LelandHendrix

Exactly 7 days after moving to California, after driving across the country from Mississippi, my '99 E320 was hit while parked overnight. Both doors on the driver's side and the rear quarter panel are damaged. Even though it had fresh transmission parts, had just gotten a tune-up and fresh tires, my insurance company totaled it out.

Since the damage is only cosmetic, I opted to keep the car and a low amount for it being totaled out (mileage 210,000 but running beautifully) and I continued to drive it for a couple months while I saved money and bought a 2002 E430.

So now I don't know what to do with this E320. I called a number from a flyer that said "we buy junk cars" but they offered only $300. The Mercedes rims and tires should be worth that much. :-/

So I'd like your advice... do you think I should just junk it? Take a lot of the parts off (the interior is in great shape!) and try to sell whatever I can remove with my tools in the street? Or try to find someone who wants to buy it?

Any advice would be very appreciated. I'm in Los Angeles (Van Nuys) 91405

LelandHendrix

here are some photos

brucew444

what does the interior look like?

R2dMax

I would think you could part much of it out. Window regulators, seats, interior pieces, head and tail lamps, passenger side body panels, engine, trans, etc.


I could use the door sill plates

raymond g-

the numbers lean towards parting out your car if you want to make money. but
consider this too:

• you need to advertise - scope out forums and where to post your ads
• you need to take photos and provide good description
• you need to perform packaging, shipping, insurance, tracking
• oversize parts may need to be shipped by freight (or sold locally)
• you need to be ready in case the buyer claim that the part is damaged
• they may say it wasn't as described or received
• you will need to spend time on labor removing the part and cleaning
• you will need to set aside time for all the above

i'm saying this from experience. as long as you have all this under control
or planned out, you may be okay. not everyone has time, space, or patience
to deal with all of the above

kajtek1

The starter did not log on this forum for almost 3 weeks.
I guess he is busy taking car apart

LelandHendrix

So... Since I live in Van Nuys and parking is very tight across all of Los Angeles, I've had to get up every 48-72 hours and move the car, avoiding certain areas that have to be moved daily or at certain took for street sweeping.

The interior is in great shape. I've been consolidating, moving the best bits of the car in question to my '02 E430 I got to replace it, like the mechanized cup holder. The interior is in great shape, the "parchment" color, and in noticeably better shape than the car I just bought 3 years newer and 80,000 fewer miles!

I'm hoping someone will want the seats, they are in great condition. I would take them myself but the car I have to keep its "mocha," which is almost imperceptibly browner than the very light tan parchment color E320 I started this thread about. If anyone is interested, I could eBay or direct message about it.

Thank you all so much for the advice! I think I'm going to start stripping it as much as I can in the street at night and then let the junk metal people come get her for the $300 they offered. Wish someone would get the rims and tires somehow. ✌️😎

lov2hurdle

say how it going i under stand your admiration . ijust got a trashed 98 e320 . i was desperate on a bike , been scrubbing and doing little fixes for 3 wks i love it more everyday .now i see why the wealthy spend so much on them. anyway if you still have the car id have interest in the frt bumper,and peaces under lights, front door handles,lft rear door panel .the the rubber strip under rt doors and posibly the front seats. dale @ 310-497-0541 or lov2hurdle@yahoo.com,