Yet another deer victim!! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

braverichard · #1 06-05-2005, 12:22 PM

Well, to make a long story short, I hit a deer today while driving my 300SD. The impact sent the deer flying into the air and landing hard on the ground about 30 feet away. I was doing 55 mph when I saw it right in front of me and started to brake. Can't quite say what my speed was upon impact.

Two things make me really angry right now but I'll just have to live with them because I can't change anything:

1) At the end of my 6-month insurance policy last month, I decided to switch to just liability on the car for a while. Now this has happened.
2) Just last week I sold my '84 500SEL with a bad transmission for nearly nothing. The car had all the parts I'd need to fix this car in perfect shape. Now this has happened.
3) This happened in broad daylight. I've heard of many people hitting deers at night and as a result I've always avoided highways that have bushes on both sides at night. Never heard of anyone hitting a deer during the day. Apparently I was just uninformed as my brother said it happens as frequently than the night impacts. This was exactly 1.1 miles from my house!!

I've learned to not worry about things I can't control, but this is still hard to swallow. I took some pics of the car at the scene of the accident but they're still in my digital camera so I'll post them later. I had the car towed to an independent body shop where the guy will look at it in about two hours' time and give me an idea of how much I'm about to waste - if I waste it that is. Rough estimate by the tow truck driver (who is a certified body tech) is about $4,000.

I was just wondering, if it will cost that much should I fix it or just sell it? The car's interior is perfect, the exterior is just fair as the clearcoat is peeling from the rear. Engine is perfect. Transmission has firm shifts that I know can be fixed by some vacuum work. The car has just 163K miles. I'm not really sure of what the car is worth, but I've done quite a lot of work to bring it up to speed on maintenance - transmission fluid, cooling system flush, differential fluid, new master cylinder, brake fluid flush, new rotors and pads all around, etc. If the car isn't worth $4,000, I'm still not sure if I want to hunt around for an MB diesel that I'd buy and then have to spend time and money working on to bring up to speed on maintenance.

Well, let me hear from you good folks first. All suggestions/advice will be greatly appreciated. I'll post an update once I get an exact estimate from the body shop guy. THANKS!!

pawoSD · #2 06-05-2005, 01:16 PM

If it was me I'd fix it no matter the cost....if mine had 161k I'd be even more inclined!

I do however, suffer from "Diesel Disease" and will spend Anything necessary

to keep it on the road.

Sorry to hear that happened, my uncle hit a deer .6 miles from our house in daylight as well with his chevy cavalier....did quite a bit of damage but the insurance company fixed it.

Here in michigan there's deer everywhere....

J. R. B. · #3 06-05-2005, 01:36 PM

Sorry about your misfortune. I too hit a deer only with my 82Chev Impalla with a 5.7 Olds diesel. The sound of the impact will stay with you for a while. If your car is in the shape you say it is take my advice and fix it rather than having more regrets later on. I wish I would have fixed the old 82 it was a nice car.

Brian Carlton · #4 06-05-2005, 01:45 PM

Don, that really is bad news. I know that you have put a lot of effort into the SD and its just a shame that this has to happen.

But, it has and I would encourage you to reconsider spending $4K to fix it.

The numbers are as follows:

If you spend $4K, you have a vehicle that is mechanically sound, but in need of paint. You need to spend $7K to get a mechanically sound vehicle with perfect paint.

It's currently worth say, $1K for parts.

So, can you find an SD with equivalent miles with perfect (or close to perfect) paint for $8K? I believe that you can. In fact, I believe that you can find one for about $6K and you can use the new parts from the existing vehicle.

So, even if the existing vehicle is worth nothing (because you have taken all of its good parts), you can be into another, equivalent, SD for $6K.

The whole question is time. How much time must you invest to find the right SD and how much time must you invest to transfer parts from the old one to the new one?

It's also a question of attachment. If you are attached to the current vehicle, and an equivalent replacement would not cut it, then you already have your answer.

