Hey Zambo, thanks for the info. Do you live in Brisbane? I have an E3 front bumper if you want it. You can decide what you want to pay for it. Re "if you want to work on them" I pretty well completely assembled my E9 in my garage, with a little help from Don. It's at a specialist BMW workshop right now having a thorough front to back, top to bottom check.Gazz - I drive an E3 daily (5 years) and have owned a ‘72 02 for 15 years.
They are dramatically different cars and that’s what makes them an interesting pair of classics to own and drive.
As it appears you may not have driven one, let me say this for your evaluation.
Given the performance and feel of an E3 and E9 are not dissimilar, you go from a cruiser that is capable of getting you to high speeds (80-100 mph in the old scale here in Oz) relatively effortlessly to a car (the 02) that gives you direct connection to the road and feels fast (and therefore puts a smile on your face) just accelerating to 40-45 mph. Note a tii under contemporary tests was good for better than 100mph.
They are easy to get in and out of - if you want to work on them, they’re pretty straightforward. I’ve just finished a total front and rear ended rebuild including steering box and diff with just the BMW2002FAQ website and the factory repair manuals. I’m no mechanic, just an enthusiastic hack. So if you like to take a spanner to your cars, 02’s are amenable to DIY owners.
Good luck - it looks a car with some genuine money spent on its restoration.