You could always get the title in your name and start the endeavor. Then, if you get it for next to nothing, you already have something that has potentially a few thousand dollars in value. Next, you may find it worth your time as a hobby to learn new things (my first car was a nearly rusted out 1968 Mustang that I brought back to life as a high school kid - and I learned a ton). You may also end up loving to tinker with it a spend some money slowly, over time, to restore or as a labor of love. This doesn't have to be a short game of building the next show truck or off road beast. Or, you may start the process; learn some new skills, and realize it's not a journey you can continue. At that point you can easily find someone else who loves the project more and sell it to them. It's about the journey sometimes, and not the destination.