That is a tough question, Turvy. If the old beater has a manual transmission in it, the seal issues are not nearly as severe. If it isn't leaking now, it probably won't for a while.

If you like projects, that would be a great one. The old Scouts could climb about anything but a telephone pole leaning towards you. There are tons of mods and parts for those mods to put small block Chevy or Ford engines and transmissions in them.

I like old projects like that. You could probably get it for less than the $3K if you bring up the parts issues and the like. This would be a serious project, though.

It would be unique but for parts availability, an old Bronco or Jeep would be much better. They are all going to suck up the gas, but it's only money.