My car is totalled and I need your help proving the value.

[2002maniac]

Well, my car was parked legally at the side of the road and some bitch in a Mazda 3 rear ended it. Luckily she's insured.

The LR quarter panel and taillight area is smashed badly and I'm positive it will be totalled by their insurance.

I need help proving the value of my car.

If you have recently bought or sold a very clean '91 318is I need your input. Details of the sale would be greatly appreciated. Price, mileage, etc.

KBB says the car is worth $2600 (LOL) but look what I just found on autotrader!
Average Price:$5,160


I really don't want to get screwed by the insurance company.

On a more positive note:
I recieved my weld-in cage kit from Kirk racing last week. Now I just have to fix the rear quarter and I'll have a free race car :) I know the repair will be a bitch, but my buddy has a frame rack and even if we can't pull it straight, we've fixed worse before by welding a new corner on.

**edit for pics**

[joehasane30]

u know, ur kinda lucky that bitch hit u, unless u really liked ur car before.

[DarkWing6]

Contact Lance Racing. He works with local insurance companies around here as the local "e30 expert" in cases where valuation of the e30 comes into play. Your best bet would be to find a reputable e30 guru in your local CCA to have talk with the insurance company. It would be best if they have a title (pres, vp, etc) with the local CCA and have owned multiple e30s.

[Edev]

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=255450080&dealer_id=100022128&car_year=1991&rdm=1229973368665&model=318IS&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1991&keywordsfyc=&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=n&make=BMW&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=84106&advanced=&end_year=1991&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=2079&rdpage=thumb

thats not a 318. it was just the 2nd car through the link. maybe the car people dont know that the 318 is a 4 cyl? the pictures show that its a 325is..well a 6 cyl.

[2002maniac]

thats not a 318. it was just the 2nd car through the link. maybe the car people dont know that the 318 is a 4 cyl? the pictures show that its a 325is..well a 6 cyl.

Thanks for your help!

[SpecM]

I say a clean 318is is worth 3-4k

[Jon325i]

Damn - that sucks. Sorry to hear about your car. Unprovoked R3V FTL.

[Gray S.]

I paid 3500 for my 318is a few months ago, is that in the $$$ value range your looking for or no?

[StereoInstaller1]

I would think $3500~$4500 for a "nice" 318is is about right...maybe $6K for a stunningly good condition low mileage one.

Good luck on the deal, man. Don't settle for less that it was worth to you.

[nando]

I say this every time somebody posts one of these threads - get it appraised, professionally. it will cost around $100 but it'll be worth it. you don't have to take whatever the insurance company will give you.

KBB doesn't have much bearing on the actual market. None of the insurance companies i talked to use it anyway..

[Hick]

Ask the insurance company how they prove the value of the car, then go out and use their methods to find a fair price.

When my 318is got mashed into, i was told to find as many examples as i could in a 200 mile radius. I found 2. So did the insurance. Change the demographic until you find atleast 15 to 20 then average the price, highs and lows, include mileage and try your best to argue the value. Took me a year to get an extra 1500 on the value of my car.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

Damn - that sucks. Sorry to hear about your car. Unprovoked R3V FTL.

It's not a R3V unless it was an idiotic move by the owner. Usually a chain reaction of stupid decisions.

Examples:
- Driving in the rain through twisty roads on bald tires
- Knowing full well that your timing belt is about to snap and your coolant is low and water pump is about to go, and you drive across the desert.
- "Doriftoing" on the streets

[CorvallisBMW]

Bad luck mate! sorry to hear it, good luck with the insurance stealers!...er...I mean...companies :)

[Chisum]

Ummmm....HER insurance company is going to give you what they think it's worth. They have to fix her car, #1, and #2 they aren't going to negotiate with you. If you want one nickel more than they offer, you better have receipts for everything. And they better be current receipts, because those bastards will depreciate the use you got out of an aftermarket part. Too bad you weren't in the car when it got hit, you could claim pain and suffering. As it is, I doubt they will offer you even $2,000. You know what they will say? If you don't like it, get an attorney. You apparently have never dealt with these pricks before. Good luck. Don't be surprised if they say your car was parked over the white line. I hope the police were called and you got a copy of the police report and the report says right on it you were parked legally.
Hope they sell you the car back for $300 with a salvage certificate and you can part it to make up the difference.

[Lance Racing]

Each state has its own laws for consumer rights regarding coming up with fair market value. I've helped a few people locally in the Seattle area. The appraiser for the insurance company has no idea that E30s are worth something in the enthusiast community. M42 E30s do well too. So if you can show real world comparables, they will consider them is my experience, rather than just using the books.

We pull comparables from Craigslist to show real world comparables. Obviously you want find the nice ones for comps. You won't get any extra value for any mods. They don't care about that stuff. That's why you get to buy it back for cheap.

If you can't agree on a price, at least in the State of Washington you are entitled to picking a 3rd party arbitrator to look at the amount offered by both sides. The insurance companies don't want it to go this far due to the low numbers these cars are worth. So they would rather settle and get the case closed rather than spend a lot of time dinking around over a $1,000 delta. Be persistent and they will soften up.