we have replaced as little as possible to maintain the originality of the car, something that is very important to both of us.
Although we have concoursed the car since having it we have resisted the temptation to replace things like glass, interior, carpets etc in order to gain a few extra points!!
The car is a very big part of our life as it was the first car we bought together. Jacqui first had the BMW bug back in 1995 when she bought an E34 5 series, she fell in love with the cars and now has an E36 325i coupe. My first car was an E34 540i which I still have now. The ’02 has been a car to enjoy rather than an every day car and we have commented on how relaxing it is to drive when compared to our modern day counterparts. Road rage just doesn’t happen in the ’02!
The running costs are incredibly low, exempt from road tax, insurance for both of us is just £110.00 p.a and with AON the limited mileage has now been removed. An ex BMW mechanic does the servicing for £15 p.h plus parts. Such low running costs are a real bonus for such a fantastic car which I would like to say runs like a dream and can keep pace with the most respectable of cars in the fast lane!!!
Not so cheap is our latest addition, an M635csi Highline, very nice too!!! Now we have the 02 gleaming its time for the M6 to get the full works!
Brooklands was our crowning glory, what a day! I took the 02 and Jacqui took the M6, we came away with 2 firsts in the concourse, one for the M6 one for the 02. What was so nice about the day was how relaxed it was and the fact that people were picking their favourite cars as opposed to them being judged. The fact that the 02 was admired by so many and a lot of people appreciated the cars originality really made all our hard work worthwhile. It was fantastic to see so many 02s gathered together, we met some interesting people and enthusiasts whose knowledge far outstripped our own and so we picked up some fantastic tips.
Kind regards,
Jacqui and Michael Charman
