'91 535i rearended, Anyone interested?

[Unregistered]

On 2/25/04 my cherished '91 535i was rearended. Even though it wasn't my fault I am still fighting with the insurance companies over the value and what to do. I may have resolution this week. More to come on this diaster later and why the consumer and BMW owners stand to be ripped off, at least by Safeco and State Farm.

In the meantime I will be able to purchase the car for salvage and wanted to see if anyone is interested. Details: 1991 535i, black over gray, 95,000 miles, second owner, excellent condition, very clean, good maintenance rearend damaged (at least $8,000 by insurance), everything else including drivetrain in excellent shape. Asking $2,100. Car is located in Kansas City.

If you have any interest, E-mail me at Poliver@kc.rr.com.

Thanks,

Pat

[sbcncsu]

There was someone on here looking for parts to convert and Auto to Manual...

[Unregistered]

On 2/25/04 my cherished '91 535i was rearended. Even though it wasn't my fault I am still fighting with the insurance companies over the value and what to do. I may have resolution this week. More to come on this diaster later and why the consumer and BMW owners stand to be ripped off, at least by Safeco and State Farm.

In the meantime I will be able to purchase the car for salvage and wanted to see if anyone is interested. Details: 1991 535i, black over gray, 95,000 miles, second owner, excellent condition, very clean, good maintenance rearend damaged (at least $8,000 by insurance), everything else including drivetrain in excellent shape. Asking $2,100. Car is located in Kansas City.

If you have any interest, E-mail me at Poliver@kc.rr.com.

Thanks,

Pat

[Bob Gardner]

if it is a 5-speed manual tranny for the e34 535i, i would be DELIGHTED to buy it off your hands. *tents fingers in anticipation*

[Robin-535im]

First - My 3/91 535im was totaled a few weeks ago with front end damage. Maybe we should cut our cars down the middle and weld them together to make one good and one bad car.

My advice with the insurance company: be pleasantly persistant. Make yourself 100% knowledgeable about the market value of your car. There are two types of BMW - those owned by normal people and those owned by enthusiasts. Your car is probably an enthusiast car, and will command a higher market price.

Now the insurance company won't listen to this per se, but it gives you a rational starting point about how much it will cost to replace your car. Make friends with the adjusters on both sides, in cases like this you have very little power other than the chance of making the adjusters want to help you out. Be nice, be friendly, and keep at them until they find a way to get you more for your car. Here's a tip: if you didn't take advantage of a rental car while your car was in the process of being settled, you may be entitled to a $500 "loss-of-use" credit. Ask about it if you talk to the adjuster.

Ultimately they will call you and say "we think your car is worth $7300" and you will have to work with the adjuster and his/her manager to find a way to bump that up. They can do that, but they don't have to - if you're friends with the person making the decisions it can earn you an extra $1000 when it comes to the payout.

That's my two cents, and I just went through the exact situation. Progressive upped their initial offering of $7500 to $8500 because I was a nice guy who wouldn't let them off the phone until we came to an agreeable value.

HTH.

Robin
'91 535im (RIP)

[Unregistered]

Thanks, I appreciate your advice.

I actually had a CCC apprasial that was $1,600 more than the State Farm offer, I tried to negotiate but the adjuster just would not listen. I also understand that State Farm is very difficult to deal with in these situations. I now have it with the Kansas Insurance Commission office trying to settle it and State Farm has said that they will reopen the file.

The rest of the story is I bought a '98 540i to replace it. Less than 2 weeks after I bought it, my wife was rearended, on the the same street, but 3 miles away. It is being repaired for about $4,000. Lately, I've learned more about insurance companies than I ever wanted to.

First - My 3/91 535im was totaled a few weeks ago with front end damage. Maybe we should cut our cars down the middle and weld them together to make one good and one bad car.

My advice with the insurance company: be pleasantly persistant. Make yourself 100% knowledgeable about the market value of your car. There are two types of BMW - those owned by normal people and those owned by enthusiasts. Your car is probably an enthusiast car, and will command a higher market price.

Now the insurance company won't listen to this per se, but it gives you a rational starting point about how much it will cost to replace your car. Make friends with the adjusters on both sides, in cases like this you have very little power other than the chance of making the adjusters want to help you out. Be nice, be friendly, and keep at them until they find a way to get you more for your car. Here's a tip: if you didn't take advantage of a rental car while your car was in the process of being settled, you may be entitled to a $500 "loss-of-use" credit. Ask about it if you talk to the adjuster.

Ultimately they will call you and say "we think your car is worth $7300" and you will have to work with the adjuster and his/her manager to find a way to bump that up. They can do that, but they don't have to - if you're friends with the person making the decisions it can earn you an extra $1000 when it comes to the payout.

That's my two cents, and I just went through the exact situation. Progressive upped their initial offering of $7500 to $8500 because I was a nice guy who wouldn't let them off the phone until we came to an agreeable value.

HTH.

Robin
'91 535im (RIP)