Care to see what Progressive thinks a totaled '83 300D looks like?
 

Got rearended Friday.. 15-20mph rear passenger side bumper. Minimal visible damage.

However, Progressive wants to total the car.

The rear passenger taillight was busted out, the trunk lid bent a little, as well as the back facing. (it had to be pulled back an inch to close the trunk). In the rear panel shot you can see 2 dimples that were not there prior to the accident. And now the rear passenger door drags on the body when you close it.

Overall I think they are wrong, but.. if the rear body has been twisted...

They are offering me a little more than 3k for the car. No word yet on the offer if I don't surrender the car to them.

While it wasn't beautiful, it was in good shape with no rust whatsoever.

Thats at least $3k worth of damage. Looks like you would need at least one new quarter panal along with a bunch of stuff under the car I'm sure. What is the buy back? Take the $3k along with a super low buy back. Pocket the $3k and drive the car problem solved.

Unless you want it fixed any estimates?

300d
 

i had a 240 (actually two) that was rear ended much worse than that. i chose to buy it back, the usual price is .10 on the dollar of book value. be sure to negotiate with the adjuster... it is his job to settle for as little as possible. you can use sales prices to justify your value. the reason it is totalled, i would guess is that the big rectangular tube that goes from the bumper shock mount to the inner fender area is buckled causing the two dimples on the outside skin. to correct all that and get it perfect is dicy for a body shop. i chose to take it to a frame shop and told them to make it safe and so that water couldnt leak in and the trunk seal and not to worry about the small wrinkles. the car was being driven by my college age daughter. after that repair the car was paid for and basicly free to us. not a bad thing if you have youngsters driving. you might want to do something similar if cosmetics are not your highest priority.
the plus is that its your car and you know what has been repaired and what has not... and thats worth a lot.
the other car was repaired cosmetically too. i got past the repair price by providing some of the parts that i happened to have on hand.

If that quarter panel wrinkled in a rear inpact it needs to go on the frame machine becasue you have a twited body/bent framerails.

Yep, that frame is bent and is likely the reason why they totaled it.

I didn’t read the longer posts, but if no one mentioned it already I wanted to let you know you can buy the car back from progressive and keep a clear title. I’m sure it wouldn’t be more than three or four hundred.

A kinked panel is does not mean with 100% certainty the frame is bent.

Even if it is slightly bent from a 15mph collision, it won't make one bit of difference how the car drives.

On a unibody it does.....

My advice is, take the settlement money, buy the car back and keep driving it as it is.

My neighbor had a pretty good hit on the left front in his 84 300CD. they of course totalled it, so he bought it back for $500, had the frame pulled, welded in new inner fender sheet metal, headlight frames, radiator cross support, left and right fenders, hood and has the whole car repainted. It looks and drives like new again. Of course it cost him more than the car was worth or what they gave him for settlement, but he's not typically one to listen to advice of others ;)

Yours seems minor enough to keep on going as it is. Maybe you can practice a little body work on it.

My girl slid her 93 nissan 240sx sideways into a curb at 50+mph. Yes, the car nearly flipped over and rolled. All said and done, I replaced both lower control arms, front strut, tie rod end and two rims and tires. Not to mention straigtening out the steering rack arm and swaybar. The car was real scary to drive before an alignment.

I worked with a mechanic friend of mine for an hour to get the alignment done right because the frame was bent so bad in the front and rear.. once we got it close, the damn car drives pretty good. Going over a dip in the road is a little scary, but other than that, drives straight as an arrow, with some real heavy frame damage.

I still doubt that accident caused any measureable amount of frame damage,

I worked in body shops for 20 years and I don't think that car's unibody is bent. I notice in one picture the rear door is slightly ajar but in the other it is closed. If the door does not close properly the car may need a slight pull but this is minor and does not weaken the car at all.

The salvage on a car that old should be nominal, a couple hundred $$$ bucks.

I would take the insurance settlement, keep the car and keep driving it. You might need a used tailight and a small amount of time on the frame machine and possibly an alignment job.

If you got rear ended then you are not at fault and its the other guys insurance that is Progressive? AFAIK, they have a responsibility to "make you whole" That includes fixing your car if you so wish. I don't think they can total your car if they aren't your company and you weren't at fault. Get legal advice and an estimate at a good bodyshop, not one they "recommend" RT

I agree. and 3K would buy a lot parts and other necessities :beerchug:

Since the cabin is supposed to be of a safety cage construction, shouldn't the doors open without any binding especially after such a low impact crash?

"If you got rear ended then you are not at fault and its the other guys insurance that is Progressive? AFAIK, they have a responsibility to "make you whole" That includes fixing your car if you so wish. I don't think they can total your car if they aren't your company and you weren't at fault. Get legal advice and an estimate at a good bodyshop, not one they "recommend" RT"

The insurance company IS paying for it. They can either fix the car or pay for a new car and write off the old one. They are saying the value of the car is $3000 which is fair, and the cost of repairs is more than the car is worth.

If it was mine I would take the insurance settlement, buy back the "wreck" from the insurance company and fix it. You could get it "pulled" for maybe $200, buy a used tailight for $25 and get an alignment for $50 then just drive it. If the wrinkled fender bothered you, you could get some bondo and fix it yourself.

Well Progressive is both mine and the other drivers insurance company.

The door will close. But looking closer, it almost seems as if the door is now loose on the hinges. Not much, but it is drooping. It is possible that it has always been like this and the panel was pushed back enough that it now drags slightly when being closed.

All in all I think the car overall is just fine. Well aside from the busted taillight and the panel damage. I took a good look under the car and I can't see any buckling undernearth. I think the whole panel/door/dimpling is just the external panel.