I'm in dire need of advice?

I'm planning on moving across the country to Arizona from Michigan after the summer this year. That is my goal at the moment.

What I'm looking for is help on deciding whether or not I should pay my car off right now or wait until I finish my monthly payments. Also if I should repair the body damage or just trade it in as is. My monthly payment for the car is $125 and I have 3k left on the loan.

I own a 2008 Ford Edge SE trim, I'm approaching 120k miles. I plan on driving it to Arizona and selling it when I get there. I need to replace the right fender, the grill, both front and back bumpers, windshield, driver door latch and the speed sensor on the transmission. I was quoted 300 bucks to have the sensor fix, and it only gives problems every now and then. I'm not sure how much everything else is going to cost.

Sorry for the long post but I literally think of this everyday and haven't found a solution. Hopefully someone out there can guide me to the right choice. This is my first car and when I move to Arizona, I won't have anyone to help me financially. So I'm trying to set myself up for the future and it starts with this. Thanks for anyone that reads and replies, I really appreciate it.

Sell it and buy a new or used RAV-4 or CR-V Make sure the AC is cold. You will need it in AZ.

We moved to southern Nevada, right across the river from Arizona from Cleveland almost exactly four years ago. You have another thing to think about - IF you do repair the car, you will be without wheels until it is done. Also, major sheet metal repairs will probably need a new paint job when they are done - More time & $$$. Suggestion, unless you are going to move close to friends or family, you might think about keeping the old car, as a back-up, & getting a new one.

You're Edge is barely worth $3000 now from sounds it. Should look at doing some of the work yourself to get/keep car drivable. Research the fix on the tranny sensor because it will mess up your computer eventually. If it needs a new set of bumpers, windshield, etc then you probably had an accident and there might be other issues deeper than just the surface sheet metal dents. Won't get much for the vehicle selling/trading so I suggest your thinking this as a longer term vehicle till you get re-established with a really good job. So, hit the yards to find some parts, don't worry about matching paint yet, and do realize that in most new vehicles the windshield is "part" of the overall strength/safety system and having it compromised isn't a positive.
You might benefit from a transmission service now, change out the filter and fluid, get any adjustments taken care of, possibly get sensor fixed same time (depending on your research and costs). And take it to a local shop and tell them your plan and that you AREN'T letting them tear down your tranny and charge you $2000 for a rebuild (again where researching will help you). Check locally for going rates for a service.
So, if the payment is $125 and you're saving money to make this move you might think about adding $20 more per month to the payment, most loans pay interest first and by adding a bit you lower the principal amount faster. Paying off the loan right now will probably tap most of your reserves that you want intact, so the $125 (or more) per month isn't going to shred your budget;only incentive for a fast payoff is if it changes your insurance coverage/payment schedule in a positive way (no full coverage).

You have at least 24 more payments to make, that's two years. Do you see the car lasting another two years. You can't do anything about selling or trading the car until it's paid off and by the sound of it it's going to be worthless long before then. Factor in another 3 grand for repairs and your 6,000 in. What is the car worth now if in good running order?
Pay it off if you can afford to then dump it in a junk yard and use the 3,000 needed for repairs on a decent car.
I guess the reason you have so much body damage is you don't like full coverage insurance.