My collection of junk:
1992 LandCruiser FJ80, 254k miles, bought at 252k for $600. No, I didn't drive all those miles. Too bad for the sucka that paid $40k new for a vehicle that gets 14mpg on a good day. It's our trailer tow-er, junk hauler, canoe carrier to the tune of 1-2K mi/year.
2002 VW Golf TDI, 297K now, bought at 70K in 2006 for 10k cash. Yes, at 270k, it did drop a shaft in the manny tranny and it had to rebuild it into another case scavenged for free off the forum. And then at 290k the replacement turbo barfed up a bearing after only 70k of service, and it had to be rebuilt/combined with the OEM turbo for free. And then it was rear ended in traffic, totaled by insurance. Got a $3100 settlement, bought back for $250, went to JY & got good used color matching hatch & bumper& taillights for $175. Spent a day straightening the opening & hanging parts. Made about $275/hr for 9hrs of work.
'New' car: 2013 VW TDI sportwagen, bought at 136k last august for $5900 (cheap), but immediately spent $1100 for a new flywheel, timing belt & WP, rear springs & shocks,all maintenance fluids & filters. Wife's new commuter car, though it gets only 44MPG vs 48 for the '01. The safety & comfort improvements are worth the mileage hit.
In the springtime, I will sell the 02 TDI for $3,000 and a classic car for $15,000, to free up garage & brain space. Too much rolling stock here now.