1995 3.1L w/ 182K
Mostly city miles of short, 5mi trips to work and back.
Acquired ~5 years back when it had 145K and was not in running condition.
Car is originally from up North...severely rusted underneath.
Trans was just rebuilt before it broke down, so that is why I took the gamble.
During the first couple of years I replaced....
Intake manifold gasket (for the oil in the coolant of course)
Entire A/C overhaul (except for evaporator core)
Alternator
Water pump
Fuel pump
Gas tank
Signal turn multi-switch
Belt and all hoses (upper heater hose twice)
Headlight lenses
All the usual maintenance stuff...plugs, wires, battery, tires, etc.
Other than that, just oil changes and a few minor quirks not worth worrying about. Seem to be getting pressure build up in the fuel tank recently for some reason and have a post going on that. All the small stuff still works...power windows, locks, dash lights, etc.
In short, definitely was (and still is) worth the gamble and better than "renting to own" a car from the bank for $500/month. Although if anything else major goes at this point, then that will probably mark the end.