Never ever rely on Car Fax or others to provide a vehicle health check. CF is a scam / shake down that convinces unknowing car buyers that if a lot does not subscribe to their $ 1,500 per month service, they are hiding something. Nothing beats an in person inspection by a good mechanic.

A " total " only means that it is not economical at a _retail_ level to repair the car. If this car was 6 years old it would be repaired without question and not have a branded title. Same car/ same damage just a some years apart. The type of damage matters more than the cost, a minor side pull and replacing doors is far easier to fix than a quarter panel replacement.

I never worry about if a car has a salvage / R title or not since I keep cars until they are completely used up ( rust ). If you do fix the car, be sure to document the damage with pictures / bills. Real car people are not afraid the repairs needed to get this car going again.

In the end, the market for these cars in any condition is pretty narrow so I don't think you will be losing any $ regardless. It would be a good thing if a R title runs off the Car Fax people as they tend to be unrealistic expecting a new 30 year old car.

Looks like a total to me. Take the cash, buy another or a 400E.

Do not waste your time trying to part it, no one will buy anything off the thing. Been there, done that.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

No I would't try and part it out. The appraiser looked at it last Tuesday and said it was a total loss. I can fix it for about $300 or less in parts, but that leaves me with the rest of the body work to be done etc.
Now the insurance company says they don't know if the guy was actually covered or not. If he is not covered I think I will go ahead and repair it at my expense, still drives fine, no tracking issues or new thumps or thuds. Just new doors, a rear window regulator and I think all will be well.
That 400e sure looks nice though. Problem with the ac even though the compressor engages. New wiring harness, new front end, etc man...

BTW, Pierre Hardary thinks the 400E is going the way of the 500E price-wise. Might be a good car to have around. 182000 miles, great body, normal wear and tear.
https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d/galveston-1992-mercedes-benz-400e-w124/6864007120.html
Let me know what everyone thinks!

I have seen excellent paint and interior 400Es with the harness as well as evap done sell for under $4500. It is an all around better car than a 300E, nearly 100hp/100tq MORE with similar fuel economy as it is SEFI and not CIS. BUT it is more complex due to the more electronics under it.

$3k would take that one down on the coast.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

Not covered as in " he is driving without insurance" ? Is liability insurance required in TX?

Your car insurance should know instantly if the guy has insurance or not. If the guy was driving without insurance, he should have gotten a ticket. You should be able to file a civil suit.

Yes, liability is required in TX and he apparently has a policy but I got a letter in the mail Friday saying there was some issue of whether or not he was covered, ie lapse of payment etc. I am waiting to hear from his insurance company.
My guess is he was driving without insurance. I want blood now, nothing else will do!

Do you not have uninsured motorist on your policy?

That saved my ass when one totaled my '09 F350. Guy had NO license, NO insurance, and somehow just purchased a vehicle in Dallas. Tore up the truck, clipped bed fender, cab corner bent, both doors, running board, fender, mirror, bumper, etc. I did destroy his E60 BMW 550i AND police towed it as no insurance plus wrote the boy a myriad of citations.

Sorry to hear this happened to you, it is even worse now that the guy is uninsured.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

There was more damage to the boats and trailers than my MB. I can fix that in a day or so. Boats need some fiberglass work and trailer parts. I did not have full coverage on the Mercedes. For what it cost, and the market value, the money just did not balance out.
The insurance company seems to be giving me the run around, saying there is not enough information on whether or not he was insured. BS flag!
Whatever happens, happens I guess.

I'd go to the state insurance commission to get this handled. Insurance is tied to a vehicle so his company running the VIN should net an answer in a few seconds.

Was there a fake paper plate on the car? A few You Tube vids crossed my path stating this is a problem in TX.

To address post 23 , a bunch of citations mean nothing to a person without visible assets , permanent address or other paperwork.

This sounds ridiculous (and, sadly, familiar). A few years ago a young woman who was probably under the influence fell asleep or unconscious at the wheel and crashed her car into my car, which was parked in the circular driveway in front of my old house. She was insured through some "$29 per month gets you all the insurance you need" place. Getting them to even return my call was a chore. After a week of leaving multiple messages and speaking to a person twice who, each time, told me they were trying to "verify coverage," I told them I was going to report them to the Texas Department of Insurance and the insurance division at the Texas Attorney General's office. They magically became more responsive after that exchange.

Bottom line, the person who hit you either had coverage under a policy with the company when they hit your vehicle, or they did not. There's really not a lot of grey area. It sounds like it may be time to let the insurance company know you expect a definitive answer from them or that you'll report them to the appropriate authorities.

Good luck--looks like a nice car.

__________________
Christopher
'06 Mercedes E350 station wagon (silver/black)
'85 Mercedes 300D (black pearl/palomino)
'85 Mercedes 300SD (smoke silver/burgundy)
'79 Cadillac Sedan DeVille

'05 Toyota Camry (because always running is nice)

'85 Mercedes 300D sold back to orig. owner 8-1-06
'84 Volvo 264GL Diesel, owned 2000-2013

Each state has an office of the Insurance Commissioner. While in college I worked as a claims adjuster for one of the largest insurers in the state. When our office received an inquiry from the state insurance commissioner, we jumped.

Well I heard from the insurance company today on the final settlement for the car. Totaled of course. Now here is the crazy part. I figured they would give me a little less than market value which is less than about $2500. I actually figured on $5-700. HAHA, they are crazy! If I keep the car they will give me a little more than $4000. Yes, thats right 4k. If I let them have it they will give me a little less than 6K. No where on earth is a super high mileage 1989 300E that needs additional body work worth that much. But I'm taking it! The 6k that is. Kind of a no brainer. That gives me lotsa cash with what I've already got for a nice 560 SEC, 400E or SL500. Not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, even taking the 4k, I can't make the car superb without body work and a new paint job plus the high miles.
Many thanks to those who posted and gave some great advice, I really hate to see the car go to the wrecker, kind of breaks my heart to think such a noble motorcar is going to languish in oblivion. But I would still have to sell either it or the Volvo (the Volvo would go first) as life changes force me to need a truck.

Wow, did they give you this all in writing? The span between you keeping the car or giving it to them is way larger than normal. Usually salvage is sub 10% of value.

In any event, look for the Copart / IAA auction in your area as that is where the car will likely turn up. The only way to find out what it sells for is to be viewing the auction in real time so use a screen capture or vid camera to record the activity.

Yes, I did get it in writing. Well email anyway. When the adjuster told me she must have heard a gasp or something as she asked if I wanted her to repeat the numbers. I also asked for an email at that time. Numbers all match what she said so I guess I am good to go. Not sure what the next process is but we shall see!