Reply to "What are the basic things to look for"

I would like to strongly echo DeMopuar's advice.

When I was shopping for a car, the primary criteria was a rust-free body. After a thorough going through, there should be no visible rust. Of greatest concern is rust at or near the lap joints. As such, my first choice was a car that had ORIGINAL paint - that is the one I bought. I may have paid a little more than I should have in 1990. But, after 18 years of ownership, I am happy with that decision. I passed on many beautifully repainted cars. However, as the years go by, cars in original paint and rust free are harder to come by - but from my point of view, I would pay the extra and get that type of car.

After the body, the second item to check is the ZF transaxle. A basic rebuild (just syncros) for example, could be $3.5K-$6K depending on how the associated gear centres are worn. I think a new ZF is $11.5K.

Finally, I never pay attention to the km/mileage of the vehicle. Mileage statements politely go in one of my ears and immediately out the other. It takes all but a few minutes to disconnect the speedometer/odometer. Moreover, a DeT technical bulletin explains how, in a straight-forward manner, to turn back the odometer. I have read examples of cars for sale, that have admitted that the odometer had been turned back after their "restoration".

As DeMopuar wrote, a clean body, then aside from the ZF, mechanically, the car is relatively inexpensive to maintain or repair.

HTH