Your offer of $4000 would have been too much for the condition of the car. About 6-8 months ago, a fellow forum member asked me if I could go look at a car for him that he was interested in buying. I can't remember what year it was, but it may have been 2001 or 2002. I drove it, and it ran fine, tranny shifted well, convertible top worked, but it definitely needed paint and a few interior issues to be addressed, BUT, it was only $4000 for a running, functioning car. And that was here in southern California, so rust wasn't an issue. There are some lovely cars out there in the $6-10,000 range. Keep looking.