Decision time in DFW - sell for parts or fix
 

My one owner (all records) 215k mile 83 300D turbo took a hard hit on the front yesterday. Not sure what to do. Participating in this forum for the last few years had convinced me to restore it and keep it. I've accumulated a lot of parts (some still in boxes) and was begining to prep it for a high quality repaint. Probably over $2k worth of parts. The hit came over the front bumper so the suspension and my new rotors with Akebono ceramic pads are still good. However, it ruptured the oil cooler. Radiator and AC condensor are bent up but didn't leak. Need a new oil cooler, radiator, AC condensor, left front fender, hood, front hood support, etc. I'm OK doing mechanical work, but body repair is not my cup of tea. Had it towed (not driveable only because of the ruptured oil cooler) to the body shop I've used for years. He's quickly tallied over $4000 to repair (parts hard to find and $$) and that doesn't include the entire repaint. He estimates salvage value at $0.01/pound.

I'm really sorry to hear about you loss. It's just my opinion, but I would take lots of pictures and start doing research about the current value of you car. It will also help if you detail the car before the adjuster comes out or you take pictures.

You should get top dollar from the ins. company, seeing that this is not the average scruffy 300D.

You might need some help to navigate the process, I think JimB. is well versed in these matters and hopefully he will offer up some advice.

You can always buy it back and fix it, but I would make sure to get top dollar for it first. My buddy got 8k for his high mile '84 944 Porsche because he was able to detail the car, document it was a well maintained car, and demand that a replacement would be hard to find and they should also rent him a car while he searched.

Good luck, and get some copies of completed auctions from ebay, autotrader and Hemmings Motor News advertisments. The documentation you have speaks for itself.

Also, get yourself checked out you might feel fine, but it's wouldn't hurt.

I got most of your parts --on the north side

I would be looking for north of 6 grand and a rental, seeing that they sell for around 10k with good paint with the provenance your car has.



IMHO, it's easier to be a hardball at first and back off, than to be nice and try to escalate when the adjuster offers a pittance.

Who knows, they might fix it. I would ask about supplemantal coverage if the bodyshop finds more issues when get into it.

Thanks for the replies. I don't expect an insurance settlement. I had dropped collision several years ago. I really don't think it was my fault, but I got a citation for following too close.
Details: I'm north bound on I35 in heavy traffic with a good distance between me and a van in front of me. I see the brake lights coming on ahead and I'm slowing. At the same time, a large pickup is zooming up the on ramp next to me. He cuts in front of me and hits his brakes. He first hits the van in front of him, then I hit him. The truck and MB are both in a nose dive. I cut to the right but not fast enough. My bumper goes under his. Officer writes it up as two accidents. He cites me and the driver in front of me for following too close. If anything, I wasn't following close enough or he couldn't have had room to cut me off.

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I'm just thinking out loud here, but would it be worth spending a couple of hundred on an specialized attorney to fight the ticket and go after the driver of the truck?

The fact that he was charged might help you out, since he cut you off. Being that this was an interstate onramp, could you get footage of the accident/truck cutting you off from a DOT camera? That would change things in your favor quickly.

The local news always has DOT camera footage even to show congestion in the mornings on the local interstate highway. There must be a way of getting a copy of it.

Writing it up as two accidents hurts you and helps the driver of the truck escape liability. I wonder if this was done on purpose?

Last summer a member from Northeast had loaned his son the 300d and it got SERIOUSLY creamed in plano. Wiskydan had his friend who is a bodyman up at a chevy dealer in McInney i think fix it--and the crash parts came from my 85 300d and some other that he cut the unitbody structure out of---This car was MANGLED and most would not have tried to fix it. I got the radiator/cooler/condenser from that car and the rest from the 83 cd to get yours back in order--if someone can find that thread--it was a teal green badly F--edd up car.

Here is the website for TXDOT cameras: http://dfwtraffic.dot.state.tx.us/Default.htm#map.create%2832.79073798280989%2C-97.01065063476562%2C11%29%3BsetTimeout%28function%28%29%7Bmap.showIncidentIcons%28tmcs%5B%2701%27%5D %29%3Bmap.showLaneClosureIcons%28tmcs%5B%2701%27%5D%29%3Bmap.showCameraIcons%28tmcs%5B%2701%27%5D%29 %3Bmap.showIncidentIcons%28tmcs%5B%27FTW%27%5D%29%3Bmap.showLaneClosureIcons%28tmcs%5B%27FTW%27%5D%2 9%3B%7D%2C2000%29%3B

I'm not sure how available the past footage would be but you might be able to use the "contact us" information.

Given all the facts, based solely on the retail reconstruction of "$4,000.00" it will cost you out of pocket, it is now a parts car. Going by that, without the expertise in DIY body work, I don't see a future of restoring it.

Following too closely is against the law. From your story, it's a valid citation you received. You were not able to stop your vehicle before hitting the vehicle in front of your's.

But the vehicle in front of his was one that had just interposed itself into that position immediately prior to the accident, without enough time to prevent it. Sounds to me like he was following at an acceptable distance from the front car, this truck coming up the ramp decided to wedge himself into the space, and then before our driver even had a chance to back off, the wreck happened. Truck's fault for getting into a space he was not entitled to and in which there was not enough room.

Nope. Not in Texas. A vehicle pulls in front of you, and you ram it from the rear - you pay, and get cited. In Texas, the law is named; "Following Too Closely."

I would not die in the ditch of trying to prove the Texas Law invalid, by wasting time and money trying to do so. I would cut my losses where they are, and get on with my life.

Yep, send it off to the pick and pull, another W123 bites the dust. :confused:

Nevermind that with the right combination of inexpensive used parts and a reasonable body man the car could give years of reliable service for little money.

I was sideswiped by a hit and run driver while driving a 1987 BMW 325ES, I bought all the used body panels for $300, and the bodyshop fixed the car and painted it for $600. I drove that reliable E30 for four more years, the alternative would have been to scrap it for $300. Though I did have to get my hands dirty, and scrounge for parts. What a concept.....

I guess if I spent my days spewing the joys of Berkshire Hathaway and how I could get my own net jet, I wouldn't want to embark on such a pedestrian endeavor. Just saying.

That's odd, usually one gets cited first and then you can choose to pay the citation, among other things. Boy, Texas is a wierd place.