thanks guys for the replies
yes i would be doing most of the mechanical work, i had a 1993 lancer gsr awd turbo and just sold it recently, so i have a bit of experience with working on cars. my plan was to take my time and clean it up and then put it on historic rego scheme or the modified scheme if it still exists when its old enough. if i was to make an offer, it probably would be no more than $4000 as i know rust can be expensive to fix, and i dont have any skills in rust repair. i just need to find time to actually look at it, as its the only way ill know if its too far gone, or whether the cost of repairs would outway the cost of just getting one in better condition
thanks again
mat