1996 Ford Mustang Accident

A simple alignment isn't going to solve this. A part is bent and must be replaced, THEN the car must be aligned. Typically an inner tie rod end gets bent but on Fords a bent strut is also real common. Your mechanic will also inspect the lower control arm and for a bent wheel. With any Ford product you also have to worry about outer tie rod ends and ball joints that separate leading to loss of control and a crash. Your mechanic may want to replace the lower ball joint to insure there isn't hidden damage.

Thank you so much for writing back. Do you have an estimate on how much this could all be?

We don't get involved with cost here because there's way too many variables, especially with something like this. We don't know what's damaged, what can be repaired, what must be replaced, what must be replaced with new vs. used parts from a salvage yard, hourly labor rates for your area, quality of paint you want, etc. Do you just want the car to be drivable with no abnormal tire wear, or do you want it to look like new.

All body shops provide written estimates after they inspect the damage and ask these questions. Some will come right to you if you can't get the car to them. If you involve your insurance company, they will also have someone come to the car and they can arrange for a tow truck if it's needed. The insurance adjuster's goal is to save the company money, usually by requiring the repair shop to use aftermarket or used parts. There are a lot of aftermarket parts that are real good quality. Some are not and will require extra time to make them fit properly. That is between the shop and the adjuster. They often have a predetermined agreement about use of those parts.