[jimmyfloyd]

Couple thoughts on this:

1) The insurance will pay the CU first, since they are the lein holder, but you should still be able to come up with a Buy Back figure from the insurance company. You may have to pay that out of pocket though. Or, you may have to work out something with your CU. Going to be harder, since you've already mentioned they will take a hit from GAP insurance on the difference. I would talk to your agent and ask if they have a buy back figure.

2) Some insurance companies don't give salvage titles on vehicles bought back from original owners if the car is over 10 yrs old.

3) If not provided, ask for the list of comps used for the valuation of your car. Review them for differences from yours (major). I would guess they will be Automatics as stated. Push back with this. While at it, Email BMW NA and ask if they have sales figures for 3 series wagons with a manual in your year. You probably won't get anywhere, but who knows.

4) Find the closest 4-5 wagons that meet the remaining requirements. Try to use other sites besides BaT, as while it is a good enthusiast site, it is not seen as such to an insurer. Look for Autotrader, Cars.com, etc. Maybe some other clean, similar mileage manuals will pop up for sale within 150 miles from you. Then submit those as the closest ones to you.


Good Luck. As stated, don't sign anything until you are happy with the outcome. Read up on insurer's rights too.

[jimmyfloyd]

To help, here is a 2011 328ix 6-speed with 69k on it in Buffalo, NY, which isn't too far from you.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...6197/overview/

Here is the Dealer Website: https://www.westherr.com/used/BMW/20...b46cd5548d.htm

FYI, that was the only one on Auto Trader or cars.com in the country (the remainder listed as manual were automatics that people think Manuamatic mode is the same as manual)

Also, take screen shots and record the information for future reference if needed.

[Igor_M5]

In that case let it go off to auction, but before it does, take off the intake manifold, don't put anything on it so the engine bay looks like it got stripped or something serious is missing, it'll turn away a ton of buyers, and you'll be able to buy your car back for cheap! I'd also recommend removing the airbag, and don't put the bumper back on, just stuff all the parts in the back so the damage in the front is clearly visible. It'll be about a month before the auction goes live due to the time it takes the CU to mail the title to the auction house.

I can help you out with the bidding if you don't know anybody with a dealer license / Copart or IAAI account.

[RNByrd3]

Just dropped it off at the local BMW Certified Collision Center. They're going to work it in sometime this coming week to give me an estimate.

[RNByrd3]

Unfortunately the BMW certified collision center agrees with the original estimate, and tells me that the rail would indeed need to be replaced, not repaired.
The only way I'm saving this thing now is if I can get them to value the car for more than what they are valuing it now. I'm still waiting to hear back about the "comps" that they are supposed to be finding me.

[E91WAG3N]

Sorry to hear. Hopefully things workout on the payout side of it all and you are able to start fresh on a hunt for another one without losing money on it.

You’re probably better off in the long run with a clean slate. 2 repairs, both fairly major, would significantly hurt the value of the car if you were able to keep it, repair it, the decided to move on from it someday. I had a similar experience with an e36 and ended up dumping it cheap.

Might be worth the buyback to part out if you’re DIY savvy and have garage space. The interior alone is worth it. It’d really spruce up my black car!

[RNByrd3]

Originally Posted by E91WAG3N

Sorry to hear. Hopefully things workout on the payout side of it all and you are able to start fresh on a hunt for another one without losing money on it.

You’re probably better off in the long run with a clean slate. 2 repairs, both fairly major, would significantly hurt the value of the car if you were able to keep it, repair it, the decided to move on from it someday. I had a similar experience with an e36 and ended up dumping it cheap.

Might be worth the buyback to part out if you’re DIY savvy and have garage space. The interior alone is worth it. It’d really spruce up my black car!

If I have to move on to another vehicle, I'd likely move to an F31. It's very unlikely that I'll find another manual E91 that I like, and if I have to drive an auto transmission car (ugh!), I may as well go with the F-series wagon.
To be continued.

