325is crash damage

[Eliminator]

parts for classic mustangs can be found very cheap since there is tons of junkyards that only deal with mustangs, and company's like Year One and goodmark who make every bodypanel and part you can dream of at good prices for that kids car. I am also guessing that it wasn't the nicest car otherwise a kid would not have been driving it(if so I hate him) also that mustang is a much heavier car that is made of old fashioned steel so I am pretty shure it dished out more damage than it recieved. BtW 69-70 mustang coupes are worth less than 64 1/2-66 and 67-68, now if it was a fastback(FE car) or a mach1/boss then your are looking toward paying out the ass.

The mustang was a beater to start with (and a coupe, yuck), so no real loss there. He only needs a new hood, bumper, grille, one fender extension, and a radiator. All bolt-on items that can be had inexpensively. It would have been driveable, except the radiator broke on impact. It doesn't look too bad and will be an easy fix.

The problem (for me) is that his bumper went UNDER mine and took out the valance and tire well, while the hood took out my tail light panel and quarter panel. My bumper was not damaged, except for two circular imprints from the inner headlights. If the bumpers would have matched up the damage would have been significantly less.

[moatilliatta]

what a S.O.B.

[Alecs MacDonald]

4 wheel drum brakes FTL. Sorry about your loss.

[imsotyerred]

this is a good opportunity to learn how to do your own sheetmetal work though. sue the fucker and then spend your time fixing the shit yourself!

[E30 Wagen]

Dang, that sux.

That isn't worth fixing, definately looks totalled.

On a 325iS like that, I think it's worth fixing. I bet there have been e30's damaged worse than that that have been repaired. If there's no structural damage, and the rest of car is in great shape, I say get her fixed. Plastic bumper swap For The Win.

The car is only a total at some downtown body shop charging insurance company rates. Two body pulls on a frame machine and a used taillight - the rest is sheet metal repair and paint. A rebuilder could turn that car for $1250.

If you want to find a car just like yours again, I doubt one will be found for $3000, much less $2000. Not a 325iS like that anyway. Think abou tit.

[Eliminator]

Think abou tit.

OK. :)

[Eliminator]

Dang, that sux.


On a 325iS like that, I think it's worth fixing. I bet there have been e30's damaged worse than that that have been repaired. If there's no structural damage, and the rest of car is in great shape, I say get her fixed. Plastic bumper swap For The Win.

If you want to find a car just like yours again, I doubt one will be found for $3000, much less $2000. Not a 325iS like that anyway. Think abou tit.

I think you're right. It is difficult to find a clean iS that hasn't been beat on or poorly re-painted. That's why I ended up with a Bronzit automatic. I'd rather have a silver or grey 5-speed with black interior, but then so would everyone else. Also, mine had a number of things wrong and lots of deferred maintenance, so it was much cheaper than average initially. My total investment is more like 3500-4000 to get it 100% functional and reliable.

[yozsi]

i smell a track car...... hook that som' bitch up to a pole and pull er out.

[Eliminator]

The car is only a total at some downtown body shop charging insurance company rates. Two body pulls on a frame machine and a used taillight - the rest is sheet metal repair and paint. A rebuilder could turn that car for $1250. It's only worth it if the mileage is low and the car is clean with good interior. Hope you don't get a sharp adjuster that asks how long you owned the car and what you paid for it. That's the "actual cash value" of the car right there. Unfortunately maintanence doesn't increase the value of a 15-20 year old car, it only keeps it from losing value because it needs repairs. You should swap out the shocks and springs if you let the car go.

I don't think so. 1250 won't even get you a decent paint job, let alone body repairs. I took the car to several shops and the consensus is around 4500.

I've been looking around for comparable cars and am not finding much. By comparable, I mean an 88 or 89 iS, original metallic paint, no history of crash damage, every system 100% functional, no cracks in dash, etc... The nearest one I've found that might be comparable is 200 miles away and $4700. However the only way to know for sure that it's a comparable car is to inspect it personally.

I'm going to present this argument to the adjuster and push for my car getting repaired, plus compensation for mental anguish, lost work, and general inconvenience.

Has anyone else gone through this? Does this approach seem reasonable? What do you think my odds are?

Thanks,

-Steve

[golde30]

yah that sucks rite there....rear 1/4panel damage totalled out my old '90 bronzit sedan.

as for the ppl who think it can be repaired for under 3K...this is CA, body shops are a bitch, u cant even get a decent paint job for under 2K...

[fazio8118]

I got in a wreck a few months ago in my 90 325is. The insurace company came out to look at the damage and said it was 3/4 the value of the car. They said they would NOT give me a salvaged title, give me $4500 for my car, and let me buy it back for $350. They said they didnt want to start fixing it and find out the damage was worse than they thought and have to pay more than the car was worth.

It was all front end damage and i was able to repair the car as good as new w/ junk yard parts that ended up costing me a total of $300 (hood, fender, bumber, headlights ect). That left me w $3850 for mods. Needless to say i am glad i got in a wreck.

If i were u i would try to buy the car back if they do total it for atleast a parts car or something.

[Eliminator]

This just in......

The adjuster says BB value is 3735. Total repair costs are estimated at $5800. BUT! She told me that if there were any repairs in the last few months I can send her reciepts and they will add that to the value of the car. This is great news because I have at least 2500 in repairs in the car. I'm in the process of figuring it out now...

There is a chance it will get fixed.

[Eliminator]

Well, I added up all the parts AND labor I've put into the car and came up with a total of $4500. This is with book labor at $80 an hour. Sent it to the adjuster and they ignored it. They gave me an offer of $2500 and I keep the car. I told them that wasn't even close to the value of my car and they will need to try again. The really bogus part is that they found some 10-week old classified ads and estimated the value from that. There were no photos to look at, no way to judge the condition of those cars, and they aren't even for sale anymore. Bastards.

I found the following cars that are relatively comparable to mine:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...1&aff=national

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=71910

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=71567

Of course I don't have aftermarket wheels and my paint isn't as shiny, but those are relatively minor, IMO. I sent these links to the adjuster and am waiting to hear back. Needless to say I'm pretty pissed off about the whole situation. If I don't get a respectable offer by the end of the week I will be hiring a lawyer.

[DEV0 E30]

Good luck man.

A smart adjuster knows the KBB price for a car isn't always market price. He searched for cars no higher than KBB (around $2500 for our cars) I bet.

[onaquest]

if its a 'write off' take the doh and buy a 88+ e30 :D