Thank you for your opinion Jeff. I will continue to look for a project car that is in good condition. I don't want to spend the time and money on a car that is not desirable to collectors.
Please don't misunderstand my meaning. There are plenty of rusty cars that have been repaired and the owners enjoy them. Unless your int he business of building and selling cars you should IMHO be concerned about how you feel about and will enjoy the car. The amount of money often spent and normally not counting your time and effort is not often returned to you when you sell one of these cars but you need to feel comfortable with your choices and what you choose to put into a project.
In many cases (for a restoration project or non-project) I believe you will find that the overall cost may be less if you start with a car that is more original, more complete and has the smallest amount of repair required - either from rust or prior accidents. I have always lived in a part of the US where rust is minimal or a non-issue so I'm spoiled. Because of this I tend to not consider cars with rust - most of the time I've sold the cars immediately once rust was discovered. I can only recall three cars I've purchased since the mid 70's that had what I would call rust but have been involved with allot of cars and owners with rebuilt rusty cars.
Others have chosen to repair damaged cars due to the rarity or perceived future value. It's an individual choice for each of us. For more common models I believe we will find that most here would choose a car that does not have stories or issues (Panels with VIN's having been replaced) just because it would be easier to find another car without those issues and potential problems.
Everyone seems to want that perfect car that they can drive on the weekends, enjoy, and increases in value and makes them at least a small amount of profit when if comes time to well.
Would you consider a unibody with any rust damage or repairs and if so to what extent? I am looking for some guidance on what condition car I should be looking for, to restore, to be a good collector car.
"A good collector car" can mean different things to different people. Since each car is individually different and unless you have a specific model your interested in and nothing else, you have to evaluate IMHO each car as it becomes available, be educated on value (to you), issues, and costs so that you can quickly react.
Right now low mileage unrestored cars in great condition are very interesting to many but not everyone is very valuable and you need a keen eye (or some help from someone with that ability) to know the difference.
