how rare, how valuable

[ti cali ed]

So I bought this car on march 5th. It was cheap as the connector on the back of the head was damaged and the seller didn't have time or money to fix it. I towed the car home, repaired it and thursday was on my merry way to the courthouse to put plates on it. While stoped at a red light at the end of an off ramp a man in a gaint lifted four wheel drive ford thought being as I was driving a sports car that I wouldn't stop for the light and he didn't feel like stoping either. Long story short he did stop but in my hatch area. The car is fixable, bumper, taillight, a little work to the 1/4. The shop estimates $4800 in damage. This may be on the high side but that's what they say. They added that, that was more than the car is worth so it most likely will be totaled out. So the "Q" is what the thing worth? I've never seen another, so how rare is it. I want some numbers to work with when the insurance tries to offer the $1500 kelly blue book puts the value at. The car is a 1996 318ti with the cali top. Does this automaticly make it a cali edition? It's a m44 engine with an automatic tranny, has a/c and cruise, factory 10 speaker sound with cd changer in trunk, cloth grey millwork interior, 5 spoke 15 in rims. There are no mods at all done to the car. 156K miles. Was bubbles in the paint at the back of each wheel well, however the bubble are now knocked off showing just rust.

[1996 328ti]

Sounds like an Active California Edition.
Bubbles generally mean there was damage since these cars haven't been rusting on their own.

[ti cali ed]

By the looks of the rest of the car I don't think there was ever any bodywork done on it before. The cars been in Iowa it's whole life and we either love salt or hate cars cause we use a lot of salt in the winter. I think a little bubbling in the paint as pretty common for a car this age. I was impressed with how old the car is how nice the body was. What are we talking in production numbers? And does this translate into value? I'm foreseeing them calling it a $2000 car and me calling it a $10,000. Both of us being slightly unreasonable but needing to come to some compromise.

[1996 328ti]

You will not find any real production numbers on the California Edition.
I think the California Edition was only available in 96 and 97 with the open air roof being an option in 1998.

[cooljess76]

The rust areas described are somewhat common. Right where the rear wheel arches meet the top corner of the rear bumper and at the bottom of both of the taillights. As someone else mentioned in your other thread, print out a list of ti's for sale as a comparison and give it to your insurance company.

[ti cali ed]

I looked around and didn't find much out there. There's a few in the classifieds here but I didn't see anything with the cali pkg and to be honest the one's listed here seem to be at really low prices. Most between $2500 and $4500. Around here I've never seen a bmw sell for $2500 none the less something nice. Doing a local CL search there was a 1992 325i for $2500 or a 1993 325is for $6000 or a 2000 323 ci for $6000. Everything else was higher and still not a ti. Maybe I'm just thinking with the low production numbers and cool factor of the car it should be worth more and it's not. But man it sucks. I didn't ask him to break my new toy. Even if it's fixed it will never be an accident free car again. I'm a reasonable man and do see there is not a way to not make him hit me now. And fully understand in cases like this the only way to make it right is with money. It just feels like adding insult to injury when they start hinting at not properly reimbursing me for my toy. I guess untill they come up with an offer I don't know what they are thinking it's worth. My fingers are crossed.

[teetime4one]

try to buy it back from the insurance company once all is said and done...then cut the roof out and send it to me...Zippy wants a bigger hole in his head. lol

[Mr.Squeelerz]

Sell you mine for less than $2500. Running, driving, presentable....non-cali top

[BlackBMWs]

First, glad you're ok, that's the important part. Bummer to hear about your car. We were just trading notes the other day. Do you have any pics of the damage?

This is not a straight comparaison, but, perhaps it might help. I bought my 1991 318ic/M42 in decent shape for $1600. Dropped about $1200 in parts to get it in solid shape. The car was totally straight, no dents and paint 7/10. Top in good condition. Engine/drivetrain in great condition.



While I have many pictures of the DIYs I did on the Vert, This is the only pic I have of the body with a couple of my buds hanging around the car, waiting for a ride.

