Drive Car With Body Damage or Replace?

[kc27]

The car is a pretty much rust-free 2005 Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix twin) with 143,000 miles on it. We bought the car in 2018 with 110,000 miles on it for $3800. It was recently hit on the driver side rear door and quarter panel. The tire rubs on the crushed wheel well when the car hits a bump in the road. And the driver rear door is jammed closed. Which is OK since it is rarely used. Otherwise it seems driveable. Insurance wlll pay $4700 and they take the car; $3500 if we keep the car. The car is my college student daughter's car. School is 250 miles from home. Other than that drive, she uses the car to get around locally when home. She likes the reliablity of the car and wants to keep it and doesn't care about the looks. I'm getting involved in the decsion because her mother and I paid for half of the car, pay for the maintenance and insurance, and I do most of the maintenance on the family vehicles.

If we keep the car, as much as I dislike having a vehicle on the road with body damage, I am not not going repair the body, other than get the well pushed back out so it does not rub on the tire. Reasons for keeping the car is it is reliable, and that since I purchased it, I replaced fluids, spark plugs, front rotors and pads, transmission fluid and filter, motor mount, and only have 5,000 miles on the tires I bought. A mechanic inspected the car and said it is in alignment.

Reasons for moving on from the car, is the mostly the appearance and potential for undiscovered damage. If I take the $4700, payout, I can go on the hunt for another $4000 car and use the $700 for taxes and licensing and have a couple hundred left over for maintenance items. Of course the next car may have a crush free body, but you never know what issues (if any) will pop up until you've had a vehicle in your possession for a while. This is a "better the devil you know than the devil you don't" scenario.

If you've been in a simlar situation, or can offer some advice, please chime in.  Thanks.

[SunnyDays]

I'm biased because I have a 2003 Matrix, but I would lean toward keeping it, but only if there is no frame damage and you fix the wheel well issue as you said.  These are great cars and no longer made and I'm babying mine like crazy!  They are very versatile, reliable and pretty cheap to keep, so your daughter could easily get another 100,000 miles out of it.  Just watch for rust where it's dented.

[former player]

Is there a safety issue in not being able to open the door?  I'd feel more comfortable driving a car with everything functional, even if not pretty.  It may not get daily use but you never know what's coming.

[Dave1442397]

Keep it. You can get a rear door for a couple of hundred bucks and replace it if you like.

https://www.ebay.com/i/132651365977?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=132651365977&targetid=935431405133&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9003798&poi=&campaignid=10897989837&mkgroupid=106040609894&rlsatarget=pla-935431405133&abcId=9300403&merchantid=101491530&gclid=CjwKCAjwtNf6BRAwEiwAkt6UQv1t0HUcRZXnv3pkG31MaSsUM06LtgwKEGoxVePnKWfRSTF1zMHTahoC2wsQAvD_BwE

[Ecky]

Essentially, what you're being asked to decide is if it's a $1200 vehicle still. With low miles and *assuming* there's nothing wrong with the alignment, I'd say keep it. Someone somewhere will give you more than $1200 for it, if nothing else. Maybe you can beat the wheel well away from the tire a bit with a mallet.

[StashingAway]

You live in a state with road salt? That'll all rust up pretty quick.

You can get that age of matrix/vibe/corolla for under 4K any day. "Devil you know" is true... but with that vehicle it's not as big of a gamble as other scenarios.

In by book, I wouldn't pay $1200 for it, as Ecky suggested. New door might not fig correctly, as it will not fit the rear "smushed" area, perhaps not even latch closed. To me, that car looks totaled.

That all said, if your daughter is only using it a few times a year, that seems like the perfect scenario for a beater/college student car.

[Fishindude]

What's the point of carrying insurance if you're not going to fix things when they get damaged?
I would get it properly repaired regardless of any reasons suggested to drive as is.   Once you accept and live with defects and damage on a vehicle you set the tone for accepting future damage, disregarding maintenance, etc. and you will soon have an unreliable piece of junk worth nothing.

Ask anyone that owns or manages a fleet of vehicles.  They know far more than those of us that only have a personal car or two.
It pays to maintain and keep your equipment in good shape.

[researcher1]

What's the point of carrying insurance if you're not going to fix things when they get damaged?
I would get it properly repaired regardless of any reasons suggested to drive as is.   
It pays to maintain and keep your equipment in good shape.

THIS.

Unless you are cash-strapped and barely scraping by, I don't understand why would drive around in a damaged/wrecked vehicle that doesn't even have functioning doors.

[oldmannickels]

Take it to a shop and get a quote on a fix. I had similar damage to my door last month and the guy fixed it for $75, no paint. You can buy paint kits on amazon for cheap if rust becomes an issue.

