Friday was not a good day
 

Had an impromptu physics demonstration involving my '95 E300D. My priorities are no longer fuel line o-rings.
http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/a...34-53_7122.jpg

Hood, bumper cover, headlight, grille, fans, radiator are gone for sure. Had trouble shifting back to neutral from park, so engine and transmission may have shifted as well.

For an eighteen year-old car with 196,000 miles on the clock, I am not expecting that the insurance company will want to get this back on the road for my daughter to take over when she gets her license.

Sigh.

Tom

Sorry to hear! Sounds like you're okay though, which is another way to enjoy the car's engineering....

Glad that you guys were ok.

The car looks repairable. Since joining this forum I have seen pics of several MB's that have been wrecked. Looks like the occupants fair very well.

Get another.

oh....sh*** ...the hood ornament is still o.k. ....

Before you abandon the car, have a body shop look at it. Your car took a hit in a soft spot ( Above the bumper ) so the damage looks far worse that it actually is.

The determining factor will be if the engine sufferend any damage.

Have a look at car-part ( dot ) com for salvage yard parts. Shopping on craigslist would work too, be sure to look at gas powered cars also. With carefull shopping you could fix it without any paint work.

Btw what did you hit; a raised pickup with a hitch? Very odd damage pattern. Surprised the airbags didn't trigger either.

Looks like you hit a brodozer, or one of those stupid lifted trucks that doesn't follow the laws of bumper height.

Hope it can be repaired. If not Lmk.

Thanks, gang.

It was a low speed collision (no airbags!). Only me in the car, and no injury.

I'll know more tomorrow about what all is affected. My big concern is the motor and transmission possibly shifting position.

By the way, that was all done by the spare tire on a Jeep Liberty that made a panic stop when an idiot came flying out of a side street and almost hit him. Of course, that car made no contact, so he isnt part of the incident. Sheesh!

Thanks for the good thoughts!
Tom

STOP FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE! :mad:

Thanks for making time to point that out. No way I would have reached that conclusion without you.

With your help, maybe I can become a better person.

Tom

Insurance will likely total and let you keep it. My little bump in the back hit the crumple zone. Car is still on the road but probably won't be properly repaired but driven until I want something prettier.

I bought another in better shape and have cash left but have spent time which is expensive.

Agreed: Stop following too close. It will help your next car's longevity.

If you can store the car, get another identical car and save it for parts, or use another car as parts to get this one back on the road.

tough love can be a b!tch. hey, it looks like i'm near you, so if you want/need a second set of hands for pulling parts and reassembly/alignment, feel free to pm me. i'm down for hitting up some junkyards too. i need to pick up a few items myself if we end up going. :cool:

we could go in my wife's truck so panels/hood should fit.

Do I smell a 606 swap??? Dibs on the pump! Glad you're ok

Thanks for the offer, pgringo. I am in Cedar Park, so I am on the opposite side of Austin from you.

Let me see what the insurance company says. I'll plan from there. I think I would be out of my depth on some of the work that is needed.

Thanks again for the offer of help.

Tom