The saddest first post ever

[Smccauley]

So, I was the proud owner of a 2004 330i, 6 speed with perfomance package. Used to belong to my ex-Father in Law and it only had 16,000 miles on the clock when I bought it off him. Currently it has 56,000 miles on the clock.

Notice I said "was". Last week someone decided to drive in to the back of me at speed which basically wrecked the entire back end and the force of the impact pushed me into the car in front causing damage there as well. It is currently at the insurance assessor who is basically going to write it off as the repairs are estimate to be more than 80% of the car value.

Question, what do you esteemed members consider to be the value of such a car in good condition. Before the wreck it was pristine - no damage at all to the exterior or interior, garage kept and smoke free. I received several offers over the years (the last one was 6 months ago) for anything between $10 and 12,000 but I fear the insurance company will go very low and I want to go back to them with something when that happens.

Here are the after photos. It is very tough to see the car in such a state:

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Any help you guys can give me would be very much appreciated.

[san]

Damn, so sorry this happened. It’s really sad to see such a low mileage zhp end up like this. I personally think it’s worth much more than $12k especially since it’s a 6-speed. Anything below $15k is low IMO.


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[Smccauley]

I guess the other question is - is it salvageable? Is it worth the money to get it repaired? I guess the only way to answer that is to get it inspected by a specialist. The airbags didn't deploy which tells you that the shunt in to the car in front was minor. Some shifting of the hood and light displacement but nothing too severe. I know the trunk is supposed to collapse a bit to protect the passengers but it just feels like the damage is too severe to consider repair

[san]

From the picture you posted the damage does seem quite excessive. I personally wouldn’t spend money to try and fix it. But since the engine and transmission don’t have a lot of miles on them and assuming they are ok after the accident and also depending on the buy back price, you could buy another zhp (or a regular 330) with maybe high miles for cheap swap in the engine and transmission from this car.

I think Dane had a pre facelift 330 prior to the zhp and his car was also totaled for a similar looking accident if I remember correctly. He maybe able to guide you a lot better.

Also if the car had a lot of sentimental value to you and you decide to get it fixed, just keep in mind that you would not get a lot of it back if/when you decide to sell it and you might actually struggle to sell it unless you price it very low, which again means you would lose a lot of money on it...


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[Oli77]

Sorry about this news. And indeed, it is a sad "second"post, heck, a terrible second post.
You do not have injuries correct?
It does not look good to me but I will let others address whether the car can be salvaged.
There are plenty of threads with people being low-balled by the insurance company and the bottom line seems to be to never accept their estimate.
Best of luck with all.

[az3579]

Damn, so sorry this happened. It’s really sad to see such a low mileage zhp end up like this. I personally think it’s worth much more than $12k especially since it’s a 6-speed. Anything below $15k is low IMO.


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He's definitely not getting $15k from an insurance company. He'd be lucky to get even $10k.
The car is beyond reasonable repair IMO.

If it was me in your shoes, I'd fight for $12k and accept $9k or above.

[Vas]

Buy back and part out if you have the space and time?

[slater]

He's definitely not getting $15k from an insurance company. He'd be lucky to get even $10k.
The car is beyond reasonable repair IMO.

If it was me in your shoes, I'd fight for $12k and accept $9k or above.

with 56K, it's in EAG territory. i'd take their listings to the insurance company as a starting point.

[danewilson77]

with 56K, it's in EAG territory. i'd take their listings to the insurance company as a starting point.At 56K miles, $15K to $18K all day long.

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[johnrando]

Sorry about the car, that's awful. Glad you're OK. Hope things work put whatever yiu do.

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[Smccauley]

Firstly I want to thank you all for your feedback and advice. I have contacted EAG to ask their advice and hopefully gain some information from them I can use to respond to the insurance company. Their initial offer - $6,200 which included a "low mileage premium" of $2,200. The only thing that was missing was a request for my bank details so they could try to take more money off me.

Let the battle commence.

[az3579]

with 56K, it's in EAG territory. i'd take their listings to the insurance company as a starting point.An insurance company is going to take one look at their pricing and laugh their asses off. As they should, because EAG's pricing is beyond retarded.

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[slater]

An insurance company is going to take one look at their pricing and laugh their asses off. As they should, because EAG's pricing is beyond retarded.

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i'm not disagreeing with your opinion of EAG's pricing model, but merely stating that it will only help his current (and dismal) case.

[BADCLOWN]

I agree on the 15-18k range for sure.

If you part it, I know the parts will sell. I’d def be interested in some. Good luck and sorry to hear.

[Don Adolfo]

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Here are the after photos. It is very tough to see the car in such a state:

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Such a sad sight. Other than a handful of fender benders (never at fault), I have never been involved in a serious accident. I do not know how I’d react if I got hit, got out of the car and saw this. I would not be able to keep my cool because of someone else’s carelessness.


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[Don Adolfo]

Good luck with whatever you decide.


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[Smccauley]

Having consulted an attorney and having spoken to the insurance company again I can confirm that this is not going to be easy. They require comparable listings, which I have, but they need to be within 100 miles of my residence which I don't have. So far they have refused to move from the original evaluation but I have provided them with all sales documentation when the car was bought new to prove the car is indeed a ZHP model, which they did not realise (or cared for).

We shall see how this goes from here on out.

[Smccauley]

Don Adolfo - Indeed. I knew it was bad before I saw the damage and I managed to hold it together but that could have been the shock. I have said a number of times that I would not have reacted the way I have had it been any other bog standard car. This was an absolute gem that will never be replaced, particularly given the mileage.

The irony of this all was I was preparing to sell it and had already received verbal offers in excess of $11,000 for it. Awesome

[Kris]

The whole situation sucks. Glad you are ok; that’s the most important thing. Fingers crossed for a decent valuation but I think the insurance company will not come close to how the enthusiast community (rightfully) values these vehicles.


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[Smccauley]

Quick update - After two weeks of push back after push back I got them up to $8,000. They finally admitted that the comparisons they were using were not the ZHP 6 speed manual cars and that my claim the ZHP upgrade is rare, especially with the mileage I had, had some validity. But the $8K, while 1800 above the initial offer, just leaves a horrible taste in my mouth. As I said to the assessor - you are not in the business to have sympathy for my situation and ensure I get the best possible evaluation, you are in the business of giving me as little for my car as you can get away with.

[Smolck]

I just went through this on my non ZHP sedan. They gave me precious little for the car which had plenty of upgrades. On a positive side, I kept the car and have made about $1000 on the interior parts, wheels and tires, headlights, taillights and rear diff (engine and trans still to sell).

On a ZHP, assuming they aren’t damaged, the engine would fetch $1500 and the trans at least $1000. Add the anthracite headliner and pillars, trim, etc and you could easily make $3500 parting it out.

[orientblue_e46]

Saw your car on copart

https://www.copart.com/lot/34671018

[cakM3]

Sorry about the car, that's awful. Glad you're OK. Hope things work out whatever you do.

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