Interesting night driving home....

After months of reading your posts I still don't know what to think of them

Glad you are all right though

 

Just a little friendly advice, your posts might be a little more readable if you shortened them a little.*in haughty British Lord accent* Summarize my good man, summarize. Sorry about your car.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your car, but I'm glad to hear that you're alright! That's the most important part.

Get a second hand car! There are some really nice ones out there, and the ones that aren't more than a few years old are very safe too (I bet a 10 year old Volvo is just as safe as a 2 year old Mercedes!)

For the record: my car is from 1997, and right now I'm looking at trading it in for one from '92. They might not be the safest but they sure rule

 

Sounds scary Alex! Glad you're safe. Nice that you pretty much get your pick of any car.

 

Sorry to hear about your car, Alex. But the important thing is that you're alright. I've been in two severe accidents, so I know how scary they are. Also, when I had my accidents, I had to drive my mom's Land Rover, and lemme tell you, I think they're the best cars to drive after an accident. I felt very safe in it (if only because of the size), and probably drove slower and more cautious than usual because it was a lot bigger than what I usually drove (a sedan).

 

At the very least, it's a good thing nobody was hurt. It sucks that your car got wrecked, but a car is just a "thing" - it can be replaced.

1) There are tons of other options besides having a car. Public transport, asking for rides, walking, biking, etc. You don't need a car. You'll learn to do without.

2) People don't buy Mercedes' just for "safety". You can find an equally safe car for a significantly lower price, or second-hand as timo said. It's not like there are "unsafe" cars on the market nowadays anyways.

 

Sorry that all happened but really glad you are safe. That's a scary thing to go through.

 

If the accident was clearly someone else's fault, then that person (or, more likely, their insurance company) is usually considered liable for the damage to your car, including if the car is totaled. So you should get enough to cover buying some kind of vehicle.

That's why most of the states in the US prohibit driving without liability insurance.

 

I'm glad that you are OK!

A couple of thoughts:

First, I don't know how Canada handles insurance matters. But one piece of important advice in the US is to not sign any releases, etc until one is absolutely sure one is OK. Some injuries can take a while to surface. You may already know this, particularly since you talked to a lawyer, but it's something worth mentioning. I know someone who had years of pain and suffering because she signed off too soon.

Secondly, your car options might be limited under the circumstances. But while a Mercedes might not be an option, you should try to negotiate for at least something you feel comfortable with. I had one collision once that was--frankly--pretty scary. The car was wrecked, and when shopping for a replacement (on next to zero dollars, I might add), one issue that became very clear very fast was one essential criteria was that the next car had to feel safe. I actually passed up on what was otherwise a great buy--cheap, and had been gone over bumper to bumper by a mechanic. But that car (an old Honda) felt like a tin can, and even going around the block was uncomfortable.

 

If the person at fault doesn't have insurance, well it doesn't matter because they are STILL AT FAULT.

And what about your insurance company. I know that most (all?) in Australia will payout if the at fault party doesn't have insurance, before chasing the at fault party for the clothes off their back in court.

Never nice being in an accident. I've been in two, once in my new car (used car, but I drove off the dealers lot 1 minute before the accident) which was the fault of the other driver. She had to pay for all the repairs, tow truck etc.

And the second was my fault, following too close in a fuel tanker which wrote off the car in front of me. The truck drove away from it. (For the record, I thought I was far enough back, but a flashing light at a fire station distracted me for a second and there went my stopping room. Still my fault however). Works insurance paid for the new car.

After my first, I struggled to get back into a car, as a passenger. I kept telling mum to slow down and not go so fast. She wasn't even doing the speed limit. But that night, my fire brigade pager went off and the adrenaline kicked in. That got me back in the drivers seat.

Also had the fuel tanker catch fire while I was driving it with a full load of jet fuel. Still to this day any time I smell anything unknown while driving I start to panic. But that's another story.

Best of luck getting another car, glad you've not badly hurt and keep us informed.

 

I drive a twelve year old Volvo with 204,100 miles. You can ride this thing into a cliff like Wile E. Coyote and probably walk away from it. If safety is your first priority, go with the Volvo brand. I saw one at a local dealership that was used, $15,000. Used cars are really good deals, no matter how well off you are, because the new vehicle is worth thousands less before you even get to turn the key to drive it home. They also get more rigorous inspections than new cars, which are largely presumed operable solely on their newness (and that's not always the case).

 

Oh god no... Please tell me you were not driving the C63.

 

I am so glad you did not get hurt worse. Car crashes are scary and in the last year I have totalled 2 cars without a scratch. Well you would have skipped the whip lash had you been in a safer Volvo. 99 and up s80 and around 04 and up all models have Volvos WIPPS system and when my S80 was totalled at 70+mph on the highway and I did not get a scratch and the WIPPS system prevented me from any back or neck problems. The effect was like the car bumped into a pillow, I felt no hard jolt at all! After that crash, I won't get in a non Volvo car EVER, I will just drive mine and follow. Oh the 6cyl with twin turbo is crazy fast too in the S80, I loved that car. I did like my Benz while I had it BTW. No sound in the world like a Benz door closing! June

 

Glad you're okay I've been in a few crashes as a passenger and they are scary. Don't be so focused on getting a Mercedes for safety. Yes they are safe, like all other modern cars, but that definitely isn't the reason people buy them, it's the perceived status the comes from owning one, same with Audis, Lexus and BMWs. This might be a bit of the pot calling the kettle black since I've been driving a BMW since I got my license, but cars like this are bought because they are luxurious and status symbols, not for safety. Assuming your insurance doesn't cover enough for a new Benz, maybe look at a slightly used one, they're much cheaper. Expensive cars depreciate very quickly, my mom bought a 1 year BMW a few weeks ago for $20,000 less than it would have cost new.

But enough about that, glad you're okay and I hope you aren't too shook up.

 

Sorry to hear about your car.

 

I <3 the VW TDI Mk4 Jetta I'm driving now, it's not a manual (Booh 4spd) but it's a nice ride and gets great millage. Good safety one them too with some pretty good crash ratings.

Plenty of new small cars that look good too if your looking in the 15k-25k (The new fords/fiestas, that Chrysler dart one, some of the small Chevy's, etc) but I want to wait for the diesels to hit if I can get em. Used VW MK5 tdi's are pretty good priced anymore too and they are pretty darn safe.

Volvo's are good but most of em are large gassers and I don't like big vehicles in general; you'd be surprised how poorly most of the older land rovers and all of those vehicles do in newer crash tests. There are some good priced used merc's, BMW's, Audi's, and even some SAAB's that are pretty safe; I just don't like the cost of maintenance on the mercs, it's even worse than my VW :0.

I need to fix my abs though, I've only locked them up once or twice and it wasn't a big deal (Partially since my rears are next to nothing) but at the same time they've been really nice and smooth since it went out (I know how to not lock em up, but still).

 

As I said earlier, I don't know insurance laws for where you are. But in my state weather conditions really won't determine who pays whom. Basically, you hit someone else, you pay. A representative for my insurance company told me once that one morning on her way to work, it was icy and she went into skid. She barely stopped before hitting someone else. And she said she was so grateful she'd stopped, because she knew she'd be at fault if she hit that other car.