walleyeman

The short story-I was stopped on I96 in Detroit area due to an accident 4 cars ahead of me ( I did not know it at the time-just happened). A young lady who claimed she was going about 50-60mph rear-ended me and drove me into the car in front. The young lady was driving an Isuzu SUV (Trooper?) and I hit another mid-sized SUV. Air bag deployed. I never got out of the car until I was transported to ER. My neck was (is) sore but that is really the extent of it. CAT scan and x-ray showed nothing.

Goldie took the hit, protected me and did her job. I'm not sure I could have made any evasive moves to avoid this. I was only stopped for a couple seconds. I checked my mirrors and saw her for maybe a 1/2 second before impact. Six cars were involved with three people transported. I believe the young lady broke her collarbone.

After release, we went to the impound lot and retrieved my personal effects. All the doors opened fine, and there was no damage to the interior -other than the deployed airbag. I had a suitcase which we had a tough time getting out of the trunk.

Our cars are well designed to protect the occupants. The fact that my injuries appear to be minor after such an collision is proof of that.

I'm guessing that she is totaled-the adjuster will be looking tomorrow for final decision.

KING

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear.

Rule of thumb, if the chassis beams were damaged as in bent, only then is the car never fixable. Actually there are people who fix chassi's but it never is back %100.

If your car is a low mileage one, then I would say go ahead and repair. Your accident doesn't look too bad. But the gold is a very hard color to replicate, so expect to be paying lots.

If not, then just a new car. It won't be worth the money spent on her. Take the insurance money and fin you a new low mileage LS430. Maybe even a 460?

hypervish

I'm glad you were able to escape with minimal injuries. The LS did well, it's incredible actually.

I'd say it's totaled.

LSGarry

Good write-up and glad you survived. It is a testament to how well these vehicles were made back then but it does indeed look like "Goldie's" future may be used for parts only.

Tom57

I lived in Novi and drove I-96 quite often ... sorry to see Goldie done that way, but she did her job like a soldier. This is another reason why we love our LS. Front AND rear damage totals her. Get some compensation for your physical injuries, Walleye, and know that soft tissue damage may not manifest for days - weeks after the event.

HiloDB1

iTrader: (3)

Glad to hear no one was seriously injured. Too bad about the car. Looks like its an 01-03 model so based on the fact the 01-03 models are not valued as greatly as the 04-06 the damage probably exceeds the value. In which case the insurance company will claim it a total loss. So it will have a salvage vehicle title after being repaired even if there was no structural damage.

BTW what interior trim and color is your car?

BCrews

Agreed- glad to hear you're ok-but definitely keep an eye on how you feel, like said above, issues can arise weeks later- NEVER say you're fine- just wait and see. Because so many of us search so hard to find "the one" LS on the used market, I know it's never fun to have to replace your ride unexpectedly. Should they write you a check- here's hoping you find a worthy successor quickly!

walleyeman

BTW what interior trim and color is your car?[/QUOTE]

Yes, it is an 03 ML.

I believe the interior color is called Ivory-it is a very light tan.

toddmorr

that car is gone. A couple months ago had my 02 damaged somewhat less than that and it was totaled out. Got 3k for it, sight unseen however, from some guy that wanted it for parts or whatever.

HiloDB1

iTrader: (3)

Damn if it was Ecru I would be your best friend as I'm in need of interior parts . Again Im glad no one was seriously injured. I hope you can work something out with your insurance to get you another car. Maybe even another LS

Gene01

I was told by an insurance person (adjuster ?) that if the airbag deployed, the car would be totaled out.
It could be that this is unique to CA.

Jabberwock

Glad to hear you were not seriously injured in a crash like that. Take the time to see if you really are OK. Rear crashes put tremendous G force on spine and neck. At a minimum ask for fair compensation for your hassle, time spent dealing with accident, any medical bills/co pays, time spent buying replacement car, pain, etc. Do not sign a no injury waiver until you are 100% sure there are no long term effects.

Jdmdrew

Yea, usually when the air bags deploy the car is usually totaled because they are so expensive to replace. The value of these cars are still pretty decent but not enough to cover the extensive damage yours has.

R Z

Wow so glad to hear you are ok. These cars are definitely built for safety. I personally wouldn't want the car repaired. For one it looks like the engine may have been compromised. Once it's wrecked it's generally never the same. Plus resale is not much after a wreck like yours.

Good luck!

MX5

Sorry to see this - anything at highway speeds is going to be serious. I don't think there's any question that is totalled, unless it has 20k miles or something crazy like that. You've got thousands of dollars just in broken lights after all.