[BikeFanatic]

The 250 mile commute I assume is on the highway? I would make sure that thing is safe if my child was driving it. A new car may have more safety features, like airbags and such.

[HPstache]

Watch out for moisture getting into the car.  That can make your carpet wet pretty quickly and then you're going to be in foggy windows/mold & mildew land for the winter.  Also, the rubbing concerns me, I bet the car is way out of alignment.  Does the car track straight? Does it dart around a bit or follow grooves in the road?  Honestly, I'd let the insurance company buy it.

[Car Jack]

So it will pay out $3800 or so and you get to keep the car.  No brainer.  Do that.  Money where my mouth is?.....  Last year, my son side swiped a landscape truck with our 09 Ford Fusion with 60 something k miles on it (it was my mom's car....mom is in her 80's).  Payout would be $5800 after the $1k deductible.  Or $4800 and I keep the car.  Also, because the car was 10 or more years old, the title will NOT be marked salvage, owner retained.  Very similar damage to the door but also the front door and front fender on our car.  We kept driving the car.  It's coming up on a year.  We went to the pull-a-part junkyard and bought a door ($50) and a fender ($39) and my son installed them both on the car.  The car now has 91k miles on it.  My son's driving it for now until the snow flies.  DW has this rule that all cars in the winter have to have All wheel drive.  It costs nearly nothing to keep this thing and I have gotten way more than $1k worth of use out of it over the last year. 

You should, however invest in a nice sledge hammer.  Remove the wheel and bash that thing back so it doesn't hit the tire over bumps.

If water starts getting in....get some of that flex seal tape to seal it up.  Doesn't open and doesn't look good?  Who cares?

Oh....almost forgot.  If you were carrying collision on this thing, drop it.  I kept comp on mine specifically for glass/zero deductible coverage. 

[kc27]

The car was inspected by a mechanic. He put the car on his alignment rack. The alignment is straight. Everything on the car is functional - except the damaged door. I have driven it on the highway, it runs the same as it did before it got hit. Runs straight, no drifting, no shakes, no noise.

I'm going to visit a few shops to see what they think. The cost of a returning to pre-wreck conditions was estimated at $5600, with a clause that it did not include any unexpected damage. The car is not worth $5600. If I have a shop do anything, it will be to put a functioning door on it and make it look decent, but not new.

Someone mentioned water intrusion. You were right. We had rain last night, and it resulted in a wet seat and floor. The seal around the door opening was pushed out of position when the door got crunched. I pushed the seal back in as best I could. It still leaks.

The tire no longer hits the wheel well when going over bumps. I used a bottle jack to push the wheel well away from the tire. The wheel well is back pretty much in its original postion. The door is still stuck tight. I tried a crowbar to spring it free - no luck.

RE: driving a car with collision damage. I am not fond of the idea, but have done it when a vehicle was ugly, but still safe and functional. I got a lot of use out of them as Car Jack did with his Ford Fusion without the worry of keeping it cosmetically perfect.

[TrMama]

As long as the car will safely protect its occupants in the event it's in another accident and you can mostly fix the water issue, I'd keep it.

You can get some basic car spray paint in a color that mostly matches and use that to cover any bare sections so it doesn't rust. I drove a 2006 Corolla for years after a tire chain broke and beat the crap out of one wheel well. DH did the spray paint trick and it lasted for many years until I foolishly sold it for a bigger car that turned out to be a lemon.

[robartsd]

Sounds like frame and alignment check out. I'd make an attempt at waterproofing the door (perhaps test at a car wash). I would let the insurance company have the wreck if you can't keep the water out, but otherwise I'd likely keep it for the use you intend. I'd basically think of the rear seat as a cabin cargo area going forward; so if my use case involved more than two passengers on a regular basis, I'd let the insurance company scrap it.

[researcher1]

You should, however invest in a nice sledge hammer.  Remove the wheel and bash that thing back so it doesn't hit the tire over bumps.

If water starts getting in....get some of that flex seal tape to seal it up.  Doesn't open and doesn't look good?  Who cares?

Do you apply this same line of thinking to other aspects of your life? 
Where do you draw the line?
- A window in your house breaks, and you just slap up a sheet of particle board?
- Storm damage on the roof, and you throw a blue tarp over it?
- Someone takes out your mailbox, and you just place a Rubbermaid tub with a slot cut in it at the curb?

The OP's daughter uses this at college. 
Don't you think it is important to have functioning doors on the vehicle?
Wouldn't you want her and her friends to be able to get out of the car in a hurry if they needed to?

