Essentially what the title says. I have a 2005 Nissan Altima, and was told this morning that there are 2 large holes under the driver and passenger side. The mechanic said he can stick his hand up and touch the carpet of my car. I was told to either go to an auto-body shop and see if someone could fix it, or start looking for a new car. I’m looking for any advice, I’m not sure how much that kind of repair would cost me, or if I should abandon my car and start fresh. Any advice or tips would be much appreciated and helpful. Thanks!
Take it to a bodyshop, as your mechanic suggested, and ask them what it would cost to repair. You will get a far better estimate than from a bunch of folks on the internet that can’t see your rust holes.
A few thoughts to ponder, though. Rust is ALWAYS worse than you think it is. If you only have holes in the floor pan and rust hasn’t eaten away the support structure, you can patch the holes and get a couple more years. If there is rust in the rocker panels or any other structural parts, it is time to look for a newer car and scrap this one.
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Time to go car-shopping. If the floorpan (which is also a structural part) is that bad, the rest is not far behind. That car is getting dangerous. FAST.
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When the floor rusts out on a uni-body constructed vehicle, it means it’s time to find a new vehicle.
It will cost more to repair the vehicle than what the vehicle is worth.
Tester
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It won’t hurt to get an estimate, but I suspect that you’ll be replacing this car.
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You’ll begin throwing good money after bad:money_mouth_face:
. As others have pointed out the rusted floor is only the tip of the iceberg.
If the car is barely safe to drive now then it won’t be soon and if the vehicle were involved in a collision it probably can’t offer the protection that a less rusty vehicle could.
What would happen if you paid to fix the floor is that in the near future you’ll no doubt start having problems with rusted through fuel lines, brake lines, power steering fluid lines, etcetera. When that occurs you could be surprised by lost braking power, gas leaking out, etcetera 
.
I’d get a newer less rusty car now while the termites in your car are still holding hands 
trying to keep it together. They can’t keep their grip forever .
Put any money that you could throw at this car into a different, safer car. I drive cars “until the wheels fall off.” That’s just an expression, but I try and drive them until just before that happens. The only reason I have ever replaced a vehicle is because rust has damaged it to the point of no return.
It’s sad to say good-bye to your trusted friend 
, but the time has come 
.
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The only tiny hope is that this rusted from the inside because of a plugged a/c or sunroof drain. If that’s the case, then a repair of the floor (and the cause of the leak) might last a while. It’ll be pretty obvious on a lift - if the rest of the underside isn’t rusty, then you might see if a repair is worth it to you.
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That is the best advice you can expect to get . And only can a price be made by a personal inspection of the rusted areas.
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Find a new car.
Tester
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As others have already stated, the unitized construction of this car means that the floor is a structural component, and rusting of the floor panels means that the vehicle’s overall integrity–and crash resistance–has been compromised. Additionally, the likelihood that rust is lurking in other, less noticeable, areas means that this car is at the end of its lifespan.
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There’s fixing it…and fixing it cosmetically right.
One of my cousins owned a 1982 Mustang 4 cylinder. Besides the numerous mechanical problems this vehicle had…it also rusted out very early. Brother couldn’t afford a new vehicle or get put in a new floor pan…so I fixed it on the cheap.
I found an old discarded speed-limit sign (more then big enough to cover the holes in his floor pan. drilled about 100 holes in sign and floor pan and then riveted it place. Then got some body filler and filled in around the seams to seal it in good. He sold car a couple years later and the floor pan was still fine.
Total Cost - Less then $100.
If you want it done cosmetically correct, then you’ll have to get a new floor pan or have a good body-man make a new floor pan. Very Expensive.
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There’s fixing it right and then there’s fixing it cosmetically.
Just asking for a friend… How does one fix something cosmetically right?
CSA
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Heh heh. I guess if someone else is changing oil for you and ya gotta be told ya have a couple holes in the floor, not likely you’ll be doing the work yourself. So cosmetically, maybe get a can of POR 15 and the mesh and cover it up. Correctly would be getting the floor repair kit and following the procedure in the TSB, but I think you’d want to cut the rust out, treat it, and weld the new panels in. $400 to $4000, take your pick or trade with a note on the dash to check the floor and don’t drop any money on the floor.
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I junked my old 89 Ford Tempo years ago because the floor pan rusted so badly that the carpet was the only thing preventing the seats from falling to the ground.The estimate from the body shop was more than twice the value of the car.
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I took that to be like on a short track race car- giving it a 100ft paint job. Paint job looks great form 100 ft away, but not so hot when you get up close. lol
We used to call that a 50-50 paint job. Looked great from 50 ft going 50 mph! 
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Remember the pictures of the Ford Tore___ with rusted floorboards from a few years ago . . . ? 
I used to but “work” cars for a couple of hundred dollars. When they succumbed to terminal rust, I would junk them but keep the hood and trunk to fashion new floor pans for the next one. These cars were just to get me to a trucking company I was making a trip for and the car was only for the purpose of transporting my suitcase, radio box and antennas and me. We had a good car thet stayed home with my wife.
I had a section of railroad track and a 3 lb. ball peen hammer to fashion the floor pans with. I came to pfrefer sheet metal screws to rivits.
You’ve never seen something fixed cosmetically, but it’s NOT right or safe? I have.
Find a car body. The repair should be easy ad not costly.