I got rear-ended by someone, and as a result hit a parked car with my left front. I got an estimate, and it was $3800 for the parts they could find. A bunch of parts they couldn't even find to price for me, so they figure around $5000 total. The car is worth about $4000, so I think the insurance company will just pay me that much. So, assuming they let me keep the car, do I try and fix it, or get a new one, or try and sell it on e-bay? I can't really keep it because I don't have anywhere to store a 2nd car. Pictures of the damage are below.

The other question has nothing to do with the car. The car that hit me was a rental from Budget, and it's been since the 5th of May, and the adjustor hasn't so much as returned a phone call. I got a lawyer Monday, and he hasn't returned the lawyer's phone call either. So the lawyer's writing a letter of demand. Anyway, has any of you heard of an insurance company behaving like this? I'd expect this from like a two-bit swindler, but not a corporation as big as Budget.

http://www.apt46.net/gabriel/images/benz1.jpg

http://www.apt46.net/gabriel/images/benz2.jpg

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That is relatively minor damage that can be fixed at a really good body shop. Why don't you do through your own insurance company to have the damage fixed and have your insurance company deal with Budget? Not sure how Florida insurance works, I only have experience with California.

When my wife's Volvo was totaled while parked, I started out trying to deal with the other guys insurance company. (They had 21st Century, I have State Farm) 21st's "total loss" department gave me a low ball offer and I ended up getting a much better settlement through my insurance company.

State Farm will then send their people to go deal with 21st about the money. This way you don't need to deal with it.

Your body shop should be able to locate parts, that is not that uncommon of a car. They may have to be shipped in from out of state, but they are available.

I have just about finished with a similar sequence of events with my 1986 190E 2.3-16. I did not have collision on the car and have basically turned it over to my oldest son (it is a few months younger than he is). He was driving and got hit while standing still in a large traffic jam on I-91 outside Hartford, CT on November 14, 2003. Long story short - negotiated with the other guy's insurance company for 4 months and finally got a settlement that did not result in a "salvage" title and had enough money to fix that damage and clean some of the rest of the signs of aging up.

I think you are being exercised unnecessarily by the body shop, as your damage should be repairable without replacing anything in the rear. I was in awe of what a frame straightner will do. You would be hard pressed to find evidence of my son's accident in the trunk, and it used to look like a crushed coke can in there on the main structural rail on the driver's side. The trunk would even shut again just by pulling the rear back out, and the seams on the sides of the trunk were aligned. I replaced the two rear fenders anyway since they had begun the change back to iron oxide.

The front fender may be beyond recovery but I doubt that part, even from MB is much more than two to three hundred dollars. And there are other sources for those parts.

I used genuine MB supplied parts, which I purchased and supplied to the shop. It saved me their mark-up and I was sure of what was going back into the car. You might see if you can do the same. Get a list though, and check more than one shop.

Our car is not perfect as some of the trim is not perfectly aligned, but the vehicle is now truly rust free, it looks like it did when I got it (until you look inside....that is next), and the engine runs like new still.

Be persistent, find a cooperative body shop, get an estimate that does not "force" the insurance company to total the car, and negotiate a settlement that gets the job done. I got a negotiated solution that included extra cash to compensate for loss of vehicle (paid for a new spoiler). Send a registered, return reciept requested letter to them to get them moving, and note you will be asking for loss of use of your vehicle compensation.

I wrote a lot of emails, letters and made many phone calls. If you need to, write to the State Insurance Commissioner. Good luck. Jim

The question you have to ask yourself is it worth putting $4000. or 5000 into the car or taking the money and putting it toward something better. Only you can be the judge.

hello,
well ask yourself the question that rdanz asks. :) after ya come to a desicion, be ready to be firm, and a siddgen demanding, and take some kids with ya to run around there office...hehehe
If ya want to cash out to get something newer, go for almost top dollar, its a mb! tell them your bottom line, tell them to call ya when the check is ready, then leave. don't listen to what they can get them for in the paper...there favorite ploy.
If ya want it fixed, then take it to the best body shop ya can, you get to pick where its fixed, not them. after all, its there customer that hit you. If the driver was drunk, and so stated by the police, I also push this as a remeder. But also know what the state requirments are for them to fix your car... I use the edmonds website as a price area. it seems to be in the general area for pricing and condion. just food for thought.

I would repair it.

Originally posted by engatwork
I would repair it.

DITTO here to !!!

So I guess the consensus is that I should repair it. That's what I was thinking too. The body shop I got the estimate from does a really good job, but they also charge a lot. It doesn't matter for most of their customers because the insurance companies pay for it.

I'll wait and see what Budget will offer if they ever get back to me, and go from there. But if they give me enough money to repair it, I would love to. I'm going to try and get them to pay the value of the car and let me keep it.

The only conundrum I have is if I find another 300SD that I can buy with the settlement, that's in better condition that mine was before the accident.

There might be a statute of limitations where you are so make sure you have a copy of the police report, a copy of something stating that your insurance company acknowledges the situation and a registered mail receipt proving you tried to contact Budget's insurance carrier. You should also contact the state insurance commissioner so you know what your rights are and if there is additional compensation to expect from having to wait.

If push comes to shove, get a notorious personal injury law firm, the kind that advertises on TV at 3am, to do the dirty work for you.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

get lots os estaments and you can buy the parts your self throw junk yards cheap pulling parts yourself can save extra $$ when you find a place to fix it you pull as many parts as posible before you get there and save on laber

Curious what happened here, how did you do settling the insurance claim? Any advice for others if and when they face the same fate?

Still haven't. I got a lawyer, and after he called them a couple of times and sent them a letter, they finally called him back and requested an estimate of the damages. He sent them that, and there's no other news as of yet. It's been 7 weeks.

I just got an Adsit catalog in the mail. They have new w126 fenders listed for $169.

Originally posted by mplafleur
I just got an Adsit catalog in the mail. They have new w126 fenders listed for $169.

whats the shipping?