Cat D car?

[Stevesas12]

Hi guys,

What is your opinion on buying a Cat D (accident damage) 1M?

I've seen a white one with only 20k miles that was written off back in 2015, repaired by BMW (front wing, bumper, headlight) & is for sale 10k cheaper than if it was a non accident car?
If I get inspected and OK's by specialist is this worth considering?
Does it just mean that the car will always be worth 10k less than the market, or could it lose even more money in future?

Thanks

[nachob]

Originally Posted by Stevesas12

Hi guys,

What is your opinion on buying a Cat D (accident damage) 1M?

I've seen a white one with only 20k miles that was written off back in 2015, repaired by BMW (front wing, bumper, headlight) & is for sale 10k cheaper than if it was a non accident car?
If I get inspected and OK's by specialist is this worth considering?
Does it just mean that the car will always be worth 10k less than the market, or could it lose even more money in future?

Thanks

I think so. If it was fixed nicely and price is very good and you want to drive it then yes. There is something liberating about driving a 1M that has already been in an accident and you can just drive it a lot and enjoy it vs a garage queen that you stress more about. If you want it to collect then no it doesn't make sense but to drive yes. The only concern is that it would take a lot of damage to write off a 1M in 2015. Back then a car with 20k miles was worth about $50k. Most insurance companies will repair a car if damage is under 80% of value. So just rounding out it would've had about $40k in repairs to be written off. Let's say they undervalued the car at $45k and the insurance company totals at 65% of value. That's still $29,250 in damage. So just be sure to understand what the damage was.

[Stevesas12]

Originally Posted by nachob

I think so. If it was fixed nicely and price is very good and you want to drive it then yes. There is something liberating about driving a 1M that has already been in an accident and you can just drive it a lot and enjoy it vs a garage queen that you stress more about. If you want it to collect then no it doesn't make sense but to drive yes. The only concern is that it would take a lot of damage to write off a 1M in 2015. Back then a car with 20k miles was worth about $50k. Most insurance companies will repair a car if damage is under 80% of value. So just rounding out it would've had about $40k in repairs to be written off. Let's say they undervalued the car at $45k and the insurance company totals at 65% of value. That's still $29,250 in damage. So just be sure to understand what the damage was.

Thanks for confirming that, I did actually think that why would a 1m only a few years old be written off if it was minor damage. All the dealer said was it was front wing, bumper & headlight, but probably doesn't have any further details.
I hope maybe a BM specialist can look on ramps & see exactly what was done.

Thanks again.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by Stevesas12

Thanks for confirming that, I did actually think that why would a 1m only a few years old be written off if it was minor damage. All the dealer said was it was front wing, bumper & headlight, but probably doesn't have any further details.
I hope maybe a BM specialist can look on ramps & see exactly what was done.

Thanks again.

I wish M3Adjuster was still here since he was an insurance adjuster but I don't believe a 1M in 2015 would be written for minor damage. Just a wing, bumper and headlight? It makes no sense but then again little seems to make sense lately. We have a 1M registry search through it for the last five vin numbers and see if you can locate the original owner on here and try to instant message him. You might be able to get more info. Every single salvage car listed on craigslist says totalled for minor damage. As I said before even very conservatively, 65% of value at $45K that is still $29K of damage for an insurance company to total a car.

It's really about the price you pay for the car that matters but it already sounds fishy that they would total a car for a $1500 headlight, $1200 bumper and $1000 wing. I don't know any insurance company that would do that so I wouldn't put much weight on what they say at this point. But if the price is right, then it would be nice to have a nice 1M "driver."

[PRTSB1M]

I wouldn't do it. Either someone has committed insurance fraud or there is something seriously wrong with the car, in either case is not something I'd want to get involved in.

http://www.1mcoupebuyersguide.com/

[Baumbaum]

Originally Posted by Stevesas12

What is your opinion on buying a Cat D (accident damage) 1M?
Does it just mean that the car will always be worth 10k less than the market, or could it lose even more money in future?

I'd simply look at other cars, now that I know how much trouble it can cause. And the price drops drastically.
I bought my m235i 2 years ago and had issues trying to sell it afterwards because it was Cat D. A 2016 car with 6,000 miles. Though the repairs were well documented and the damage was minor.

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