[researcher1]

The door is still stuck tight. I tried a crowbar to spring it free - no luck.

RE: driving a car with collision damage. I am not fond of the idea, but have done it when a vehicle was ugly, but still safe and functional.

Your vehicle is NOT SAFE as-is.
You should not take Jack's advice and send your daughter off to college with a door that won't open.

If she's like 90% of college kids, she will be cruising around with her friends.
You should ensure that they can safely & quickly get out of the car, which they can't do now.

[kc27]

She took her mother's fully functioning Rav4 to school. Hopefully in a few weeks when she comes home for a visit, we will have this car business sorted out.

Thanks for all the viewpoints everyone. I appreciate all the ideas.

[Dancin'Dog]

The door is still stuck tight. I tried a crowbar to spring it free - no luck.

RE: driving a car with collision damage. I am not fond of the idea, but have done it when a vehicle was ugly, but still safe and functional.

Your vehicle is NOT SAFE as-is.
You should not take Jack's advice and send your daughter off to college with a door that won't open.

If she's like 90% of college kids, she will be cruising around with her friends.
You should ensure that they can safely & quickly get out of the car, which they can't do now.

How often will anyone be riding in the left rear seat?  Whenever 4 people ride in it the left rear passenger can easily slide over & use the right door.  Plenty of college kids would be thrilled to have any car that runs.


I'd definitely stop the water leak.  The carpet will smell nasty & mushrooms will sprout. 

[researcher1]

How often will anyone be riding in the left rear seat? 
Whenever 4 people ride in it the left rear passenger can easily slide over & use the right door. 
I'd definitely stop the water leak.  The carpet will smell nasty & mushrooms will sprout.

Unless she gets into an accident, and the other door becomes blocked/inoperable and/or you need to get out fast.
Note:  Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for college-age kids.

I just don't understand this extreme frugality mindset with regard to not repairing vehicles.
Isn't that why we manage our money properly?  Isn't this why we have liquid savings and emergency funds?

The term "penny wise pound foolish" comes to mind.
Send a girl off to college in a demolition derby car with an inoperable door, just to keep from spending $1000 of your emergency fund?
I don't get it.

[Fishindude]

You should, however invest in a nice sledge hammer.  Remove the wheel and bash that thing back so it doesn't hit the tire over bumps.

If water starts getting in....get some of that flex seal tape to seal it up.  Doesn't open and doesn't look good?  Who cares?

Do you apply this same line of thinking to other aspects of your life? 
Where do you draw the line?
- A window in your house breaks, and you just slap up a sheet of particle board?
- Storm damage on the roof, and you throw a blue tarp over it?
- Someone takes out your mailbox, and you just place a Rubbermaid tub with a slot cut in it at the curb?

The OP's daughter uses this at college. 
Don't you think it is important to have functioning doors on the vehicle?
Wouldn't you want her and her friends to be able to get out of the car in a hurry if they needed to?

Yep, important lesson missed here.
Teach your kids that you need to take care of things.

I like the examples and can think of more where the same logic applies:
Lose a front tooth, just leave it out ... you can still eat with what you have left, who cares what it looks like.

[researcher1]

Yep, important lesson missed here.
Teach your kids that you need to take care of things.

I like the examples and can think of more where the same logic applies:
Lose a front tooth, just leave it out ... you can still eat with what you have left, who cares what it looks like.

I'm glad I'm not the only voice of reason in this thread.

If you are living in poverty, have no savings, barely scraping by, this is your only transportation...
Fine.  Slap some duct tape on it and keep driving.

But the people here are presumably not in financial danger and have ample resources to pay for a $1000 repair.
If so, then why advice the OP to ship his daughter off to college in a junk mobile with leaking, non-functioning doors?

These must be the same people I see driving around with their donut spare tire for weeks/months, or their houses falling into disrepair.

[Sibley]

I had a 2007 Pontiac Vibe. Had a similar situation, except I had frame damage. No brainer, totalled out. Still miss that car. I assume they were able to sell it for parts or whatever, it ran fine except for the back end damage.

Fix the car. You can get a new door from the junk yard or something, it might even be the same color. If you want to send a fully functional, safe car that happens to have a mismatched door to school with your kid, fine. Do not send a damaged vehicle.

[Paper Chaser]

The car is a pretty much rust-free 2005 Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix twin) with 143,000 miles on it. We bought the car in 2018 with 110,000 miles on it for $3800........Insurance wlll pay $4700 and they take the car; $3500 if we keep the car.

