Hey John! Welcome to the group!! I'm always glad to see new people interested in the car. I can answer a few of your questions... The time a car will take for maintenance and care will vary greatly on what you end up buying. If you find a car that's been stored and not driven too much, you'll spend quite a bit getting into good running condition (trust me I know!) However, on the other hand, if you find a car with higher mileage that's been driven regularly, you'll spend a lot less (I have experience here too) Either way, expect to spend around $22-25K to get a reliable daily driver, whether you spend it all at once, or fixin it up. If you have any other questions, just ask... we're all pretty helpful. OH! Where are you located? I'll be in AZ in Jan 03. Ryan Gould vin 2930(BTTF) & 4547(daily driver) check out www.d-a-r-t.com