Hey everyone, I might be new here but I'm not really new to the site. I'd like to start off by saying thanks to everyone here since quick Google searches bring me here, and well.. stuff gets done! lol

Today I need your help. I was in accident in May, where some old dude hit my Civic on the driver's side when he was merging right into my lane. The damage was unsurprisingly minor, mostly cosmetic and no airbags went off. The cop at the scene reported him at fault and rightfully so. My insurance is giving me 2 options: check for $1600, car gets a salvage title but I keep it or check for $2100 and they keep my car because its a "total loss". Car is too old to have any real value so I didn't have any collision coverage.

Anyone who knows about cars told me the damage is cosmetic. The driver's directional is broken and that whole area is scratched and slightly bent in. The hood got moved in and near the windshield you can see a gap but it's not as bad as it sounds. Pics attached, I can post more.

Driver's quarter panel, hood, and front bumper need swapping plus paintjob. Friend said if I can get the first 3 for under 800 total, take the 1600 check. I know someone with a scrapped 96 or 97 Civic who might have those parts in good condition. He also said to get an alignment, an engine mount and replace the headlight bulbs with something brighter. Finally since I live in shitty California, he said I need a DMV inspection and pass a light and brake inspection. He didn't mention how much it was, how **** they are or how long it took but I know he had it done for his Civic since it was salvaged. Anyone know what DMV and CHP look at/for?

What you guys think? I'm leaning towards self-repair but really I just wanna pass with the bare minimum if I take the salvage option. How much work am I getting myself into and is it even worth it if I swap out the parts? I have a really good friend who is more than willing to help me. Honestly there's no way I'm taking the other option. Too much time trolling on CL for cars that aren't guaranteed to be any better and no extra money to put down. As a student, I'm not siding with my parents who want to sell their commuter car and give up mine just so I could have one. That's fucked (for them) considering this wasn't my fault. Plus I'd rather put that money on a much-needed heater core replacement

 

Update: Just called one of the auto dismantlers and they have a damn near perfect condition hatchback 95. Said they would cut out the parts for $200. Is this good?

 

Short answer: dont take the insurance's payout, so you can keep a clean title. You're better off taking the $2100 and buying a replacement car with a clean title, than taking $1600 and keeping the car with a salvaged title. But if salvaged doesnt bug you, take the $1600

Replace all the parts yourself. pretty good chance you can find white parts. The hood looks fine from the picture, just the Hood hinges might be bent, and need some muscle to align it...but i'd take off that driver fender, and make sure the inner structure isnt bent be4 you decide what to do with insurance. It will cost a whole lot more to fix things if something structural is bent.

 

Thanks gorilla but I kind of already explained why the other option isn't really an "option". For $2100 I also can't imagine getting a stable working car with that. I'll probably end up stuck with cars that have 150K+ miles on it.

The salvage title doesn't bug me since I'm not planning on selling the car any time soon. Plus I don't have any backup cars. But anyway yeah that's what I wanted to do first. I wanted to see if there was any frame damage and was going to ask on how to check. I asked my friend who bought a salvaged car to fix it up and he said the DMV didn't check for structure damage and see if the car drives straight.