Appreciate all the input. I trolled CraigLook for months and found a few nice examples. I can't spend more than around $9k. The '01 and up body style is more than I want to spend (for a nice example). My parents had a '94 850 GLE and then a '98 S70 GLT and both were nice cars. I liked the form factor. My old college room mate has an '05? S60R 6 speed and it's a rocket! Just as quick as my 911 but not as nimble.

Porsche restorers I know say to buy a car in the best shape you can afford, that way you'll have less to sort out. I once had a VW GTI VR6 that I bought at a "bargain" price and it took me 18 months to thoroughly sort it - so it was no bargain after all. This V70R looks like it will need minimal sorting.

I agree with the post about tires. That's been the most expensive part of owning our 740 Turbo Wagon. It's got the pretty 5 blade 16 inch wheels and hence ride on 55 series performance tires. I've spent about $2,800 in rubber during 13 years of ownership. This V70R will be similar. I have two sets of tires & rims (summer & winter) so rotation isn't an issue. I'll need to budget for a set of winter tires & wheels for the new car. I'm a skier so snow traction is important.

I'm hoping to get better mileage than the current 740 on the highway. It gets about 23.5 - 24.5 mpg. I've heard of V70R owners getting as high as 29 mpg.

It's intersting to note the '90 740 wagon weighs 3,100 lbs and has 165 bhp while the '00 V70R has 238 bhp and weighs 3,850 lbs. Weight to Power ratios are pretty close so performance will be only slightly better in the V70.

I'll post back if I purchase this V70R. It looks like a real "creampuff"
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D '90 745T 229k, '88 744GLE 129k, '96 328i, '73 911T 100k+