I own a Chili Red 04 MCS, and recently rear ended a CRV (It was my fault, no excuses there), and would like to know what the MINI community thinks I should do from here. Here is a link to some photos: https://goo.gl/photos/rM5apbnqHqUEHcwaA

Is it worth a rebuild? Would I be able to afford it with my minimum wage job? How much do you think I could get from parting out? Where would I start in a rebuild? PS: Airbags did deploy.

Thanks in advance for the replies

 

Sorry, she's totalled. KBB value is less than $4000; take your insurance payout and walk away.

 

Minimum wage job, doubt OP has collision insurance and at fault would mean no money coming in. Just guessing on this, seems logical.

 

Going on the premise there is no insurance money coming in, how good are you at being a mechanic? The biggest question is what is the condition of the body sections that the wheels attach to? Appears the trannie mount is broken, last picture, and the passenger side red painted metal that the inner bumper is attached to is bent. Could not tell if the metal horns below that the lower section of the inner bumper attach to are bent. What does the gap between the front of doors and the front wheel panels look like? Did the door hinge points get bent? Is the supercharger bent where the water pump attaches?

If you can turn a wrench and the suspension connection points have not been screwed up, I would think you can fix via some used parts all the major items you have.

 

Your financial status is going to be the determining factor. Full coverage or not? let's assume not. Minimum wage is not going to get you too far in these costly repairs quickly. If the car means a lot to you, it can be saved, it is not that bad. I would buy a $500 junker in the meantime and save for the repairs. Source big parts yourself online, you will save a lot money. You have equity in the vehicle, so selling it as salvage will be a waste. Have an estimate done by a reputable shop, then use their list as your list to source parts. Then you will have a good idea on labor, paint, costs and installs you cannot perform yourself. It's the perfect opportunity to build on your mechanical and rebuilding skills.

And move up from minimum wage, you would be surprised how well you can succeed if you try. Best of luck.

 

Thanks for the replies. Yes, money is very tight right now so I don't know whether its a good idea to just put a tarp over it and save for awhile or part it out. How much do you think it would cost to get it running again? I'm very new to the mini community so thank you for your help.

 

I would fix it, but I have skills to that end. It looks fixable from your photos. With that said, if it was your fault and you don't have good skills, it will cost too much to pay for repairs. As others have said, You may want to buy a cheapo car to use while you are working on it. The cheapest way, would be buying a donor car, as you can pick them up, often with a blown engine, transmission, or rear ended one.
Best of luck with this!

 

If you have Pull a Part Junkyards, a set of tools, and some mechanical ability it could be a reasonable repair. Say 500 -1500 repair. If it is just cosmetic those parts are not priced all that expensive. My daughter went deer hunting with a 2003 BMW 330i sedan. Tore up the hood, one headlight, radiator/condenser frame, along with the radiator and condenser, coolant expansion tank, radiator fan, radiator shroud, A/C fan and Front Grills. Bought all but the headlight, expansion tank and Front Grills at the Pull a Part in Atlanta - $350. Hauled it home 4 hours away and the rest is history.

The risk you need to mitigate is to determine if there is any engine damage or Frame damage before you start spending big dollars. IF it was me, I would be pulling stuff apart until I got things back off the engine, inspect it and the frame, then get it fired up. If no damage to either.......

I recently had a used passenger side bare door in matching paint shipped to me for $170 after my mother in law decided to back into it. Fortunately, no frame damage and nothing inside the door was broken.
Good Luck

 

So I have found out a couple things since the last time I visited here.

Transmission mounts, radiator/fan, hood latch/hood/everything related is screwed minus the headlights. The metal tubing that is connects the engine to the air box is bent in. Some cables leading out of the alternator were torn up. Airbags tore up part of my dash. And for those asking, I don't(didn't???) have collision, and I'm 17, money hard to come by. (Yes, I'm not technically allowed here, go easy on me!)

Where could I find a salvage mini to rip parts from? I'm at 95765, CA and all the services I'm aware of have like 2 cars within 200 miles, most of which aren't even gen 1 .