So you just saw a BMW Isetta on eBay that was “restored to factory specs” and you can’t wait to get your hands on one of these cute little cars you remember from the 1950’s. Well hold on for a minute. You need to use caution in buying one of these cars. Could the seller be someone who has a really nice car at a fair price or could the car be a collection of broken or damaged parts they have assembled into an OK looking car that will not run and is unsafe to drive? Asking the right questions up front and having a little information can save you from expensive problems and disappointment and I have written the "BMW Isetta Purchase Checklist" guide which can help you determine the health of an Isetta you are interested in. If you are a history buff and want to know more about the Isetta, read my "BMW Isetta History" guide.

I purchased a 1956 BMW Isetta on eBay and have spent the last 3+ years restoring the car. You would not imagine how much work and yet how much fun it can be to restore a car that is only 8 feet long! I would not claim to be an “expert” on the Isetta and will supply you with the locations on the Internet and from print resources later on where you can get advice from experts on Isettas. Over the past 3 years I have learned an incredible amount of information about the cars and can give you some advice about purchasing one of these unique cars on eBay.

Missing or Damaged Parts
First off, it is important to realize that although Isetta parts are available from several sources in the US and overseas, the parts are fairly expensive. As an example, my car was missing the front and rear bumpers. Also, the front nerf bars were badly rusted and dented. I was surprised to learn that although all these parts were available, the cost for these was almost $1000. My front windshield was badly scratched and those are about $300. Now these visibly damaged or missing parts can be easily seen on an Isetta and you may be able to see this in the pictures the seller has posted. There are also a number of unseen areas where damage or a backyard mechanic can ruin expensive parts. My transmission case was not usable because someone had pried on the edges so violently the case was damaged to the point of leaking oil. The transmission case and chain case can be damaged by failed drive couplings. When these rubber donuts fail, the flailing drive shaft and bolts can seriously damage the cases and the driveshaft. Once you get your restored car you could encounter unseen damage that the existing owner is unaware of or is “hiding” from you. I have read of Isetta owners ordering $5,000+ worth of parts to restore their cars and I believe that is not difficult to do. I’m well over that figure on mine.  

The Drivetrain
An Isetta engine is a single cylinder 300cc engine that one would imagine is easy to work on but it indeed is not that simple. The major task that must happen on all Isetta engines is to check that the aluminum connecting rod has been replaced with a steel rod. If it has not, the possibility of the rod breaking and puncturing the block is real. To extract the crank and replace the rod, the block must be heated in an oven. It was a bit hard to convince the wife that this was a good idea, not to mention the dangers of handling a hot engine block. Consequently, even a handy mechanic may not be able to work on the engine. The transmission and chain case also require similar heating for disassembly. All the above is to say that if the car is not running and you anticipate that you will be able to get it running yourself, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment, even if you are a handy mechanic. As an example of overhaul costs, Perry’s in Texas is the premier rebuilder of vintage BMW motorcycle and related Isetta engines. Perry will charge you $2000-$4000 for a complete rebuild on your Isetta engine.  

Sources for Information
The best source for information about Isettas are the various Yahoo groups for “Microcars” and “Isettas”. Search for discussion groups under those names and you will see several groups. Most owners are very helpful and may be able to tell you about eBay Isetta sellers and their reputations. If the car you are looking at is available for viewing, then you can ask on the groups if someone lives nearby that can take a look at a car for you. If you think that asking about the car on a group is a bad idea because someone may scoop a really good deal out from under you, you need to be aware that many of the discussion group people have automated searches set up where we are already notified via e-mail when anything Isetta related shows up on eBay. We probably have already looked at the car you are looking at and noticed missing parts, etc. Here is a list of problems that Isetta owners from one discussion group saw with one recently eBay listed Isetta:

