My husband has a 2008 Ford Focus with 132,000 miles on it. It’s been well-maintained (engine mounts, shocks, brakes, fluids, etc.) and runs great, but he had a bit of an accident recently that caused damage to the front fender and driver’s side doors. The doors still close and latch, but they require some effort.
It drives straight and isn’t unsafe, but the car is 16 years old. We’ve gotten estimates of $500-1200 to fix the doors alone, leaving the fender dented. Fixing everything would obviously cost more.
At what point do you say goodbye to a car like this? Is it worth spending the money to fix it, or should we just drive it as-is until it dies? Any advice would be appreciated, especially from anyone who’s been in a similar situation.
Jai said:
Call around to salvage yards. You might be able to get a fender and doors for about $200 total.
He needs two doors and the fender. We have a U-pull-it place nearby, but the cost of having a body shop install everything could add up. Hard to know how much is too much to spend on a car this old.
@Kade
Any 2008-2011 Focus parts should work. At a U-pull-it, you’re looking at around $120 for everything. I’d skip the body shop and install it yourself. It’s not too hard for something like this.