I recently put my '94 SL2 (145K mi) into a ditch off a highway ramp (high speed + wet road). The bumper cover is smashed up, but otherwise the suspension and bottom of the front chassis bore the brunt of the damage.
I put new (used) rims and one new tire on it to limp to a shop, but it was pretty clear that the damage was bad. The alignment was serverely off--to go straight, I had to put 90 degrees of left steering lock on it, and the suspension had almost no ability to cope with bumps in the road. Additionally, the engine sounded rough (though no apparent loss in power delivery), and the car vibrated when it was stopped at a light.
Otherwise, there are no leaks and electrics are fine.
The shop checked it out, and once they put it up on a lift, the picture was clearer. I'm looking at:
- crumpled K-member
- bent anti-sway bar (and crushed sway bar mounts/bushings)
- both lower control arms bent
The shop quoted me ~2 grand to repair--$1000 for labor, $1000 for parts (all used, except the sway bar links, brackets, and bushings). After some poking around online, I believe I can get the parts for somewhere in the 600-900 range shipped, but it'd be much easier dealing with someone local--and time is a key factor since we are down to two cars between four people.
Given that the bluebook on the car (in good condition) is just about $2000, I have the difficult decision of whether to go ahead with the repairs or declare it a loss cause.
If I do repair it, there is chance of more problems--specifically the engine roughness worries me--and perhaps some latent problems that manifest only after some time. I could very very easily be spending much more than 2 grand.
If I don't, I only need to pick up enough 'new' car to last me less than a year--but I run the risk of problems with the new car.
On both other hands, the saturn could run great--as it has been--for many more years if i repair it, and if i buy a new car, I might end up with something quite good that is also solid for many more years.
Any suggestions?