thanks Ard, that was very... succinct and exactly what I was looking for.

Of course, it goes without saying, that it would be unrealistic to buy any vehicle on that scale, and not expect to encounter any problems

For the most part, there seems to be enough information to make that decision, or trade off if you will, say E53 rusties for E70 electric water pump.. yep, ill take changing the electric water pump over rust and body work, even if it costs $400 every whatever-km the interval is.