President’s Update August 2023

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BMW Car Club of America E31 Chapter – The Voice of E31 Owners

August E31Chapter NEWS- by Henry Christoff

Greetings E31 enthusiasts!

Over the last few months, I have had news from several E31 owners who recently had accident issues involving their E31s. Some of you following Timm’s YouTube channel know that his 840 Ci was recently involved in a T-Bone accident while being test driven by the owner of a repair shop, an accident which was not the fault of the repair shop driver. As our E31s age and in many cases are increasing in value, the insurance side of ownership should be considered and possibly re-evaluated. Certainly not every 8 Series car will command a market price as we have seen with the 850 CSi models in recent years. However, if your E31 suffered loss due to an accident, vandalism or a tree falling on your car, would you be fully covered for repairs or if written off as “totalled” get market value for the claim? It’s critical that each of us review our policies and obtain the amount and types of coverage necessary to protect our cars. Personally, I have collector coverage with a major insurance player for collector and vintage automobiles. Reviewing my 1991 850i policy, I was surprised how low my stated value was for my 8 Series compared to the market values of E31s like mine. With the recent contact by E31 owners who were having to deal with accident damage and stated values, I increased the stated value portion of my policy on my 8 Series to current market value. Better to be safe, than sorry later on.

Here is the video Timm posted about his 840. Although he lives in the UK, it does not matter where you reside- it is critical that you consider the current market value of your E31, or any collector/vintage car, in your garage and insure as appropriate.

E31 8 SERIES STORIES – perhaps you have an interesting story about your car, or how you first came to own an 8 Series or you have stumbled on a great product while detailing your 8 Series you would like to share with other E31 owners. Hey-! Sounds great and we welcome your story or news tip for the next edition of the E31News. Send your contribution, no matter how short or long, to John Berge, our newsletter editor: newsletter@bmwccae31.com

NEW MEMBERS & RENEWALS – I would like to welcome two new members to the E31 Chapter: Michael Youngblut and Donald Williams. And, thank you to the following for renewing their E31 Chapter memberships this past July: Ron Lansing, Donovan Brown, Charles Lee, John Berge, Sanders Mann and Sumra Manning. I’ve mailed an E31 hat pin to each of you.

REMINDER: While quantities last, new E31 Chapter members and those who renew their membership will receive a free E31 hat pin. It’s our way of showing appreciation of your continued E31 Chapter support!

E31 Chapter Motor T-Shirts…….We have a good number of our E31 Chapter Motor t-shirts still available – see the summer edition of the E31News on our website to order. We take all the major credit cards and ship the shirts via Priority Mail!

I recently attended a local car show in my community – they had a really good turnout of about 250 cars. Mostly muscle cars and hot rods, but there were a few imports on the show field. I saw a really pretty BMW 2002 in orange – that so ‘70s color popular in the day- and one of our local BC8s guys, Andrew Ng, won second place in his vehicle class showing his 1991 Mauritius Blue 850i. There was a 1960’s vintage VW Double Cab pickup – with a rather funny decal on the dashboard in front of the passenger: a little scary, but funny.

COMING EVENTS

That covers it for August– Henry Christoff– pres@bmwccaE31.com