Worth it ?

[Carnoobe]

So there's a 93 Festy with unknown problems that has been broken down near my home for about a month. It has Ohio temporary plates and after checking with the OH court I can petition them to order the DMV to transfer the title to my name. To do this requires a $175 filing fee.

The Festy looks good cosmetically. The hood has the most rust spots, but other than that just some minor dents. Things that are obviously wrong - it has a flat tire, and a rear signal light is smashed.

It is an automatic with 214,000 miles on it. AC - unknown, interior great except for a stupid bumper sticker on the dash - hiding something?

I was thinking that a nearly free car -( approx $200 by the time I transfer to KY) was worth trying to work on. I wouldn't feel bad if I broke something on this car since it would be a backup car. In about 2 years my daughter will be 16 and able to get her license - it'll probably go to her assuming I get it and it's running by then.

So do you think it's worth a try? My wife thinks I'm insane, as does most of my family. But my coworkers are all gung-ho about the idea. This frightens me because my coworkers usually make poor choices, and my family usually makes good ones.

Lets assume the worst - the engine is totally fried - what would a new B3 or B6 cost? Would you do it if it were you?

Looking for justification,

Eric

[Carnoobe]

I should also have mentioned tomorrow is my Birthday and my boss said he's willing to loan the cash to me

That way the wife doesn't need to know for now, and the cash stays in our account. Hell he might even just give it to me since it's my birthday!

Still looking for justification,

Eric

[oxbrain]

a b6 will run you $200-$400 depending on the condition. It might be more if there are other problems with the festiva. That would mean you're spending $400-$600+ on a car and you could buy a festiva in known good condition for less.
I'd say find a towing company, tell them the car is abandoned. They can tow it, contact the licensed owner, and if they refuse to pay for it, sell it to you for the towing cost plus storage. You might get out a little cheaper, it would have a salvage title, but so what.

That said, unless you're turning it into an all out project car, the unknown could end up costing a lot of money to get working.