Hi and welcome to mightyram. Well Matt, I think you are ahead of the game. If you were specifically after any car/truck, handed over, lets say, $1500/2k for it and then had to spend another $1500/2k to get it sorted just to make it reliable (or even just driveable) you have taken a deep but normal plunge. I had a similar thing. I was after a Gen 1 and all the local classifieds were selling them at about the $2-2.5k mark (AUD). I didn't bite at the time but within 6 months most of those trucks were back on the market with either collision damage or mechanical issues. I paid $400 for a non runner that had the foundations I wanted - G63B engine, 5 speed, bucket seats, rear step and tow hitch and the added bonus of A/C (which none of the trucks I'd looked at had fitted). In recent times I haven't seen a Gen 1 for sale anywhere in any condition. My truck still isn't running and I've made a fair investment into it so far (both money and time). But once it hits the road, I won't have to worry about it breaking down in a hurry as I'll know that it has been thoroughly rebuilt and had a few worthy upgrades to improve it during the process.