Oldenzaal Feedback Wanted

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CTCe9

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New to the forum, but longtime vintage BMW enthusiast. Like many, had (and sold) a 73 2002tii as life got in the way, but am looking to get back to owner status and I've been looking at E9s from Oldenzaal for the last year or so. I've seen some random comments and negative references in some threads here, but have not found any first hand perspectives from an actual buyer (or someone who knows someone...). Am hoping the forum would be willing to 'help a brother out' and provide any experience good or bad you've had or directly know of with Oldenzaal's product.

Thanks in advance, I truly appreciate any feedback offered.

CTC
 
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I was talking to Don Bower at the Hilton Head Concourse last weekend; I believe he mentioned Oldenzaal in connection with one of his cars. He's on the forum as dbower. You might want to look him up and send him a private message; I'm not sure how often he visits here.
 
Ohmess said:
I was talking to Don Bower at the Hilton Head Concourse last weekend; I believe he mentioned Oldenzaal in connection with one of his cars. He's on the forum as dbower. You might want to look him up and send him a private message; I'm not sure how often he visits here.
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Chris thanks for the recommendation!
 
Oldenzaal did a ground up resto for me on a 72 CSI. Took about a year. I have mixed feelings about them.
The car is a joy to drive. Mechanical aspects are the things they did best. Although my radiator had to be replaced 6 months after I got the car.
They offered no help.
There are paint bubbles around both the sunroof and on the trunk which were apparent when I got the car.
Their response? Crickets.
If someone is thinking of doing business with Oldenzaal , I would urge the buyer to get some sort of warranty from them.
Otherwise, caveat emptor.
 
Have a few friends who have purchased from them. Some things are done as promised, other things promised were not done. Everyone has had to fix a few things after delivery in the US. Doing due diligence is highly recommended, I'll repeat caveat emptor.
 
Buying a used car....99% are "As-is" so ya, if you buy over the internet, you will most likely be disappointed in some aspect of your purchase.

Very rare do you get a car that meets your expectations or even rare...exceeds them.
 
I'm awaiting delivery on a Golf 1973 520i I bought from Oldenzaal. I had read (very) mixed reviews of their restorations here and on bmw2002faq.com, but since this particular car was a very original low-mileage example and had very little work performed by them, I felt comfortable with it.
On the sales side, I have dealt with Jan and it's been a positive experience so far. Good communication, specific questions answered, many many detailed pictures and videos. They're a dealer, so there's a mark up, but the weak Euro helps a lot.
All that said, I haven't received the car yet-- so fingers crossed.

UPDATE-- My E12 made it across the Atlantic with no problems. Oldenzaal handled shipping door to door, and all shipping costs, duties, fees etc were negotiated into the final price. No surprise costs and the car arrived in good condition and was accurately described. A few small issues-- water only (no antifreeze) in the radiator, a torn tie rod boot, leaking reverse light switch, and needs a tune up from not being driven. Basically the same as any old car you buy. I would still be hesitant to buy a car restored by them without putting eyes on it, but as just a dealer they were fine.
 

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mmccusername said:
I'm awaiting delivery on a Golf 1973 520i I bought from Oldenzaal. I had read (very) mixed reviews of their restorations here and on bmw2002faq.com, but since this particular car was a very original low-mileage example and had very little work performed by them, I felt comfortable with it.
On the sales side, I have dealt with Jan and it's been a positive experience so far. Good communication, specific questions answered, many many detailed pictures and videos. They're a dealer, so there's a mark up, but the weak Euro helps a lot.
All that said, I haven't received the car yet-- so fingers crossed.
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I was very seriously considering that car. (I really missed my Golf ‘75 530i and was actually keeping eyes peeled for an early golf 520i). Spent many hours going over all the photos and requested videos frame by frame. Hope it works out for you!
 
Reviving an old thread and a bit off topic. The folks at Oldenzaal are selling a fully restored 2002 Baur Targa. I've read the mixed reviews above. Here's a link to the photos. Can anyone comment on what they see, the good, the bad and the ugly? I used to have the same car in Inka and am thinking about giving my CS a baby brother or cousin. Thanks in advance:

photos.google.com

BMW 2002 Targa Baur Colorado

264 new items added to shared album
photos.google.com photos.google.com
 
The Baur Targa is by far my favorite 2002, I have two…
The Colorado one listed is certainly beautiful.

No matter who you buy the car from you have to keep in mind that it is a 50-year-old plus car things are gonna break/be put back different than they were originally…

I don’t actually know what they’re asking for the Baur, but I would certainly want to fly over there and drive it around before I slap down the big bucks…

IMG_7749.jpeg
IMG_2359.jpeg
 
If you are incredibly smart you will buy a KLM ticket for Barney and do this right with an in person PPI by a pro.
Or you can save a thousand bucks and have a lifetime of regrets.

Be smart.

Send a pro.

Some of their cars are really nice and some have been…

Lately we have seen really nice.
 
Thanks for the recommendation, Don. As I don't come on to the site much, who is Barney? What is the current market for a Baur Targa? They're all over the board on BAT. I'm sure the asking price is likely much higher than most, around 70,000 Euros.
 
RDSChicago said:
Thanks for the recommendation, Don. As I don't come on to the site much, who is Barney? What is the current market for a Baur Targa? They're all over the board on BAT. I'm sure the asking price is likely much higher than most, around 70,000 Euros.
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Barney T ... look a couple of posts above. you can click on his icon and start a conversation with him.
 
I looked these photos over pretty carefully. This looks like a very good restoration to me. In my experience, the quality of Oldenzaal restorations has improved over the years. The accuracy of their restorations, if that matters to you, compared to originality varies. They continue to paint underpanels and wheel wells black, misplace stickers, use green screw drivers, etc. I would expect that a car as fully restored as this one would not have significant surprises. They also traffic in "partial restorations," or renovations, that reportedly often need further sorting.
 
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