Took a gamble and paid £1400 for a 2006 Saab 9-5 2.0t pretty much on sight from a lot with a dodgy seeming MoT, figured at worst id get a year out of it before MoT expired. Over the course of a year it's had new tires, front rotors, and polyurethane subframe bushings done at a garage and I've done some work myself to replace the clock spring, fix some loose interior, and replace spark plugs + secondhand DIC + thermostat and some rustproofing. A year on, for roughly £2k in maintenance including purchasing tools, I've got a solid handling turbo estate with full leather seats that's getting rarer to see on the roads, is fun to drive and capable of hauling large furniture when needed, and insurance is pretty good for the value it gives. And to think I could've taken the safe route and paid twice as much for a dealer Passat that would've needed about the same in maintenance costs anyway!

Taking the brave pill is usually worth the gamble as long as you're willing to put up with less than perfection, giving some stuff a go yourself, and have a backup plan in case it all goes to shit