Rebuild VS Drive it as is VS sell it off

[OldSkewlSW1]

Here is the deal, earlier this week I wrecked my wagon, rear ended a lifted Ford F150 at ~ 25 and did no damage to the truck... Took out the hood/pass fender/headlight/hood latch/ac compressor. pretty much took out anything plastic on the front end and the headlight mount/radiator support...

now here is my dilema

I cant find a damn secondgen SL or SW in a yard here in DSM to save my life. and I just dont see a point to getting replacement parts shipped to me from somewhere far away for a car that really isnt worth it... The cooling system is fine, the fan isnt hitting the exhaust, and everything is secure, just leaned in a bit. I flattened out the hood (great stress relief) and have a bungee cord wrapped around the front bumper holding it down. I have no leaking fluids (minus washer fluid, broke that too) and as soon as I find a set of headlights, I can drive it at night..

so here is kinda where I need some help... Do I just say screw it, pop some headlights in, or even some $20 walmart fog lights, and drive it till it implodes, do I actually spend the time and extra money that could go to other things around the house in buying the parts and having them shipped, or should I just try to get rid of the car. I know there isnt a huge demand for single cam wagons as parts cars, which is my main deterrent for that...

Ive looked in the area, and there are a few cars being parted out, but they are also front damage cars...

I mean is it really worth it to me? I know the next people that this this car after myself will prob be a wrecking yard. since the car has pretty much been through the gambit of everything that you can think of...

just kinda want insight from the Saturn community about it...

thanks

[1994Saturn]

If it were me, I would rebuild it, or drive it as is.. Being that it is a SOHC & the front is smashed up, Even if you sell it, you will lose alot of value.. You could rebuild it for cheap, and have it back looking ok for a few hundred dollars.

[Fox Slaughter]

Problem is when you get in a crash the car never drives the same period. Don't care what you did, never drives the same. Then on top of that its going to be in the back of your mind what happened to the car. So I don't know how I feel on this.

[2NDSOUT]

Why not rebuild? If the frame is still intact...check www.car-part.com for parts.

Chck you local JY as well.

[p-ROCK]

Originally Posted by fox slaughter

problem is when you get in a crash the car never drives the same period. Don't care what you did, never drives the same. Then on top of that its going to be in the back of your mind what happened to the car. So i don't know how i feel on this.

+49,000

[aa4lr]

Originally Posted by Fox Slaughter

Problem is when you get in a crash the car never drives the same period. Don't care what you did, never drives the same. Then on top of that its going to be in the back of your mind what happened to the car. So I don't know how I feel on this.

I had my 1994 SL1 for only about 3 months when I got into a wreck. I thought it was a four-way stop and crossed the intersection, guy going the other way hit my right front wheel going 30 mph or more.

Car was in the shop a month, but they did a good job. Drove fine for the next nine years.

It did always bother me that I wrecked my new car.

[OldSkewlSW1]

I guess that I should have said this before, but its a 97 with 291k miles... so I dont think that there is a way that I could hurt the little value that the car has...

hell, maybe Ill just go nuts and cut it up...

[DonP]

Base you decision on the cost to fix vs. cost to unload it and get a different car (if you need one). Don't forget to consider the fun factor of working on the car and satisfaction of a job well done.

[madpogue]

Originally Posted by p-ROCK

+49,000

-49,002. Our spaceframe cars withstand blows like this MUCH better than their unibody counterparts. A BIG buck hit us when we were going 55 a couple years ago, and there WAS "damage" to the deer. The door structures and A-pillar were bent a bit, but could all be pulled back, and the car drives exactly as it always has. Now a blow against something the size of an F-150 warrants a body alignment check at any reputable frame shop; the cherry would be to get them to sneak that into an estimate, as if you're gonna get it repaired on insurance.

How does the car drive now?

Fog lights would be illegal. Headlight lenses (wait, you broke yours? World to end soon!) aren't cheap, but they're cheap to ship. You might get a fender, shipped, for $100-ish. The bumper is gonna be the bugger. There's always a demand for wagons, even SW1s. Someone would more likely get a sedan as a parts donor for this car, rather than use the wagon as the parts donor. And, in its favor, the air bags didn't deploy.

I wanna know what's behind all you Iowans rear-ending people in your Saturns. Nuc, you know anything about that?....

[OldSkewlSW1]

The car still drives straight, still revs fine, I let go of the wheel at 55 and it did nothing out of the ordinary...

I ruled out buying a new hood, as I took a hammer to mine this weekend and beat it back to its normal shape and size.. the fender is pretty much gone, I just have from the Saturn emblem on it to the door as useable... LOL Let me go pick up all the pieces and plastic weld it back together... the headlight on the pass side I still have yet to locate, the same with the wiring for the turn signals, but the turn signals have shorted the relay for them, no clicking from the dash as well as no lights on the dash... *le sighe* the core support and headlight mounts are somewhere near the exhaust manifold and the only thing that stopped the fan from going back further was the bar that goes across the front of the car right infront of the exhaust manifold... the front bumper support is bent, but the bumper is fine (that makes no sense to me) and the windshield washer fluid resovor is cracked...

I have another car that I can drive around while I get this one legal again. My dad is gonna go to the yard down in FL where we got all the replacement parts for this car the first time around (had to replace everything that I just broke right after I bought the car because I bought it wrecked for $150) and check for a headlight, cuz I have a bungee cord holding down the hood and then the car will be legal by florida standards (as it still has a florida tag and florida title)

as for rearending people constantly, its cuz we all have to stare at all our beautiful corn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[snoops454]

I have a 95 SL2 with a good front clip in central Missouri for parts. I am in Kansas City, so I would have to pull the parts if you're interested... oh they are the burgandy color...

[snoops454]

oh sorry just realized yours is a 97, I was thinking it was a first gen for some reason.