Does anybody have info on this car?

[tskouros]

flzrider: Yes. I've asked for pictures and they are being sent to me by both the guy who did the work in Georgia, and the body shop who dealt with the insurance company here in SoCal. I'm trying to be as thorough as possible so I can really know what happened (as much as any 3rd party can). If there was as little damage as stated, then why was it totalled. People have told me that if the airbags explode it's a total, etc. I just have a hard time seeing the numbers work that way. If the story is right, then the car became fully repaired after $7500 if you include the cost of the airbags, but no labor costs on any of it. And if they did total a car that shouldn't have been, then maybe I got the deal of the century.

[fourtailpipes]

if he did all the repairs, i still don't get why the seller wouldn't just fix the last few things and get it a rebuilt title before putting it on the market... he would no doubt net more profit that way.

...and taking a step back, why would an insurance company total it for a couple wheels and some suspension parts and airbags? either you're capitalizing on the ignorance of both the insurance company and the seller, or there's something else going on here. hope it's the former!

[pinmagic]

Originally Posted by tskouros

His story is that he was told that the 1st owner had the car and got replacement coverage within the 1st 6 months of ownership, so the insurance company had to total it out per his contract.

That's not my understanding of what replacement coverage means. Replacement coverage means that, if you DO total it, you're covered for the full cost of replacement. It does NOT mean that, if you have a minor accident, they have to give you a new car AND total a perfectly good car. If that were the case, a door ding would qualify you for a new car, and there would be tons of cars with door dings sitting in junk yards.

You may well have hit a great deal - I hope so - but this part of the story makes no sense at all.

[firechicken99]

subscribed...

[E821M]

Originally Posted by tskouros

rps1m, that is great insight. I am glad I got a deal and now am getting excited to actually go pick the thing up. I am paying cash for it. I just got done closing a bunch of deals and managed to get influx of cash, so this is what I'm buying as a present to myself. I'm actually going to try and fly out to pick up the car on August 30th, sprint over to Dallas to catch the Alabama v. Michigan game, and then try to make it back to LA by Monday afternoon. I figure that should allow me to really see what I got. Thanks for your help. It is much appreciated.

Your welcome. Anything to help a fellow forum member. I honestly can't figure out why the car would have a salvage title.

[Glassoman55]

instead of trying to get pictures of what was repaired , try to get your hands on a copy of the estimate that was written......see what the adjuster wrote.....

[Slats]

Originally Posted by rps1m

Your welcome. Anything to help a fellow forum member. I honestly can't figure out why the car would have a salvage title.

A damaged car has to be declared salvage if it falls within the parameters of the state's salvage title statute. Here is the definition of a salvage vehicle in Missouri:
_________

(52) "Salvage vehicle", a motor vehicle, semitrailer, or house trailer which:

(a) Was damaged during a year that is no more than six years after the manufacturer's model year designation for such vehicle to the extent that the total cost of repairs to rebuild or reconstruct the vehicle to its condition immediately before it was damaged for legal operation on the roads or highways exceeds eighty percent of the fair market value of the vehicle immediately preceding the time it was damaged;
___________

Your state likely has a similar statute, although it might now allow a high threshold of 80%, as above. I think most insurance companies use a 50-60% threshold for declaring a vehicle a total loss. In any event, no matter whether the threshold is as high as 80% or as low as 50%, you are still looking at major damage that, if not properly repaired, leaves a vehicle's safety in question.

I understand the argument for a high threshold, which is that the older the vehicle, the less damage it takes to push it over the salvage threshold. For example, my 1997 E36 M3 with over 200,000 miles on the clock would not have to sustain very much damage, relatively speaking, to get the cost of repair up to 80% of its value. However, with my 1m, it is a different story.

I have handled a lot of fraud cases involving rebuilt wrecks over the years and have seen some real death traps sold as cream puffs by dishonest car dealers. If not properly rebuilt, unibody vehicles do not have the same crashworthiness, that is they don't crumple on impact the way they were designed to do in order to reduce the risk of injury to the occupants. Additionally, shady rebuilders, to reduce costs and increase profit, often don't bother to replace the air bags (just Google "fake airbags" to see what I mean) and use substandard components.

This is not to say a salvage vehicle cannot be rebuilt back to factory specs. It can. The expert witness we use has enhanced credibility because he himself owns a properly rebuilt pickup. But his shorthand description for a bad rebuild job is a 30/30 - you can spot it from 30 feet away going by at 30 miles per hour.