SELLER HAS A POOR REPUTATION
WRONG ENGINE COVER LATCH
NO CENTER BOW IN THE SUNROOF (WATER WILL POOL)
SPLIT RIM ANGLE STEM INNER TUBES IN SOLID RIMS
EXTRA HOLES IN NUMEROUS PLACES
WRONG HIGH/LOW BEAM SWITCH
NO GENERATOR LIGHT
CARPET ON INNER FENDERS AND INTERIOR PANELS
SOME MISSING INTERIOR PANELS
NO POINT COVER ON FAN
MISSING ENGINE AIR PLATE AND RUBBER SEAL
INCORRECT CARBURETOR AND FUEL FILTER
INCORRECT LARGE COIL ON THE FIREWALL
TAILLIGHTS ARE FADED
NO LOCKING STRIPS FRONT & REAR WINDOWS
NO INSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR VISIBLE
NO SIDE VIEW REAR MIRROR
REAR BUMPER APPEARS WRONG
HUBCAPS ARE WRONG
FRONT AIR GRILLS ARE INCORRECT
ANTENNA IS WRONG
DOOR HANDLE APPEARS FUNKY
REAR LICENSE PLATE BRACKET IS WRONG
NO PEDAL LINKAGE COVER
PEDAL COVERS MISSING
BENT THROTTLE BELL CRANK
NO STARTER POST GROMMET
DOOR RUBBER STRIP COMING UNGLUED

These problems are all ones that can be resolved (with many $$$$) but there are probably many more invisible issues on a car with this many visible issues.  

The absolutely best Internet source for restoration information is IsettaTech. If you want the best restoration book that is John Jensen’s book Isetta Restoration. These books occasionally turn up on eBay. Even if the car you purchase is running, this book is the best printed guide for the owner.

Questions to Ask
Here is a list of questions to ask.

Is the car available for viewing prior to the close of bidding? (This is essential if you want to find a nearby owner to assist you in looking at the car and determining its condition. If the car is not available, it may not be as advertised or in transit from another country)
Has the seller sold other Isettas or other restored cars in the past and will they give you contact information on past buyers? (If you can’t inspect the car you are buying, then another way to check out a seller is to get references from past buyers of their cars.)
Has the engine been recently overhauled and by who? (If Uncle Fred did the engine overhaul then you may want to be suspicious because Uncle Fred probably could not figure out how to pull the crank and may have damaged the block and other things.)
Does the engine have an aluminum or steel connecting rod installed? (If the owner is an Isetta knowledgeable person they will know the right answer is steel. If they answer aluminum then they either don’t know or it has not been replaced.)
Have the drive couplings been replaced recently and where did the new couplings come from? (The right answer is the couplings have been replaced recently and the couplings were purchased from a known Isetta parts distributor. There are some couplings being sold on eBay and elsewhere that are similar in appearance to the correct couplings and self-destruct after only a few miles. I purchased a set of these and had to remove them from my car before they exploded.)
Ask the seller if they are a member of any of the Microcar clubs? (If the person is a member this does not guarantee anything but it means people in the clubs and members of the discussion group will be familiar with the seller and perhaps know the car.)

Red Flags to Look Out for
Sometimes we Isetta owners see car listed on eBay with statements like “Restored to factory specs” and other similar but broad sweeping characterizations of the car’s condition. We laugh at these descriptions as they sound really good to the uninitiated but no one really knows what that means!  Recently, I got to inspect a car that was purchased from an eBay seller of a supposedly restored car and the car not only did not run but was dangerous. The brake system was connected with low pressure copper tubing. After some hard brake applications the tubing would have fatigued and cracked. Appropriate actions are being taken to stop this seller from future sales. The car’s owner is paying many thousands of dollars to have this car restored to a running, safe and attractive condition.

Sales where the car is being sold by someone who knows nothing about the cars and is “doing this as a favor for a friend” are possibly suspect. At the very least, this type of sale makes it difficult to get information about the car from the actual owner. If things go wrong on this type of sale, the seller can always claim that they did not know anything about the car since it did not belong to them.

Cars that are being restored in another country and are being shipped from there are also suspect. Obviously, any seller who tries to encourage you to purchase a car outside of the auction is violating eBay policy and should be reported. 

So the moral to the story is don’t be afraid to ask the seller questions and get a sanity check from current Isetta owners. Those steps can save you many thousands of dollars and a lot of frustration.