[FoxBodyfirstplz]

Yeah, the inevitable happened. On my first day back for Thanksgiving break too! I gave it little too much in 2nd gear making a 90-degree turn at an intersection and the rear end swung out. I caught the slide and pulled the car back straight, but it was raining out. So, as the car swung back straight, it continued to slide sideways until I was off the road facing the wrong direction. I missed a telephone pole by 2ft. and the guidewire holding up that pole by 1ft. The cop didn't give me a ticket, and everything was ok, except the left rear wheel has snapped off at the axle (from the curb I hopped sliding into the grass). The repair shops say $1600-$1800 (plus the $350 the tow truck scammed me), so my parents say sell it or junk it. I can't bear to sell/junk this car, I would rather keep it and get money together to fix it maybe by summer. But, I am in college and getting money is sorta tough, and whatever I make has to go towards spending money. What should I do? Is it worth my money, or should I let it go and try to find another car when I graduate? I really don't want to do that but it may be my only option. Someone give me a second opinion because it's tearing me apart trying to decide myself. The car is a '92 LX Hatch with issues (paint, a little body damage here and there, and some electrical bugs, in fine shape for 144,000 miles) but it runs great.

[Durr4456]

If you love it as much as you say, keep it hands down.

[95StangMX]

They are crazy expensive on there price, what all does that include? You can buy strange axles for less than that, I would go to the junk yard you can probably pick up the whole rear end for less than 500 bucks and throw it in yourself if you have some basic mechanical knowledge

[98FireyGT!]

$1600-$1800?

My entire IRS setup cost less than that. Find yourself a $500-$600 parts car and swap over what you need.

[95StangMX]

Ford Mustang Axles at AmericanMuscle.com - Free Shipping!

399.00 complete 5 lug conversion with new 28 spline moser axles and front conversion everything! Who ever gave you that price must be putting strange 31 spline axles that are gold plated titanium or something.....haha
hell for 1299 you can get the whole ford racing rear end for a gt500, just an example of how high who ever quoted you was.

[ryanw]

I agree with 95stangmx.

just buy a new rear end at the junk yard.

Dont get crazy in these cars going around corners, shit like this happens. My vote is to keep the car and find a cheaper way of fixing it. I understand that there are areas that we lack in when it comes to working on cars but you cant take the car to a shop for every little problem, put some wrench time in your self, inlist a few friends for help. do as much as you can, if your unable to fully complete the job, then have a shop finish it up. youll save a shit load of money that way.

[ryanw]

check craigslist. in my area 65 bucks

Mustang 8.8 rear ends

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/pts/2720453463.html

[johnGT]

Same thing happened to my buddy in his truck a few years back..Cost him about $750 for a junkyard rear end to be installed. His posi almost never locks up though and he only has 4 lugs holding on one of the wheels..

I would do the same thing if your situation ever happens to me (knocks on wooden desk) just be wary of who is installing it and what the rear end comes out of.
Or you could install it yourself and save a few hundred dollars.

[Jaa1456]

I see rears on Craigslist all the time, There is an entire FOX being parted out right now on one of the NJ listings. Not sure if it was north/south or central.

[gripthenboost]

sell it and save the money. Your parents are pissed u crashed it. I bet there saying "i told u we should of got him a honda", get your money together and you can find some good again. Or get all your ducks in a row and show them how cheap it is to fix it....

[nolife]

AAA+. About $100/year and it covers you in any car you are driving or a passenger in. I ALWAYS get the cars towed directly to my house, accident or just a break down. The road side tow trucks are a fking scam and they charge like $200 a day for storage as well. Even without AAA, the going rate in my area if you call a tow company is $75 for hookup and a couple bucks a mile. It is about 3x that when they are called by the police or they are driving by. One note about AAA, if they tow it to your house at your request, they will not tow it to a shop from your house later. Even with that, it is still cheaper. Hell, talk your parents into it have them add you on.

[FoxBodyfirstplz]

Originally Posted by nolife AAA+. About $100/year and it covers you in any car you are driving or a passenger in. I ALWAYS get the cars towed directly to my house, accident or just a break down. The road side tow trucks are a fking scam and they charge like $200 a day for storage as well. Even without AAA, the going rate in my area if you call a tow company is $75 for hookup and a couple bucks a mile. It is about 3x that when they are called by the police or they are driving by. One note about AAA, if they tow it to your house at your request, they will not tow it to a shop from your house later. Even with that, it is still cheaper. Hell, talk your parents into it have them add you on.

Haha yeah actually have that. My parents have AAA for all of our cars. Thank god too because I have broken down in my Mustang before and they towed it for free (just an alternator wire I needed to solder back on). This time tho they did exactly what you warned of. The police officer was in on the scam without a doubt. He insisted on calling his "AAA-Affiliated tow company" because so many crashes were happening that day he claimed it was going to take a few hours for it to come. It came in 20min, towed my car for free, then didn't call or answer our calls for 4 days (Thanksgiving). They charged $50 a day for holding the car, $50 for using a skate during the tow (they didn't, only the back wheel broke and he brought a flatbed, I watched), and $50 for cleanup at the accident site (there was no debris and he didn't clean shit. I was there the whole time). I can even prove he didn't use a skate for the front wheels because I remember seeing-hearing my longtube headers scrape on the curb as he dragged the car out of the grass! Grand total was somewhere like $450! AAA-Affiliated my ass. My parents are livid.
As for everyone else, thanks for all the posts of support and suggestions. I will look into a used axle for sure, and I might even recruit one of my friends who goes to WyoTech to help me change out the axle myself. I really don't wanna sell this car, at least not when its broken. Axles are pretty cheap but for all I know there could be another issue to sort out too....I didn't get to really look at the car myself and the mechanic who has it now has to take a look at it. Thanks everyone!

[Stdyhand]

Did it damage the axle housing or tubes? If not I would just get the axle at a junk yard and replace that in less than 2 hours. Now if it did damage the housing then I would deffinately visit the junk yard for a whole new rear end. You could still put the whole rear end in probably half a day, maybe less. It really isn't that difficult to do.

[Danno]

Agree with the other folks - take some time and look for a junkyard or craig's list part. Do as much of the work as you can. Selling the idea to your parents won't be easy, other than pointing out that this is a pretty frugal way to repair it and won't cost much. I did something similar when I was in college and didn't have a choice...at least you've got a choice about it.