[shadetree944]

I bought my '83 for $2500 with 93k miles and recent timing belt and water pump as well as a few other goodies. I was in graduate school, but I was also getting a small stipend for teaching duties that allowed me to work on the car during the summer (it was my daily but I could borrow a car in a pinch). During the next year and a half, I spent roughly $4k in parts, doing the work myself in a borrowed garage space. Now that I have the mechanicals in working order, $500 a year for maintenance is reasonable, but starting out it would not have worked.