Does anybody have info on this car?

[tskouros]

I just won the auction on this car and want to get some history before I go to pick it up. Seller says that there was no frame damage, only minor suspension and airbags. Can't figure out why the insurance would total it out. I asked for "before" pictures and haven't received them yet. He said that he can finish the car, install bags and new seatbelt for $1300. Did I get a good deal on this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...#ht_500wt_1182

[1MSPEEDY]

Just a thought but you may want to call BMW with the VIN# in hand and check to make sure there is still a valid warranty. If the car was written off by an Insurance Co. the chances are that the warranty is no longer valid.

[PunjabiM3]

Good luck!

[b33g33]

Is His Caps-lock Key Broken?

Why Would A Car Have A Salvage Title From A Minor Fender Bender As He Claims?

I Smell Salmon.

$35.9 is a pretty righteous price if the car isn't totally fubared.

[tuco44]

Little late for the question, isn't it??

[b33g33]

Originally Posted by tuco44

Little late for the question, isn't it??

Jump. Look.

Yep, you're right. That is bass-ackward.

However, it's probably likely he wanted to jump on the deal before it was gone.

[Blue55]

Airbags and a new seatbelt for $1,300 seems unbelievably inexpensive. Why is the seatbelt damaged or missing unless it was some kind of side-impact collision?

[deepsunzhine]

i smell ....... robbery?

[LukeM3]

I spoke with him, and he bought it wrecked, he fixed it. The warranty will NOT apply!!!! due to it's salvage title, nor will you get any of the "free" maintenance that's supposed to come with it. The minute it's salvaged BMW won't touch it. I know this because I spoke with a BMW dealer prior to bidding on it. So now it has a 3rd owner. The ad made it sound like it was a personal car, but it looks more like it was bought to flip for a profit.

[RaptorKTM]

Why would you purchase a car prior to researching these issues. You can get a lot of options for 35k, not sure a salvage 1 M was the right decision. Also I would be very leery of taking someones word on why something is salvage, id have the car looked at by a non related 3rd party and have them inspect the vehicle. There are many many other ways to go about this but they are all things that really should have been done prior to purchase.

[tkbr0wn]

Im pretty sure you cant replace airbags for $1300. And it would have had to had more than airbag deployments to be totaled by insurance. It took over 25k in damages to total my E92 M3 that was worth about 52 at the time of accident.

[Artemis]

VIN = WBSUR9C5XBVP76203

No info about this 1M via VIN checker (http://www.getvin.com/index.php).

However Carfax can make available a report with 9 history records regarding this particular 1M. $39.99 for getting that Carfax report via this link: https://secure.carfax.com/creditCard...erName=&subId=

Hopefully all's rather OK for you.

And next time: "Reculez pour mieux sauter" ("Step backwards in order to jump better" or, more generally, first move a bit back to prepare/achieve a better jump).

[tkbr0wn]

I'm also just guessing that he is going to want the $1300 "up front" to finish the car off for you.... Wonder what will happen with that???

[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

[tkbr0wn]

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

Why do insurance companies say that air-bag deployment is major contributor to totaling a car? I was always told it was like $5000 for airbag replacement. I really don't know, asking an honest question...

[tskouros]

So to answer the questions. I have been looking for a 1M and thought it was a good deal for a salvage. Found through CarFax that the car was purchased at Shelley BMW and was totaled out 45 days later. Apparently the car hit a curb at high speed. No frame damage and $6k worth of parts and the car was ok (car needed 2 wheels, Paint only on the bumper cover, and left side control arms + misc.). Seller bought the car to convert it to a race car, but the club guidelines wouldn't allow him to run the car in the class he wanted. He is selling the car without the seatbelt and airbags, but can put them in if I want him to at his cost $1350). I had a friend go look at it and it looks legit. 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.
I was reaching out because I am flying to GA to pick it up and wanted to know from the knowledgable forum members if they may know the previous owner from SoCal, or the story to see if what I've researched/been told, is true. I can get out of the deal otherwise, as the seller feels he sold it too low and would be more than happy to re-list the car.
Any info would be appreciated.

[ESC OFF]

OP: scary first post, hopefully you didn't get taken on this deal.

Best of luck!

[///M1]

For a second, thought it might be this car (salvaged), but the VIN is different (not by a whole lot LOL)

http://www.skymotorcars.com/web/used...vania/1130900/

Discussed here:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...hlight=salvage

PS: Speaking of Glassoman, maybe you should consider contracting his services to come down with you and ensure repair was done to proper spec. A lot of money to be spent on something that may be far removed from road legalized status.

[tskouros]

Yeah, I thought about that, or having somebody else from the forum in GA do it for me. I found out who the body shop was in Orange County, CA that got the car when it was crashed and worked with the insurance company. Waiting for a response. Thanks for your help.

[rps1m]

Maybe I can provide some helpful insight. I actually went down to Marietta(where the car is located - I live a little over an hours drive north) and saw the car in the metal and drove it. I actually owned a VO 1M for 3 months until something came up and I was forced to sale it. This car did not drive any differently from the one I bought new from the dealer. Visibly, the car looked and drove as one that had never been involved in any kind of accident. I was set on buying the car and had put a refundable $500 deposit down on the car on Monday. However, the next day after calling multiple banks/credit unions I could not find one who was willing to finance a car with a salvage title and had to back out on the deal. Had I been able to secure a loan I would have no doubt bought the car. With all that said, I think you are getting a great deal on a car with minor damage (no damage at all to the engine or any of the other major mechanical parts/systems) and less than 2000 miles on the odometer to boot. Just out of curiosity, are you financing this car or paying cash for it? If you indeed are financing it, how on earth were you able to secure a loan for a car with a salvage title. As stated above, if I could have secured a loan for this car it would without a doubt be sitting in my garage as I am typing this post. Hope this helps.

[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.

[flzrider]

OP, have you asked for pictures of the car prior to repair? You can then get a rough estimate of the extent of the damage. Plus, I'm sure you will be asked for the same if you ever try to sell it in the future.