Dude, you've had two years and 33k miles of use from it, it's got significant damage and the insurance company is going to give you $900 more than you paid. Why wouldn't you sell it to them?! How would you react if you go shopping for a vehicle and somebody says "I want you to drive this for 2 years, put 33k miles on it, and then wreck it. If you can do those things, I'll give you $900 more than you just paid for the car."? Does that not sound like a crazy good deal for you? It's older, has a bunch more miles and is damaged, and you've still got a chance to experience negative depreciation during your ownership. Do you know how rare that is?

The car's nothing exceptional and can be replaced pretty easily with another appliance. Take the win and move on to the next one vs having your kid ride around in a beat up vehicle with limited functionality and questionable safety.

[robartsd]

The car is a pretty much rust-free 2005 Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix twin) with 143,000 miles on it. We bought the car in 2018 with 110,000 miles on it for $3800........Insurance wlll pay $4700 and they take the car; $3500 if we keep the car.

Dude, you've had two years and 33k miles of use from it, it's got significant damage and the insurance company is going to give you $900 more than you paid. Why wouldn't you sell it to them?! How would you react if you go shopping for a vehicle and somebody says "I want you to drive this for 2 years, put 33k miles on it, and then wreck it. If you can do those things, I'll give you $900 more than you just paid for the car."? Does that not sound like a crazy good deal for you? It's older, has a bunch more miles and is damaged, and you've still got a chance to experience negative depreciation during your ownership. Do you know how rare that is?

I guess this would depend on how exceptional the purchase was two years ago. If you have the resources to get this kind of deal again, then Paper Chaser is right, just replace the car. If there were special circumstances that led to the good deal you got two years ago, you might consider Paper Chaser's analysis as similar to a sunk cost fallacy. Total loss of the car is not where you won, getting a great deal two years ago was.

[bigblock440]

You should, however invest in a nice sledge hammer.  Remove the wheel and bash that thing back so it doesn't hit the tire over bumps.

If water starts getting in....get some of that flex seal tape to seal it up.  Doesn't open and doesn't look good?  Who cares?

Do you apply this same line of thinking to other aspects of your life? 
Where do you draw the line?
- A window in your house breaks, and you just slap up a sheet of particle board?
- Storm damage on the roof, and you throw a blue tarp over it?
- Someone takes out your mailbox, and you just place a Rubbermaid tub with a slot cut in it at the curb?

The OP's daughter uses this at college. 
Don't you think it is important to have functioning doors on the vehicle?
Wouldn't you want her and her friends to be able to get out of the car in a hurry if they needed to?

Where do you draw the line?  You draw it where it's worth or not worth spending x-hours of your remaining life working for you to have that thing, and how long the repair/thing is expected to last.  If you're working 12-15 hours per day, or never home because you're doing other things, what value does that window give you, and is it worth trading a week of your life for?  Or are you highly paid/work from home or retired, where you see the window 24/7, and only need to trade an hour or nothing (discretionary) to replace it?  Mindful spending, what do you actually get for the money you traded hours for.

[researcher1]

Where do you draw the line?  You draw it where it's worth or not worth spending x-hours of your remaining life working for you to have that thing, and how long the repair/thing is expected to last.  If you're working 12-15 hours per day, or never home because you're doing other things, what value does that window give you, and is it worth trading a week of your life for?  Or are you highly paid/work from home or retired, where you see the window 24/7, and only need to trade an hour or nothing (discretionary) to replace it?  Mindful spending, what do you actually get for the money you traded hours for.

We are not talking about someone eeking out a meager existence in a single wide trailer, living on SSI and food stamps.
If you are in this position, then yes, it is OK to replace a window with particleboard, a roof with a blue tarp, or a car door with duck tape.

But Car Jack and others commenting here maintain financially prudent lifestyles, with appropriate liquid savings and emergency funds.
In their case, it makes absolutely ZERO sense to send a daughter off to college in a wrecked unsafe vehicle, just because they are too cheap to spend $1000 of their emergency fund.

And I think your view of home ownership is insane. 
Not replacing a broken window or a leaking roof, because you aren't home much and don't see value in such things (per your example)???

[Dancin'Dog]

" She likes the reliablity of the car and wants to keep it and doesn't care about the looks."


We're arguing about a $1200 car that a college kid doesn't mind driving.  OP had it checked out & the alignment was good.  What's the big deal about it being ugly & one of the rear doors doesn't open?  It's still safe to operate & is reliable. 


What any of us can afford isn't in question.  MMM is all about saving money & being happy while spending less.  It seems to me that the daughter doesn't mind doing that, so why should it bother any of us?

[robartsd]

" She likes the reliablity of the car and wants to keep it and doesn't care about the looks."


