[champignon]

You would not want to have had the car fixed when it comes time to sell it or trade it in. The Carfax and similar services would show the major accident and airbag deployments. Can't speak for anyone else here, but not only would I not buy a used/vintage car with a branded (e.g. Salvage, Rebuilt, etc.) title, but also would not buy a car that had been in a serious accident. Any airbag deployment for me would mean an accident serious enough that I would not buy your car. You will find that many people, probably the majority of used car buyers who bother to actually get a Carfax or similar report, and who read it, will avoid a car that has had airbag deployments in an accident.

I have bought several used/vintage cars in the last year including 2 from the 1-series (1M and 135i). Assuming you want to stay with a 1-Series, you are going to have to cast a wide net and be a little bit flexible about exactly what you will buy to replace your former car. I would forget about trying to buy exactly what you lost, e.g. same color, same mileage, same remaining warranty, etc. Instead, take a step back and try to decide on what you really want, NOW, not what you wanted when you bought the now totaled car 2 years ago. Granted, you may need to go through the exercise of finding similar cars for valuation purposes to present to the insurance company, but once you have your settlement negotiated, you can buy a Yugo for all they care with the proceeds.

Make a list, what kind of transmission, what color(s), would you consider a 135i instead of a 128i, what year(s), what options, leather necessary?, etc. etc. etc. What is your budget now, with the insurance settlement in hand, your other funds, your ability to borrow, etc?

Then start looking on Craigslist, Autotrader, Cargurus, cars.com, carmax, and any other website you can think of, if you have decided that you want to more or less replace your 1-series with another one. I would forget about the idea of replacing like for like with zero impact plus or minus on your financial situation. That is simply not going to happen, especially if you are looking for something very specific that probably is not going to be available to you locally unless your tastes are extremely generic. Accept the fact that you likely will be out transportation costs for the vehicle at the very least.

Or, perhaps you will decide instead that this is the time to get something else, either used or new, either BMW or other, then cast a wide net and buy whatever it is that you want to buy now, not 2 years ago.

Good luck.