You need to be very wary of anyone who offers a flimsy reason for why a vehicle has a salvage title. And don't think Carfax is going to protect you from buying a rebuilt wreck. It has holes big enough to drive a rebuilt dump truck through. I took the deposition of a Lexus dealership manager who testified that everyone in the car sales industry knows that Carfax is not reliable, for any number of reasons. I have handled several cases in which the selling dealer absolutely knew the vehicle was a rebuilt wreck, but also knew it had a clean Carfax and used the clean Carfax to sell the vehicle to the unsuspecting buyer.

Another case I handled involved a shady rebuilder who hooked up with an equally shady insurance adjuster, who would circumvent the salvage title law by getting the insured driver sign his title directly over to the rebuilder by offering a hefty salvage value payment to the insured from the extra money the rebuilder was paying for the clean title. So, presto, no salvage title in the chain of title, either in the state's records or on Carfax.

Now, before any hackles get raised, I am not attempting to cast any indirect aspersions on either Glassoman or M3 Adjuster.

In fact, it was refreshing to see Glassoman be so up front in posting the pictures of his rebuild process and getting to see what a proper rebuild job should entail.

Also, I had the pleasure of meeting M3 Adjuster at a DE at Heartland Park in Topeka this summer and he is a stand-up guy who my stepson says was an excellent instructor.

But there are disreputable people out to make a fast buck in every trade or profession (yes, I've heard, even lawyers). So it doesn't hurt to be made aware of some of the tricks of the trade.

[jvmax]

"maybe I got the deal of the century"

i guess you can say was it worth saving $25k if you ever try to sell it. as most people finance, that leaves out a large group of purchasers. Regarding insurance, i think some companies do not insure salvage vehicles? And any warranty / maintenance issues are not covered. But saving $25k upfront is nothing to sneeze at, enjoy!!

[tskouros]

I've managed to get hold of the adjuster, but she is telling me that the info is confidential. Any way to get it from her?

[///M1]

Originally Posted by tskouros

I've managed to get hold of the adjuster, but she is telling me that the info is confidential. Any way to get it from her?

Whatever happened with this? Did you go ahead with the purchase?

[cpsquare8]

Originally Posted by LukeM3

$1300 sounds right, using 2nd hand parts. The roof bags run about $200+- The module doesn't need changing. So that's unnecessary. But it needs to be cleared using a GT1 or an alternative diagnostic setup. It's the seat airbag that will cost the most $500+- and don't forget the cost of labor.
I just don't get why the seller didnt fix these small things considering what the car is worth salvage or otherwise
All the best and keep us posted

Assuming he buys the parts new or even finds them used I believe they need to be coded to the car via an update. For example I had an adapative headlight module fail - that took about 4 hours or so-and they connect to BMW to do it. The real question is if a dealer can do that work on a car with a salvage title?

[RobbyB1M]

i now own this car!! with 2,200 miles waiting for the summer to put it on the road

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by RobbyB1M

i now own this car!! with 2,200 miles waiting for the summer to put it on the road

Your 1M was born on June 22, 2011.

Type "VP76203" in the VIN Decoder http://www.bmwarchiv.de/vin/ to get the list featuring all the equipment specs of your 1M at the time of production.

[LukeM3]

Welcome RobbyB1M, are you the person trying to sell it for $42k on Craigslist?

[RobbyB1M]

yess i am it was worth a shot trying to make some money off it, got some good offer but just not good enough to let this one go. Shes getting ready for the summer ill post some pics of the interior carbon i did black and a little bit orange.

[RobbyB1M]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Your 1M was born on June 22, 2011.

Type "VP76203" in the VIN Decoder http://www.bmwarchiv.de/vin/ to get the list featuring all the equipment specs of your 1M at the time of production.

good to kno very cool

[RobbyB1M]

any other ways to post pics besides photobucket?

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by RobbyB1M

any other ways to post pics besides photobucket?

When drafting a comment, click "Go Advanced", then click the paperclip icon and subsequently upload the pictures you want to post. Finally, include the pictures in your comment by clicking the paperclip again (or "Manage Attachments" to add/remove pictures).

[0-60Motorsports]

Cars for sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-1-Series...US_Cars_Trucks

Looks pretty clean

[fireroasted]

The real story.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...0#post15049090

be ware.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by fireroasted

The real story.
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...0#post15049090
beware.

[M3 Adjuster]

looks like somebody owes someone an apology. Robby?