Hattie,
Just buy a cheap beater car that you don't care about and Keep the SDL. You love the car and this way you could take your time fixing it. You mentioned doing this a while back. Next time somebody illegally parks in the garage, you can just push them out of the way (just kidding). After you get something else you can take your time and acquire a lot of good quality used parts and take your time replacing things you need.
Plus a lot of the other advice you have is good. You don't need perfection. Make a list, fix the critical safety issues and keep your ears and eyes open for the big stuff. A dented door is not a critical thing. I would not even think about the body until you are sure your mechanical issues are resolved.
I think you said you just had your car aligned and it is still pulling? Take it back to the shop. If they are good, and interested in your future business, they should check it for free.
Keep the faith. We all want you to be a healthy and happy contributor to our forum, not some CAMRY
Forum.