[bsmoov]

Originally Posted by RNByrd3

Unfortunately the BMW certified collision center agrees with the original estimate, and tells me that the rail would indeed need to be replaced, not repaired.
The only way I'm saving this thing now is if I can get them to value the car for more than what they are valuing it now. I'm still waiting to hear back about the "comps" that they are supposed to be finding me.

As you know I’m going through a similar situation and the valuation company is the same report as yours.

I fought the first one and adamantly told them they need to compare with manual wagons and they said give them a week and they’ll work on it. Fast forward to today and the new valuation came back with 3 more automatic comparables. What the hell are they doing there? I just emailed them back and told them I gave them 4 comparables that met all their criteria and they’re not using it. They don’t have to use them, but at least have your new comparables with manual transmissions. I’m waiting again now.

What did they say about your manual situation and how many reports have they given you as of now? I’m on my third report because they think I’m dumb and don’t see that the other comparables they’re giving are all automatic transmissions.

[RNByrd3]

Originally Posted by bsmoov

As you know I’m going through a similar situation and the valuation company is the same report as yours.

I fought the first one and adamantly told them they need to compare with manual wagons and they said give them a week and they’ll work on it. Fast forward to today and the new valuation came back with 3 more automatic comparables. What the hell are they doing there? I just emailed them back and told them I gave them 4 comparables that met all their criteria and they’re not using it. They don’t have to use them, but at least have your new comparables with manual transmissions. I’m waiting again now.

What did they say about your manual situation and how many reports have they given you as of now? I’m on my third report because they think I’m dumb and don’t see that the other comparables they’re giving are all automatic transmissions.

I received a total of two "comps" lists so far. I pointed out, to my insurance company, that the first list was comprised of all auto wagons, so they said they'd go back to CCC (the appraisal company) and get acceptable comps. Fast forward an hour or so later, and my insurance company send me a "new comp list". It was the SAME EXACT cars as the first list. So I pointed this out. The insurance company says that they'll personally reach out to CCC and explain the situation and get me "acceptable comps". I thanked them and wished them luck (I know for a fact that they will not be able to find any 2011 328xi wagons within a 100 mile radius of me, which is what they are saying is their criteria). This was November 26th. I just now, today, emailed to find out what was going on with the comps. They've yet to respond.
This is by far, the worst experience with an insurance company that I've ever had. Kemper Preferred is the company, by the way (though I certainly do not prefer them!).

[RNByrd3]

Originally Posted by E91WAG3N

Sorry to hear. Hopefully things workout on the payout side of it all and you are able to start fresh on a hunt for another one without losing money on it.

You’re probably better off in the long run with a clean slate. 2 repairs, both fairly major, would significantly hurt the value of the car if you were able to keep it, repair it, the decided to move on from it someday. I had a similar experience with an e36 and ended up dumping it cheap.

Might be worth the buyback to part out if you’re DIY savvy and have garage space. The interior alone is worth it. It’d really spruce up my black car!

Looks like the insurance company is determined that it's a total loss, even if that means paying me quite a bit more than it would cost to fix the car. This makes no sense to me, but it doesn't seem there's much I can do about it.
Now the game is getting them to pay me as much as possible. They tell me I can buy it back for $1,845.00, which I'd like to do if the credit union will allow me to. I owe right around $15,000 on it to the credit union, so I'd have to get the insurance company to pay me around $17,000 total, or get the CU to agree to allow me to pay the $1,845 to them.
I'm thinking that I'll keep the car and maybe swap everything out into another wagon that's in good shape. Any idea what an engine and transmission swap would cost me? That's about the only work I couldn't do on my own.

[Serf27]

So you could buy it back, get the debt paid off then take it to get it fixed elsewhere.
It would cost less to fix it than buying another one and swapping all the parts/paying someone to swap the parts.

[RNByrd3]

Originally Posted by Serf27

So you could buy it back, get the debt paid off then take it to get it fixed elsewhere.
It would cost less to fix it than buying another one and swapping all the parts/paying someone to swap the parts.

