Finally ready to pull the trigger on my dream car, 2001 Daewoo Lanos, only 201K miles at $12,900!

After a few days of searching, I think I finally found the perfect car, a 2001 Daewoo Lanos with only 201,000 miles. The seller says it’s a rare find and that it “just needs a few small tweaks” to be perfect. The check engine light is on, but he assured me it’s “probably just an O2 sensor” and that it “runs fine once you get used to it.” The car has only had two owners and has never been in an accident, which is a plus.

He’s asking $12,900, which I know is a little high, but he made a great point, “these are only going up in value as they become collector’s items.” I think I might be able to get him down to $11,900 if I press and negotiate a bit. Plus, he threw in some extra perks: two extra tires (one has a small patch but "should be good for a while"), a Daewoo collector’s hat (still in the plastic! which is really retro and cool), a laminated certificate of authenticity from the original dealership, and also a steering wheel lock.

He also showed me a special trick for starting it. You have to turn the key a certain way while holding slight pressure on the steering wheel, or the ignition won’t catch. He called it a “quirk that gives the car character” and said it "actually makes it harder to steal," which does make sense.

I’m leaning towards using it normally and putting on around 6,000-9,000 miles a year, but with the value only going up I though maybe I might just keep it as a collector’s item and not run it much so I can keep the miles low.

It may not have all the modern bells and whistles, but I see this more as an investment. Would love to hear some thoughts before I pull the trigger!