Another Black Hawk Down...

Theres a 540 trunklid on eBay for $150, bumper $130

Having to deal a lot with insurance companies in the past, they will probably offer you half of what current market is. Never take the first offer!

My experience w/ the insurance claims officers was more favorable.
My adjuster use a 3rd party software to get the averages for allocating the pay off for a totaled car.
Nationwide (regarded as the WORST to get any money on a claim) showed me 4 pages pulled on comparables (10 cars totaled) w/in my state in a 4 month period. I have to tell you....what was offered to me on paper was more than what I saw my car being worth in the used car market. I was impressed. Thus I took t he deal on the 1st pass. i didn't accept this blindly, as I had done my homework. Don't know how, but I got the better end of the deal. no regrets.

I did a quick search on autotrader and pickings are slim in your area, especially if you want a stick.

If you do choose to buy another E39, I suggest you use your vast knowledge and experience with these machines to identify known issues and use this to negotiate a better price. If you can find a low mileage candidate some of your concerns related to suspension overhaul may be unfounded.

Good luck and glad you are OK.

Enjoy the hunt! It took me 6 months before I pulled the trigger.

1+,

I am stick man, sorry no slush box.
I looked at autotraders.com too, there are a few sticks around, mostly 2002 525i and 2003 530i.
But they are some 500-1000 miles away.

DHoang,

What website do you use for valuation: Kelley Blue Book vs NADA vs something else?
It looks like 1998 528i 5sp with 130K private value is $6200.

That's what I used, KBB, NADAGUIDE, EDMUNDS.

the adjuster beat those figures by $3k more!

Hey, Cam. here is a search for 530's

DHoang, what amount should I ask for from Ins Co.?
1998 528i 5sp with 130K miles.

Between $8500-$9250 would be a fair pay out considering all the work you put into the car.
Show them all your DIY and receipts. That'll shut them up if they even try to lowball you

PS, your car w/ SPP & moonroof back in '98 sold for $45k. There were NO price reductions below MSRP b/c they couldn't keep any 528i w/ manual & Sport PKG on the dealer's lot. Your car was a seriously desirable and hard to obtain car back in '97 b/c it was the 1st yr where BMW ponied up the sport pkg and threw in the style 5 wheels. These had a 3 months waiting time. So don't be shy to point this out to them.

Thanks DHoang,

I always thought they go by blue book etc. So I was wrong then.

But from reading your replies and other websites, the payment needs to be realistic: "how much do you need to pay for a similar car in similar condition at a RETAIL Lot!".

I got that info from here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4762880_tota...e-company.html

Determine the retail value. Do your research and learn what the exact same car (same features and mileage) costs from a retail car dealer. Look on CarMax for comparable values. Visit Edmunds.com. Look on eBay. Check the newspaper. Make sure you understand what the replacement value is. Make copies or print out this information and keep it handy for when the insurance adjuster calls.

Originally Posted by DHoang

Between $8500-$9250 would be a fair pay out considering all the work you put into the car.
Show them all your DIY and receipts. That'll shut them up if they even try to lowball you

PS, your car w/ SPP & moonroof back in '98 sold for $45k. There were NO price reductions below MSRP b/c they couldn't keep any 528i w/ manual & Sport PKG on the dealer's lot. Your car was a seriously desirable and hard to obtain car back in '97 b/c it was the 1st yr where BMW ponied up the sport pkg and threw in the style 5 wheels. These had a 3 months waiting time. So don't be shy to point this out to them.

Where did you come up with that figure? Clean Black Book Retail is $5725, for 130k, $5925 for 103k, not sure what the mileage is.

cn90, are those 18" style 5s?

Sorry to here about the car.

When I had it happen to me (back in the UK). I had print out of similar cars and prices and then info on all the work I'd done. Luckily it was a cold day so I could explain i spent a lot of time out in the cold fixing the car. I think the sob story but mostly the fact I know what i had and what it was worth meant the adjuster gave me a good offer to start with. I took the first offer (1500 more than i paid for the car) and ran.

I think if you show that you know what you talking about and won't take silly offers they just give you a decent offer to avoid the hassle of getting into a debate about it.

Glad you're OK at least it isn't serious frame damage

Originally Posted by cn90

Champaign,


I understand the 530i is a slightly bigger engine but when you compare:
1998 528i 5sp vs 2003 530i 5sp, is the difference that BIG?

it is Cam
why the heck you think i got 2 of them
the only close feeling i got when i drove 2010 550i M Sport
The feeling of perfection dude

Originally Posted by cn90

Thanks DHoang,

I always thought they go by blue book etc. So I was wrong then.

