New member w/ 420SEL (not for long) - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Benzadmiral · #1 07-30-2004, 09:04 AM

Howdy, guys,

I've been lurking here for a while, learning lots of things about my great grey warship, the '86 420SEL I bought in 1999. It's been a terrific car -- easy to change oil on, free of most of the electronic gizmos of the 140 and later "modern" Benzes, and sure to collect a compliment or two wherever I went.

But last Friday afternoon, just before I left work to start my vacation, some blinking idiot woman sideswiped the big car as it was parked at the curb in front of my office. (I know it was a woman because I have a witness, who saw her and got the license number.) Rear fender dented and scraped, bumper torn and knocked 1" away from the body, cladding scraped and dented, the driver's door likewise, and scars in both 8-hole wheels. Jeez Louise . . .

The irony of the whole thing was that, after a year of chasing down some rattles and creaks in the driver's door (with the help of this forum), I had driven to work on Friday morning, saying to myself, "Gee, I think I'll keep this car for a while longer."

Yes, I have insurance, and the car remains drivable, though with more door rattles than before. But the repair estimate from the AAA insurance people is -- get this -- $6000, and so they plan to total the car. Of course I'll have a battle getting a fair value out of them for an 18-year-old car which was in "High Retail" condition before the accident. I plan to use Autotrader and some other websites to prove to them that (a) there aren't very many W126s in the New Orleans/SE Louisiana area that I could reasonably replace it with, and that (b) I would have to travel -- and spend a lot more -- to buy another one in the same condition. (In the meantime, I've located a '97 C230 in nice condition, and will be posting about that soon.)

Have any of you been in the same situation? If so, how did you handle it?

TIA,
Paul W. (the Benzadmiral -- who will miss the big steering wheel and superb style of the W126)

Benzadmiral · #2 07-30-2004, 11:22 PM

Anyone?

Botnst · #3 07-30-2004, 11:26 PM

Nope.

BTW, whereyat in NOLA?

I lived on Dauphin in the '60's for a wonderful summer prior to military service.

yosshimura · #4 07-31-2004, 12:36 AM

I used auto trader ads for several weeks a few yrs ago when I had theft claim with geico or all state , can't remember... They wanted to give me X for replacement value, when it was really worth XX...

Once I showed them the ads... they cut me a check for the correct amount... rather easy....

But be realistic.... Also check edmunds or kelly... kelly has inflated prices so that will help you... good luck

Benzadmiral · #5 07-31-2004, 06:59 AM

Hey, Botnst! I live in Algiers, on the West Bank of the Mississippi. The Occupied West Bank, I call it. It's just as nice in my area as the suburb out to the west, Metairie, but a lot cheaper. When you say you lived on "Dauphin", do you mean Dauphine St. in the French Quarter? If so, we may have passed each other -- I grew up down there. ('Struth.)

Yosshimura, I've been checking Autotrader; I've seen W126s on there for anywhere from $3400 to $11,900 (that one is a car at the Mercedes Showroom place in Fort Lauderdale -- a much lower mileage car than mine). I'll try Kelly Blue Book as well. Thanks.

What happens when they "total" a car? I've had varying reports that they haul it away or that you can continue to keep and drive it, but you can no longer get full coverage. I've got a guy who still wants to buy the big beast, so I hope it's the latter.

Botnst · #6 07-31-2004, 09:50 AM

Being a two-fingered typist, I view writing as somewhat probabilistic. Dauphine for sure.

Is that replica square-rigged sailing vessel still in the Harvey canal? What's that about?

#7 08-01-2004, 06:39 PM

There is a very clean looking 420SEL here if you like I can get you the number for it

mikemover · #8 08-01-2004, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Benzadmiral

Have any of you been in the same situation? If so, how did you handle it?

Yes, I have.

Some moron in a Toyota rear-ended my 116 a couple of years ago, and his insurance company wanted to total it. I absolutely refused their decision, and insisted that the car was a rare, semi-collectable, and hard-to-replace vehicle, and that it WAS easily repairable, and that it WAS worth far more than the middle-of-the-road book value they wanted to assign to it.

You also have more leverage since it was THEIR customer's fault, not yours....SHE hit YOUR car, and not only did she do that, she is guilty of a hit-and-run! Tell them you do NOT want another car, you want THAT car returned to the condition it was in before THEIR CUSTOMER hit-and-ran it, and you want it done properly, and at no expense or inconvenience to yourself.

Don't let them bully you. YOU are the victim here, and THEIR customer is at fault. As her insurer, they are obligated to fix your car. Insist on a rental budget as well, for the duration of the time your car is in the shop. They don't want the expense and trouble of going to court over it....They will eventually cave, and will fix your car.

For my argument, I made the adjuster from his company return to look at my car again, carefully showing him all the work I had done to it, I provided proof of what I actually paid for the car, and a LARGE stack of receipts for work and improvements made on the vehicle, and printed copies of ads for similar cars for sale on eBay and other sources....

Like I said....they love use bully tactics, and convince people that they have no options....but don't let 'em do it to you. Stand your ground.

