Whats so great about the BMW 2002?
'02s are cool
They go pretty good, they look, er, germanic, and they are nice and solid. Compared to an equivalent Porsche, they are cheap (if slower). They also rust!
I dunno what they are worth in the US. In New Zealand, a good tii (nice body, nice paint but not perfect) is about US$5000.
The 5spd gearbox from the e21 is almost a bolt in fit, apparently, if you don't mind an overdrive top gear. The advantage of the 235-5 is that it is 1:1 top gear, etc.
Oh, and the little viewed, no traffic Pelican 2002 forum is here:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/forumdisplay.php?daysprune=&forumid=217