Saturday, I drove my '91 DX Hatchback into the back of an old Jeep on the highway. The road was wet and, despite the fact that I had left plenty of room to stop (I thought) the crappy tires that I had didn't grip the road and I skidded without slowing for most of the time that I was braking.
So, the Jeep, of course, is totally fine and my poor Civic is completely smashed due to the fact that my front bumper fit UNDER the Jeep's rear bumper. That resulted in my hood accordioning, my headlights vaporizing, my radiator folding, and likely other damage that I coudn't immediately see.
I loved that car. It was in pristine condition with only 70k miles on it. The interior was as nice as the day it rolled off the line, the gas mileage was amazing, with some quality fuel the performance was superb, and I had just put in a CD player and some speakers.

What are my chances that the mechanic will be able to fix the car for less than the total value of the vehicle and spare the car from being "totaled" by my insurance company? What's your experience with having your Civic repaired? Will it ever be the same?

And, as a secondary question:
If my car can be repaired, what's the maximum tire width that my 91 DX Hatch can handle and what brand of wheels and tires should I get to replace the lousy factory standard/dealer combination that're currently on my car?
And while we're at it, what kind of brakes should I get?

 

sorry to hear that man, i wrecked mine in sept.

 

Dang sorry to hear about your car... After serious wrecks there usually never the same. Itll be pretty exxpensive to fix, but if the car has a lot of sentimental value i say go for it. And if you wanna go crazy with the brakes you could get a big brake kit.

 

its kinda hard to say without being able to see the condition of the car..i would just get it quoted by a mechanic/body shop you trust and depending how much it is go from there..i sounds bad tho, and depending on the condition on the rest of the car you might want to think about getting another ride

 

That sucks man.

 

i'm really sorry to hear about your beloved honda. if you can get it fixed i have 205/50 r 15 tires on my car on 00 si wheels. i also have some old school rims with a weird offset that are 15x7 and use 195/50 r 15 tires. neither rub at all. i have seen a crx with 225 wide tires on the front but i think it would rub a little when turning.

 

After a little research, I'm thinking about the 195/50R-15 82H B Falken Ziex ZE-512 tires with the 15 inch Rage Coda wheels.
I'd size up to 16 but the streets here are really porely paved and I don't want to have to get low profiles tires. I already hit the potholes hard enough.

I should hear from the insurance adjuster in the next day or two. I'll find out then if the car is totaled.


I hope I don't have to go all the way up to CT just to get my stereo, ice scraper, and Hula Girl.

 

If its totaled, is it possible to take the money and take the car as well?

 

I think it's possible. When I take the settlement, that means that the insurance company then owns the car and (probably) will scrap it. However, there's a possability that I can buy the car back from them for $50 or some crazy cheap price.
But then, I've got the stingy retail value of the car in cash and a wrecked Civic that's in a shop 4 states away from where I live. I'd have spend the settlement getting the vehicle towed to a garage in my area. I'd probably be better off finding a replacement, maybe even a newer Civic hatch.

 

Dude... so go for an EK hatch!