keep or sell?

kuroneko_sama · #1 07-27-2009, 03:41 PM

my black 97 has 175k on it and drives like its brand new

my sister decided it would be a good idea to drive it into some trees

well she only had liability dispite telling me she was fully covered when she borrowed it to see my mother (shes visiting from minnesota)

long story short shes in need of both fenders drivers door needs at least repair, bumper, corners, hood straightning, and other minor body work

she she already could have used a paintjob

she was my daily driver

should i part her, sell her (title isnt totaled), or fix her up

i still intend on finding a nice low milage 97 to make into a showcar

im a bit torn as this happened just yesterday and i gotthe news an hour ago from her insurance company that she only had liability on it

fyi i am now VERY VERY eager for a nice low milage 97

what should her fate be

(and i just gave her a tune up, oil change and full tank of premium on saturday

)

sicksubie · #2 07-27-2009, 03:44 PM

useless without pics.....

BoxerFanatic · #3 07-27-2009, 03:53 PM

Sorry to hear it.

First impression... drive it ugly, and prep a clean, straight, show-car body, then either transplant the drivetrain, or install a rebuilt drivetrain, and part the ugly car.

I found that my SVX isn't straight. the roof above the passenger's a-pillar is just a bit out of shape, the hood isn't square to the fenders, and paint damage appears to be an effect of paint repair gone wrong, not original paint failing. It also has a significant crease just above the passenger's rear tire, between the wheel well and the body flare, ahead of the tail light.

I was thinking of eventually changing the car's color, and going whole-hog resto.

Now, I too am thinking that someday, a clean, straight, also rust-free body will become a better candidate for a base.

If your car is cosmetically rough, but still straight... it might be a toss up. Since you are considering another body anyway, and this car might actually not be straight anymore, I would move in that direction with your $$$, even if you keep driving this SVX in a cosmetically rough condition while you work on the $$$ car.

YellowBird · #4 07-27-2009, 04:17 PM

So sorry to hear that.

I'd have to agree with Boxer. Use her while can as long as she's deemed road worthy.

stiguy · #5 07-27-2009, 04:21 PM

97's are hecka rare!!!! FIX IT!!!!!!

kuroneko_sama · #6 08-03-2009, 10:24 AM

the toss up is , i never got the bodywork done in the first place bacause i didnt feel id make a good showcar from it (hence why it was a daily driver)

with 175k on the odometer and the need for such a high amount of bodywork i dont feel its wirth the money to fix

she does drive like shes brand new, always has...

i feel shes worth more as a parts car than a fixer

its tough

i am considering looting body bits off of a black 92 and keep her as a "frankenstien butterface"

BoxerFanatic · #7 08-03-2009, 10:29 AM

That is kind of where I am...

After noticing the bent condition of my SVX... I think it is going to be maintained as a driver, rather than being restored and babied as a special-occaision, show-grade car.

For now it is going to keep mileage off of the Legacy, and it will allow the Miata to sleep for the winter...

And hopefully at a later time, I can find a good, clean, straight chassis/body, a good or perhaps upgrade/rebuild on an engine... manual gearbox conversion, new paint job, suspension, and the whole 9 yards.

mikecg · #8 08-03-2009, 12:21 PM

Keep in mind that if it's as bad as it sounds, it will probubly never drive the same again, and may start to develop odd issues do to damage to driveline and frame damage.

sicksubie · #9 08-03-2009, 01:17 PM

is this thread utterly useless without pics? Yes, yes it is.....

ensteele · #10 08-03-2009, 01:28 PM

There are onnly 640 - 97s to start with, so it would be good to try to keep her on the road. I understand that it may not be econimically sound to try to get it fixed again. Good luck. Yes, it would have been easier to understand with pictures.