In over my head?

[91_427]

I have a 1991 GVR4 that I purchased several months ago. It has no front bumper, no rear bumper, moderate damage in the driver side rear quarter panel, the unibody frame rails are bent from being on jackstands and improper floor jack/scissor jack placement (frame is not twisted though), and both fenders need adjusted due to contact with front doors when they open. The paint is faded, but there is very little rust. The rear quarter panel is damaged to the point where it bent the structure between the outer skin and the inside of the trunk. I'm not very good at body work, so that will have to be sourced out. The car is completely stock.

Should I cut my losses with this car and try to find one more complete, or get the body work fixed and carry on with the build?

Will add pics later if requested/will help.

 

[citymunky]

How much did you pay?

Its a shame because 823/2000 would have been perfect for you.

 

[91_427]

$3000

 

[LIV4PSI]

It would unfortunately be cheaper to sell it and move on. That is alot of body work to pay someone else to do. The car won't be worth near what you will have in it. If that doesn't matter to you, go for it

 

[matt92vr4]

If you keep it, check out Doug at ingram auto performance in cape carterette

 

[James]

That's a pretty steep price...

You're pretty much pot committed there. You can't resell it for that much (not easily anyways) so you're already in the red.

 

[91_427]

Quoting LIV4PSI:
It would unfortunately be cheaper to sell it and move on. That is alot of body work to pay someone else to do. The car won't be worth near what you will have in it. If that doesn't matter to you, go for it



That's what I was thinking as well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I think I would spend more money at a body shop than what I could buy another GVR4 for.

 

[jnava]

That is a bit steep but if costs are an issue, you should probably unload. I'm unsure if you'll get what you paid for but good luck with that. Find yourself a gvr4 that is complete and running.

 

[91_427]

Money isn't an issue, but at the same time I don't like to waste money.

 

[EMX5636]

If you could do the bodywork yourself and just have a lot of time into the car, it's probably worth it. But from your replies, it appears it's all gonna be out of pocket. At which point, maybe look for a cleaner shell and swap all your stuff over?

 

[Mac]

So let me get this straight, you bought a GVR4 with body damage, light rust, missing panels, and frame damage for $3000?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/uhh.gif

 

[LIV4PSI]

Quoting 91_427:
Money isn't an issue, but at the same time I don't like to waste money.



If you don't like wasting money, you have no business owning a GVR4.

 

[jnava]

I think most of us don't waste money on our gvr4's. I like my car and it gives me joy to see it run like a beast, and if it takes money to keep it going, f*** it. I know for a fact that I will never get the money I will spend on the car, but then again, this is not an investment. It's my effin toy.

 

[Jesus_Negros]

Quoting Mac:
So let me get this straight, you bought a GVR4 with body damage, light rust, missing panels, and frame damage for $3000?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/uhh.gif


iknowrite!

 

[JNR]

It's alright to put time, money and effort into something, but there comes a point that it's just not worth it and this seems like one of those...I mean, if the "frame" were straight and no rust, everything else is just fun stuff (level you want), but those are the foundation and a shitty foundation will mean a shitty car, no matter how much you dress it up...perhaps just cut your losses, strip everything you can out of it and junk the body. If this were a body on frame, wouldn't be so bad, but being a unibody, it'll never have the structural rigidity it needs after getting messed up. Can it be fixed? Sure, most anything is possible, but doesn't mean it's a wise thing.

Just chalk it up as a lesson and don't worry about it and move on to another one, IMO.

Then again, maybe it's not *as bad* as it sounds, but that's the problem with unibodies is once they messed up, they really aren't the same. Even if you can make it look alright, it's just not a good idea to mess with your safety (or that of others) on the road...Again, this may not be the case here (as far as extensive damage), but something to think about and consider. These cars are cheap, so sometimes it's just easier to find another example and one from a place where rust doesn't exist (like socal).

 

[91_427]

Quoting Mac:
So let me get this straight, you bought a GVR4 with body damage, light rust, missing panels, and frame damage for $3000?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/uhh.gif



When I said light rust, I meant three spots of surface rust the size of a half dollar. The body damage occured after purchase. The vehicle was hit by a hit and run driver and insurance wouldn't cover it. The panels are there, just not aligned correctly.

Quoting jnava:
I think most of us don't waste money on our gvr4's. I like my car and it gives me joy to see it run like a beast, and if it takes money to keep it going, f*** it. I know for a fact that I will never get the money I will spend on the car, but then again, this is not an investment. It's my effin toy.



I know it's not an investment. No car is an investment, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to sink money into a car that probably will never drive the same or look the same. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[LIV4PSI]

He was replying to my comment that owning a GVR4 is a waste of money. And it sounds like you already know the answer to this thread.

I have #627 as a chassis on stands I could sell you as a donor. The sunroof area is fucked though, is your roof good? Are you better with mechanical stuff than body work?

 

[91_427]

At this point I might as well keep the car as a parts car and start again with another running car.

 

[rdomeck]

Without seeing pics it sounds like you car could eat up $8-10K in body work alone. I purchased my car that needed a couple of hours worth of work to be driven for $2500. It's a good solid car that had never been wrecked and the body was in good shape with some minor body work needed. You will be much happier in the long run to find a good solid platform to build on......