W124 200E insurance write off - advice please!

DanF

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
117
Reaction score
2
Hi,

Firstly thanks for everyone for all the advise over the years, a wonderful community.

I've been looking after a 1990 W124 200E saloon for the last 6.5 years which has become part of the family and I really thought would outlive me, until I was gently rear-ended on Tuesday, not gently enough to avoid being pushed into the car in front :(. It has 139k on the clock for what it matters.

I now have a small crease on the bonnet, the front lights are a little cross-eyed, pushed in at the middle on the grille; worse is at the rear where the boot wont close as the bar across is bent in, the bumper too.

So I am sure this will be written off, and I need any advice / tips about how to avoid being ripped off in this situation.

Obviously the car is worth nothing to anyone but me even when it worked although it was kept in great shape (well mechanically if not cosmetically...)

Insurance co want to take it away tomorrow to be assessed. I suspect I won't see it again...

Should I take off the car tax, radio, spare wheel, passenger seat, anything else? Any ideas what might be a reasonable estimation of its worth. If they say its £250 can I buy it back from them for £75 as it is broken? And then break it on Ebay? If I did that, how much might it cost me to get someone to collect it as scrap?

Or should I just let them take it away and accept their first offer.

Thanks in advance for any tips etc.

Dan
 

paul hayward

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
1,526
Reaction score
3
Your Mercedes
all MB sold..V70R now ;-)
first...if its at home DO NOT let them just take it away...no reason for that as they can look at it wherever it is

2nd...dont accept there 1st offer

3rd thats about all i know about these things

Do you really want the hassle of breaking it yourself??


Really sorry to hear your news:(...the insurance company WILL right her off :(

Feel your pain........Always the innocent that have to deal with all the hassle that goes along with these things


PS if you do buy it back a scrapy SHOULD collect it free...(they did for me a years or so back) but you must have the V5 to scrap it
Good Luck!!.....PS get another one and hang around here:cool:
 
Last edited:
OP
D

DanF

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
117
Reaction score
2
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Thanks Paul, like your style, let's see what they say about that...

Actually I sorted myself out another one yesterday, pick up tomorrow. Its an estate with all the work having been done that I have learnt needs to have been done by reading the forum, so hopefully that will be just as good...
 

television

Always remembered RIP
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
Messages
164,073
Reaction score
367
Age
89
Location
Daventry
Your Mercedes
2002 SL500, 216 CL500, all fully loaded
Now is your chance to take all the best bits off you old one and fit to the new like tyre etc.

Never take the first offer as has been said
 

syncropaddy

Senior Member
Joined
May 6, 2007
Messages
1,676
Reaction score
2
Location
Sunny south east
Your Mercedes
.... too many cars!
Its a shame when this happens with an old but perfect car. These days getting a good old one to replace a write off is more and more difficult .... then what to do with the old one!!
 

Rockall

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
286
Reaction score
0
Location
Donegal Ireland
Your Mercedes
Many
Its a shame when this happens with an old but perfect car. These days getting a good old one to replace a write off is more and more difficult .... then what to do with the old one!!
Fix the old one, put it away properly stored for about ten years or so and then sell - the return will beat any pension or savings scheme currently on the market:)

Regards

Bill
 
OP
D

DanF

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
117
Reaction score
2
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #7
Thanks Guys,

I've just been on ebay to see what people are asking for similar cars, anything from £800-1700k and one at £3k, just trying to get some ammo together for the negotiations.. I paid £2k for it 6 years ago and just paid a little less for my new one now and I think that's a reasonable price if it looks looked after, the saloons are cheaper than the estates I think. It will be interesting to see what the insurance company come in with...

About the idea of keeping it in storage, well if it was a decent spec 3.2 I might agree but sadly I don't think a 200 saloon will ever be worth much, still maybe no worse than a pension.

I suppose you have to get used to the idea that old broken things have to be got rid of eventually...

Cheers,

Dan
 

Rockall

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
286
Reaction score
0
Location
Donegal Ireland
Your Mercedes
Many
Thanks Guys,

I've just been on ebay to see what people are asking for similar cars, anything from £800-1700k and one at £3k, just trying to get some ammo together for the negotiations.. I paid £2k for it 6 years ago and just paid a little less for my new one now and I think that's a reasonable price if it looks looked after, the saloons are cheaper than the estates I think. It will be interesting to see what the insurance company come in with...

About the idea of keeping it in storage, well if it was a decent spec 3.2 I might agree but sadly I don't think a 200 saloon will ever be worth much, still maybe no worse than a pension.

I suppose you have to get used to the idea that old broken things have to be got rid of eventually...

Cheers,

Dan
Maybe in 10 years time conventional fuel as we know it today might be so expensive that a 200 will be a better seller than a 320

Regards
Bill
 

DIYMAN

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
421
Reaction score
9
Location
Nr. Harrogate
Your Mercedes
E270cdi/53 plate/2.7l 5cyl.
Sorry to hear the bad news about your W124 they were great cars.
Make sure the old girl still has good tyres on when inspected by insurance company, they look for any excuse to scale your claim back.
 

snail

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
74
Reaction score
1
Location
North West
Your Mercedes
B200
Be careful with taking stuff off the car. You are entitled to the cost of buying a replacement in the same condition the car was in immediately before the accident. If you can get an independent valuation that would be helpful when you negotiate settlement. So would ads for similar cars, to indicate the market value.

Shifting or swapping accessories you've added yourself and can use again is fine, but things like seats and even tyres may be chancing it as you reduce the residual value.
 