But from reading your replies and other websites, the payment needs to be realistic: "how much do you need to pay for a similar car in similar condition at a RETAIL Lot!".

I got that info from here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4762880_tota...e-company.html

+1

Sorry for the problems, Cam.

I was in a similar situation 12 years ago. I had a Porsche 944 that I bought almost new. When it was 18 years old, a careless driver damaged the right door and rear suspension. Since the car was old and the price of repair was high, it was clearly not worth repair. My car was in superior condition - new clutch, suspension, and seats. I even retrofitted the AC to R134a.

I documented all of the recent repairs to my car. Then I found 3 similar cars, looked at each, and noted the needed repairs, Then I estimated the cost to bring each car up to the level of repair of my car. The insurance company gave me 30% more than KBB value.

Hope this helps.

Best of luck,
Steve

Originally Posted by cn90

I think the repair shop wanted to do a "perfect job", cut this, cut that, weld this, weld that, another trunk lid, so it all adds up to some $5000 repair estimate bill.

But I will have to get the check and bring it to another repair shop owned by the Mexicans (no pun intended) for a "ghetto estimate"...LOL.

Mexican ghetto estimate? Nice.

It looks like the rear quarter panel isn't tweaked; or if it is, it isn't that bad. I would think this would be a perfect candidate for a "shade tree" body man fix. So long as you can get the trunk to close water tight. $5k is a lot of money for what looks like relatively minimal damage.

Originally Posted by Studawg

Where did you come up with that figure? Clean Black Book Retail is $5725, for 130k, $5925 for 103k, not sure what the mileage is.

cn90, are those 18" style 5s?

I won't be home till next week to verify the numbers, but almost 3 years ago my 1998 528A with 160K was totaled at $6200. The adjusters don't really care about new tires or recent expensive repairs you have done. They have a book and pretty much go by that. You don't have to accept their first number, I didn't, but I will be very surprised if he can get over $6000.

fix!

mine got hit while parked this past summer and came back a month later, good as new:





this was puled out and massaged back into shape, not chopped and welded!

My drivers side mirror was clipped while parked today, I got lucky that was the worst of it. The individual who owns the Mercedes SL 500 R129 will not be happy when he sees his car. He was parked in front of me and got the worst of it. Some kid in an orange Mitsubishi 3000gt hit a Nissan rogue then veered towards my car, clipped my mirror and then hit the Mercedes that was parked in front of my vehicle. I managed to snap the mirror back in, but it seems the tilt does not function left to right.

Another vote for fixing it. You've done too much work to it to just let it go. I'm another one that hasn't been around here too long, but appreciate the DYI's and advice you deliver on this board, definitely has made it a better place!

Good luck to ya!

For those of you that can compare between:

2001-2002 525i 5sp vs 2003 530i 5sp: The 500cc difference....is it significant?

I am a stick guy, so would appreciate any feedback for manual transmission models only.

Originally Posted by cn90

For those of you that can compare between:

2001-2002 525i 5sp vs 2003 530i 5sp: The 500cc difference....is it significant?

I am a stick guy, so would appreciate any feedback for manual transmission models only.

In terms of power the 530 has 18% more than the 525 and the 540 has 20% more than the 530.
Basically the 530 sits right in between, with the advantage of the known i6 and almost similar fuel consumption as the 525. So 500 cc gives 18% more power vs. 1400 cc increase of the v8 which gives you 20% more power. Better ratio. Torque curve is similar (actual not a curve, but almost a flat line from 2200 rpm to redline, where it drops off).

P.S.: that little inline heart pulls at 3 digit speeds like starting from a red light. Until you hit the limiter or the redline, whichever comes first.

Originally Posted by cn90

For those of you that can compare between:

2001-2002 525i 5sp vs 2003 530i 5sp: The 500cc difference....is it significant?

I am a stick guy, so would appreciate any feedback for manual transmission models only.

Even 300cc can make a difference. I moved from a '98 528i to a '03 525i, both manuals. I really miss the torque of the 528. I had a long commute at the time, so I went with the "small" engine, the best E39 for MPG. I still prefer the I6 models for lower maintenance and R&P steering, but I think I would be happier if I had gotten a 530i.

hope everything works out for you, 01-03 seems like a nice upgrade