Bad News

[pnosker]

Guys,

I have some bad news... I was on my way home from class (summer classes) and a guy in a Jeep Grand Cherokee was making a left turn, and I was going straight. He hit me. The image will help. I am the black car, he is the green. Anyway, it's probably totaled. Would you guys mind helping me find another 1998-1999 318ti with 125k or less miles on it nearby? The accident was ruled as his fault, so I guess I'll get blue book for mine. I would prefer a sport or active that's a manual. I really would prefer to get mine fixed, but we'll see what the insurance companies say about it. I guess I'll settle for a non-ti too, if I have to.

Thanks guys, and you can all weep with me for my beautiful car that is... at least temporarily in pain.

-Pat

[BobbyDigital]

DAMN MAN! I'm sorry to hear that, glad you're OK.

[adamud]

Dang that sucks. I got rear ended last Friday... If I see anything in the KC/STL area I'll let you know

[Bobbak]

sorry to hear that pat, hope you can get it fixed

[ATF]

A little bit of me just cried inside. Sorry to hear about this man. I hope you fix it!

[Flametail]

Hate to hear that...if you could get it fixed and it is considered totaled I would say make a track car out of it! lol

[aceyx]

Glad you're okay. I'll keep an eye out.

EDIT: what luck:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=310066067853

[wolferj-RIP]

Glad to hear you're ok... Accidents truly suck.

Too bad you're not on the left coast, there are 4 to 5 ti's for sale in this neck of the woods (sf bay area).

[pnosker]

Thanks for the support guys. I'm ok and so was the other driver. It was his fault, so they're going to pay for everything... which is good cause I don't have collision on this car. Unfortunately, the TI aceyx posted is an auto . If this isn't totaled (based upon what I saw of it, it looked like only the hood, front nose panel, bumper, and left front quarter panel were damaged, plus left headlight, HID ballasts and bulbs, air box, and a coolant hose. The motor was completely intact and wasn't leaking oil or anything. In fact, the front drivers door was fine. I hope it's fixable. If not, maybe I'll go the Z3 route (1.9L probably), and definitely the BMW route, so expect me to stay around here. I could never leave my ti buddies; I just hope I could be an honorary member if I lose her and can't find a similar ti nearby for the same money. I spent a lot of time and money on her .

[montjuic]

Man, that sucks. Hearing a BMW shunt is one of the worst sounds ever!
If the frame and engine are alright, I say fight for a rebuild.
I just went through an accident and am rebuilding over this past two months.
Hang on to it--if it makes sense for ya.

[lazoh]

Glad you are ok Pat and I'm sure that you will get another ti if this one is not fixable. Keep us posted and you cant get away from the ti (I hope!)

[ChItalian1027]

pat i'm very glad ur ok!! i do hope u can fix her up!!

i found a ti in boston. its a 98
http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/car/754895085.html

[StealthBimmer]

Sorry to hear about your accident Pat. At least nobody got hurt. Guess the Boston trip will be postponed. Hope you get another ti or fix it up soon.

[Borg561]

That'll buff right out.

Seriously though, glad you're okay. Damage looks a bit worse than mine, but pretty much the same pieces. Hood, fender, bumper, grille panel, headlight, fender liner. You'd definately need the inner fender/wheel well piece though as well (pricey for labor I imagine), and there might be some suspension/steering issues.

Can't really tell from the pics if the frame is bent. Any chance you can get more pics? If you can, get a pic right over the corner looking straight down. What you're looking for is a rounded section that the radiator support (and I think bumper) attatch to. It's the left end of part 1 in this diagram. It's not the end of the world if it's bent.

If you could find a shop with decent rates, I'd guess $4-5k to repair. Obviously, most of us will push to tell you to repair it. If the insurance company wants to total it, see if you can't squeeze a little more money out of them by showing them how hard the ti is to find in your area. Can't say it'll work, but it's worth a shot.

Justin

[pnosker]

I got the car towed to our body shop so I'll drop by today and take some more pictures. I left my EZ-pass in it anyway . When I quickly looked at it, the frame was ok... but I was a little bit out of it and didn't look too closely. I'll post some more pictures when I get them. My parents are willing to help me pay a little bit more if it's slightly past totaled. When I get the estimate and the insurance company prices it out, I'll let you all know how it goes. I suppose I'm going to try to pull out my mods and replace them with stock if it is totaled to go into a replacement ti or I'll let them go cheap on here. I'm glad I kept all the stock components.

It's a sad day, but everyone involved isn't injured which is great news. I think the ti may even live again. I'll push my hardest for her to be fixed up. Maybe it'll give me an opportunity to get an M bumper and twisties.