I was in the same boat as you when I was looking. Talked to Werkshop and a few of the other high end restoration shops and found out that a 9 point tii would run $50-$70k plus the cost of the donor car - YIKES! When you look at the availability of really clean already restored cars (few and far between) it was rare to find a car that was more than $20-$22k...the economics just don't work when you figure you've lost $40k+ when you go to sell your "recently restored" tii. I love our little cars but they don't have the same intrinsic value and ability to increase in $ as an older 911, Benz, Detroit Muscle Car etc. Find a car that was recently restored and owned by an enthusiast, make a few tweaks to make it your own and have fun driving it. I added AC using all new components and a perfect Fridgking console and it cost around $2500.