Sunnyintexas,glad you got to drive it off the road before anyone else got involved from this idiots mistakes.The car performed well in the collision ,the last drive was Im sure the saddest ,kinda of like it surrendered its body to save yours.Hope you get well soon so you can gain more mbs to crawl around and get messy.Doctors orders.

If no one will give you a bid, might someone be willing to sell you a bid? I can understand unwillingness to invest time in a project that will never get done but what if you offered to pay them for their time? That amount would then be added to what your lawyer friends are trying to recover for you from the insurance companies.

Here's a link to the article that I referred to in my earlier post. It shows what might happen if you're not in a Mercedes:

Press Democrat

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Thanks, darlin' -- working on it!

Good thought, Jeremy. The top-end shops won't (I asked!), 'cause they say they end up in court instead of spending their time fixin' great cars. Still, there should be someone willing to make a buck or two.

It's worth it to me to make sure that 1) I get something close to her true value, and 2) I create a precedent that any of us can use against insurance toads when the next classic MB gives it's life for it's driver.

Sunny

__________________
Anthracite 1980 300D -- 64k original miles with a new engine, on the road again!
Silver 300D -- second owner, Sunny's old baby, Ilse, 210 miles,
Having to thin the herd….
Silver 1983 300SD -- second owner, 325k miles
Gold 1981 300D -- well-traveled, solid little car
Beige 1984 300D -- 292k miles, grease machine, parting out
Seafoam green 1981 300SD -- 250k, windshield frame damage
too many assorted w123 & w126 cars, parts cars, and extras

Sunny - PC and I are so glad you are OK

__________________
BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

Sunny
You might try talking to your insurance co. because most of them have connections with various shops and they may be able to point you to one that will give you a quote. I know you probably want a totally independent quote but this could at least get you started. You might try calling the local MB dealer and ask if they have a body shop. If none of these ideas work you might try getting values for top examples of your model of car and give that to the lawyers. Some places are getting big $$ for good examples.

__________________
1983 300SD
200000miles

The appraiser I use says that a lot of their work involves going to court, they are used to it. You [Sunny] had indicated that most of the appraisers in your area work for the car companies but there have to be a few independents out there.

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Another legendary Machine sacrifice to save you. Sorry for your loss man BUMMER....

__________________
Current Garage
2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI 188k mi Repair/Work in progress
1994 S350 160k mi Garage Queen & prepping for repairs
2005 E320 CDI 203k mi Healthy & Daily Driver
1994 S350 357k mi Retried as parts car
1984 300TD 214k mi Blown OM617 Poss OM603 Swap??

Sold
1987 300SDL 200K+
1994 S320 181K mi
2008 E320 Bluetec 127k mi
1999 S420 130K mi
1980 240D 360k mi
15+ Others that has come, stay and gone

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
1995 E320 SE 220k mi
1984 300SD 350k mi

I just came across this thread. Sunny, I am Glad you are well. All my condoleences on the loss of one of your steeds. Let's console ourselves that we did not loose you.

__________________
------------------------------------------
Aquilae non capunt muscas! (Eagles don't hunt flies!)


1979 300SD Black/Black MBtex239000mi
1983 300TD euro-NA. White/Olive Cloth-MBtex 201000mi. Fleet car of the USA embassy in Morocco
1983 240D Labrador Blue/Blue MBtex 161000mi

I'm glad your ok!

The W126 preformed supurbly! The rear crumple zone did just what it was designed to do, absurb as much energy as possible. The placement of the fuel tank prevented it from rupturing, and the passanger cage held up perfectly.

Not bad for a 30 year old design!

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

You are SO right!! God bless those little elves in Sindelfingen!

Thanks, everyone else, for all the good wishes and great ideas. As usual, you've given me many more things than I'll have time to follow up on immediately, but I have my work list!

__________________
Anthracite 1980 300D -- 64k original miles with a new engine, on the road again!
Silver 300D -- second owner, Sunny's old baby, Ilse, 210 miles,
Having to thin the herd….
Silver 1983 300SD -- second owner, 325k miles
Gold 1981 300D -- well-traveled, solid little car
Beige 1984 300D -- 292k miles, grease machine, parting out
Seafoam green 1981 300SD -- 250k, windshield frame damage
too many assorted w123 & w126 cars, parts cars, and extras

I'm glad you're okay, but instead of a chiropractor I would highly recommend you to go see a physical therapist instead. Get your back and neck treated properly, otherwise it will haunt you for years to come if not treated as soon as possible.

