My mother owns a 2000 Lincoln Town Car with around 50,000 miles. She was recently in an accident and the car will need about $4500 of repairs. She will no longer be driving, so we will be disposing of the car. The question is does it make sense to have the car repaired and try to sell it or take the money from the insurnace settlement and dispose of the car as is (either sell or donate). The car runs well; the damage was to the passenger side of the car and does not effect the driveability of the car.
Economically, the best financial decision is to take the insurance money and just drive the car the way it is. Maybe shop around for cheapest cosmetic fixes.
Take the insurance money. This is a car that is easy to work on and you can sell it “as is”. As long as it is running and driveable a buyer can assess the car and make you an offer. A 2000 Town car with 50K miles and a nice interior would be a great project car. Once fixed it has a lot of years and miles left in it.