Another E39 down.😞

[jetblackE39]

Hello guys haven't been on for a while but needed some advice on my accident. What you guys think total loss or should I fix. Took a exit and hit loose gravel and lost control taking me into a tree. I'm not looking for dumb replies or mean posts . I fked up I'm owning up to it and just want to see what you guys think. Currently waiting on the insurance company to get back at me. Year 2000 540i ,Car has m5 wheels(2 of them are destroyed and 2 look still good but not sure til I have them taken off and inspected. m5 headliner, oem m5 side mirrors, m5 front and rear bumpers (reps) ,102,000 miles very very well taken care of , have had EVERYTHINg replaced since I got it at 70,000 miles. This car was clean and strong . Almost like new . When I say everything replaced i mean pretty much mean everything that goes wrong with these 540s replaced. Thanks for reading .

[wagons ho]

Not that it can't be fixed, but done. Air bags,etc.
Insurance will say done also. So by it back and do a parts transfer to the next one.
And jet blackE39,... thats white

[cnn]

It can be fixed but it is expensive work.
Unless you do your own body work, it is roughly $5K+ for the front end work.

[XAlt]

Get another E39 and transfer

[edjack]

It's dead, Jim.

[jetblackE39]

Not that it can't be fixed, but done. Air bags,etc.
Insurance will say done also. So by it back and do a parts transfer to the next one.
And jet blackE39,... thats white

thanks for the reply. Appreciate it. Yea was thinking the same. Swap everything over.I have 3 e39s one jet lack , titanium silver , and alpine white.

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It can be fixed but it is expensive work.
Unless you do your own body work, it is roughly $5K+ for the front end work.

Wow 5k. Yea it's done lol

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Get another E39 and transfer

Yea I been thinking about buying a 540i that has a blown engine and swaping the engine and tranny into it and going from there, I've been quoted 2400$ for swaping the engine and tranny and all miscellaneous stuff since I know my engine car s drivetrain is good. What you think on the price. I think it's good.

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It's dead, Jim.

Yea I was thinking the same thing .just wishful thinking lol

[dannyzabolotny]

Any car can be brought back to life with enough time and money. If you did the repair work yourself it probably wouldn't be all that much, but if you pay a shop it'll be really expensive.

It all comes down to how you feel about this car. Does it have a lot of sentimental value for you? If so, then just fix it and don't look at the costs. Otherwise, find another E39 to transfer the parts into. You don't even need to pay a shop, transplanting an engine + transmission is super easy, all you need is some space and a $200 engine crane from Harbor Freight.

I know if my Japan Red 540it got wrecked like that I would fix it in a heartbeat, regardless of the cost. But that's a much more rare color in a far less common body style.

[jetblackE39]

It's dead, Jim.

I noticed you have a m62 540i. How much of a difference is the m62 compare to the m62tu? Is the vanos feature really "that" noticeable compared to the m62? Like some say ? I see a 98 540i being sold at a good price with only 65k miles on it. And was wondering if I will miss the vanos . I only have experience with the tu motor.

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Any car can be brought back to life with enough time and money. If you did the repair work yourself it probably wouldn't be all that much, but if you pay a shop it'll be really expensive.

It all comes down to how you feel about this car. Does it have a lot of sentimental value for you? If so, then just fix it and don't look at the costs. Otherwise, find another E39 to transfer the parts into. You don't even need to pay a shop, transplanting an engine + transmission is super easy, all you need is some space and a $200 engine crane from Harbor Freight.

I know if my Japan Red 540it got wrecked like that I would fix it in a heartbeat, regardless of the cost. But that's a much more rare color in a far less common body style.

Thanks Danny . You bring up good points and makin me think. Yea I just found another AW e39 in great shape body and interior wise with a blown engine, so I'm just gonna swap the engine and tranny out. Awesome post , yea you don't hear or see Japan red 540it's around definitely rare and special car.your a lucky guy. thanks

[XAlt]

I noticed you have a m62 540i. How much of a difference is the m62 compare to the m62tu? Is the vanos feature really "that" noticeable compared to the m62? Like some say ? I see a 98 540i being sold at a good price with only 65k miles on it. And was wondering if I will miss the vanos . I only have experience with the tu motor.

The extra low end torque is worth it, but the NV can inch out up high. More reliable overall, still suffers from chain guide issues though.

[givemeaname]

Ouch... sorry to hear and see.
IMO, it comes down to what you have more of - time vs. money.
Good-luck!

[easymoney]

The main thing is you are OK. You can always get another one. 'Sorry about your loss. Buy it back from the insurance company and part it out.

[jetblackE39]

Ouch... sorry to hear and see.
IMO, it comes down to what you have more of - time vs. money.
Good-luck!

Thanks for your words , yea I'm going the buy back and part it out route. I'd rather just by another alpine white ,I just love alpine white lol then Transfer the engine and tranny and part the rest out. I don't wanna be riding around in a salvaged car, I'm sure it won't be the same. It'll be too expensive and time consuming to do all that work also. I loved the car but sometimes you just have to let things go. I guess.

