Questions and Answers

BMW Z3: Will It Be The Same? Q. I was recently involved in a motor vehicle accident and sustained $13,000.00 in damage to my 2001 BMW Z3 3.0. Will it ever drive the same after repair? Also if I try to sell it, is there a place where a buyer can discover that this car has been wrecked? Can a buyer tell it has been wrecked by looking at it? Thanks a lot! Laurie

A. Well Laurie, think of a car as a paper clip. You can take it and make it straight and then bend it back to it's clip shape. You can do it and it will work as a paper clip, but it's not exactly the same. The car may ride and perform nicely and in fact like new, but it is never quite the same.

If the car was not totaled by the insurance company, then the title would be clean. Most states will put TOTALED on a cars title if it was in an accident and totaled out. Other than that, there really is no way for anyone to easily find out if a car was in an accident. The only way I can think of to possibly find out is through Carfax or similar service.

Most likely the average person will not be able to tell if a car was in an accident. There are some clues that a little more educated person can spot. However if they take the car to a mechanic to inspect before purchase, he will spot it. It is very hard to hide that kind of damage and most mechanics will know what to look for.