Josh's advice is very sound... buy the best car you can afford; it's cheaper in
the long run.
I'll go one further and say "buy a car that's in the condition that you can
live with and that's being used like
you intend to use it". Meaning: if you want a daily driver car, buy a car
that's being used as a driver and is
cosmetically and mechanically acceptable to you. People waste lots of money
buying a car _nicer_ than it
needs to be (I get more enjoyment out of a slightly shabby driver because I
drive it more and harder and
don't feel I have to be as careful with it...), but waste even more buying a
car that's "almost" a driver.... or
"just" needs paint and interior and chrome and.....
If you are going to do a 100% frame up resto, then it really doesn't matter
much what you start with... you'll
end up with the same $20k+ in resto costs.
It's also WELL worth paying the $500-1000 in shipping costs to get a rust-free
Western car versus the
average east coast car... the single biggest expense most of us face is
bodywork and rust repair....
I don't always practice what I preach, but don't let the heart rule the head.
Bill Elliott
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