that's the thing, buy a cheaper but clean car that you can make exactly what you want. if you buy a car that's close but more expensive you'll end up spending money to make it 'the one' anyway. at least with that scamp you're out driving in it while you collect all the parts for the rebuild. as i said before the body is the most important thing, closely followed by chrome and interior. all the mechanical parts can be swapped out easily.