Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Another stupid victim of texting and he hit 2 parked cars. Thankfully no one was hurt. From what I can tell the control arm is bent and the steering rack is broken for sure. Hasn't been officially inspected so there could be more needed.



It's a '94 LE 4cyl. with 190k on the car and about 135k on the engine. I know I'm probably looking at least $800-$1000 for the repairs and only paid $1600 for the car.



So is it worth repairing or am I better off selling it as a parts car?

Reply 1 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

if you can afford another car...part it. if not, what choice do you have?



personally, id say tough shit kid...you fix it! but i'm not a dad, just a dick.

Reply 2 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Pics would probably help a lot.



And this is why texting became 2 point offense in NY >_> (no offense). Glad he's all good.



Just wondering how he hit 2 parked cars...



But I'm going to say just part it out and buy a new car.

Reply 3 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Honestly...a 94 5SFE auto with 190k miles isn't worth it.

Reply 4 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Another question to ask, if the repairs aren't TOO much....does the car run well? Any other unresolved issues? If it runs crappy....part it out.

Reply 5 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr2crazed Another stupid victim of texting and he hit 2 parked cars.

If your son was the victim then wouldn't the other driver's insurance pay for the damage? If your son was the "stupid" texter, I'd make him walk.

Reply 6 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Crash Honestly...a 94 5SFE auto with 190k miles isn't worth it.

But the engine has 135K miles

Reply 7 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Is texting and driving illegal in the nanny state? It is here now.....





It probably wont be worth fixing. Make him work to pay for repairs or the replacement car. He'll never learn otherwise.

Reply 8 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Fix the car 'cause he'll just crash it again. No point in ruining another car.

Break the son to hopefully teach him an ol' fashioned lesson(even if illegal in Cali).

Reply 9 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by zythr But the engine has 135K miles

That's still pretty high mileage to be putting any REAL money into.

Reply 10 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

The car ran great, but I did need to put a new radiator in (already have it) due to a minor leak. I was also going to replace the front brakes which my son had already purchased the parts for.



And yes, he was the idiot texting. And texting is illegal in California.



I did find another potential garage that may be able to do it for $500-$600. We'll see...



I'll post pictures later but from the outside it doesn't look too bad but turn the wheel and that's a different story. Just from viewing I can tell the knuckle may be bent too. Might be better off sourcing an entire passenger assembly and a steering rack.



Oh, he WILL be paying, he's not getting off that easy.

Reply 11 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Pictures as promised.

Reply 12 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

From a glance, it just needs some suspension work. Easier said than done though. Are you technically able to do it? I'm gonna assume no since you're looking for a shop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CupCate18 Make him work to pay for repairs or the replacement car. He'll never learn otherwise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbird personally, id say tough shit kid...you fix it! but i'm not a dad, just a dick.

I hate to try to tell you how to teach your kid, but hey... I agree. Make him help you fix it and make him pay for it.

Reply 13 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Drag his butt to the nearest salvage yard, have him pull and pay for all the needed parts, then supervise as he replaces all the parts. Going to a salvage yard will save you a ton of money, and you can grab any brackets/bolts/nuts that you will have a hard time getting new. Also, it will give you/him an idea of how everything goes together.

Reply 14 : Son crashed his Camry, worth fixing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by LynchburgCSI From a glance, it just needs some suspension work. Easier said than done though. Are you technically able to do it? I'm gonna assume no since you're looking for a shop. I hate to try to tell you how to teach your kid, but hey... I agree. Make him help you fix it and make him pay for it.

I was willing to tackle it until I saw the broken steering rack and that's a little more than I'm comfortable doing.



I'm just now noticing some potential deal breaker here by looking at pictures 2 & 3. Check out where the control arm mounts to the frame, kinda looks bent to me. If that's the case, I'm done.