True, and I've been thinking about going that route. My only concern with that is the fact that it will be a salvage title and apparently you have to go through quite a number of headaches in order to obtain a PA rebuilt title. Then I'm told it's not easy to find an insurance company to insure rebuilt title cars.
And it would be easier for me to obtain a car loan than to get a loan to repair the car. I'm not sure I could obtain an unsecured loan for the amount I'd need for the repair...
I've never been through any of this, so all my information is just second hand. As usual, your thoughts and experiences are much appreciated.

[Serf27]

It would be a personal loan you would need to get I’m guessing.

Looks like in PA, to re-register it, you need to fill out a form, MV246B. Also you need to document all the repairs with photos and receipts, minimum of 4 photos.
Doesn’t seem like a lot of registration work.

I’ve too heard you can’t insure them but I’ve never seen that happen first hand!

Call your dmv and insurance company to really find out. Or just buy another e91 if it seems like too much work.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by RNByrd3

True, and I've been thinking about going that route. My only concern with that is the fact that it will be a salvage title and apparently you have to go through quite a number of headaches in order to obtain a PA rebuilt title. Then I'm told it's not easy to find an insurance company to insure rebuilt title cars.
And it would be easier for me to obtain a car loan than to get a loan to repair the car. I'm not sure I could obtain an unsecured loan for the amount I'd need for the repair...
I've never been through any of this, so all my information is just second hand. As usual, your thoughts and experiences are much appreciated.

I've been through this with my E90 in Virginia. First, go to the PA DMV site and research what it takes to get the car titled if it has been assessed as a total loss by the insurance company. Read the fine print and then call the DMV and speak to the staff in the (salvage) title department. For instance, in Virginia, a car that is over 5 years old and less than $10K in value does not need a salvage title. I did not find out this fact until after I rebuilt the car, to my appreciative surprise. If you have the car professionally repaired, you most likely can forgo the pictures and inspections, etc.

As far as insurance goes, and it may be state dependent, but you can have the care fully insured once it has been professionally repaired. All you need to do is ask your insurance agent. If you go the route of repairing the car yourself, than that is a different situation, but professionally repaired by a commercial collision center, makes it easy. All you are doing is personally supplementing the repair costs.

My rebuilt car is fully insured. My car was totaled 35,000 miles ago by a deer strike at 350,000 miles. The repair cost was about $5K, which I had to pay $900 out of pocket.

I still think your car can be repaired with a partial frame rail and/or pulling of the frame back to spec. In 2019, any E90 with typical mileage (over 100,000 by now) that takes any type of front end hit, even minor, if an HID headlight or two is damaged, will probably total the car. That was my case. The headlights retail for $1,200.

[RNByrd3]

Good news!
I spoke with the bank who is my lien holder, and they said that my GAP insurance will cover any remainder after the insurance payout. I specifically asked them and it will even cover the buy-back amount and my deductible.
Now the game is getting the insurance to pay out as much as possible. I'm supposed to hear back from them tomorrow on a couple of comps that they claim are manual transmission wagons. I'd bet money that they'll be auto.

[Tcheb]

I just noticed this thread. I just bought a 2012 328i xdrive e91 with 6MT and 57K miles in Seattle, WA for $22K. Let me know if I can help

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by Serf27

It would be a personal loan you would need to get I’m guessing.

Looks like in PA, to re-register it, you need to fill out a form, MV246B. Also you need to document all the repairs with photos and receipts, minimum of 4 photos.
Doesn’t seem like a lot of registration work.

I’ve too heard you can’t insure them but I’ve never seen that happen first hand!

Call your dmv and insurance company to really find out. Or just buy another e91 if it seems like too much work.

Not sure if it's a "state by state" thing...or if it varies by insurance companies. I know my insurance company won't insure a Salvaged Title car as I have asked in the past.

Shame too as I had found some very nice cars that only needed a minimal amount of work to fix, but were totaled out due to replacements parts being so expensive.

[vilord]

One thing about buy-back, total, salvage titles, etc... if the insurance company deems the total value to be *below* a certain amount, it will not get a salvage brand, and you won't have any hoops to go through. Depends on the state and the insurance company.


When I was in an accident last winter in my 6MT E91 that looks like yours and a frame rail was slightly tweaked, I had another body shop (not the bmw certified pay us an arm and a leg place) check over the car, and they suggested that the frame bend was not significant enough to require frame repair.