We're arguing about a $1200 car that a college kid doesn't mind driving.  OP had it checked out & the alignment was good.  What's the big deal about it being ugly & one of the rear doors doesn't open?  It's still safe to operate & is reliable. 


What any of us can afford isn't in question.  MMM is all about saving money & being happy while spending less.  It seems to me that the daughter doesn't mind doing that, so why should it bother any of us?

I agree with those that consider the non-functional door as a potential safety issue. That's why how often the back seat is used for passengers would have considerable weight on whether or not this car could still be suitable. I see basically no impact on safety if one of the rear doors doesn't work if there are no passengers in the rear seat. There is basically zero chance that that door not functioning would make a difference for passengers in the front seats. I would avoid a passenger in the rear on the opposite side, because the jammed door could make escape more difficult that seat's primary door was no longer an option.

[StashingAway]

... how often the back seat is used for passengers would have considerable weight on whether or not this car could still be suitable.

+1

If this car has 60k+ miscellaneous commuter miles left in it, with passengers and such, then it probably should be replaced. If it has 5k driving soley back and forth to college (and then just sitting there), sure; keep it.

The way I used my car in college, though, I wouldn't have been able to manage without a non-working rear door. Too many camping trips with a body in each seat or DD'ing parties packed to the brim of people looking for rides. 4K can get another Vibe/Matrix. In fact, most people I knew in college maxed their car's capacity as they were harder to come by and we were more social.

[blingwrx]

If that was my kid, I wouldn't cheap out on their safety. I'd get rid of it and spend a little more for something newer, I think most newer cars have safer structural designs, more airbags and safety technologies. After around 2012 most cars came with backup cameras standard. Of course I don't know your financial situation so this might not even be an option.

If you are cash strapped then maybe you can keep the car, but definitely get it checked out and make sure it's safe. Never cheap out on things like tires, brakes, alignment ect. if those are wearing down definitely get those replaced. A few bucks extra can mean life or death.

Speaking from my own experience as a young driver in college, I used to speed and do stupid things, I was an inexperienced driver and I totally had a few close calls. Now I know I was dumb and thank my lucky stars I was never in a serious accident. When my kids are old enough to drive I would hope to be able to buy them the safest car possible within my budget.

[JAYSLOL]

Find a backyard mechanic/auto body guy that would replace the door with a matching used door, they should be able to adjust the new door to fit/open/close without too much difficulty, fill the dent in the wheel well with bondo, then since the only visible damage will be the filled in dent which is down quite low, it would be much cheaper to backyard diy rock-guard the lower 1’ of the body panels all the way around rather than paint to match, something like the truck

[kc27]

Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it. I have been checking into autobody shops and also replacement vehicles.

I think I somehow gave the impression that the car is a deathtrap. That is not the case. The car was well cared for by us. When we bought it two years ago we replaced the coolant, transmission fluid and filter, brake fluid, replaced interior lights with extra bright white LED lights for added illumination when entering the vehicle at night, replaced a worn motor mount, installed Goodyear all season tires for the summer; Michelin X-Ice Xi3 winter tires for the snow and ice season, this year installed new front brakes and rotors, the parking brake is functional, all lights and safety equipment are functional.

After the accident I had a mechanic and an autobody technician inspect the car. The car was put on an alignment rack. The car's alignment is straight. I tracks straight down the road. I drove it on the highway at 72 - 75 mph. No shakes or shimmies. No frame damage was found. I am having a long-time autobody shop owner look at the car again tomorrow for a second opinion on repair strategy and cost.

I hope be on the way to a resolution by early next week. I accept the point that a non-functional door is a bad idea, and am either going to repair or replace the vehicle. Hopefully not replace, because of all the maintenance I listed above that we put into the car to make sure it was safe and reliable. Also, I applaud those of you who were able to replace a damaged car door. I tried to get the door open, and even with a crowbar for persuasion, could not get it to budge. I did not pry very hard, though, because I was afraid of making a bad situation worse.

[yachi]

Mine is a vote for keeping the car.  You already made sure everything works, and is safe.  I typically avoid parking next to a car that looks like this unless I see some rust - I'd rather not be blamed for someone hitting it in the parking lot and leaving.  Maybe add a Hulk or Wile-E-Coyote decal so people don't ask about it.

[ChpBstrd]

Most important factor: The daughter doesn't care about the car's looks. She's pragmatic. She's financially sensible. She'll be a multi-millionaire some day because she's not taking out student loans to pay for the luxury of having a vehicle with a straight body. She's looking at that car the correct way - like we look at washing machines or water heaters - as an appliance to be used up completely at the lowest expense possible. $1200 for a bulletproof reliable 3-door vehicle is a bargain. She'll slap some tape across the top of the door and let it be for the next 4-5 years. Then she'll laugh about the story for another 10.

