Accident this morning, possible total.

[ATF]

Evening folks. It's been a while since I've posted. I've been busy with work and school responsibilities.

Here's the general story I've been giving everyone:

Merging from the Kenmore/Fenway On-Ramp onto Storrow, Westbound. @ ~ 7:30

Car in front of me started to merge into traffic. I looked over my shoulder to also merge into traffic, making sure that the lane was clear. Looked forward and he had stopped in front of me. I hit the driver's side, rear portion of his car.

Tow Company/Auto Body shop said car appears repairable & would take 2-3 Weeks. Insurance will take 3-5 Days to appraise the car to find it's value or total it.

I cannot rent a car because I'm under 21. My leg hurts pretty bad, I'm pretty sure it's not happy about going straight into the knee bolster of my car. (Update: 8:30 PM) As of right now, my knee kind of hurts, shin has a pretty big bump, and my back kind of hurts. I'll be keeping a close eye on all these.

Fluids seen leaking onto the ground, Windshield washer fluid, and blue fluids (assuming cracked radiator), possibly some power steering.

Right Fender, Hood, Nose panel, Wheels appear to be out of alignment, Right projector headlight, grills all seem to be toast. A/C is definitely damaged as well as the front cross member. I'm sure there's more damage underneath, I'll let the insurance company pop the hood.

Assuming they total it, I will not be purchasing the vehicle back. It sits with a left DEPO Projector, Bosal Brospeed Exhaust, Bilstein Sport Struts/Shocks, H&R Sport Springs, X-Brace. I don't have the time, money or transportation to part it out. I'll find out in 3-5 days what my options are. I'm guessing I won't be getting another BMW

[ATF]

some more

[ATF]

and some more

[ATF]

the picture w/ the lines shows where my car was in relation to where i thought the on-ramp ended and where the impact was.

Also, this 'on-ramp' is extremely short, and those familiar with this location know that it's a blind curve youre merging onto, with cars going in excess of 40 MPH (the speed limit).

[tiFreak]

man, that sucks, would it be possible to just get the exhaust back from the insurance if it's totaled? I'm sure a lot of members would like to have one

[1996 328ti]

Ouch. Sorry for your loss.
From here it looks like a total.

This alone was $3000 plus.
http://318ti.org/steven/ouch/

[Maverix]

Dang that blows! I still haven't planned what I would do in case of an accident. I only have liability insurance. At least your rim looks fine. Till then take care of your leg, as I'm sure it will see more happier days once it heals. I'll pray for your quick recovery.

[Will'sBimmer]

You won't know the entire amount of damage until you get under the hood but from what i can see I would say that you will be needing a quite a bit of parts like bumper, nose panel, fender, radiator support, other parts. It may be too much money to get fixed especially by a body shop. The only way to do it semi cheap would be to do it yourself. But that will take time. Either way it goes just look at the bright side that your airbags did not deploy and you are still alive. Also the damage to the other guy's car looks to be not that bad at all so that shouldn't cost you anything. My prays go to you and hope that either your insurance will be able to help you out or something works out to where you can keep the Ti or get another BMW some how.

[ATF]

If insurance only cuts a check for the KBB, it'd be a miracle if I could find another BMW, Ti or not. Bill of sale was $7,500, but I doubt that has anything to do with it.

[Will'sBimmer]

you might be surprised at what the insurance company will give you. I totaled my 1985 318i and an appraiser came and gave me 6000 for it. It wasn't anything special and to tell you the truth it was already giving me problems and breaking down so I was more than happy to take 6000 when it only cost me less than 2000.

[bbbmw]

I had the same wreck a few weeks ago. The body shop estimates were $5,500-6.500, which was way too much. I was going to scrap it, but then one of the shops called me and said they wanted to "work with me" - apparently people aren't spending money on bodywork right now, due to the slow economy. Short story - I paid about $3,100 all in, and got it fixed. Yours looks very much the same, except my radiator wasn't cracked (that's probably your blue fluid), and your bumper looks worse. But neither of those are terribly expensive. My fender was pushed up against the wheel - I had to pull it out to drive it. Here are some lessons I learned:

1. The strut tower on mine was bent. The body shops wanted to cut the entire thing out and weld in a new one - about $1800. I went to a suspension shop, and they simply bent it back into shape (into alignment) for $78. I also have the Bilsteins and H/R's.

2. The front "clip" (fenders and hood) on the ti are the same as the e36 sedan. That makes the parts a bit easier to find. I bought a used fender, hood, and radiator mount for $350 - vs. $1100 at the dealer. If you do that, make sure you get a fender that has the side marker light - some of them don't. I did buy the nose panel at the dealer, but they gave me a 20% pity discount. Call around the dealers in the area, explain the situation, and see if they will give you a discount. Perhaps some on this board know a good dealer in the area? For the other parts, the guys at the body shop found the rest of the parts laying around (headlight, plastic inner fender liner, etc.), and didn't charge me. You have to figure when they are in the business, there is a lot of stuff they don't reuse.

3. There are aftermarket companies that make the parts, but shipping costs pretty much negate the savings on the hood and the fender.

4. Turner Motorsport and others are in MA - they might be a pretty good source for you, in looking for a reputable body shop, parts, etc. So are some of the folks from BMWCCA.

5. Sometimes the body shops have guys that work there and moonlight - they can also fix it for less.

Do you have collision insurance, where they will pay to fix or total it? (I didn't). If they total it and write you a check, it might be hard to find a good used car for that amount. If you like the car, consider taking whatever they give you and doing a bit of homework to get it fixed for that amount or less. There are many good sources (like this board), and you will find people will understand your situation and work with you. Good luck, and take care of that leg.

[bbbmw]

Here's a couple of pics of mine - the affected parts look very similar.

[8thcivic]

im interested with the wheels hit me up if youre gonna sell

[StealthBimmer]

Hey Nick, sorry to hear about your accident. Good to hear that nobody got seriously hurt from it. Take care of your injuries first then worry about the ti second. I think it might be totalled from the pics. The bright side is that there are some 318ti for sale around MA for good prices.

[dave45056]

Glad you are ok and sorry about your car. I went to school in Boston and I know Storrow Drive can be tough. Most peopele drive way faster than 40. Good luck with your ins co. If they total it, you can always buy it back and fix it yourself.