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The main thing is you are OK. You can always get another one. 'Sorry about your loss. Buy it back from the insurance company and part it out.

thanks easymoney , yea I'm buying another and gonna part this one out. I'll keep you posted on the wheels. Thanks again.

[jetblackE39]

The extra low end torque is worth it, but the NV can inch out up high. More reliable overall, still suffers from chain guide issues though.

Yea I'm just gonna stick with m62tu . I enjoy the low end torque, thats where I spend majority of my time at. I live in a traffic ridden city so I hardly am able to hit the high rpms .

[XAlt]

Cheap 2000 M5 and swap parts

worth it tbh

[msvphoto]

Sorry about your accident, happy to hear you are okay (at least physically, I have not doubt you are majorly bummed).

Car is an obvious total. You can probably fight for a strong settlement because of low miles and condition and keep the car for parts fairly cheap. If you have the space that is your best plan.

Good luck!

[jetblackE39]

Cheap 2000 M5 and swap parts

worth it tbh

thought about it but nah I'm satisfied with m62tu. M5 would be overkill for me, I don't need the extra power. I think m5 is best for people who can use it to the fullest .

[jetblackE39]

Sorry about your accident, happy to hear you are okay (at least physically, I have not doubt you are majorly bummed).

Car is an obvious total. You can probably fight for a strong settlement because of low miles and condition and keep the car for parts fairly cheap. If you have the space that is your best plan.

Good luck!

thanks msv. Yea I'm bummed but I guess life must go on. Got my eyes on perfect candidate for the transplant . Appreciate your post bro.

[uber5er]

Nice looking car (at least pre-accident). Bummed for you but yeah you're on the right path, rebirth all the good bits into a new shell and enjoy again!

[f355spider]

Its most definitely "totaled" from an insurance stand point. I would be curious what the insurance company estimates the repairs. You could buy it back and try and fix it...or part it out...lots of options...assuming you have the time and inclination.

[jetblackE39]

Uber5er , Thanks my friend. Will do.

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F355spider. I will update with what the insurance offers . Thanks for the post

[jetblackE39]

Just wanted to update. Finally got a call from the insurance company and they paying me out $7647.96. Minus the $500 deductible its goes down to $7,147.96 and they are selling me back my car for $602 . So I end up with $6545 and a few cents. I'm happy about the buy back cause the new throttle body alone that I installed just last month was 455$ and all the other expensive big parts that I had installed in My car within the last 20,000 milesAnd all the Oem M5 mods .

My car was a A/W 2000 540i with 102,000 miles when crashed. Bought it in 2013 with 70,000 miles for 9k with rep m bumpers already installed. I tried to fight for a lil more for all the expensive extras I had put on the car and also all the expensive parts I've replace. But they wouldn't budge. But all in all I'm content with this unfortunate situation. Cause I have a lot of expensive kinda new spare parts now that I can use for my other 540i and the next 540i I'm buying with a blown engine to swap my 102,000 mile engine and tranny into. Oh and they payed for my girlfriends ambulance and emergency hospital bills and hooked her up with an extra 2500$ for her pain and troubles. thanks to all that wished me well with their kind words and advice. Oh and my insurance is progressive. Thanks for reading

[WBAD530i]

Let me just go switch to progressive and crash my car real quick. NICE!

Sounds like you're on top with cash in your pocket, AND a fun project to build your new 540.

No way you'd have gotten that much for the car even if sold to an enthusiast.

[JimLev]

Good to hear you made out OK with the ins company.
I'm wondering how much they are going to bump your rates up next year.....keep us posted, OK.

[jetblackE39]

Good to hear you made out OK with the ins company.
I'm wondering how much they are going to bump your rates up next year.....keep us posted, OK.

I know that's what I was thinking also. I asked the guy And he said it'll go up but its the same as if I had a small fender bender? They say they don't go by how the crash was. Accident big or small it goes up the same. I don't know if he's just trying to BS me but I asked my sister to ask her bf who works for State Farm and he said it was true , but I guess I'll have to wait on the policy renewal next year lol. This was just to update and let people who might be in the same boat currently as me to maybe be able to Gauge their situation. Thanks for reading

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Let me just go switch to progressive and crash my car real quick. NICE!

Sounds like you're on top with cash in your pocket, AND a fun project to build your new 540.

No way you'd have gotten that much for the car even if sold to an enthusiast.

I know I was expecting a lot lower . Lol I was prepared to hear very low figures. Thanks

[Mike WW]

I hope your girlfriends injuries are minor and short term, some stuff will keep on nagging forever.

On the car I think you came out as good as you could have hoped, a good price and especially fairly inexpensive on the buyback, I've seen it as much as 25% of the price they give you, which changes the equation entirely.