If you do get some work done on it to solve the water intrusion issue, understand that there is a vast difference between body shops. Some strive for perfection, use all new name-brand parts, are done within days, and charge accordingly. Others scrap together used parts, apply copious amounts of bondo, spend a month cobbling together used parts at a bargain, and make it look passable. Such shops specialize in doing repairs for far less than the insurance estimate so the owner can cash out.

This is an old car that is being driven by a college student who doesn't care if there's a bit of paint overspray inside the door jamb or if one side shines a little differently than the rest of the car. Find a low-rent body shop with a gravel parking lot and have them do the minimum with scrap parts. Repainting it should be considered optional.

Use your phone and google maps to do some legwork with scrap yards within a 100 mile radius to see if you can find a door. Ask if they have the door and the price before you tell them what color you are preferably looking for. :) Double bonus: You can probably fit the door in the trunk of a Matrix.

Overall you are in a fortunate position. Reliable car. Money coming in. Options to either keep all the money or some of it. And a financially smart college student driver.

[HPstache]

You can't replace the door if you can't get it open.  And even if you can replace the door, it probably still won't seal.  I'm with the poster that pointed out that you bought this car for less two years ago... take the insurance check and buy another.  There is a difference between frugal and cheap... this IMO is the latter.

[researcher1]

You can't replace the door if you can't get it open.  And even if you can replace the door, it probably still won't seal.  I'm with the poster that pointed out that you bought this car for less two years ago... take the insurance check and buy another.  There is a difference between frugal and cheap... this IMO is the latter.

+100.

People forget that the point of earning and saving money is to eventually spend it in some form or fashion.
It is not to die the richest person in the graveyard, with your coffin stuffed with all of the money you've hoarded.

Suggesting that you slap some tape on the door and drive it for the next decade makes no sense. 
Spending ~$1000 to make sure your daughter drives a car with safe, fully functioning doors is money well spent.

A vehicle is not an appliance like a washing machine that you "use up completely at the lowest possible expense."
You are very unlikely to die in a washing machine accident. 
Conversely, auto-related accidents are the #1 cause of death for college-age kids.

[robartsd]

I think I somehow gave the impression that the car is a deathtrap. That is not the case. The car was well cared for by us. When we bought it two years ago we replaced the coolant, transmission fluid and filter, brake fluid, replaced interior lights with extra bright white LED lights for added illumination when entering the vehicle at night, replaced a worn motor mount, installed Goodyear all season tires for the summer; Michelin X-Ice Xi3 winter tires for the snow and ice season, this year installed new front brakes and rotors, the parking brake is functional, all lights and safety equipment are functional.

All of this is maintenance that will be required again (except the LED lights).

I assume that you financially can float buying the replacement car before handing the wreck to the insurance company and getting the check. You could probably swap tires, brakes, and lights between the wreck and replacement car before handing over to the insurance company (assuming they are compatible) so not all of this spending on the car before it was wrecked is a loss. At the very least you can at least try to sell the second set of tires used (whichever set is more likely to get you more money).

Sure, if she's the kind of college student that would be packing people into her car for parties, she should probably have a car with all doors functional. Not every college student is like that. Even if she does want to be DD for parties, that doesn't mean she needs to DD her own car (if I ever were the DD, I would insist that one of the drinkers provide the vehicle).

[bigblock440]

Where do you draw the line?  You draw it where it's worth or not worth spending x-hours of your remaining life working for you to have that thing, and how long the repair/thing is expected to last.  If you're working 12-15 hours per day, or never home because you're doing other things, what value does that window give you, and is it worth trading a week of your life for?  Or are you highly paid/work from home or retired, where you see the window 24/7, and only need to trade an hour or nothing (discretionary) to replace it?  Mindful spending, what do you actually get for the money you traded hours for.

We are not talking about someone eeking out a meager existence in a single wide trailer, living on SSI and food stamps.
If you are in this position, then yes, it is OK to replace a window with particleboard, a roof with a blue tarp, or a car door with duck tape.

But Car Jack and others commenting here maintain financially prudent lifestyles, with appropriate liquid savings and emergency funds.
In their case, it makes absolutely ZERO sense to send a daughter off to college in a wrecked unsafe vehicle, just because they are too cheap to spend $1000 of their emergency fund.

And I think your view of home ownership is insane. 
Not replacing a broken window or a leaking roof, because you aren't home much and don't see value in such things (per your example)???

