Sad demise of a much loved vehicle

[Staxojazz]

Hi everyone,
I am still the proud owner of a 1982 2-door Mazda 929 hardtop coupe with 4 windows. My husband and I have owned this car since it was brand new. She is now 29 years old and until recently was in excellent condition. Unfortunately, about 5 months ago, some little so-and-so decided to trespass on my property, break into the car and vandalise it. To enter it, "they" smashed the lock on the passenger's side, but must have done so much damage to the locking mechanism that the lock would not work and therefore would not open the door. So they decided to try the driver's door too. That is to say that they smashed both the locks on my car in order to gain entry. Once inside, "they" broke the lift-up lid of the centre console and rummaged through everything. My door was left open when I found it the next morning.
They also dented the front nose panel and jemmied off the driver's front indicator light, which broke the small clip that attaches it to the body of the vehicle. They stuck numerous small dents into other panels on the body too, but the worst one is where the lock has been replaced on the passenger's side. They also forced the electric windows on both of the large windows and have buggered up the guides. The motors on the windows are still operable, but the small rubber guides have been crushed, so the windows need assistance to pull them to the top.
I'm posting this information onto the site to ask for some advice. I have been through the process of getting an insurance assessment and with all the damage the car has incurred, they have quoted repairs would cost $2,200, so the insurance company have offered me a payout of $2,500.
While this might seem like a good deal to some, there is a lot of other information to consider.
Over 29 years, one gets to become quite intimate with a car like this and to appreciate that she has a real personality. I apologise for my anthropomorphising, but I really do have a great deal of sentiment for this car as she has been a very reliable girl and has never let me down.
Let me give you a brief rundown on her maintenance history:
Between 1988 and 2002, the car was up on blocks.
2002 Full body respray: $4500.00
2003 Carburettor overhaul: $262.00
2003 New alternator: $281.00
2003 New exhaust system: $350.00
2005 Starter Motor: $295.00
2006 Immobiliser, alarm and central locking installed: $500
2007 Rear struts: $650.00
2006 Clutch Master & Slave cylinders: $280.00
2010 L/H electric window regulator: $210.00
2011 Clutch and gearbox rebuild: $1400
She currently has 178,000km on the clock.
Her dashboard includes a speedometer that lights up by orange bars and she even has a battery level indicator – something I found incredibly useful on a long trip back from the country with a failed voltage regulator!
She's a 5-speed manual with cruise control.
Would anyone like to comment on what they think she might be worth? Let me know if you want more information.

[Matsuda9]

Take the wreck and take payout and get it repaired.

Sadly, the payout is within what these cars are worth now days (unless it is a rotary)

[Staxojazz]

Thanks for the advice. No, it's not a rotary, so I guess I'll have to take what they're offering. Perhaps it's time to upgrade, but I will miss her.

[Matsuda9]

In many cases you could get your own panel beater to do work cheaper.

As I said, if you love the car then buy a wreck and repair it (been there before)

i personally think that HB coupes will get some recognition from the crowd out of all the 80s mazdas (wasn't many great hits there bar the 323/famila GTs)