On the verge of classic BMW ownership (2000CA)

[Trent]

Hello everyone. The good folks at BMW2002FAQ referred me to this forum.

I have a quandary.

A friend of mine in Texas was given what appears to be an old 2000CA coupe for a graduation present for his son. Well, long story short, he got in over his head and his son ended up moving out of state, so it's just sat in a field in the West Texas desert for almost two years.

The car was offered to me (as the "car guy" in our group of friends) for free if I just want to fix the old gal up. Clean title and all.

Problem is I have no clue what I'm doing with classic Bimmers. I have restored a first gen Mazda Miata and am currently putting together a 1965 Mustang for the wife, but both of those have crazy availability in aftermarket and online resources that I haven't yet found for this particular model of classic BMW.

She's a runner. Carb could use a rebuild. Not sure on the rust, but the car did spend most of its life in dry west Texas. The interior is dry-rotted and what you'd expect to find with what is essentially a "barn find".

What would you do? Would you take on this project? Are there other online forums or resources that I'm missing somewhere?

Thanks for reading,
Trent

 

[Stan]

Need more pictures to be sure. With the pictures of common rust areas; trunk, wheel wells, spare tire well, rocker panel, floor pans, shock towers, etc, a good determination can be made. Also whether you want a driver or a concours car. Does the engine start? looks like the engine bay could be vacuumed out!
If rust is not extensive this could become a beautiful car!
I like the driving lights!
Post more pictures.. There are a lot of guys in this club who can give advise all along the way with specific questions
Also, grab the VIN and register at www.e9-driven.com
Good Luck!
Stan

 

[x_atlas0]

Thankfully, many of the drivetrain components are a mix between E9 and 2002 components, so it should be relatively easy to get/keep it running. The body/interior bits on the other hand, are all much more difficult/expensive to fix.

 

[Phemisg]

Best to find a parts car if you plan to proceed. But first get car up on a rack to check underside for rust - rockers and top of bulkhead under front fenders. No such thing as a little rust on a CS.

 

[Trent]

Understood on the rust issue. I sent an email asking for pictures of the common rust spots. Unfortunately, I'm currently about a 12 hour drive away so there's no way for me to look at it in person right now. As soon as I get pictures I will put them up on here for help analyzing them. Thanks for the suggestions/info!

Trent

 

[pamp]

Restore

From the top it looks very good. Knock out the squirrels and see what you have. I think it is a saver. Trailer it home...on the range...as it were.

 

[dp]

Best to find a parts car if you plan to proceed. But first get car up on a rack to check underside for rust - rockers and top of bulkhead under front fenders. No such thing as a little rust on a CS.

George? is that you???

 

[Phemisg]

That would be me. Who dat? 2000CS fans lurk everywhere.

 

[dp]

That would be me. Who dat? 2000CS fans lurk everywhere.

an old buddy of Franz and Boyd...

 

[CSteve]

If it's free you or someone else should pick it up if only for parts. I imagine the 2000CS crowd would really appreciate it since they have a harder time sourcing parts than 3.0 folk.

Steve

 

[Trent]

Its been months but I finally have an update, since i have finally obtained pictures. She's rough. Very rough. The "light rust" my friend reported obviously tells me he doesn't know what "light" rust is. And the interior is trashed and there are no seats.

 

[Trent]

Sorry all the pictures are sideways and blurry. I had to print them off of a one time use camera and took pictures of the pictures with my iPhone. Haha.

 

[jmackro]

Sadly, that car is history.

Between the obvious body rust, the fact that it's a slush-O-matic, the missing seats, and evidence of many years of poor storage / non-running, this is NOT a good restoration candidate. If you really really want to own a 2000CS, you can save time & money by paying for a cleaner car. If you are not totally in love with this make/model, then starting a restoration with this as your foundation will be an exercise in frustration.

You should look at it firsthand, and do whatever you can to put it into the hands of someone who will use the parts.

Wish I could be more encouraging.

What's with the "bavari" letters on the decklid?

 

[x_atlas0]

Yeah, if you aren't in love with this particular car, let it go. That would likely run mid 40s to bring back based on what is visibly wrong using an external bodywork source.

 

[David]

Nothing here that $50k wouldn't fix.

 

[coupe2800cs]

Race Car...

Looks relatively solid for a Colorado car, typical they rust from the inside out, glass is worth some money to the right person, probably could fetch $400-500 just for the glass, rear bumper is appealing to me. If it solid where it counts, most of the sheet metal work can be done by good sheet metal worker, super clean examples are getting $8500-15,000, and up if you have a real prime example 20k.... I'd say from the looks of if would make a excellent vintage racer with little help around the base of the doors, rear wheel arches, you can spend a ton of money, and time chasing rust, if the rockers are solid it's probably worth saving.

 

[Trent]

At this point, I agree with the comments about the car being a bit too much to realistically try to bring back. I will however attempt to get a better look at it in a few months when I head out there for a visit. I will get the vin for the registry also.

 

[lafngrvy]

If anyone is really looking for a 2000CS I have one sitting in the barn and looking for a loving home. It has a couple of issues (clutch pedal on the floor, windows don't work, wood needs attention, etc.), but it is still quite solid. BTW, it is a 4 spd.

Send me a message and I will forward some pictures.

 

[hans3]

What's the "E" code for this model series again?