I got rear ended by someone texting on a cell phone and they bent the rear valence, drivers rear quarter panel and muffler.

The insurance totaled it for $4500. I paid $1200 to buy the car back and it now has a salvage title. No frame damage. I could part it out, but it runs and drives with no ill effects from the collision. I repaired the exhaust for $250. I'm waiting on a friend's body work connection to straighten the quarter panel and valence and paint for $600.

Now that my recent ti purchase is up running and SMOG legal, the 318ic goes in for the bodywork.

The insurance company did look at comparable cars in the area and found 318ic's in the 3500-4500 range for the area and condition. I didn't get $10k for the car, but I did get more than I expected for my 318ic. and I still get to drive it...

[ti cali ed]

I used to have a body shop and have an understanding of how the numbers work. Depending on the state a car is totaled if the damage is 50% to 70% of it's value. The insurance company figures if they total a car they should be able to recoupe 1/3 of the value in salvage. As a shop between the cost to buy as salvage and the parts to rebuild you figure you'll have 1/2 the value of the car and be able to resell it for 2/3. The key number being the value of the car. If this was a ford foucs or any other car they produced in large numbers there wouldn't be an issue of getting another one. If you're ic was truly worth between 3500 and 4500 the numbers work out to the about a third for the car then fixed you're at about half. The thing is as an investment you've lost money and desirbiliy and value. On your car you have $2050 in the car and $2450 in you're pocket but have lost $1200 in value of the car. So if you went to resell it you'd get more like $2200-3200. This would total around $6500, and you are still ahead after the wreck. On the other hand if you didn't know people and had to pay full shop rate, you probably have $3000 in damage? And at that rate you'd have $4200 in the car and considering the loss in value due to salvage you are out money. I'm thinking with my ti, if they value it at $6K and offer it back at $1500 I'll find it a fair offer.

[BlackBMWs]

Ah, nice to have a better understanding of how the insurance resolution works. For me, I figured I could recoup the $1200 easliy from a part out if I had to, but it drives so well that I'll likely just keep it as a sunny day DD with the ti being the not so sunny day DD.

I hope it all works out for you. Cheers!

[PrimeTimeSlime]

Kbb undervalues these cars pretty severely. I see them go for $2K and up.

I would part it out unless you can do the bodywork yourself.

[ti cali ed]

I'm not sure what's up with kelly blue book as of late. I used to think I was pretty in tune with the car market and enjoyed changing cars a few times a year, making a few dollars turning junk into running transportion. However in Dec I picked up a 98 vw beetle with 72K miles and kbb said it was only worth $1800 and I was able to easily sell it for $4200. Then in Feb. I bought a high miles civic needing a clutch, put it back together decided I didn't like it at all and was going to part ways with it, kbb said it was worth $650. You can bearly buy a set of tires for $650 so I don't know where they came up with that price. For the most part the car market goes in four year cycles. Four years of slowness in the used car market while new car sales do well. Then after you get so many people paying on new cars, new sales slow till those cars start to age and hit the used market. Right now used sales are up. As for my car the damage is very minor, it's drivable as is, however does need a tail light. The bumper cover is damaged but could be buffed out. Air bags didn't go off however the light came on so maybe that's where the money for the repair is. I know it's a number game, I just don't like where they're hinting at what the numbers will be.

[spidertri]

I feel like cash for clunkers really drove up used car prices. It's crazy what people are asking for cars with just under 200k miles on them recently.

[ti cali ed]

The used car market got a double shot, first the cash for clunker took out a ton of cheap used cars, then the price of scrap metal went up and even more cheap cars were removed from the roads. This also ment junk yards crushed most of there stock piles driving up the price of used parts making used cars that could of been fixed headed for the bone yard instead. I am surprised at how many cars are out there in alright shape with near 200K on them. Yeah many of them are priced high but people aren't afraid of miles like they used to be. Then again I've seen many old cars with under 100K and the the engines were shot and the trany's were toast. I think quality improved somewhere in the mid 90's on how long a car would last.