You asked where to draw the line.  Why should one care what their window looks like if they don't ever see it?  What value does that bring them, chained to a desk for hours a day?  You draw the line at things that are valuable to you, with things that aren't on the other side of that line.  As long as you still have to trade your life for money, your existence is meager. 

Also, a dented vehicle isn't an unsafe vehicle.  Completely depends on the damage, which the OP has said didn't affect anything structural.

[researcher1]

Why should one care what their window looks like if they don't ever see it?  What value does that bring them, chained to a desk for hours a day?  You draw the line at things that are valuable to you, with things that aren't on the other side of that line.  As long as you still have to trade your life for money, your existence is meager. 

I feel sorry for your wife, kids and neighbors.
And you'll have screwed yourself with this mentality when you go to sell the house, as it will be a dilapidated shit box that sells for pennies on the dollar.
Your view on this is insanely short-sighted.

Also, a dented vehicle isn't an unsafe vehicle.  Completely depends on the damage, which the OP has said didn't affect anything structural.

An inoperable, non-functioning door that can't be opened is unsafe.  Especially when driven by your young daughter, who's away from home at school, and likely doing what most college kids do...joyriding, cruising, road trips, going to parties, ect.
How do you not understand this?

[StashingAway]

Sure, if she's the kind of college student that would be packing people into her car for parties, she should probably have a car with all doors functional. Not every college student is like that. Even if she does want to be DD for parties, that doesn't mean she needs to DD her own car (if I ever were the DD, I would insist that one of the drinkers provide the vehicle).

Ok, if you want to play that game, what if one of her friends uses that mentality, and now the daughter is providing the (totaled) car? When I was in college we lived with 6 people in the house, and 2-3 of us had access to a car at any given time. They got passed around like hot potatoes. If one was out of state, we would use the other car for everything. We'd all get groceries in a run together. One kid had a mini-van and it was king for party nights. Driven by whoever was feeling like being sober.

The idea is to put all of the odds in your kids' favor. When sending a kid to college, you don't need to baby them, but they're going to make stupid decisions so why not make those decisions have a smaller chance of becoming dangerous? College kids aren't the best decision makers. I didn't carry health insurance in college and jumped off of roofs. It was a calculation at the time that seemed fine in my head. If his daughter is OK with driving the beat up car, that doesn't really show that she is making a "frugal" decision (although it definitely could!) It more highlights the decision making abilities of a developing brain. She is thinking about school and friends and future employment and social events and whatever else...

Of course this is all anecdotal. If she is on campus where public transit is everywhere and it literally sits in a parking garage all semester, I can see the argument made that it is great for hauling personal gear back and forth a couple of times a year (although at that point, you could just rent a car to do the same).

[bigblock440]

Why should one care what their window looks like if they don't ever see it?  What value does that bring them, chained to a desk for hours a day?  You draw the line at things that are valuable to you, with things that aren't on the other side of that line.  As long as you still have to trade your life for money, your existence is meager. 

I feel sorry for your wife, kids and neighbors.
And you'll have screwed yourself with this mentality when you go to sell the house, as it will be a dilapidated shit box that sells for pennies on the dollar.
Your view on this is insanely short-sighted.

Also, a dented vehicle isn't an unsafe vehicle.  Completely depends on the damage, which the OP has said didn't affect anything structural.

An inoperable, non-functioning door that can't be opened is unsafe.  Especially when driven by your young daughter, who's away from home at school, and likely doing what most college kids do...joyriding, cruising, road trips, going to parties, ect.
How do you not understand this?

I made no mention of what I would do, why the personal attacks?  You're adding a very specific list of factors and claiming it's always the right way, I don't think you actually wanted to know the answer to the question you asked.  Do you happen to keep your thermostat set at 70?

Do you know they make cars that don't have back doors at all, and did you know that college kids drive them?  There's even cars with only one functioning back door.  And they have back seats. 

[robartsd]

Of course this is all anecdotal. If she is on campus where public transit is everywhere and it literally sits in a parking garage all semester, I can see the argument made that it is great for hauling personal gear back and forth a couple of times a year (although at that point, you could just rent a car to do the same).

One of my college friends had a motorcycle and occasionally rented a car when needed.

[researcher1]

I made no mention of what I would do, why the personal attacks?  You're adding a very specific list of factors and claiming it's always the right way, I don't think you actually wanted to know the answer to the question you asked.  Do you happen to keep your thermostat set at 70?

You are arguing that it is perfectly fine to not properly replace a broken window on a house...
"Why should one care what their window looks like if they don't ever see it?"

I can give you several reasons why...
So it doesn't look like you live in a crack house, so you're not a jackass neighbor, so you don't drag down the property values in the entire neighborhood, so your wife/kids can see/enjoy the window, so your homeowners insurance doesn't get cancelled, so you can easily sell/rent the house if needed, ect, ect.

