engine and drivetrain got rearended.. i guess my bimmer is a goner

[arborfinch]

I just got on to a exit onramp waiting at the light, and I noticed the vehicle coming in behind me was coming up on me fast. I was like surely they're going to stop.. but to no avail.. I was staring into my rearview mirror was it was happening.. All I could do is brace my hands on the steering wheel. I ended up hitting the vehicle in front of me. My front bumper wasnt really damaged. The surprising thing was that there wasnt too much damage to the girl's car that rearend-ed me. Just a dent in her front bumper(maybe some damage to the condenser) but still drivable. She was driving a 01 Toyota Solara. She ended up hitting her windshield with her head. She seemed okay but a bit out of it. My whiplash is kicking my butt right now

Hopefully, everything will go with her insurance company.

So, my thought is how much luck have yall gotten with dealing with the insurance companies. My vehicle is priceless to me. I went all the way from arkansas to colorado to get my vehicle a year ago. And I did a lot of modification myself ie. electric windows, rebuilt engine, brakes, tires, alarm.

[wickstad]

I was nailed at a stoplight myself in my old Jeep Cherokee. At first I thought I was okay, but after a few days I started having pain in my neck. Sometimes I can still feel it even today ten years later.

A chiropractor helped me back then. I know that word can have some negative connotations but I'm telling you it really helped me. Put yourself straight before you worry about your car because the girl's insurance is going to pay more for you than your car.

[wohleb]

It looks salvagable to me. Sorry to see this happen to such a great thing.

[Arshloch]

Cant help noticing the dreaded shock tower rust - pretty escalated. Well, a complete rear end rebuild along with the towers- gotta be close to $5000 +

[Gordon]

Another Sahara car painted another color, that sucks but depending on damage estimate, it may be totalled. My former 02 was rear ended, had similiar damage and my insurance totalled it and that was over 10 years ago. I'm sure body prices have gone way up since then compared to the value of our cars. If they do total it, ask to buy it back for salvage value, usually about $500. If they value your car at for example, $3.5K, and the they total it, they will give you the car for $3K, minus the $500 salvage value. Take the money and fix it up if you don't mind having a salvage title. It's not that big of an issue on a 30 year old car, for a new car, a salvage title is a red flag. Insurance companies don't want to deal with 30 year old cars, it's easier for them to just total the cars. Just take lots of pics to document the damage in case you ever decide to sell. If you have acess to an 02 parts car, it's a bonus for you. Move your good parts to a 02 shell and use your car as a parts car; decisions, decisions... Here's your chance to make lemonade out of lemons. Been there, done that (and it sucks but you can come out ahead).

G-Man

91 318i

89 325i (daughters DD)

86 325 (youngest daughters DD)

74 2002tii

70 E3 2800 (Euro spec)

[c.d.iesel]

I know your pain - and your in for more suffering.

When the same thing happened to me in 1984 to

my then like new 1978 SAAB 99 Turbo. First the insurance company wanted to

TOTAL the car and only pay out $1500. THEN I hear from the

driver that I hit from the rear - as the car clobbering me pushed

me into while I was stopped waitiing for a light. The guy who

clobbered me was eating breakfast and chatting to his 19 Y.O girl,

(pre cell phone days) was low on insurance, the lady in front of

me was complaining of BIG pain. My back hurt, My car was a wreck

(had it repaired 3 years later). Insurance companies dragged their feet.

Your car can be fixed, your back and neck will never be 100% again.

and your in for a very long battle.

Have Patience, take care of your body first. THAT, you only get ONE of.

The car? - plenty more out there.

C.D. very sad SAAB Turbo -

[arborfinch]

Yea. I going to this clinic today about my neck and back pain. It's not that bad but It just sucks trying to move my neck too much. I think I'm probably going to have to let my bimmer go though.. I would think it would hard to try and get all of those body pieces.. BTW I need another gas tank. When I got hit the gas tank sprung a leak ... so thank god there was no spark

[Mike Self]

02--a rear clip from a parts car and you'll be back in business, or...you have the perfect start for a 2002 pickup truck. I did a little measuring once upon a time, and the box pieces and cab rear from a Rabbit pickup will fit a properly cut down 2002 quite nicely...

mike

[THE1ST3]

You can have the rear clip from my 74 for free.

[Richard]

Insurance companies are in business to make money and pay out the minimum.....You say whiplash is killing you...Doctors Xrays???? Fused vertebrae are no fun......

[lostsurfer90]

I got into an accident in my 1970 2002 about 2 months ago (same place as you). The insurance company said they were going to total it and only give me 2,500 dollars (car is worth at least 5,000)! I just could not accept this. I researched BMW 2002's (ranging in year from 69-71) and put them into an Excel document with the links to the pages. I then found the mean and the average of my prices. I then faxed this to the insurance company and ended up getting 6,800 dollars minus the deductable = I came home with 6,000! I also had a buddy at a body repair shop make me a quote for under 3,000 (way cheaper than the insurances quote of 8,000), this helped encourage them not to salvage my title (The car could never be fixed for 3,000 anyway). FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

- Andrew 1972 BMW 2002tii (current purchase!)

Arizona Crew

[nevadainMN]

... FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Do not settle for what the insurance company is going to offer you up front for either your personal pain or car. And don't sign anything or cash any checks until you are whole.

My E30 M3 was totalled about 2 years ago and the initial insurance offer was $6,500. It took 6 months and a Judge to get $14,500 out of them.

I didn't get hurt thank goodness so I did it on my own. Since you were injured I would definately consider getting a blood sucking personal injury lawyer if they lowball you up front. Or at least threaten to. As much as I dislike them, they will know how to maximize your compensation and protect you if the pain doesn't go away in a week or two.

[arborfinch]

yea.. thanks for the replies... I found out today that I have to go the chiropractor for the next 6 weeks. My neck vertebraes are kinda of curved to the left a little. Also, something about spraining the ligaments a little bit. I guess it's a common whiplash injury. I still have to deal with the insurance company adjuster. Still waiting for them to contact me more about the car and my injuries.

[esty]

i f you haven't been to a MD yet and if you put too much time between seeing one and the accident, a mediocre insurance defense lawyer will kill you in any personal injury claim you may be considering making....

the best thing you coulda done was immediately go to the emergency room but that's spill'd milk if you didn't

in a personal injury claims, medical records and are what wins or loses a case

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi all, new member here--just contemplating my first '02. I've had a lot of cars come and go--muscle cars, sports cars, etc etc, and it's time to try an '02.

I've had a bit of experience in my professional life dealing with ins companies. Someone pointed out correctly that the adjusters job is to minimize the payout. Take the emotion out of it, and dig in for a bit of a battle, and you'll come out ok. The basis of tort law ('tort' is the legal term for 'financial harm' or 'financial damage'). Tort can be measured a number of ways: insurance estimate (if the car is to be repaired), book value (if the car is deemed 'totalled'), or replacement value (another post talked of researching comparable cars---great idea). So, the best ammo to use with the adjuster is, if the offer is too low, demand they replace your car with a comparable yr, make, model, accessories, etc. Guaranteed they won't want to deal with that hassle, and it helps the negotiations. The fact that you have an injury claim (sorry to hear that!), makes it more likely the adjuster will be more flexible on the car's value (they have a strong vested interest in not p***ing you off).

Don't roll over for the first offer, and don't forget to make sure that the final settlement includes sales tax and/or registration fees, as that is part of the 'tort' (costs you will incur to replace the car). Wait till it's all negotiated to offer to buy the salvage, so that issue doesnt cloud the negotiations. Sorry for the lengthy post--good luck!