Going to look at my first 73 Cs

Markos

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Huh, I never called Maui the Island of Misfit Toys, but it kind of fits since my car will need some careful mending before it's ready for paint and it was a great deal even though it wasn't running at the time. And I'm certainly optimistic, becoming knowledgeable with the help of the site and well, I've often been naive when it comes to estimating the time it takes to finish projects, yet I persist.

Ian

I wasn’t responding to you specifically but hey it kind of fits. I try not to look at cars in hawaii because it only ends in dissapohbtment (shipping). Otherwise, coupe’s are free in Hawaii:

https://honolulu.craigslist.org/big/cto/d/1972-bmw-2800-cs-parts-car/6387752861.html
 

mulberryworks

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I knew you weren't talking about me, but what the hey.

I think this car has been posted on CL before, maybe several times at higher prices. There's been so little interest he's forced to drop his price to zero. A five speed huh? I could sell that and pay for the trip and keep the small bits for profit..... It looks like the one photo is of its 'good side.' Eeew.

I think he's the guy that sold my car to the owner on Maui I bought from. Yeah, mine wasn't free but it was cheap. The trick is getting a non-runner off the island. You have to have it titled and registered to ship it. It's state law, and the shipping company is the enforcer. I barely got mine up and running before I was scheduled to move. Bought and installed tires a day or two before heading to the dock. I think the cost to get it to Austin was $1200.
 

Gary Knox

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Dennis,

I'm about 30 miles west of downtown Philly in West Chester. My '74 is in the hobby garage for the winter. IF you'd like to take a look at it for comparison with others you might look at, let me know via a conversation. It is NOT for sale, nor will it be in the foreseeable future - unless it becomes solely owned by my widow!

Good luck in the search.

Gary
 
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Markos

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Hi Dennis,

I'm not an expert on these cars but I do have two rusty coupes. Additionally I've examined a few drivers over the last couple of years. I'm not sure what you read, but this is what I would focus on. I have some pics in the project thread of my car that highlights some of the areas discussed. My parts car does but that is unrealistically rusty. I'll just assume that you are looking for a 'project car, with all of its inherent flaws.

Front End:

Check the bottom of the front fenders, near the passenger door. Look for signs of metal patchwork and body filler on the outside. From inside the fender, look up into the area near the windshield frame. There is an access hole up there and you can snap a pic of the inside with your phone. I refer to this area as the fender box, but that isn't the real name. Also from insid the wheel well look on the front side of the fender where the back of the headlight would be. Check for rust holes. With the hood open closely examine where the inner fender meets the outer fender. Look near the shock tower for signs of repair, filler, excess seam sealer, etc. You should be able to see the factory sound deadening, or the factory spot welds. If the whole area looks nice and smooth it has likely been reworked. Check to ensure that the firewall seal runs all the way from fender to fender. It isn't uncommon for the ends to get cut off when working on the innner fenders. Check the lower windhield frame, particularly near where the end of the passenger wiper sits. Check for filler just below the chrome trim.

Cabin:

Open the glove box and peer up at the firewall. Look for signs of rust, holes, or repair. This is the other side of the aforementioned fender box. The firewall tends to separate from the kick panel area but it will be covered with carpet. You can feel around in this area and also verify from the wheel well. Next check fuse door. I haven't seen much rust in this area even on my disaster parts car. Peer up above the fuse block and look for rust. You also have slightly better access to the same area where the firewall meets the lower A pillar, where the kick panel is. Look for separation.

Rear Seats:

Ask for permission but pop off a rear seat. Simply lift up on them. I would chose the driver's side only because I've seen more rust on that side (I have no idea why). Look at the curve of the wheel well and check for rust. Pay attention to the area where the well meets the floor. If you can, check the other side. If you look at my project car the wells are fine on that car, but the subframe pickup points have quite a bit of superficial surface rust on them. When the rear window seals go this area gets pretty wet. As a result, you could have musty/ mildewy seats and the wooden backs of the arm rests could be heavily water damaged.

Undercarriage:

Peter's video has this covered. Check out the floor pans. This is pretty obvious. If they aren't shot they could be on their way, particulary where the large metal floor plugs mate with the pan. Also check the frame rails, particularly underneath the driver/passenger feet.

Read End:

Check the spare wheel well. Check the strut tops for signs of damage, stress cracks, repairs (not necessarily a bad thing), etc. Check the forward section of the wheel wells. The outermost side of the well that isn't accessible under the seat. Look for holes forward of the rear tires.

Rockers:


They are likely covered up by trim. Give them some knocks with your fist to see if you get any falling flakes. Stick your finger in the drain holes and see what you find.

Doors:

I've seen a number of doors with rust holes near the window chrome. Check for body filler. Also examine the underside of the doors for rust.