Did you have difficulty talking, breathing or moving your head after the crash?

The car performed admirably, as we've come to expect of all MB's. I'm surprised that the impact was around 60mph, with a loaded pick up truck as well as two other cars that bore down on the poor SD. It's gone but won't be forgotten.

I hope you recover quickly.

__________________
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

Odd, I got an e-mail Wednesday that Bio300TDTdriver had posted to this thread, but I don't see his request for an update. Wonder why?

MBeige, thanks for the good advice. I am seeing a pain management specialist, a massage therapist/physical therapist, and a chiropractor. I've known all three for years -- this was not my first rodeo, nor my first bad rear-ender! They all work well together, and each recognizes -- and utilizes! -- the best attributes of the other two to help speed my recovery. The healing process takes time, patience, and work. That last is one most folks never learn, and is probably the most important.

I have good days and bad days -- today was a good day followed by a bad night, which is why I'm here instead of in my warm bed where I belong!

I've talked to a few of appraisers, and am waiting to hear back from a couple. Most don't want -- even for money -- to come out to the middle of nowhere. My insurance agent is getting some names for me, so I hope to have some answers this week.

One friend who attended our November tech session noted that he fixed up a similar car and sold it two years ago for $6k, and will be writing a letter to that effect.

While I returned the $2,494 settlement check from USAA, they still contacted TxDOT, represented themselves as my insuror, and had my registration revoked and my title suspended. TxDOT says I cannot do anything with the car (sell it, fix it, part it out, even for my own use!) unless and until I apply for a salvage title, based on the information they've received from "the insuror on the above-referenced automobile." I was with USAA's appraiser -- he didn't look closely enough to determine that the car could not be repaired, he just looked long enough to say they weren't going to fix it. Geez, I took better and more thorough pics!!

Ah, well, the joys of dealing with greedy twits. The various drugs seem to finally be having a reasonably salutory effect, so I'm going to try for some sleep before dawn...

Sunny

__________________
Anthracite 1980 300D -- 64k original miles with a new engine, on the road again!
Silver 300D -- second owner, Sunny's old baby, Ilse, 210 miles,
Having to thin the herd….
Silver 1983 300SD -- second owner, 325k miles
Gold 1981 300D -- well-traveled, solid little car
Beige 1984 300D -- 292k miles, grease machine, parting out
Seafoam green 1981 300SD -- 250k, windshield frame damage
too many assorted w123 & w126 cars, parts cars, and extras

I have USAA as an insurance company. They are pretty fair to work with. I bet you may be happy with what they say it is worth. What did NADA say for value?

__________________
1982 300SD

I deleted it when I merged the two threads. His only reference was to the other thread which is now combined with this one.

Sunny, glad your OK and sorry for your loss of green girl.
Check a thread called - I Lost It All - started by cphilip
Sounds like he got what he wanted out of his insurance when his baby went up in flames. Of course he was dealing with his own carrier, not the other guys. As for an estimate to repair green girl, send me pictures of all four sides, as much from underneath as you can get, a picture looking into the trunk, and any other shot you think shows damage from the wreck.
I can produce you a visual damage estimate using Shoplink. That is one of the industry standard estimating softwares. My brother owns an autobody shop here in CT, and I was the shop manager for the last few years, probably wrote a thousand estimates in that time. I can certainly tell you that the biggest batch of scum to ever surface on this planet goes under the name -Insurance- The few decent people in that field are getting drummed out fast by the penny pinching profit weasels who want to pay nothing on a claim. They seem to have been getting their way with the laws too. Like cutting off the storage payments before they have settled the claim. Are you in a rental? If not, you should make them get you one, even if you don't drive it. Nothing speeds up an insurance company like having to pay for a rental car.
If neccesary, and it probably will be, go right over the head of the claims handler. Get their boss on the line and explain that this was not an old car, it was a classic car. Totally different thing. I saw an insurance company pay out $3000 to fix a 1970 AMC AMX which had gotten a very light tap in the back. First adjuster tried to total the vehicle, but the owner stuck it out and about 6 months later we eventually fixed it for him.
(about a grand of that bill was a rechromed bumper)
Good luck