Mike

nellotare · #9 08-01-2004, 08:48 PM

You might want to check NADA prices also. I find them to be more inflated than any other source.

I do agree with the HAVE THEM FIX IT. At least let someone look at it and see what has been affected. If the "side" is all, then you know the frame etc. should still be good.

GEICO once told me that they would finance a "totaled" car. They just have to go over the accident reports and investigate how it was fixed. I was never told that I couldn't get complete coverage.

Good Luck in whatever you decide.

Benzadmiral · #10 08-03-2004, 11:18 AM

. . . about the 420SEL. I was pleasantly surprised that they started with the NADA average retail value instead of a lowball trade-in, and that they added in my local 9% sales tax without my having to press for it. Minus my deductible, they are offering $4568.

For me to keep the car, they would deduct $556, for a payout of $4012.

The reason I want to keep it? I have a buyer at my apartment complex who has admired the car for several years, has seen the damage, and isn't worried about it (apparently he has friends or relations who do body work). I thought I would ask for $2500, and be willing to take $2K.

Plus, if the damn woman who hit my warship has insurance (never a guarantee in Louisiana), I can get my deductible back. (Are there any other charges I can bring against her?)

NADA High average retail would be $5650 instead of $4650. Is it worth hassling over when I have a potential buyer?

Thanks for the input,

djugurba · #11 08-03-2004, 12:18 PM

please wait until the woman is apprehended who hit your car. HER insurance, not yours, should pay, and you'll have no deductible to worry about. Also, your premium will not go up, which might happen even if you've been A1 customer for years. If you can find her, she's the one responsible.

If you cannot locate her, can you replace the car with a comparable vehicle for that price? I dunno... don't be afraid to push a bit.

Lebenz · #12 08-03-2004, 12:42 PM

No prob here. I actually used your inspiration and advise and sent the attack dog cops -- actually sheriffs -- on some folks recently. I’d share the story, but I have a hunch you wouldn’t like it.

Benzadmiral · #13 08-03-2004, 12:52 PM

So what all of you are saying is that, once I accept a check, I will have no more legal recourse against her?

Of course I want her to pay, but I also don't want this all to drag on (which is what the insurance co. is hoping, too, I'm sure).

Narwhal, we do have mandatory insurance -- almost anything you do with the city, parish, or state involving your car, you have to show proof of insurance. But a lot of losers take out a policy, get the proof of insurance card, then quit making payments. I suppose they then go with another company six months down the road, and the whole thing repeats (and drives up the rates for the rest of us).

Lebenz · #14 08-03-2004, 01:29 PM

Well, this is kind of a hijack but here goes: I like to ride my bike, and also hike on forest service roads. I'll try to keep this short - some idiots with guns were shooting up a storm. When this happens, and it happens a lot, I make a quick U turn and head away as fast as my legs can carry me. Having been shot at a couple of times, I find the prospect of that happening again just a tad less than my idea of fun. Anyway, this happened again just after our conversation about the guy you sicked the cops on for leaving advertisements on folks cars. So anyway, some Sheriffs in a SUV were heading up the road as I was coming down. I thought, jeez, if someone can be arrested for leaving advertisements on a car, why not..... and so I stopped them, had a nice talk about what constitutes safe shooting and shared some stories. I asked them if there was any way to help stop this from happening. They said to call and they’d be happy to investigate. So I told them where the shooters were and they headed up the hill and I down. About 20 minutes down the hill, there were 2 more Sheriffs trucks heading up. This is on a road where usually, there will be 1 or less vehicles in an entire outing.

Two things about this event are note worthy. First, until I told the Sheriffs I had a house at blank blank, they were less than enthusiastic. I guess it pays to be part of the establishment. Second, I found out that my new cell service provider offers coverage almost everywhere in the sticks. So I've called a few times since..... The moral is that sometimes it's okay to be heavy handed. (I looked for a means of putting that in small print). Sigh.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Benzadmiral · #15 08-12-2004, 03:13 PM

Hey, all,

Thanks for your input. The climax to the story is that, much as I hate to do it, I've decided to total the car. The insurance co. offered me a good settlement, as I said above; the one potential buyer I had failed to show up or call; and I don't really have the energy to deal with the situation any more.

I've talked to an attorney, by the way, and his opinion (he used to work for insurance companies) was that, since there was no injury, there really wasn't anything else I could bring to bear against this crazy woman that the insurance people and the cops weren't already aiming her way.

Naturally I will miss this big beast. I drove it to get the title notarized on Tuesday, and while heavy and leisurely in its acceleration (unless you floor it), it still rides and handles like the thoroughbred it is. My plan is to put a note in the glove box in an envelope addressed to the new owner (I hope somebody will buy it at auction to fix and drive rather than to part out!), asking him to drop me an e-mail when he reaches 200,000 miles. I was planning to take a pic of the odometer turning the big 200K mark, like Mike Tangas did with his 560 in another post, but I guess it just wasn't to be.

One last drive to the grocery tonight, I guess. . . .