Do you know they make cars that don't have back doors at all, and did you know that college kids drive them?  There's even cars with only one functioning back door.  And they have back seats.

There is no hope for you, if you can't understand why it is prudent and appropriate to spend a few hundred bucks from a well-funded emergency fund, in order to send your young daughter away to college in a vehicle will fully functioning and operational doors.

What is the point of earning and saving money, if not to use it in a situation like this?
Sure, you can send her off to school in a Dukes of Hazzard style car with doors that don't open, but why?

[former player]

Why should one care what their window looks like if they don't ever see it?  What value does that bring them, chained to a desk for hours a day?  You draw the line at things that are valuable to you, with things that aren't on the other side of that line.  As long as you still have to trade your life for money, your existence is meager. 

I feel sorry for your wife, kids and neighbors.
And you'll have screwed yourself with this mentality when you go to sell the house, as it will be a dilapidated shit box that sells for pennies on the dollar.
Your view on this is insanely short-sighted.

Also, a dented vehicle isn't an unsafe vehicle.  Completely depends on the damage, which the OP has said didn't affect anything structural.

An inoperable, non-functioning door that can't be opened is unsafe.  Especially when driven by your young daughter, who's away from home at school, and likely doing what most college kids do...joyriding, cruising, road trips, going to parties, ect.
How do you not understand this?

I made no mention of what I would do, why the personal attacks?  You're adding a very specific list of factors and claiming it's always the right way, I don't think you actually wanted to know the answer to the question you asked.  Do you happen to keep your thermostat set at 70?

Do you know they make cars that don't have back doors at all, and did you know that college kids drive them?  There's even cars with only one functioning back door.  And they have back seats.

Cars that have back seats and no back doors have the front seats designed to allow access into and out of the back - the seats slide forward and the seat backs fold forwards.  It's not the same thing at all as having a car with back doors designed to open that no longer do.

[DHMO]

If we're concerned that the daughter will allow passengers in the rear, the rear seats can be removed. That would leave just the leak problem.

[robartsd]

Cars that have back seats and no back doors have the front seats designed to allow access into and out of the back - the seats slide forward and the seat backs fold forwards.

Yes, but it doesn't really help your safety argument. The chance that passengers in the rear seat of a two door car could get out faster in an emergency than passengers in a 4 door vehicle that has only one of the rear doors operable is slim to none.

[StashingAway]

Cars that have back seats and no back doors have the front seats designed to allow access into and out of the back - the seats slide forward and the seat backs fold forwards.

Yes, but it doesn't really help your safety argument. The chance that passengers in the rear seat of a two door car could get out faster in an emergency than passengers in a 4 door vehicle that has only one of the rear doors operable is slim to none.

I (respectfully) disagree. If we're going to be pedantic about this whole thing - and we most definitely are - this argument was being made as an "apples to apples" comparison. The idea was that a broken rear door is the same as having just a front door. And they definitely are not. As was pointed out above, 2-door vehicles have certain features to accommodate getting in the back. The seat function is one of them but the door size is another. 2-door vehicles have much larger front doors (compared to their 4-door counterparts).

Ok, so we can't really make relative comparisons about safety. Her junked up Vibe is probably much safer than a 4 door car from the 60's. And might be safer than an SUV with rollover tendencies. Or could be safer than not airing up the tires. Honestly, the safest thing she can do is be a super alert driver. A super safe driver with no airbags is safer than a reckless one with airbags. But that's not a good argument to not have airbags.

If she were in a weird, million-to-one accident where a back passenger had to exit out that broken door and was trapped (perhaps flames or the vehicle is being submerged or something), then OP here would definitely retain a bit of responsibility. That door was completely fixable under budget, and most reasonable people would expect it to work in most situations. I wouldn't want to be responsible for something like that. And whilst she is in college and it probably doesn't matter much, it is important to have some semblance of being presentable in many social situations. Street altercation where there's a he-said she-said situation and one person has a junker car- that's one point against them. Etc. Not that you need to be riding around in a beemer or something. It's no different than not having trash on the floor of the car.

/End pedantic tangent

[kc27]

I found a semi-retired auto body man who repaired the car for me for $2200. It's not showroom, but he said the vehicle is safe and everything works. He repaired some cracks in the rear bumper and painted the entire left side of the car. Some photos of the repair and the finished car below. If we get another three years out of it, I will consider it a win.

[former player]

So you've got a useable, safe, known car back on the road with $1,300 in pocket from the insurance to cover the loss in value if you ever sell it: I'd call that a good decision.