what to do with this car?????

[JimPunkrockford]

hello eveyone, i need a bit of advice, thought you guys might have some insight.

sooooo, i bought this practically new 02 mustang with 36K miles and still has some new car smell. rear ended something/someone and was an insurance total. i bought it on copart (i couldn't resist) for $80, but after paperwork and everything it was $200. obviously someone loved this car, it was it great shape. i think it probably didn't get towed after the accident because all, and i mean all, of the little bits that broke off were in the trunk. either that or the most conscientious tow driver ever. so basically it needs new headlights. oh that and a clear title. so, i live on an island in hawaii and only one shop is certified to return salvage title cars to the road, and the guy and that shop is a total prick. i got a quote for $3K for new parts and paint and labor and paperwork, guy is just being an asshat. so ideas what should i do with this thing?

1. watch craigslist for a compatible car and use the damaged front end parts and let the shop put them on then after i get the paperwork i put all the original parts back on both cars and sell the parts car.

2. ship car someplace where it is easier to get it titled?

3. find some sort of cheap car racing series? the car will be be super reliable but only a v6.

4. park it in a cane field and let the tin worm return it to the earth?

ideas??? what would you guys do? i'd LOVE to have and use this car it is so fun to tool around in, but i don't know how to make this happen.

this thing might be the deal breaker. the bumper mount is ever so slightly bent down.


the accordion bumper bracket is welded to the front of the frame and did what it was supposed to do, it bent. does this part get replaced? or bent back? is this car really a total? i can't seem to locate these parts on websites, what are they called? this seems to wreak my idea number one about buying a temp parts car. here are some shots of when i brought it home.

okay guys, what to do with the car? there are no bad answers, lets hear em

 

[evilcw311]

That's the front end bash/crash bar.

They totaled that car with that little damage?!?

Odd


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[JimPunkrockford]

That's the front end bash/crash bar.

They totaled that car with that little damage?!?

Odd


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yes, i'm sure the previous owner thought so too.

i guess i should of put a parts list here too. my post was seeming a little long...

so, hood scratched up a bit-i'm okay with it and the shop is okay with it

headlights, have to be replaced

the plastic bracket behind the grill that hold the headlights- i'm okay with it, shop wants it replaced

bumper cover split, i'm good with it, shop wants it replaced

Styrofoam impact bumper thing, split in two, i JB welded it, i'm cool with it, shop wants it replaced

bumper mounts he wants replaced (see picture) and it has to go on a jig to make sure the frame is straight ($350)

if all that gets done i pay $50 and i get a clean title

 

[hotmustang95]

OMG this isn't even a challenge. All of that can be had for real cheap. I just did this myself. Bought a new fender, headlights, header panel=plastic piece that holds the lights. You can remove and replace all the parts yourself with basic hand tools. The only thing out of your reach is paint and body. That you'll have to pay someone to do. Sounds like that shop is trying to fock you. Big surprise btw's. Also there is nothing wrong with that bumper guard/support/accordion thing. It does not need to be replaced. This is just a fender bender. I got most of my stuff off Ebay. The fender I got from a junk yard. You gotta show more pics of the hit. You may not need a new fender.

 

[JimPunkrockford]

OMG this isn't even a challenge. All of that can be had for real cheap. I just did this myself. Bought a new fender, headlights, header panel=plastic piece that holds the lights. You can remove and replace all the parts yourself with basic hand tools. The only thing out of your reach is paint and body. That you'll have to pay someone to do. Sounds like that shop is trying to fock you. Big surprise btw's. Also there is nothing wrong with that bumper guard/support/accordion thing. It does not need to be replaced. This is just a fender bender. I got most of my stuff off Ebay. The fender I got from a junk yard. You gotta show more pics of the hit. You may not need a new fender.

unfortunately nothing is cheap when you have to pay second day air for everything. there is no "ground" shipping to hawaii. part of the deal of getting the paperwork straight (clean title) is that the one shop has to do all the work. so that is a grand right there. the shop also gets to pick what has to be done to make the car safe and they say the bumper mounts have to be replaced.