Sorry to hear about this news. Good luck with whatever you decide.

WANT '71 280SEL · #5 06-05-2005, 01:56 PM

I agree with Brian on this one, his explanation seems the most logical. Live and let die.

Thanks
David

bjcsc · #6 06-05-2005, 02:17 PM

Sorry. That really sucks. We can't see the damage, but if it's 4K worth, I'd move on.

Maybe this will make you feel a little better. Here's "yet another deer as victim" (of my 30.06)...

Eric Eliel · #7 06-05-2005, 04:28 PM

Another suicide deer, been there - done that......

boneheaddoctor · #8 06-05-2005, 04:45 PM

I have a deer that is frequenting my back yard every afternoon.....but so far it hasn't made a run for the Benz yet.....

#9 06-05-2005, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boneheaddoctor

I have a deer that is frequenting my back yard every afternoon.....but so far it hasn't made a run for the Benz yet.....

You have two 4-wheeled babies to watch out for! Me and deer don't get along...

In the past week or two, I have killed 1 blackbird, 1 squirrel, and 1 quail.

The quail was first in the 240D, it flew out in front of the car about 45MPH and bounced off the top of the windshield (no damage).

Second was a black bird with the 300SD in the same area, about 65MPH, bounced off the bottom valence and then flew over the hood as I slowed down and it started flapping.

Third was a damn squirrel that strolled out in front of me while I was towing a friends Type III VW Squareback. I tried to move to the other side of the road (no twitchy movements while towing) but he followed me over and I munched him.

I feel anticipation of a deer and that bothers me. I changed my brake pads so I am asking for it now

Hatterasguy · #10 06-05-2005, 06:45 PM

Stupid deer.

My area is loaded with them because the do gooders feel bad and won't let the herd be thinned. I have had a few close calls with turkeys those things will do some damage too.

Why don't you drop a new engine into that S350D you have and drive that for awhile? You could do it for less then $4k.

boneheaddoctor · #11 06-05-2005, 07:08 PM

Couple years ago at midnight I took an exit off the BWI parkway at 55 mph, no sooner exited the road and I saw eight deer standing in the middle of the road 50 feet away...absolutely impossibe to miss all of them even if they never moved...a moved right figuring hitting two was better than 3 or more, well I sent one over my rook hit one in the hind quarters and managed to clip the gardrails as I was over further than I thought....damaged done?

Two dead deer, $3,500 damage to my saturn....as fender quarter and both door skins caught bolt heads on the gard rails and had hoof scrapes on the hood trunk and all the way down the left side of the car....the paint was the expensive part....the panels took all of an hour to replace thanks to the construction of the car....could have been way worse. And I think on almost any other car it would have been

Palangi · #12 06-05-2005, 07:31 PM

You guys sure go to a lot of trouble for a little venison.

pawoSD · #13 06-05-2005, 08:09 PM

Not fixing the car would mean theres one less diesel benz in existence/on the road

That is why I will spend what it takes to keep my, and any others I eventually buy...on the road.

braverichard · #14 06-05-2005, 08:49 PM

The pics are ready:

http://r.students.umkc.edu/rcofz9/300sddeer.htm

For those skeptics of the quality of the new badges, well, as you can see the badge wasn't even scratched so there you are with your answer. A rough visual inspection revealed that I'll be needing a new radiator along with the hoses, new fans, hood, grille, headlamps, probably a new left fender as it was bent just slightly, etc. I'll be getting a write up of the repair estimate before the end of the week. Thank you all for your support.

J. R. B. · #15 06-05-2005, 09:05 PM

It looks like you hit him just the way I hit mine. After I hit mine I sent in for every deer permit I was entitled to. I have done this every deer season since the accident. As far as I'm concerned mother nature still hasn't paid me in full for my car and I will continue to shoot the $hit out of her every deer season. I would encourage everybody on this site to do the same.

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