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Help need Advice (98.5 CSVT)

L

lightngsvt

CEG'er
Joined
Oct 12, 2003
Messages
52
Well it was bound to happen, I got rear ended last Thursdya and then hit the car in front of me. I have had this car for over 5 years and as a DD it has been great and I have taken great care of it. I need to make a decision, my dilema is whether to:

1) total it and walk away with a check for $3800
2) pay the $1000 deductible and have it fixed
3) total it and buy it back and still walk away with $3000

Obviously option #2 is not the best way to go here since the other 2 involve no out of pocket from me. I really hate to see another CSVT go to car heaven. The car is 100% drivable and there is no frame damage, its all cosmetic. I will post pics later, but basically the car needs front/rear bumper covers, both headlights, all 3 grills, hood, possibly trunk lid, grill mounting panel, rear wheel well liners and paint. There is no sheetmetal damage to the fenders, 1/4's or doors at all and the car drives straight and stops good. I was hit at about 30 MPH while sitting at a red light, the car has alittle over 111000 miles and runs excellent. There are 2 issues though 1) the car still has the original clutch and 2) the doors seems are starting to rust (mostly on the pass side doors). The original paint is still glossy, seats/leather are very good, dash is straight, the car has newer brakes, recent A/C work and BAT suspension kit plus a JVC iPod/MP3/Satellite receiver, new speakers and a small amp and sub. Other than a K&N air filter in the stock airbox the car is stock.

So what would you do?

If I were to sell it as-is what would it be worth? There are a gold mines worth of parts on this car that are good.

What do you think I could get if I parted it out?
 
Buy back, take $3000, and then make $1000+ back on parts. You can pick up CSVT for cheap. Got mine for $1,700 and it's a champ.
 
Insurance is giving you the choice whether to fix the car or to total it? This is uncommon, insurance usually tells you one way or the other.

Also the $800 to buy back your totaled car is negotiable also. Can't imagine the JY price being that high with all the damage you stated. Offer them half of that and see what they say.

Also since you got rear ended why do you have to pay the $1000 deductable? Surely had to be the car's fault that hit you so their insurance should pay 100%. And the damage to front of your car and car you hit was their fault as well.
 
If he lives in a no-fault insurance state you have to pay your deductable regardless of who caused the accident. I know MI is like that.
 
the wholesale price for my 98.5 SVT in Canada was $975 (Canada Redbook)... and that is a car running in good condition

that should give you a chip to play with if you are going to buy it back
 
take the money and run

take the money and run

If you were hit at 30 mph, then there is much more damage that is not readily visible. A few parts and a good paint job will piss away all of the money you 'saved' by buying the car back and trying to fix. If you are doing all of the work yourself, what is your time worth, do you have a place to work and store all of the stuff while fixing and do you own another car to drive. Personally I'd be out chasing skirts instead of working on the car.

Its a great opportunity to take the money and find a car that is in good shape, won't take up time and effort, and is hassle free.
 
Yes, Michigan is a no-fault state so the other driver doesnt have to pay but we can go after them for up to $500 for our deductible. Plus I only had standard collision on the car to save a few bucks.I recently bought a "new" 330i and was thinking of selling the CSVT but I sure didnt want to see it go out this way.

The main reason they are giving me the choice on totaling the car is because the payoff if totaled is $3800 and the cost to repair is around $3700. The worst part is none of the SVT parts are available new any more (bumper covers, grilles, etc) and that is part of the reason they want to total it.

Considering the car has a ton of good parts, EVERYTHING minus the body parts listed) I would think I could part it out or sell it to someone as-is. What would it be worth as-is? I didnt get a chance to download the pics from my camera yet.
 
Here are the pics I promised. First was the car about a week ago before the accident:

IMG_2319.jpg

IMG_2320.jpg

IMG_2327.jpg

IMG_2336.jpg

IMG_2337.jpg
 
So what would the car be worth if I repaired it back to the condition of the first pics? Would anyone be interested in it then? The car will have a clean title even after the ins co totals it.
 
That should go quick! Not too much to it at all... hood, rear bumper and maybe the trunk and it will be like new, wish i had the cash for it. Good luck.
 
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