Last edited:

grahamcol

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
1,855
Reaction score
631
Location
West Midlands
Your Mercedes
2001 SLK230, 2007 CLK220 CDI
What a terrible shame. I'd be gutted if this happened to my beloved 202. Assuming the insurance co writes it off I'd be tempted to buy back the salvage and get it repaired privately. You'll need a body shop you can trust and they can do a contract repair. I certainly wouldn't let anyone just take it away. That's likely to be the last you ever see of it and someone else might just decide to salvage it.
 

DavePrentice

Active Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
37
Reaction score
0
Location
Glasgow
Your Mercedes
C230K 2002
Value

I too have an old K plate 200e with 115,000 on the clock sitting in the drive. Replaced two months ago with a C230K. Interior is immaculate with smooth engine and gearbox. In need of new front wings, exhaust & some tlc. but its time to let go. Scrappie would pay me £190 to take away & I know they will make a few bob breaking to sell the spares. Friend wanted to but but was quoted £500 for exhaust, £900 for the front wings plus add another £300 for a service. I do note that you can pick up some good bargains on the 124's these days
 

syncropaddy

Senior Member
Joined
May 6, 2007
Messages
1,676
Reaction score
2
Location
Sunny south east
Your Mercedes
.... too many cars!
I too have an old K plate 200e with 115,000 on the clock sitting in the drive.
Friend wanted to but but was quoted £500 for exhaust, £900 for the front wings plus add another £300 for a service. I do note that you can pick up some good bargains on the 124's these days

LOL ... he needs to go elsewhere for a quote
 

brianbrian

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2008
Messages
2,758
Reaction score
190
Age
81
Location
cockney in the West Country
Your Mercedes
w124 250D, SL129-deisel
Hi I would not take any parts from it, neither would I let the Insurance company take the car until they have made a offer I am happy with, I would also find out what they wanted for the car, don't let them rush your self . The Insurance company will want the keys and log book while you negotiate. Hope this helps
 

d215yq

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2008
Messages
2,664
Reaction score
702
Age
39
Location
Valencia, Spain
Your Mercedes
1987 W124 300D 280k miles
Does it even need to be written off or repaired...buy it off the insurance company for £75 or the comically low figure they offer, spend a couple of hours with a hammer and maybe tape and you'll probably be able to get the bumper and boot to work properly and securely and make the lights point straight again.

Then it could be the perfect "station" car for someone who doesn't care. It's a 200E so cheapish on fuel/insurance, at a few hundred quid it must be acceptable comfortable motoring to someone who needs a tool or maybe has a nice car for the weekends already, particularly if it's got a fair few months mot.
 
OP
D

DanF

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
117
Reaction score
2
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #16
Nice idea but I think you'd need a pretty big hammer; the floors pushed in and the bar across the back is bent in too so the only way to shut the boot is with tape which is a little impractical and lets the rain in. Ironically enough I replaced the boot seal only 2 weekends ago as it was leaking slightly, much worse now of course.

Actually, I'm not sure how you would fix this, there's quite a few bits of metal would have to be cut out and welded in... You can see that the bar where the jack is should be straight and is now curved and creased up on the left corner where the drain hole is. Also the bit with the lock is creased in and bent. It did pretty well but its a little more than just a bent bumper...
 

Attachments

  • utf-8''IMG_0674.jpg
    utf-8''IMG_0674.jpg
    20 KB · Views: 22
  • utf-8''IMG_0673.jpg
    utf-8''IMG_0673.jpg
    21.4 KB · Views: 21

grober

Senior Member
Joined
May 15, 2002
Messages
2,947
Reaction score
27
Location
Scotland
Your Mercedes
W204 C200cdi estate
Realistically a sound w124 200E automatic is worth around £500. The saloons are less desirable than the estates or Coupes. You could possibly remove the radio if its a good one [ becker pioneer etc] but that's about it. The most valuable easily removable parts ON SCRAPPAGE are the EZL ignition unit the ABS valve unit+ controller and engine ECU. Engine and autobox and differential are the bigger ones of course. Together as spares they might add up to £250-£300 sold separately. As always to the right buyer they might be worth a little more [ someone with a pristine 200 estate with a broken engine/gearbox] but depends on your luck.
 
Last edited:

turbopete

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2009
Messages
14,209
Reaction score
331
Age
48
Location
Spennymoor
Your Mercedes
2017 '17' Ford Mondeo 2.0TDCi ST Line X 180 (sorry)
Nice idea but I think you'd need a pretty big hammer; the floors pushed in and the bar across the back is bent in too so the only way to shut the boot is with tape which is a little impractical and lets the rain in. Ironically enough I replaced the boot seal only 2 weekends ago as it was leaking slightly, much worse now of course.

Actually, I'm not sure how you would fix this, there's quite a few bits of metal would have to be cut out and welded in... You can see that the bar where the jack is should be straight and is now curved and creased up on the left corner where the drain hole is. Also the bit with the lock is creased in and bent. It did pretty well but its a little more than just a bent bumper...

chain it to something very solid and drive it away gently. it should pull it back into something a bit nearer its original shape! thats essentially how a bodyshop puller works!
 

television

Always remembered RIP
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
Messages
164,073
Reaction score
367
Age
89
Location
Daventry
Your Mercedes
2002 SL500, 216 CL500, all fully loaded
I used to keep a baby caterpillar on tracks to pull the front out on my friends 114 Pagoda as he was always driving into things;)
 

turbopete

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2009
Messages
14,209
Reaction score
331
Age
48
Location
Spennymoor
Your Mercedes
2017 '17' Ford Mondeo 2.0TDCi ST Line X 180 (sorry)
I used to keep a baby caterpillar on tracks to pull the front out on my friends 114 Pagoda as he was always driving into things;)

that works equally well ;);)
 

Peter Best Insurance is a leading specialist in Mercedes-Benz insurance. All MBO members are eligible for exclusive rates on all our classic car policies.
Call now for our 'BEST' quote. Tel: 01376 573033
Top Bottom