wrecked 135i, seeking advice/opinions.

[Venoml2k]

whats up guys. I dont post much, but Ive been on here just before i got my 135i which helped my decision to buy it.

A few days ago I was rear ended pretty bad, and as the emotions of seeing my car wrecked have passed i'm now left with a bit of confusion about what to do. the insurance company hasn't decided on whether its totaled or repairable. The adjuster was approximating close to 10k damage, said it might be more depending on repair facility which my cause it to be totalled.

Basically is the car worth fixing or just selling for parts and getting another? What would some of you more knowledgeable guys advise on?

its a 2012 135i msport dct just under 57k downpipe, fmic, and i pulled the other mods off already. just waiting on those since they take a bit longer to remove.

Thanks in advance!

[Matticus91]

Kinda hard to say without knowing the decision from insurance, and how bad the damage actually is. If they say it's totalled then you don't have a choice really. Unless you want to keep it and take the cash and do the work yourself for an opportunity to mod but that means you're on your own and out of a car for some time.

Otherwise if it's repairable there's not much reason to worry just make sure the work is done by a very reputable shop.

Flip side, if there's permanent damage then you're better off taking the cash and finding another.

I lost my first 1er to a flood and had a similar decision to make. Decided to take the payout and get another since the effort to part out is pretty high and takes a long time.

[Ric in RVA]

Lost my 128 when it was totaled. Little body damage...lots of airbags (and thus interior damage).

They will total it around 70% of its value. So check NADAGUIDES.COM and figure out the ballpark.

That car should be worth enough it may not get totaled.

You must go after the negligent party for diminished value. Your cars trade in value and sale value have just plummeted if it is repaired and not totaled.

The negligent party owes you compensation to account for this.

The above is generic insurance advice....check with an agent in your state.

Insurance geek for going on 26 years......

[Tommm]

Go for the total. Start fresh. Getting the diminution of value from the other side is an uphill battle. Your collision policy probably has an exception, his adjuster will pay for the repairs, and anything more is probably out of his pay grade. Good luck.

Your post is a bit confusing. "Sell for parts..." If they total it you don't get the parts, you get the check, they get the car.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Tommm

Go for the total. Start fresh. Getting the diminution of value from the other side is an uphill battle. Your collision policy probably has an exception, his adjuster will pay for the repairs, and anything more is probably out of his pay grade. Good luck.

Your post is a bit confusing. "Sell for parts..." If they total it you don't get the parts, you get the check, they get the car.

You can choose to keep the car and get the value of the repair in cash in some cases

[mr.fabulous]

Get it fixed and you will be driving that car into the ground (it will have crap resale value and you will be stuck with it)

Sorry for your loss, money matters but it really is just a car.

[Tommm]

Originally Posted by Tommm

Go for the total. Start fresh. Getting the diminution of value from the other side is an uphill battle. Your collision policy probably has an exception, his adjuster will pay for the repairs, and anything more is probably out of his pay grade. Good luck.

Your post is a bit confusing. "Sell for parts..." If they total it you don't get the parts, you get the check, they get the car.

Originally Posted by Matticus91

You can choose to keep the car and get the value of the repair in cash in some cases

I assumed either the OP doesn't want to take a check for ten grand and hope to get the rest of his money parting out the car or, there is a loan on the car, in which case, the insurance company would cut the check to him and the body shop. The body shop usually doesn't get the check until the work is done.

If the OP paid cash for the car, the check is cut to him to do with as he pleases if not totaled.

There are enough threads on the interwebz that discuss salvage titles, etc.

It's situations like this when leasing comes in handy.

[Venoml2k]

thanks for all the replies and advice guys.
yes, the car is owned outright.
if i wasnt to clear about taking the check and parting out the car, what i meant was taking the repair check, but not repairing and instead parting the car out.
i typically wouldnt mind a repaired car when parts are changed, but in this case the rear quarter panels are bent, and they wouldnt be changed, but instead repaired.

[tock172]

$10k in damage? It's totaled. Listen to their first offer, negotiate for something a bit higher, take the check and start fresh. Of the 8 BMWs I've owned, I wrecked (totaled) two of them.

Purely out of curiosity, who's insurance provider did you file the claim under, yours or the other guy's?

[Tommm]

Originally Posted by Venoml2k

thanks for all the replies and advice guys.
yes, the car is owned outright.
if i wasnt to clear about taking the check and parting out the car, what i meant was taking the repair check, but not repairing and instead parting the car out.
i typically wouldnt mind a repaired car when parts are changed, but in this case the rear quarter panels are bent, and they wouldnt be changed, but instead repaired.

If you are going down that route, start crunching numbers before you take anything apart.

If you want to part the car, you will be ahead of the game if they total the car and you buy the wreck. The salvage title wont matter. When my 540i 6M was totaled by the guy who sideswiped it, the buyout was $400.

I bought it back for the $400, and could have sold the wheels and tires for that. The 79k 8cyl powertrain was worth a few grand, and I could have sold the whole car for just the value of the powertrain and walked away happy. Instead, I sold the car for $400 to a friend who fixed it and is enjoying it.

If I got just the check for the damage it wouldn't have been worth it financially.

Edit: Another thing, if you get the check, and decide to part it out, and find hidden damage you are screwed. Unlikely, but parts you thought you could sell are no good. If it was in the shop, it isn't your problem. Hope it is totaled, buy it for salvage if cheap enough and part it out if you want. If just a check, get it fixed and dump it if its that damaged.

[glendo]

Use logic over emotion. If jts going to cost time, money or inconvenience is it worth it?

[jlc45]

$10,000 damage to the rear end is quite a lot of damage. These cars are meant to crumple on the front and withstand damage at the back. I have seen a few examples to verify this. Our former Camry was rear ended by a Ford police car and showed no damage whatsoever. My Integra was rear ended by a Dodge when the highway traffic came to a standstill and after I cleaned the Dodge's paint off my car there was no real damage. So yours sounds like a disaster (sorry) if the estimate is accurate. Does your insurance not offer replacement cost remuneration? Bummer, man.