Well, this was a bad day! A 90 year old gentleman was backing out of a driveway when his foot slipped and proceeded to back in to me as I was passing the home doing 30mph. He then threw it in drive and proceeded to hit a car in the driveway and pushed it in to the house. It spun me around in to oncoming traffic but fortunately no one in that lane hit me. Thank God my wife wasn’t with me as she would have surely been hurt. Not sure if I want it repaired or not. Problem is finding a nice replacement if they total it. Was originally planning on getting a new R232 but just not in love with them plus all of the electrical issues is scaring me away. What would you do in my situation?
Oh Man ☹️ Total bummer. At least no one was injured.
Rear quarter panel damage is usually $$$. Rear wheel looks like it took a hit. Make sure to check rear hub, control arm and alignment too. Does the car drive or did the pyrofuse blow? Safety belt pre-tensioners deploy too? It can all add up quick. Not sure how the insurance will work out, but car looks pretty fixable as far as frame damage. Do the roofline’s look ok? Looks like mostly body panel damage. Plenty of second hand parts available for these cars now, including air bags and body parts, but depends on your goals. I’m surprised the side airbag deployed with no passenger.
Brother, so sorry to see that beautiful baby hurt. Don’t worry it “looks like it will buff out”. Obviously, not your call as to whether it is a total or not. Let the insurance do an evaluation, obviously being willing to push them if necessary. If it’s anywhere close nudge them over the line.
Well, this was a bad day! A 90 year old gentleman was backing out of a driveway when his foot slipped and proceeded to back in to me as I was passing the home doing 30mph. He then threw it in drive and proceeded to hit a car in the driveway and pushed it in to the house. It spun me around in to oncoming traffic but fortunately no one in that lane hit me. Thank God my wife wasn’t with me as she would have surely been hurt. Not sure if I want it repaired or not. Problem is finding a nice replacement if they total it. Was originally planning on getting a new R232 but just not in love with them plus all of the electrical issues is scaring me away. What would you do in my situation?
My condolences. So glad you were not hurt. I would not want that car repaired. Being a convertible, everything to do with the top alignment & mechanicals are hypersensitive. I believe the car CAN be properly repaired, but I also believe that the chances of it being repaired absolutely perfectly are slim. Try to negotiate a good deal with insurance and then go shopping for a cream puff replacement car. Many SL’s are owned as 2nd, 3rd or even 4th cars and have very low mileage. Best of luck to you!
That is hard to look at. Not sure what year it is, or, if any airbags were deployed so hard to say if it will be a total. If it were mine I don't think I would want it back after being repaired. It likely will never be the same. I browse around the net frequently looking at SL's for sale and there are some nice ones at decent prices. White is also a popular color so you may be able to find something very close to what you have and move on.
****, that's bad. I think it will be totaled. If you don't want an R232, take a look at facelift R231s if you want something newer, or SL63s if you want more power.
The door airbag was deployed, seat belt tensioner deployed and roll over bars deployed! Cleaned it out today and it looked worse that what I remember at the time of the accident. Oddly enough, a neighbor of mine saw the whole thing and almost was hit instead of me. Her 4 year old was in the passenger back seat and would have been hurt for sure.
Have decided that I will push to have it totaled and move on. Dealer I bought this one from has a black/ porcelain ‘16 that I briefly looked at today. Full front PPF and appeared to be very nice. Might buy it and start searching for a ‘19 or ‘20 as the selection around here is very limited.
The door airbag was deployed, seat belt tensioner deployed and roll over bars deployed! Cleaned it out today and it looked worse that what I remember at the time of the accident. Oddly enough, a neighbor of mine saw the whole thing and almost was hit instead of me. Her 4 year old was in the passenger back seat and would have been hurt for sure.
Have decided that I will push to have it totaled and move on. Dealer I bought this one from has a black/ porcelain ‘16 that I briefly looked at today. Full front PPF and appeared to be very nice. Might buy it and start searching for a ‘19 or ‘20 as the selection around here is very limited.
Well, it’s totaled! Repair estimate was $29,500! State Farm has offered $34,551.50 payout. Seems reasonable but sucks as I will have to pay $$ out of pocket to replace. Looked on line for a ‘19 or ‘20 but not finding anything that sparks my interest.
Well, it’s totaled! Repair estimate was $29,500! State Farm has offered $34,551.50 payout. Seems reasonable but sucks as I will have to pay $$ out of pocket to replace. Looked on line for a ‘19 or ‘20 but not finding anything that sparks my interest.
A customer of mine is considering relinquishing her late husbands '15 with <20k miles. It appears to be a similar spec, Diamond White with Black/Stone Leather (beige), Magic Sky Control roof, and Sport Package wheels.
Why? Please elaborate, as I am thinking of switching.
Well, a couple of years ago we switched to Amica, cars, houses, etc. It took me almost two weeks back and forth with a rep. finally they accepted us, we were clean as we can be in terms of claims, driver records, accidents, etc. Then two years ago a gal probably talking on the phone hit one of my LS460 in the right back light, bumper etc. Long story short Amica payed in the end around $55,000 dollars ( my car repaired, her car totaled, investigator, etc.) whithout even calling me for more details, I'm ONLY driving with dash cameras on both my wife's and my cars, everything was recorded, obviously my ticket was thrown away by the county prosecutor.....another cops BS.....To me and, not only to me, no wonder that they're considered the #1 insurance in US, they're not the least expensive but they're the best, period.
Good luck Stream, do it you, will not regret it !
Well, it’s totaled! Repair estimate was $29,500! State Farm has offered $34,551.50 payout. Seems reasonable but sucks as I will have to pay $$ out of pocket to replace. Looked on line for a ‘19 or ‘20 but not finding anything that sparks my interest.
It depends on the year, mileage, options , etc but what they want to offer you seems low to me....but this is the insurance.....you pay thousand and thousand of dollars and then when you have a claim well less than what you have paid they're.....
I would try somehow to get the real value of your car then talk to them....
Check blue book value and go from there. I should think the insurance company would give you retail book, since this is what it will generally cost to replace your car with a like vehicle. Here in CA it would still be a loss, because you would have to cover the sales tax on the replacement. Some policies have a replacement value guarantee, for special vehicles, usually at an additional cost for the insurance.
Here’s State Farm’s criteria for submitting comparables:
Per our conversation, comparables need to meet the following criterion:
• Have VIN
• Location of less than 50 miles no more than 100
• Have make, model, and trim listed that is the same as yours
• List mileage-try to get as close to your mileage as you can nor more than 20,000 difference
Has to be vehicles located at dealerships not FB Marketplace or Craigslist, or Carvan
By those guidelines I found ZERO matches. Got a letter from my local Mbz dealer GM that I will submit and see what they say. Since theses cars are so rare, especially around here, I would think they have to look at it as a collectible or classic car. What if mine had been a 1959 Gullwing? Not going to find any comparables within 100 miles for that!
On a side note, I picked up this ‘16 SL550 today to tide me over while hunting for the perfect forever car.
Well, it’s totaled! Repair estimate was $29,500! State Farm has offered $34,551.50 payout. Seems reasonable but sucks as I will have to pay $$ out of pocket to replace. Looked on line for a ‘19 or ‘20 but not finding anything that sparks my interest.
Kelly Blue Book puts a valuation of $45,500 ~ $51,000 for a trade in value; $55000 for a private sale.