side note your car looks hella *****n'

 

[evilcw311]

Sounds to me like you should of done as much of the work as possible before even getting the shop involved. We could of walked you thru putting it back together and then the shop would of have minimal to fawk you for


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[hotmustang95]

unfortunately nothing is cheap when you have to pay second day air for everything. there is no "ground" shipping to hawaii. part of the deal of getting the paperwork straight (clean title) is that the one shop has to do all the work. so that is a grand right there. the shop also gets to pick what has to be done to make the car safe and they say the bumper mounts have to be replaced.

side note your car looks hella *****n'

Ohh noooo. God that sucks. Really sounds like the shop is taking advantage. Fockers....

 

[JimPunkrockford]

dude i put it all back nice nice. then took it all apart for the shop. if i brought it in all fixed the shop would reject the car. the law is that no one other than the shop can work on it.

 

[JimPunkrockford]

Ohh noooo. God that sucks. Really sounds like the shop is taking advantage. Fockers....

yea. small island so personal relationships matter here. the dude used to work at the gun range like 15 years ago and he was a prick so i was a prick back... dang

 

[Sinned83]

Man id say you got a deal but the body shop part kinda sucks. I'm in for the V6 trunk tho!

 

[Burninriverdiver]

If you werent stuck on an island id say you got a heck of a deal.... That sucks that this jerk runs a monopoly there, all the minor work could easily be done in your driveway. I wouldnt scrap a car with that minor amount of damage.... hopefully the guy will fix the car and clear the title without much hassle

 

[DropTopPony]

Living on the rock makes it tough to get ahold of certain parts so you might make out better parting that out to others in need. Too bad they shut down the Super Ferry, that would make it easier to move the car or parts around the Islands.

 

[JimPunkrockford]

Living on the rock makes it tough to get ahold of certain parts so you might make out better parting that out to others in need. Too bad they shut down the Super Ferry, that would make it easier to move the car or parts around the Islands.

if we still had the super ferry i would take it to oahu and try and get it certified. or sell it there for a race car start or something

 

[Ferocious]

Scrapping that dime doesn't sound like something I would do. Scrapping the body guy on the island however, sounds like a much better choice. Option 2 sounds good, ship it somewhere you can get it titled easier. You really don't need many parts to make it look good again. As stated, the crash bar and supports look fine. That hardly looks like a totaled car. A new bumper, some paint, header panel, headlights, and voila! 3K is about 1/2 the car's worth. Don't invest that much into fixing 4 broken parts. If it just sounds like a headache all together, letting a tin worm return it to the earth may be your final resolve.

 

[JimPunkrockford]

Scrapping that dime doesn't sound like something I would do. Scrapping the body guy on the island however, sounds like a much better choice. Option 2 sounds good, ship it somewhere you can get it titled easier. You really don't need many parts to make it look good again. As stated, the crash bar and supports look fine. That hardly looks like a totaled car. A new bumper, some paint, header panel, headlights, and voila! 3K is about 1/2 the car's worth. Don't invest that much into fixing 4 broken parts. If it just sounds like a headache all together, letting a tin worm return it to the earth may be your final resolve.

unfortunately shipping to the west coast is ~$1200. and i don't know the law in other states, where is this easier?

as far as parts go everything is good except headlights, and i have a nice projector set.

the shop guy says the supports need to be replaced. they seem like they probably should just be bent back. but he gets to say what is up. does ford have some official guides as to frame repairs? if i could print out something official and show it to the dude that says that in this kind of case those just get bent not replaced, i would be in a much better spot to use option 1.

i don't mind having to pay to put it on the jig to make sure its straight, or to pay the labor to slap on the new parts. but those crash bar supports are a deal breaker right now.

 

[castine917]

Bending and then bending back weakens things. That is why they must be replaced to be certified.