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Unfortunately, if the rust damage is as bad as you say, you're likely going to have to either get it repaired or just bite the bullet and get a replacement vehicle.

I'd take it to a body shop and get an estimate, but it's probably going to be out of budget to repair.

It's not a "nightmare". It's working the way it's supposed to.

If it’s just the subframe, get onto LKQ’s website and try to find a junked Focus of a similar year. Their pick and pull yards are: Baltimore (Erdman ave), Mt. Airy, Hawkins Pt. and Edgewood.

It’ll take some time and effort but you may luck out and be able to find one in better shape for a much cheaper price than from Ford.

You’ll still have to pay for someone to drop the old one and bolt everything up to the new one and install it, but you’ll save some cash that way.

Also a good tip: Pay for a Pre-Purchase inspection for any vehicle you’re looking to buy. $100-$150 will go a long way to prevent this kind of headache. Good luck!

Hahahaha. Ride a bike.

"how do I bypass a law designed to keep unsafe cars like mine off the road?"

I believe it's the sellers job to have it inspected before selling in Maryland.

No, but it's the purchase experience that's the nightmare, not the inspection/registration. Annual inspections like they make you do in NY are their own sort of annoyance, but they help prevent this sort of thing.

I’m not talking about a state inspection, I’m talking about a private, pre-purchase inspection at a trusted mechanic. It’s a good way to both see if there are any major issues with the car, and have a little bargaining chip if it needs work.

If the car is sold "as is" it is the buyer's responsibility to have it inspected. Almost all private sales are "as is" unless stated otherwise in the sales contract

Only if you’re buying it from a registered dealership in MD. Not if it’s out of state or if it’s private sale.

Your best bet is sell the car for what you have in it to someone out of state. Very difficult to sell an as is car in MD for any decent amount because as you learned the inspection cost can kill the value of the car. Sucks to learn this way but that's probably your least expensive option. Get it gone.

Junk it or replace the subframe. It's unsafe in its current status and shouldn't be on the road.

I get wanting a cheap car to toddle around town but this ain't it.

wait 7 years and register it as historic

I requested a temporary registration while I dealt with the inspection stuff, which bought me more time (another month I believe) and allowed me to drive around legally while I fixed my car for it to pass inspection. So if you haven’t already, you can do that in the mean time. Can’t speak to anything else though, sorry.

I was reading an MVA pamphlet which didn't make that distinction.

That makes sense. Thank you for clarifying

Take it to the junkyard and sell as scrap. Use that money to purchase something else. Sorry, if the car is unsafe it is unsafe for you. It is unsafe for other sharing the road.

Slip the inspector 100 and call it a day

Get a printer and make yourself a temporary tag. Virgina seems to be what all the cool kids are doing these days.