PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

Sorry to hear about the car but I'm glad your wife is ok! That is a sharp Benz, I really love the way those cars drive.

I just saw the rumblings on FB, now saw your post here. Glad Heidi is OK, and that the car did its job. It's always tough to lose a car you love, it's like losing a pet, it's as much a member of the family as anything.

Congrats on the purchase! Just don't let the neighbors think you're getting too high on the horse!

Sorry to hear and see of this, but glad the wife was okay.

Being here over the last 13 years I have time and time again seen members and their loved ones walk away from accidents That could have been muck worse in other cars.. Its amazing how well these cars held up to various accidents.. It sucks to have a car like that wrecked, but it did its job and kept the occupant safe.. Glad the Mrs is ok and was able to walk away.. I still swear by these cars..

Its always a great day when we walk away from an accident and live to tell..

It was a little surreal seeing it again yesterday before it was trucked away, all crushed in the front like that, and then going about my day-to-day activities, knowing that in a different car, I could have been going to my wife's funeral. I'm still amazed at how the passenger compartment is completely unscathed. That big Bonneville front end sure absorbs a lot of energy. I had hoped to continue driving my Bonneville for many years to come, but I'm really comforted knowing it kept my wife safe from harm. It's bittersweet, moving on with no Bonneville in my life. I'm eventually going to have to go through my garage and unload the remaining Bonneville parts I have. I know my car is going to an area Pick & Pull, so maybe someday I'll see a Bonneville with a silver door or trunk lid, and get another smile from it.

As others have said you can definitely tell the car did its job looking at the pics. Not so much as a scratch on the passenger area.

Congrats on the new ride also.
.
.
.

Bugsi wrote: She hit a little to the right of the centerline and it flipped the car around 180º so she landed back in the slow lane, but facing traffic.

IIRC, I believe the Insurance Institute calls that an “Offset” crash and the hardest to survive. - BC

Bugsi wrote: I'm really going to miss that car. I replaced it today with a 2005 Mercedes Benz S500.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/b7fmk6xt9rgvo ... 0.jpg?dl=0

Do we call you “Mr Money Bags” now? – LOL! Congratulations and hope this doesn't mean you'll forget and abandon us like some others. - BC

1oldman wrote:IIRC, I believe the Insurance Institute calls that an “Offset” crash and the hardest to survive. - BC

I did not know that, but I'm not surprised. Looking at the damage you can really see how much energy it took. The passenger side front wheel is **broken**. It has to take a lot of force to break a wheel like that. The battery is smeared like a stack of paper sheets across the top of the engine nearly all the way back to the firewall. That big energy absorbing bumper did its job too, and I can probably credit the airbag for having a wife that isn't in either a hospital or a coffin.

Bugsi wrote: I'm really going to miss that car. I replaced it today with a 2005 Mercedes Benz S500.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/b7fmk6xt9rgvo ... 0.jpg?dl=0

1oldman wrote:Do we call you “Mr Money Bags” now? – LOL! Congratulations and hope this doesn't mean you'll forget and abandon us like some others. - BC

The funny thing is, I think I paid less for the Benz than I paid for the Bonneville. I bought the Bonneville at just two years old, with a GM bumper-to-bumper warranty on it (which easily paid for itself with the famous upper intake failure, a new rear main seal, new side pan gasket, and new gas tank among other warranty repairs). In contrast the Benz is 10 years old. I was turned-on to the S-class within the past year from this article:
http://www.apidaonline.com/index.php/ho ... luxury-car
and also from this article from the same guy:
http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/how-to-ma ... 1626571145

The S-class appealed to me because it's another big, safe car (like a Bonneville) that has a lot of comfort and luxury (like a Bonneville), with really great performance (like a Bonneville), that can be had used for a lot less than what it cost new because of fast depreciation (like a Bonneville). I had my Bonneville for 16 years (and would have kept it as long as it was willing to keep running), so I wanted another car that was in great condition to start with, so I can coax as many years as I can out of it. My Benz is a 2005 S500 4Matic (all wheel drive) with 73,000 miles. I'm the third owner, and it's been a California car its entire life, with no accidents. The previous owner was a 75-year-old guy who kept it garaged. It has full dealer maintenance records with a really spotless history. It's a pretty good place to start!

Bugsi wrote: The S-class appealed to me because it's another big, safe car (like a Bonneville) that has a lot of comfort and luxury (like a Bonneville), with really great performance (like a Bonneville), that can be had used for a lot less than what it cost new because of fast depreciation (like a Bonneville). I had my Bonneville for 16 years (and would have kept it as long as it was willing to keep running), so I wanted another car that was in great condition to start with, so I can coax as many years as I can out of it. My Benz is a 2005 S500 4Matic (all wheel drive) with 73,000 miles. I'm the third owner, and it's been a California car its entire life, with no accidents. The previous owner was a 75-year-old guy who kept it garaged. It has full dealer maintenance records with a really spotless history. It's a pretty good place to start!

Glad you found a vehicle you really liked. You are fortunate to locate a vehicle with a well taken care of life. Just don't forget us. - BC

Sucks about the old car, but the new one looks like a great upgrade!

Climate control is great... You just leave it on a number and don't even have to think about it for months.... You'll realize this once you get into another vehicle with knobs and you get warm when not expecting it, or you get blasted when you turn it on.