I took the insurance money, bought the car back (no salvage brand), put on a new fender, bumper, and radiator support, got an alignment, and the car drove just fine for another year.

And it protected me quite well from the most recent crash (which impacted the same frame rail, but with a lot more force). I just bought a 2009 E91 auto, and I will likely swap in a low mileage 6MT in the spring... first I'll rip off all the parts needed for the swap from the carcass in my driveway.

[RNByrd3]

Originally Posted by vilord

One thing about buy-back, total, salvage titles, etc... if the insurance company deems the total value to be *below* a certain amount, it will not get a salvage brand, and you won't have any hoops to go through. Depends on the state and the insurance company.


When I was in an accident last winter in my 6MT E91 that looks like yours and a frame rail was slightly tweaked, I had another body shop (not the bmw certified pay us an arm and a leg place) check over the car, and they suggested that the frame bend was not significant enough to require frame repair.

I took the insurance money, bought the car back (no salvage brand), put on a new fender, bumper, and radiator support, got an alignment, and the car drove just fine for another year.

And it protected me quite well from the most recent crash (which impacted the same frame rail, but with a lot more force). I just bought a 2009 E91 auto, and I will likely swap in a low mileage 6MT in the spring... first I'll rip off all the parts needed for the swap from the carcass in my driveway.

How did your frame look when compared to mine?
I'd love to forgo the whole frame repair if possible.

The trouble is, in PA they'll require me to apply for a salvage title since the insurance company is deeming the car a total loss. From there I can obtain a rebuilt title after the car is repaired. This process entails filling out a bunch of paperwork and a few photos to show what was done to repair the car. It also involves an "enhanced inspection" at a designated enhanced inspection station. I'm including a screen shot of the requirements, as they seem quite vague to me. I'm going to have to call one of these inspection stations and see exactly what they would be looking for.

[Serf27]

It seems very simple and I don’t see all the paperwork needed that you’re mentioning???

To break all that down
Aesthetically, your car has to look oem.
Mechanically sound.
All airbags and seatbelts working.

Because the damage was in the front, make sure all the lights work and are properly lined up.

Paperwork: you need form MV-426B with “reconstructed” checked off.
Proof of insurance.
Proof of ownership.
Not sure if you have registration paperwork with your name on it, if not you may be able to keep your old title and show that?

Looks like the inspectors take photos.
I don’t see anything about you needing photos or receipts of the repair, but take some and save the receipts just in case.

As someone else said, I think those frame rails could be pulled back on a frame machine.

But first, you need to get the car back first

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by RNByrd3

How did your frame look when compared to mine?
I'd love to forgo the whole frame repair if possible.

The trouble is, in PA they'll require me to apply for a salvage title since the insurance company is deeming the car a total loss. From there I can obtain a rebuilt title after the car is repaired. This process entails filling out a bunch of paperwork and a few photos to show what was done to repair the car. It also involves an "enhanced inspection" at a designated enhanced inspection station. I'm including a screen shot of the requirements, as they seem quite vague to me. I'm going to have to call one of these inspection stations and see exactly what they would be looking for.

Virginia had similar requirements, all of which I reviewed and was prepared to go though. However, what I didn't read at first and what wasn't clear on the Virginia DMV website, is what deems a car needing a salvaged title. Virginia has changed the statutes in the last few years, which states that if the vehicle is over 5 model-years old or has a value of less than $10,000 and is determined as a total loss by the insurance company, then no salvage title is required. Like a suggested review the PA DMV site carefully and also call the title office to double check. I only found out because my insurance company never sent the salvage title. When I called to ask where the salvage title was, the insurance representative pointed me to the DMV statutes.

[vilord]

My insurance settlement agent finally answered my call. Apparently because my car had a total loss before, even though it was never issued a salvage title, it is still considered a salvage vehicle for the new value estimate.
I'm still waiting to see what that means for how much they'll pay me. I'm guessing they'll start by offering 1500 bucks and i'll have to fight back hard.