Re: 320i in wreck

Subject: Re: 320i in wreck
From: bthongsa@domain.elided
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 1994 12:02:58 -0500 (CDT)
> > Before I unleash my two questions, I would like to say I'm the proud owner of an '82 320i with 140k.  
> > Mechanicals are in pretty good shape, but I have been unlucky on the accident side lately.  Enough damage was done 
> > to total the car by $$$ figures to repair it.  If you ask me, the damage was not all that severe.
> > 
> STOP.
> 	The 320i, as all BMWs are, is unibody.  It doesn't take a "severe"
> looking accident to made the car useless.  It is very likely that you can
> have a twisted body you can't see immediately...

I'll agree with Thi here.  I've seen quite a few BMW's that had been
"repaired" after a severe accident, and only one or two of them drove
acceptably to me.  That, and the 320i, from my experience, seems to have
a chassis that absorbs impacts quite well (I've seen several MAJOR accidents
involving 320's, and in every case, the driver/passengers came out with
nothing more than scratches).  While good for crash safety, it usually means
that rebuilding a totalled car properly is more difficult.

Unless you have an emotional attachment to this particular car, I'd consider
getting another one and using the parts off of this one.  Good 320i's
are pretty easy to find, and cheap too.

Ben