My wife rear-ended a cargo van last night. Anyone want to guess if this 2003 C320 4-matic with 110,000 miles is totaled?

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I would say yes.

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If the engine is not affected, it might make it....

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

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Close call, does anyone know the market value of this car?

I would guess yes but you might get lucky since there were no airbags deployed, and it might just require bodywork/rad support/top end stuff.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Could go either way. Other factors are as follows:

1. downtime...some companies will factor in the $1000 or more for a long-term rental
2. salvage value...if a particular vehicle can draw a large salvage bid, they will kill it
3. hidden damage...some shops and appraisers are inclined to make an allowance for hidden damage to push a car over into total loss land, so they don't get bitten later in the process by a car that didn't look like a total loss initially, but becomes one mid-way through the repair.

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2 x 2013 Honda Civics

I can personally speak to #3. My beloved dodge stealth was hit in a snowstorm this winter and it looked like it just needed a new bumper and dents/paint banged out of the door. Turns out there was severe structural damage since it was hit by a truck and endured a previous rear end collision a few years ago. It was totaled but still looked/ran alright except for the bumper.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Correct, no air bag deployment. KBB and NADA list the retail between $10,000 and $13,000 -ish. Apparently the driver's door had to be forced open.

It has been strange listening to my wife talk about the accident. She always liked the way the car drove but a light went off when she saw how well the car protected her.

My guess is that they will total it is the damage is more than 85% of the value, about $8-10k. It looks to me like the damage will exceed that value.

I like how the bumper did not even come into play here

If they can quickly find a complete used front clip (entire used front end) for it (from a junkyard) quick, maybe they can save it.



If it is totaled, they will want to settle fast with you on the ACV. Those storage fees add up fast, for them. Your car rental costs do too.

The adjuster will for sure catch HELL from his supervisor if that file is still on his desk in 30 days.

So take your time settling, and gather up comparable prices, have your repair records, and your private appraisal ready. You DID spend the $350 and have one made, dint choo?

No? Then have a post collision appraisal made, at least.

Long time ago I was an auto physical damage claims adjuster, which is where I learned these things


Keeping claims costs way down comes first to insurance companies, and customer service is a distant second to them.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

yep totalled.my 2000 jetta just got totalled,it needed front bumper,bumper cover,grille ,hood ,rad support and left headlight.it has 400,000 miles and ins paid me 4850 and i kept the car.they were gonna pay me 5650 plus license reg etc for a total of 5950 if they kept the car.found a salvage yard local that had a blue 2000 front end and bought pretty much the whole front end,paid 800 and didn't have to paint a thing,they match perfectly and they have minor chips etc so they actually look like they are original.

I'll say totalled.

As far as value is concerned - now is the time you wish it were a Honda Accord, based on re-sale totalled value. Especially if you paid the new price for the wrecked MB.

Guy I knew bought a new Honda 4-cylinder Accord for $16,995.00 many years ago - early 1990s. Had 115K miles on it when the wife totalled it after a couple years - her fault, wasn't hurt. He got a check for $12,000.00. He thanked me for recommending it in the first place.

Probably the question you need to ask is - "Do I want this car to be totalled?" If you do, it's a goner. If you don't, you may be able to save it, depending on the adjuster.
Last I knew, none of the major carriers would dream of crossing 70% ACV on anything more than 2 model years old.

__________________
On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif