<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I think I will be patient and look for a restored car at auction, and hopefully pay less than $20K for what I am looking for. [/QUOTE]
When you think you've found the car, pay someone to find everything that's wrong with it that they can - someone who has no emotions linked to the car; someone with no connetion to it, you or the seller (or the auction company)! I've done those types of appraisals for people...not really an 'appraisal' but a punch list of items that were done incorrectly or are not up to the par of the asking price...&, in the long run, you'll be money ahead!
& if the seller or auction company won't allow your ouside appraiser to spend a couple of hours alone with the car, walk away from it!