Motivations to Purchase Modifications Over the Years Long-lasting Bonds Favorite Memories

What makes for a satisfying long-term relationship? Is it good looks? Personality? A comfortable "fit"? Stamina? Responsiveness? Performance?

Performance, baby. That's what it's all about, and that's what convinced these original owners to purchase the 2002 that remains part of their lives in memory, if not in fact.

Motivations to Purchase
Some -- like William Laray of Auburn, Alabama -- bought the car after reading a favorable write-up. "I had a Porsche 356 (early '60s model) that was rusting badly. I read a review of the 2002. I wanted a new car that could match the performance of the 356 and was affordable. I purchased the 2002 (a '69 Bristol Gray) at the BMW dealer in Frankfurt, Germany, for $2,500 and in turn sold the Porsche."

Others -- like Kathy Forer of Locust, New Jersey -- considered the 2002 after first-hand exposure to its charms -- and the demise of her '75 Opel wagon. "Insurance money plus my grandmother's concern that I have a heavier, more solid car brought me a '76 Malaga," she said. "My brother had had a '72, also Malaga, so I guess I was just falling in step. He ran his car into the ground -- put on 200,000 miles in two years -- courting his now-wife of 25 years."

Kathy Forer's '76 Malaga 2002

The 2002's performance, among other things, appealed to David Roach of Silver Spring, Maryland. He bought Molly -- a '73 Inka -- to replace his Ford Cortina GT. "My best friend, a fellow car nut, suggested the BMW as he'd read good reviews of the car in Road & Track and Car & Driver," he said. "I went to the dealer and test-drove a 2002A on a rainy night, which told me nothing except that it had more power than the Cortina. But I liked the 'reverse snob appeal' of the car -- no one had any idea what a BMW was ("Let's see... BMW. That's one of them British cars, ain't it?") -- and it was a well-made car that I figured would last me a long time (though not this long)."

The car's sturdiness impressed Kris Ackerbauer of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, too, and convinced him to buy a '73 Agave. "I had an old used Datsun 510 sedan, and it was dying fast. I had just joined the Navy and was at flight school in Pensacola, Florida," he said. "A friend and I went to the BMW dealer, Bill Campbell, and asked to test-drive one. The guy told us, 'Come back tomorrow and you can have one for the whole weekend.' We came back, and sure enough, he let us take one for the weekend. His parting words were 'Just try to break it.'

"We did give it a whirl, from 90-plus mph panic stops (it stopped dead straight) to power shifting/shifting without a clutch," Kris said. "On our high-speed run, about 100 mph, we hit a big bird in the middle of the windscreen. I thought we were goners. No problem -- it didn't even break the windshield. I cannot believe how stupid we were. I think we even took it out to try to pick up some Pensacola Babes. I don't recall that it was successful, but I don't think we cared 'cause we were pretty cool.

Kris Ackerbauer's Agave '02

"Needless to say, we both went back Monday morning to purchase a 2002," Kris said. "We got the same color, and I got one with a sunroof. It would have been two or three more weeks to wait for a tii, and we couldn't wait <grin>. We got a great deal -- he threw in a set of cocoa mats and a wooden shift knob. Hey, it was my first new car; I didn't know you could dicker."

In one scenario, it was a case of a good relationship expanding to create another one. Daniel Acosta of Rosemead, California, learned about the 2002 from his then-girlfriend/now-wife, Linda. "She had seen one and fallen in love at first sight," he said. "We test-drove the car, and I fell in love with it, too. The dealer -- Helane Motors in Alhambra, California -- had only one 2800, one 2500 and two small sedans. I chose the red 2002 with an AM-only radio and no sunroof and have never regretted it."

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