:::Jerry:::: wrote:

But there is no point in spending good money on old houses either, just go
out an buy a new Barrette (sp?) one...

The point I'm trying to make here is that the car is worth what it would
cost the OP to replace it, could he buy a good second-hand car for the price
it would cost to have the old car repaired, also there is the saying -
'Better the devil you know than the one you don't', if the old car is still
going strong mechanically there might be good reason to spend some money on
the body work and getting two, three or more years longer out of the car
IYSWIM.


Hmm, only to some extent. Houses don't wear in the same way as cars.
Cars have fairly short operational lives by design, whereas houses have
relatively much longer lives.

--
Grunff