Celica Forums General Discussion General Celica Repair after accident

Okay so last week I was in a multiple car accident on my way home from school. I was the last car to hit in a 4 car accident and my brakes did not perform the way they should have at 30mph. The end result was this : http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xfa1/t51.2885-15/10725125_951659204849072_46740924_n.jpg


So the air box, radiator and supports, hood, bumper, headlight, and whatever little other things in there are done for. The front frame was also bent in the accident. This car was in an accident before I owned it. I'm looking at a realistic cost of $650 in parts and then I have wonderful people who can help me out with the repairs. The cost may change since black friday is coming up soon and there may be sales on parts.

Now what I'm wondering is if there's anywhere I can get a hood for less than 250 without a scoop because mine isn't damaged luckily. Also, am I better off just buying an affordable(relatively cheap and reliable)intake instead of an air filter box. Should I also just go ahead and get a nice pair of headlights or stick to a replacement for now.

I don't know as much about cars as other people. My boyfriend is teaching me about car stuff but I don't know anyone who has actually worked on Celica's before so I'm reaching out for help on this forum.

The car is drive-able, its just recommended that I don't drive it. I was already told to sell the car by some people(who have the money to buy a new car) but this is my first car and I worked really hard to buy this car. This has been my dream car since elementary school and now that I have it I don't want to give it up after 3 months of just buying it. I plan to work on this car and get her back on the road before the spring semester or by the end of winter. I don't need to pay car insurance anymore so I'm saving even more money. Also--my insurance isn't paying for this. I got a new job that doesn't pay as well as I had hoped. Any tips or links to changing parts and repairing something this damaged is very much appreciated.

Your Celica looks horrible in your picture. I'm glad you made it out without anything major.

The Celica does have power-assisted brakes (think; power-steering), but it doesnt have anti-lock brakes, so if you stomped on the breaks, attempting to stop, the only things that would happen are your wheels would stop spinning, but your car would continue traveling forward -- and you would leave a nice set of lines of rubber on the pavement up until you finally stopped.

Considering the cost to repair the vehicle (hood, fenders, frame, radiator and etc, but mostly straighten that body out for good overall suspension) the cost for parts and labor will probably be upwards of $5,000, plus at least another $1,000 for factory paint of everything.

At this point, it will cost you more to repair your vehicle than the price of purchasing a "new" Toyota Celica with the same year and near the same miles.

Totaling the vehicle may net you more than what the vehicle was worth prior to your accident. It may be a good idea to look down that path and see if thats the case for you.

If you spend over $6,000 to repair your vehicle, you are left with a /fixed/ car that will always be a "vehicle with 2 major collisions on it's history history," vs using whatever the insurance company will give you for your totaled vehicle and using that towards a new one. You can ask your ins company how much your vehicle is worth if they considered it totaled.

basically;
"fixed" vehicle that will never be like it was before the accidents.
vs.
new/used vehicle that was never involved in any accident.

In a major vehicle accident such as yours was, its not just about replacing the parts and straightening the frame, but down the road there are many other parts that may show-up as being affected by the abrupt stop. Trunk miss-alignment, full suspension slightly off, electronic sensors slightly jilted from their factory locations, seals could start to leak when it rains, wind noises, on and on...etc.

In addition to wanting to repair your vehicle instead of treating it as a "total loss" through insurance, your resale value has taken a major hit. It could be best to take whatever your ins will give you and pickup a new ride. Possibly even a "new" Celica with fewer miles?

This could be your "golden ticket" of opportunity.

Unfortunately my insurance only covers the damage to the person in front of my car that I hit(only cosmetic damage to the bumper). I have no other choice but to fix this car. It only cost me 3.4k but with taxes and whatnot it was 4k. I no longer have money to buy a car that was in condition as well as this one in my budget. I'm liable for damages to my own vehicle, I just pay insurance to drive. Insurance will not do anything for me but provide me with the nice card to show police officers proof of insurance.

And luckily I walked away from the accident but I sure felt it the next day. I might have back issues for a while but its whatever.

And you're right on with the anti-lock and skid marks, too. They're still on the road.