Rear windshield frame:

Check the base of the rear windshield. Look for signs of a bad cracked seal. Look for body filler particularly near the fenders. Open the trunk and check the center of the body lip that the trunk seal rests in. Check the fender sides as well, and the lip on the tail panel.

Paint:

Look for signs of overspray. Closely examine the belt-line trim and windshield seals. Determine if the car was masked and sprayed or all trim was removed during the painting process. The paint job could be great but it is an indicator that shortcuts were taken. Shortcuts with body filler and the ones you want to avoid.

Interior:

Look for good seat cores that are solid regardless of the upholstery condition. Look for door panels that aren't warped. Look for a headliner that isn't sagging. Most importantly, the condition of the dashboard. You can get seats, carpet, headliner material, door panels, center console, glove boxes, and fuse doors if you hunt around. It is very hard to find a clean crack-free water-damage-free dashboard. The condition of the dashboard wood particularly near the A Pillars is important. Look for significant delamination. A few top layers are workable but repair outfits (some of them highly recommended here). The door wood is less of a concern but it does tend to delaminate on the ends as well.
 

Ohmess

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Glad to hear you are open to looking at a bunch of cars. I would add a couple of other comments.

One of the reasons I had thought you might have already settled on a car is that you did not appear to avail yourself of the offers for help posted here. I thought perhaps you did not want others potential buyers involved with a particular car. In any event, I relied on numerous forum members when looking for my car. In every case, they were strangers before I began scouting for my car, and they were uniformly great. By way of example, you should take Gary Knox up on his offer to show you his car. Gary is a great guy.

One other item, which I consider generally a good idea when seeking an older car: you can learn a great deal about the condition of a car if you have an opportunity to evaluate the seller. I am amazed at how often I see an ad for an interesting older car that is being sold by someone who has owned it for a year or two. This is a huge turn off for me. It substantially increases the likelihood that the car has been "prettied up" so as to hide problems, or alternatively that the seller found huge problems he or she is trying to pawn off on someone else. It is a lot easier to get a realistic evaluation of an older car from a long time owner, and to get a feel for how the car was treated.
 
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CSteve

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Glad to hear you are open to looking at a bunch of cars. I would add a couple of other comments.

One of the reasons I had thought you might have already settled on a car is that you did not appear to avail yourself of the offers for help posted here. I thought perhaps you did not want others potential buyers involved with a particular car. In any event, I relied on numerous forums members when looking for my car. In every case, they were strangers before I began scouting for my car, and they were uniformly great. By way of example, you should take Gary Knox up on his offer to show you his car. Gary is a great guy.

One other item, which I consider generally a good idea when seeking an older car: you can learn a great deal about the condition of a car if you have an opportunity to evaluate the seller. I am amazed at how often I see an ad for an interesting older car that is being sold by someone who has owned it for a year or two. This is a huge turn off for me. It substantially increases the likelihood that the car has been "prettied up" so as to hide problems, or alternatively that the seller found huge problems he or she is trying to pawn off on someone else. It is a lot easier to get a realistic evaluation of an older car from a long time owner, and to get a feel for how the car was treated.
Dennis, print out or memorize Markos' post. And if you are closer to Bucks County than Gary in West Chester I will make the same offer. And am sure a buddy five miles away in New Jersey would be glad to let you take a look at his coupe.

Steve
 

TREMK

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If I'm around and available I would be glad to go with you. Same invitation applies if you would like to take a look at my car. Good luck.

Mike
 

Dan Mooney

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Hi Dennis,

I'm not an expert on these cars but I do have two rusty coupes. Additionally I've examined a few drivers over the last couple of years. I'm not sure what you read, but this is what I would focus on. I have some pics in the project thread of my car that highlights some of the areas discussed. My parts car does but that is unrealistically rusty. I'll just assume that you are looking for a 'project car, with all of its inherent flaws.

Front End:

Check ......

Mr. Markos,

I believe your posting should be printed out, laminated and handed to every person considering the purchase of an E9 coupe. Great stuff..
Dan
 

Denniskennedy

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Wow that break down is awesome. I will read that into memory. Thank you so much markos.

I would love to see anyone's car to get a better understanding. Knowledge is key and I'm a blank chalk board.
 

CSteve

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Wow that break down is awesome. I will read that into memory. Thank you so much markos.

I would love to see anyone's car to get a better understanding. Knowledge is key and I'm a blank chalk board.
Dennis, you are more than welcome to visit me in Bucks County near New Hope. My coupe, a Polaris CSi Euro 1974. Buddy in NJ, 1974 CSi Granatrout(sp),
Other buddy, Larry, in Hatboro, Verona 73? CS. Bill and I found and parted out a 75 CSi.

Call 215.620.7687 or [email protected] Steve ONeill
 
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