Posted by: @jessedavis

Should I sell it?

yes

I know what it is to be a college student. You have no money. So where do you get 5 grand? I would not be repairing the body of a 19 year old car. That's ridiculous. At your earliest possible convienience find another insurance company. The car without a catalytic converter is worthless. My only suggestion is find a junkyard with the same vehicle that will sell you the whole exhaust system and put it in yourself. Other wise junk it and start shopping.

I have a hefty repair bill of $5,000 coming my way (...) the rust hole they want me to fix

$5,000 for a rust hole? Find a better body shot, and search junkyards.

I don’t want to be stuck with a money pit

A money pit is a car that constant needs more money to be put in it, definitely not a Honda CR-V.

Posted by: @jessedavis

rust spots and I think I’ll try to do it myself.

you might be wasting your time.

The rust you see on the surface is usually just the tip of the iceberg, and it will come back again soon. Especially in frozen expanses like Manitoba.

If you're going to spend any time on this, then you might as well replace the whole panel.

No, the transmission is still kicking strong.

My Catalytic Converter was stolen and my Insurance company got involved. However, they’d only cover that if I got a few other things on the vehicle done. The body is in excellent condition, minus the rust hole they want me to fix in my quarter panel. I don’t know much about body work compared to the mechanics of a vehicle so I took it for an estimate between 3-5 grand.

My insurance company offered me 4,500 for the car but unfortunately I have too much sentimental value to give it away for that price. The car has been in the family for a while now. But then again I don’t want to be stuck with a money pit

Thanks for your time man.

So basically the only thing wrong is the missing catalytic converter from what I gather??? Plus your insurance company won't pay till you get the "rust hole" fixed which is crazy and I never heard of such a thing, not sure where you live but seems to be overstepping their bounds. First, I would echo what was suggested by "MrBob."  The other thing you could do is watch some youtube videos and fix the rust hole yourself.  It is not too difficult and might not be perfect but you could do it yourself.  If that is not possible then time to junk it.  I understand about sentimental things but it is not going to run or last forever.  Take a few pictures of it and junk it. after that, I would stay away from that insurance company.  Just my two cents which is not even worth that anymore.

Thanks for your replies guys, I’ve done my research by looking how others have repaired similar rust spots and I think I’ll try to do it myself. I already welded a new cat myself.

On the note of that insurance company:

I live in Canada. Specifically, Manitoba Canada. Over here we don’t have private insurance companies like I’m sure many of you do, ours is public. This means that they are able to regulate and create a lot of rules that every car owner in the province has to follow unfortunately. That’s the reason they wouldn’t have fixed my cat unless I did some body work. Basically if I’ve learned anything from this experience, it’s that insurance is pretty useless around here unless you get in an accident.

Cheers.

If the bills have nothing to do with any engine repairs, I think you'll be alright as long as you can access the inside of your vehicle well enough and not worry about any bumpers, headlights, etc. I do agree that the situation you're in is very stressful and I can understand about having a major bill coming for you while not having the money at the moment as well. Truthfully though, the best I could say is to keep your vehicle because in these days, it's difficult to find something dependable and reliable for a cheap price. But whatever is best for you man, do what you gotta do.