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Crashed out brand new 2016 453 might be totaled?

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453 crash wreck
9K views 28 replies 14 participants last post by  Nathan8441 
#1 ·
Tonight me and my husband were on our way to dinner and I honestly cannot tell you how or why, but I rear ended a Chevrolet Silverado. The police estimated that the speed of impact was somewhere between 35-40 mph. Immediately after hitting the truck the cabin was FILLED with airbag dust. Six of the eight airbags came out, the ones that did not come out are the thorax ones. I am VERY surprised that the side curtain ones came out. Also, after the accident the side airbags remained inflated for at least 10 seconds. We were trying to get the doors open but the side bags wouldn't "move". The collision itself wasn't that jarring at all. My husband had immediate discomfort from the seat-belt and we had a little bit of panic because we didn't know how bad he was hurt. After getting out of the car and setting on the ground and composing ourselves we both agreed we were okay. I can't tell you how little we felt from the impact. It wasn't a massive hit, I don't know if the trucked rolled and that lessened the impact, but it wasn't nearly what you would think. The family in the truck we hit were completely okay. They were very concerned about us and we were very grateful to them. The police, firefighters and tow truck driver were all impressed at how well the smart stood up to the impact. With this being a 5 month old car with only 4,800 miles, do you think this will be repaired or totaled? We won't know for a few days as it is a long weekend. I am very thankful that the car protected us the way that it did. We also have a 2011 smart cabrio and I love smart but I wonder would we be just as fine now if we were in that one. I would love to get your opinions on what we need to do with the car.
 

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#2 ·
I was involved in a collision in my 2008 cabrio five months ago.

Insurance paid to repair it, somewhat to my surprise! The cost of repair ended up to be about the vehicle's market value (minus mods). But I made the case with the insurance company that given the option, I'd rather repair than total. Yours being so much newer than mine, I'd think you've got a good chance if that's what you want.

P.S. no need to be so pessimistic with regard to the cabrio. At 'in town' speeds, any difference is negligible. I was doing 40 MPH. Probably impacted at 30 MPH. The collision shoved my car 20 to 30 feet off of its path. I experience that diversion in slow motion.

Glad you're both alright!!
 
#6 ·
i know everyone else has said it but I'm glad you and your husband are ok. As an aside, thanks for the description on how the car behaved on impact with another vehicle. More importantly your level of protection and airbag deployment. One of the constant struggles we have as smart owners is convincing the uneducated (uninformed) folks how safe the little car really is. I spent the last thirty years as a firefighter and a large portion of my role involved cutting people from their wrecked vehicles, both large and small. The main thing is, as said before. you're ok. It's sad to lose your car after having it for such a short time but its only a car and if they do total it, you can get another one.
 
#7 ·
Hard to tell from the picture. Does the passenger door open normally? Is the right front wheel in it's normal position? I'd guess it would cost $6-8,000 to repair including the bags so I don't think they would total it. On a side note, I've been cruising around in my totaled 2008 I bought a few weeks ago with similar damage. Still drives fine. Do get a lot of funny looks though.

 
#12 ·
Just wanted to give an update. The insurance company called today and the car is totaled. We paid full sicker price of $20,200 for the Prime and with the car having 4,800 miles they valued the car at $17,201. I am so glad that we didn't put any money down to get the car as it would be all but a loss now. So now the Mercedes Benz finance gap department will be paying off the rest. I think we are planning on keeping the 2011 smart and getting a new Chevy Volt for its replacement. The car is great and I am very satisfied with how safe it kept us, BUT, with the amount and at the rate Smarts depreciate I don't think we want to go down this road again.
 
#17 ·
Sadly, our last accident 2 years ago was in a 2012 Prius. Was trying to avoid a moose (living in Alaska at the time) and hit a telephone pole doing roughly 50. It held up amazingly well also but the $30k sticker price kept us from buying another one. I love the new design but I think I'm going to hold out for the Mirai!
 
#21 ·
While a bit dated (8/08/2014), the story still rings true that there are HIGHLY DEPRECIATED bargains on pre-owned Volts out there . . .

Having won many awards in the past, the Chevy Volt is now the front-runner to be the recipient of the highest depreciating vehicle award.

A search on the Manheim auction site, a primary indicator of vehicle wholesale value, shows that 81 Chevy Volts, model year 2012, were sold at auction for the week ending August 2nd. The average price was $14,871 for vehicles that are only two or three years old, primarily coming off of the manipulated leases. That equates to an absurd loss of values for Chevy Volts of about 65% in only two or three years based on the list price, which was about $40,000 at the time of sale.

Chevy Volt Resale Values Plunge as Lease Returns Hit Market | National Legal and Policy Center
 
#24 ·
Having driven the Chevy Volt, and reviewed used prices locally as my parents are looking to get into one, I fully support and encourage this choice!

The Volt is premium inside, has very good safety ratings/features, and will be cheaper to fuel than the Smart (with gas engine) if you drive an average of 80 km per day or less (which most folks do).

The Volt has quick acceleration off the line, and feels far faster than fuel efficient cars in it's used price range! I personally wouldn't consider a Prius even close to the driving experience of a Volt, it's not even close. Anyone who likes the tight road feel of the Smart will feel lost and sad in a Prius.
 
#25 ·
The Volt is premium inside, has very good safety ratings/features, and will be cheaper to fuel than the Smart (with gas engine) if you drive an average of 80 km per day or less (which most folks do).

[..........]

Anyone who likes the tight road feel of the Smart will feel lost and sad in a Prius.

We are currently on our 2nd Prius and (though not sporty) I enjoy driving the Prius almost as much as the smart. Yes, the handling dynamics are completely different, but it does have more pep than people give it credit for. We did our cross country move with our 2015 Prius and averaged around 43mpg with 2 people and the back loaded full of stuff. (This included going through Texas at 90+mph)

When buying our 1st Prius I was looking at the volt, but the real world range offered on electric is not enough for my needs (62 miles or roughly 100km/day minimum just going to and from work).



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#26 ·
Which generation Volt? Which Prius? Both of these vehicles has made a quantum leap in their most recent versions. Hard to make much of a case without generational parity. Both the new Volt and Prius are stellar, each in its own way, if you like the packaging.
 
#28 ·
so glad you and your husband are ok. That little smart stood up pretty well. Better to have the airbags deploy and protect you than not. Hope all works out in the end but these are all material things and the important thing is that you are all ok. Keep us posted.
 
#29 ·
Yes we did purchase a 2013 Volt for $19,000 with every available option. We have put 2,400 miles on the car since we have purchased it and we are still on the tank of gas that the dealer put in the tank for us. I am absolutely sold on the Volt and when I return from overseas we will be trading in my smart for another volt. The smart was great, but for less than the amount of money we paid for the 16 smart we can get more car and basically use zero gas. It works for us just like the smart works for others.
 
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